County Championship: Marcus Harris' 214 puts Leicestershire in control over Derbyshire

Marcus Harris entered the Leicestershire record books with a double century that gave his team complete control of their County Championship match against Derbyshire at the County Ground.

The Australian opener plundered 214 from 303 balls, the highest score by a Leicestershire player at Derby, as the visitors racked up 574-7 declared on the second day of the Division Two game.

Harris shared a fourth-wicket stand of 153 with fellow Australian Peter Handscomb (68) before Ben Cox tucked into a tiring attack with 69 from 76 balls.

Needing 425 to avoid following on, Derbyshire slumped to 12-3 and closed on a precarious 54-4.

Derbyshire had got the breakthrough they needed with Sam Conners finding the right line to have skipper Lewis Hill caught at second slip which ended a stand of 90 from 135 balls for the third wicket.

But the wicket they desperately wanted was Harris and they should have dismissed him on 88 when he edged Blair Tickner low to first slip where David Lloyd failed to cling on.

Harris reached his century from 189 balls by straight-driving Anuj Dal for his 13th four and 150 from 235 balls before Handscomb cut Alex Thomson for four to complete his 50 before lunch.

Derbyshire took the new ball immediately and after Handscomb pulled Conners for six, he played around a full-length ball from Tickner and was lbw.

Harris was dropped again on 167 when wicketkeeper Brooke Guest failed to take a low chance and he quickly moved to his double hundred which came from 293 balls and contained 26 fours.

He celebrated by driving Thomson for six and pulled Pat Brown for another maximum before he played across one from the fast bowler and lost his leg stump.

But there was no respite for the home attack as Leicestershire secured maximum batting points with an over to spare and then opened up after tea.

Liam Trevaskis missed out on a half-century when he pulled Luis Reece to deep midwicket but Cox cleared the ropes twice as the lower order enjoyed themselves before the declaration came.

It left Derbyshire with 18 overs to negotiate and Harry Came was lbw to the third ball of the innings from Tom Scriven.

Ben Mike then struck twice in two balls having Reece caught at midwicket and then trapping Wayne Madsen with a leg-stump yorker.

An outstanding day for the visitors ended with Scott Currie defeating Guest's defensive push to leave Derbyshire with a long road ahead of them.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network