Reasons to be cheerful

All things considered, this has been a good start for Derbyshire.

A win and a draw in the Championship, two wins, a draw and a defeat in the FP Trophy. Now comes news that Wavell Hinds may join us as a Kolpak from the start of June as well as Charl Langeveldt. While it is unlikely that we would have enough money to sign a replacement overseas star for the 20/20, it may be that Chris Rogers could forego a break and play too.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm not a great fan of the competition, but Derbyshire would have a very strong side if this little lot took the field:

Rogers
Hinds
Sadler
Clarke
Telo
Pipe
Wagg
Clare
Lungley
Langeveldt
Doshi

All of a sudden we have competition for places. Steve Stubbings would drop out of this form of the game for me, but with him, Greg Smith, Jake Needham and Kevin Dean the first in line to step in, and that side having seven bowlers, it would be a side with potential.

So what have we learned so far?

Well, we've a good pair of openers who work well together and have started to give us the solid starts that are so important to any side. Stubbo is the consummate pro, while Chris Rogers looks like a terrific signing and is an obvious class act. In John Sadler we have acquired a man who will sell his wicket dearly and who gives a little extra steel at number three than we have had for some time.
The skipper has not yet got into his groove with the bat, but his aggressive style is good to see and with a player of his class you know it will come. It is good to see him backing himself in the closing overs with the ball too, while his slip catching is a decided asset.

Dom Telo has yet to get into stride, but we must treat this year as a learning curve for a player who looks very compact and composed. The runs will come once the wickets dry out and the bonus is that he is a brilliant fielder. James Pipe is a great man to have coming in to change the pace of the game, and he remains a very good wicket-keeper, while Graham Wagg adds the potential for lower order "oomph" and has golden spells that can transform a game (Durham, anyone?)

With Tom Lungley he offers swing at a reasonable pace and they are the equal of any England qualified players in the country in this role. They have now been joined by Jon Clare, who seems to take wickets every time he bowls. The latter also seems to be very accurate, and it was encouraging to see how well he came back yesterday after his first three overs went for twenty-six. It was the first time he'd been collared, but Clare bowled well in his second spell and removed Scotland's danger man Poonia.

Nayan Doshi hasn't had much help from wickets at this stage, but he has bowled with reassuring accuracy and it is always an asset to have a spinner who can keep it steady at one end.

Importantly we now have Charl Langeveldt, a bowler who can make things happen and who the skipper can throw the ball to when a wicket is needed. He cannot have done more in his first couple of matches, and his fitness over the season is going to be crucial to our hopes of success.

With Dan Redfern and Paul Borrington in reserve, Jake Needham knocking on the door, and Kevin Dean, Ian Hunter, Greg Smith and Wayne White ready for a chance, this is looking like a season of progress. It is long overdue, but I'd have to say that I am impressed with John Morris' work so far and he deserves full credit for it.