The hosts had a lead of 127 with five wickets remaining going into the final day, but Eckersley’s 104 saw them declare 313 in front on 294-9. A second century of the game by Ned Eckersley helped Leicestershire secure a draw with Derbyshire at Leicester. It left Derbyshire needing to negotiate 38 overs and they slumped to 43-4, with Billy Godleman out for a golden duck.
Wayne Madsen (42 not out) and Shiv Thakor (31 not out) made the game safe as Derbyshire closed on 104-4. Leicestershire move up to third in Division Two, 11 points behind leaders Essex, while Derbyshire are still without a win this season. Leicestershire centurion Ned Eckersley told BBC Radio Leicester: “It was a very proud moment for me. It was a big morning for us and we knew we couldn’t give them a sniff.
“We gave ourselves a sniff of winning this game from nowhere and if we keep doing that, good things are going to happen here. Every point is crucial now and we’ve got some big games coming up.”
Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman told BBC Radio Derby: “It was really enjoyable to play in, even right up until the last 20 minutes when we were making sure we didn’t lose the game. It wasn’t clear who was going to come out on top. Callum Parkinson gets some headlines in our performance.
“When it started to turn in the second innings, he bowled an aggressive line and really started to take control with his field settings.”