DERBYSHIRE clawed themselves back from the verge of defeat with a nerve-tingling victory by virtue of Leicestershire's failure to score the three runs they needed off the last ball of this semi-final clash of East Midlands rivals.

While Phil Simmons was battering the Derbyshire attack to all parts of this ground - packed with 4,000 noisy spectators - it looked as if the home side would go through to their second Lord's final of the summer.

The West Indian, badly dropped in the deep when he was 41, went on to 90 in 99 balls - including a six and nine boundaries before he was bowled trying to hit Dominic Cork out of the ground with only 56 more needed off 11 overs.

Then veteran Kim Barnett slowed up the run chase at one end and Kevin Dean produced an accurate final spell, removing Leicestershire captain Chris Lewis, before Vince Clarke - who was on Leicestershire's staff for two seasons - stepped up for the final over.

Leicestershire then wanted 10 runs off those final six balls. They would have gone through if the scores were level because they had lost fewer wickets.

Seven runs came off the first five balls but when Paul Nixon attempted to charge Clarke's final delivery, he missed, the run out was a formality and the spoils went to Derbyshire.

Cork, the Derbyshire captain, hit an unbeaten 61, the highest score in the visitors' innings, and then took the key wicket of Simmons. Fresh from England's Test triumph at Headingley, Cork described it as ``the best 48 hours of my life''.

At one stage it seemed the fielding error by Derbyshire's Matthew Cassar would be a turning-point. Simmons went to sweep Phillip DeFreitas and skied it to the fielder waiting 15 yards in from the rope.

For Cassar it must have seemed an eternity for the ball to come down - and when the moment eventually arrived he was poorly positioned for it fell straight between his hands.

Leicestershire were still vulnerable at that stage with Ben Smith having just been dismissed by a low two-handed return catch by Dean after he and Simmons had put on 93 in 21 overs.

The home side had stumbled at the very outset of their innings when faced with the large Derbyshire total. Vince Wells slipped as he backed up and was run out by DeFreitas's direct throw in the second over and then Darren Maddy was taken at slip to leave them 53 for two.

Simmons and Aftab Habib then added 97 in 15 overs but Leicestershire's failure to capitalise in the last 10 overs adding only 47 when they had wickets in hand - eventually cost them the match.

At the outset of Derbyshire's innings Michael Slater eagerly tore into James Ormond, hitting him for three fours in an over, two of them dazzling cover-drives and then a pull. The fast outfield looked to be made for the Australian but when he had reached 30 off 42 balls he may have been the victim of a questionable caught behind - with even the bowler seeming slightly surprised at the decision.

The many Derbyshire supporters on the ground may have feared the worst at 58 for three but half-centuries from Robin Weston and Ben Spendlove restored their hopes in a partnership of 120 in the next 26 overs.

Spendlove was the more aggressive, reaching his fifty in 69 balls compared with Weston's 97 deliveries. Both enjoyed one life before Alan Mullally's extra pace on his return immediately accounted for Weston and in the next over Spendlove also went, attempting to work Simmons through mid-wicket.

It was left to England personnel past and present to increase the tempo for the visitors. Cork and DeFreitas put on a rapid 75 in 11 overs as Derbyshire's last 10 overs brought them a further 87 runs.

DeFreitas hit Maddy for six and four but was then bowled next ball trying for another big hit while Cork remained unbeaten to the end, his 61 coming off only 63 balls and including seven boundaries.