Brownlie, Watling save New Zealand
Half-centuries from the Australian-born Dean Brownlie and South African-born BJ Watling carried New Zealand to 289 for five declared, before Derbyshire replied with 24 for one on day one of their three-day tour fixture at the County Ground on Saturday.
Half-centuries from the Australian-born Dean Brownlie and South African-born BJ Watling carried New Zealand to 289 for five declared, before Derbyshire replied with 24 for one on day one of their three-day tour fixture at the County Ground on Saturday.
Openers Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton fell in the first 13 overs but Brownlie and Watling shared a century stand before the tourists declared on 289 for five with Mark Footitt taking four for 65.
That gave the touring bowlers 12 overs before stumps and Neil Wagner broke through just before the close when he bowled the in-form Chesney Hughes for nine to leave Derbyshire 265 runs behind.
The New Zealanders went into the game with no injury worries but left out skipper Brendon McCullum and batsman Ross Taylor who had both arrived in the country in the last 24 hours after playing in the Indian Premier League.
Derbyshire rested their frontline bowling attack but put the Kiwis in after rain delayed the start by 15 minutes and there was enough assistance from the pitch and the overhead conditions to make life awkward for the batsmen.
Alasdair Evans bowled an impressive first spell on his first-class debut for Derbyshire and the Scottish seamer was rewarded with the wicket of Rutherford who had his middle stump plucked out by some late movement in the 10th over of a breezy morning.
Fulton was starting to impose himself when he played across the line at Footitt and was lbw three overs later which gave Derbyshire supporters the chance to welcome back Martin Guptill who had helped the county win promotion last season.
Guptill took three boundaries off an over from Matt Higginbotham who was also making his first-class county debut and it was a surprise when he fell in the second over after lunch, caught down the leg side for 25 trying to glance Footitt.
Kane Williamson had also looked assured but when he was caught behind pushing forward at Footitt for 43, the tourists were wobbling at 126 for four.
But Brownlie and Watling were able to regroup against an inexperienced attack and spend valuable time in the middle ahead of the First Test at Lord's a week on Thursday.
Brownlie was severe on anything short as he completed a 73-ball 50 which contained nine fours and Watling was strong off the back foot on his way to a 86-ball half-century.
They had added 116 in 30 overs when Brownlie was caught behind cutting at Footitt but Tom Latham helped Watling add 47 before Williamson gave his bowlers 50 minutes at Derbyshire.
Hughes, who had scored an unbeaten 270 in the previous Championship match against Yorkshire, hooked Doug Bracewell for six to get off the mark but Wagner yorked him with what was the last ball of a useful day for the tourists.