THERE was no happy ending for Derbyshire and Graham Wagg yesterday at the County Ground.

The final day of first team cricket at home this season ended in a five-wicket Clydesdale Bank 40 League defeat for the Falcons against Northamptonshire, as an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 96 in 14 overs turned a tight, low-scoring contest to the Steelbacks.

Sadly for Wagg, making his last appearance at the ground as a Derbyshire player, the one over when the balance decisively tipped was his.

It was the 31st over of the Northants reply, with little to choose between the sides at that stage as the away side set about trying to overhaul the Falcons' 171 all out.

The Steelbacks were 112-5 and, with Stephen Peters and James Middlebrook going along nicely, they decided to take their batting power play.

Wagg's first five overs brought him a tidy 2-11, which made him the ideal man for the situation, but his over, which included a gloriously straight Middlebrook six and a free hit for four off a no-ball, went for 19 and Northants never looked back.

Middlebrook went on to complete the first one-day half-century of his career, finishing 57 not out off 53 balls with six fours as well as that one six and taking the man of the match award. His frugal off-spin brought him 3-34 in his eight overs.

Peters was a more steady 53 not out off 65 balls with two fours.

Boundaries were difficult to come by throughout the game and only Chesney Hughes found the rope through the first 30 overs of the Derbyshire innings after they had won the toss.

When Hughes was fourth man out, stumped off Middlebrook in the 20th over, he had scored 55 out of a score of 80, striking seven fours.

Neither Steve Adshead, Greg Smith nor Wes Durston could get comfortable on a testing surface and Derbyshire needed Hughes to push on into the second half of their innings.

Wayne Madsen could not take on the role he filled so ably against Middlesex a week earlier but Dan Redfern was to prove the likeliest substitute with 37 off 39 balls, though he hit only two fours.

Jon Clare struck one monumental six on to the pavilion roof in his 20 but the rest of the Derbyshire innings slipped away meekly, as 3-2 in seven balls from Andrew Hall wrapped them up midway through the final over.

The Falcons still had hope of a third successive CB40 win when Wagg took the first two wickets, followed by one each for Tim Groenewald and Jake Needham to leave Northants struggling at 48-4 in the 16th over.

Adshead took a fine diving catch off Mark Footitt to remove skipper Hall in the 23rd over and make it 76-5 but Derbyshire could not break the next pair.

Peters gave one half-chance, spilled by Smith at mid on, but he and Middlebrook played the situation very well to earn the victory for their side.

They made particularly good use of the four power play overs, which brought 41 runs, and the rest was fairly straightforward, as the winning run came with three overs to spare.