MICHAEL SLATER, in only his second innings since breaking a hand on the first day of his first match of the season, and Glenn Roberts, in his first appearance of this campaign, made the difference for Derbyshire as they ended a dispiriting run of failure with a seven-run victory over Leicestershire.

Slater, the Australian Test opener who fractured the palm of his left hand before he had picked up a bat in competition for Derbyshire, used his feet and found the gaps with 68 off 81 balls, including a six and six fours, to propel Derbyshire towards 190 for six on a sluggish pitch which did not encourage fluency.

Then Roberts, a left-arm spinner whose first-team appearances have been few and far between in three seasons on the staff, produced a canny spell to put the squeeze on Leicestershire just when Ben Smith and Paul Nixon were trying to redeem a sluggish start.

Roberts was the most expensive of Derbyshire's bowlers but two for 40 still represented an important contribution and Leicestershire, left needing 47 off the last five overs, found Dominic Cork and Paul Aldred no less inhibiting.

Cork took a wicket in conceding only three runs off the last over, when 11 were needed, to leave Nixon frustrated with an unbeaten 50 off 59 balls and give Derbyshire their first success against county opposition in eight matches.

Phil Simmons somehow managed to pull a ball from well outside his leg stump to slip, Vince Wells played on attempting a glance to third man and Leicestershire were in need of a strong hand when Ian Sutcliffe was also bowled off an edge and Aftab Habib mistimed an on-drive.

The fifth-wicket pair shifted the odds with some frantic running between the wickets, before Smith, having survived confident appeals for a catch behind against Roberts, was bowled making room against the next ball and departed with a flea in his ear from wicketkeeper Karl Krikken.

Derbyshire also began shakily but Slater's quality put down the foundations for a late flurry from Phil DeFreitas and Matt Cassar.