In a bit of a tizz

So they're all up in arms now about the Aussies coming over for an extended net prior to the Ashes. First Middlesex sign wunderkind Phil Hughes and then Kent sign Stuart Clark to get him match fit and firing on all cylinders for the Ashes.

As I said in a recent column, nice one guys! Arguably our best shot of winning the Ashes in 10 years (since all their best players retired) and we give the next generation 6 weeks to acclimatise in our conditions, get used to the tracks and the weather and be ready to stuff us again.

Anyway, enough about England, this is all about Derbyshire. I've nailed my colours to the mast before and will again. There'll always be an England but Derbyshire is where its at. If you gave me a choice of an Ashes win this summer or us taking a trophy I'll sing Beneath the Southern Cross I Stand with the best of them...

Nice to see (albeit somewhat ironic) that Tom Lungley came out of the fitness tests as our top man a couple of days back. Last year he'd have come a distant third behind my late lamented gran and Tripod the three legged dog. Yet Tom in form and fit is a very good bowler who can dismiss the best batsmen and make a fair few runs too. If he stays fit and the other seamers do too, we could surprise some teams this year.

Interesting to read that Chris Rogers was voted Player of the Year for the Australian one day season after scoring five fifties in ten innings at an average of around 45. Two Michaels (Klinger and ex Derbyshire man Dighton) did similarly for their state sides but what probably swung it for Buck was that he's never been rated a one day player over there and it was one of the reasons he left Perth for Melbourne. Vindication a-plenty...

Interestingly he only played one 20/20 match for Victoria. The negative in me suggests that this is because he's not suited to the short form. However, negative rarely surfaces for long with me and I'm telling myself that he's set to transform our game in the mini me of cricket.

It needs some transforming...

Finally, a friend mailed me the other day to ask how I rated our chances this year and who we had as an overseas player. As I typed my reply, I started to feel quite optimistic. Chris Rogers, Wavell Hinds, Charl Langeveldt. Three Test players. All rounders in Graham Wagg, Jon Clare, Dan Redfern and Greg Smith. A top keeper/bat in James Pipe. Young emerging players in Paul Borrington, Jake Needham, Garry Park. If we assume (can we?) that a year older equates to a year better and wiser, this could be a really good season.