Don, John and Bob

There were two especially good pieces of news came from this week's AGM at Derbyshire.

The first was that Don Amott has been voted in as Chairman. The highly successful local businessman has been a huge asset to both Derbyshire cricket and to Derby County over the past few years. He was one of the consortium that restored a degree of sanity at Pride Park when the club looked set to go down the plughole, but his role at the County Ground has been even more valuable.

Besides appearing to be a voice of reason behind the scenes, the Amott era has restored a level of equilibrium to the club that seemed unlikely a few years back. We came to dread the winter months when there'd be the usual in-fighting and blood letting, usually ending with someone resigning in a fit of pique over (usually) playing matters and often the role of Messrs Cork or Barnett in the club.

Don Amott has led the club with great skill, copious amounts of charm and a rare affability. I've met him a couple of times and been impressed by his outgoing personality and his unending courtesy and willingness to talk to people. The latter is essential for such a role and Mr Amott has it and then some. At the same time he has not been afraid to make decisions when required, with the departure of David Houghton mid-season being a fine example of this. Both he and his wife have experienced illness in the past year although both appear on the road to recovery. I'm sure that I'm not alone in wishing them both better health for the future and in thanking Don for his work at the club.

He has sponsored various things throughout his tenure, with the electronic scoreboard being a fine example of his munificence. Then there's been kit sponsorship, match balls and more. The club and its supporters owe him a debt of gratitude and I hope that his involvement in the club continues for many years to come.

The other good news was the election of Bob Taylor as President for two years. "Brilliant Bob" we used to call him, back in the days when one of the highlights (sometimes the only one) of watching Derbyshire was trying to hear any noise from the ball hitting his gloves when he took returns from the outfield. So well did he take the ball that there rarely was. He seemed to suffer less than most keepers from broken fingers and it was an education watching him. I always fancied keeping wicket when I was young and it was all down to watching Bob. Sadly, natural talent was somewhat lacking (although byes were not) in my case so I contented myself with what might have been...

Like Don Amott, Bob was always aware of the role model aspect of being a public figure and he was always happy to talk and sign autographs. Curiously, having said that I never did manage to get his so there's something I need to address if possible in the near future.

With people like Don Amott and Bob Taylor behind the scenes, Derbyshire are as well equipped as any side in the country. I'm also still firmly in the pro-Morris camp for what its worth. His investment in Messrs Clarke and Doshi last season failed to produce anything worthwhile, but he should still be applauded for his work in attracting them here in the first instance. Similarly, selling Derbyshire to Charl Langeveldt and Wavell Hinds was good business, as was appointing Chris Rogers as skipper.

This winter has been relatively quiet, but Morris has put together a sound, youthful squad of talent and promise and his winter recruits have added versatility and talent. I'm convinced the signing of Garry Park will be a masterstroke - why else would Durham have wanted to keep him? Tim Groenewald has more to prove but he may well enjoy life after Edgbaston (who wouldn't...)

As for Stuart Law, we have signed a 40 year old who has played first class cricket for 20 years and averaged over 50 per innings. You cannot argue with those statistics and if he produces some of his best form we're going to enjoy this summer - big time.