Cobblers...

Its as well that they're known as a town of cobblers as there's an awful lot of it on the 606 boards tonight, especially the Northamptonshire one.

Steelbacks? Wusses more like. I'd like to think, if the situation was reversed, that I and fellow Derbyshire fans might be a little more sensible and not come out with such nonsense.

I think I'd be wrong though.

At the risk of offending a regular reader or two, why are Derbyshire fans "apologising on behalf of the club"? That is pathetic and you can leave me out of any such apology.

We set a perfectly fair total of 359 in 63 overs. Not overly demanding for a long batting order, but taxing on a track that offered help throughout. Certainly not a breeze. We were missing bowlers but still had four men out for 160 and looked favourites at that point. Then ten Doeschate took control with an astonishing innings with support from his skipper and it was game over.

What happened was that a good player had a great day and he played for our opponents. They are allowed to do that you know. We didn't bowl especially well by all accounts, but to suggest, as some do that "we gave them the game" is nonsense.
So are the spurious and libellous claims of some of the "correspondents" that it was fixed and there were bribes. Absolute, total, unmitigated cobblers.

Whatever happened today there was going to be a set of fans peeved at the end. We could have batted until tea time and set them 450 in 45 overs or even 500 off 32 overs. Some say they'd still have gone for them. Really? They'd have been brassed off, batted out a draw, the fans would have had a wasted day and the spirit of the game would have been tarnished.

As it was, we set them a challenging total. And they got them. It is a day's cricket that will live long in the memory of the Essex fans and rightly so. It is how promotions should be won and has made ten Doeschate a living legend.

Chris Rogers is a thoroughly professional, decent man, a fantastic cricketer and a good captain. I'm sure he was confident of winning when he made his declaration today and but for some erratic bowling and some wonderful, clean hitting from an Essex player he would have ended the season on a high. As it is, he is being accused of everything from crimes against humanity to responsibility for global warming, and it is patently unfair.

For a man who allegedly "wanted Essex to win" he scored a lot of runs in that match, 264 the last time I looked.

There are people out there who should be ashamed and some of them are sadly supposed to be our fans.

Hang your heads in shame guys. No one died, the world didn't end and civilisation as we know it hasn't ended.

After tomorrow's end of season game, Derbyshire will be back in business next April. I hope some of these people are over it by then.