Weekend thoughts

Morning (or afternoon/evening) everyone - depends when you're reading this I suppose...
I'm writing on Saturday morning. Sorry there was no blog last night but I was out and about with Mrs Peakfan and a very nice time was had by all.

Truth be told, there was little to write yesterday, but there's a few titbits around this morning.

First up, the Derby Telegraph reports that Justin Langer is tipping Chris Rogers for an Australian recall. On the back of a superb season for Derbyshire that is no great surprise. While Shane Watson does a decent job in one day cricket, he's not a Test opener as was evident in the Ashes series. Indeed, I'd go as far as to say that had Australia had Chris Rogers in the side and Brett Lee fit, the Ashes would be on the other side of the world at the moment. Lee has bowled well since his return, while his all round performance for New South Wales yesterday as they beat Trinidad and Tobago was that of a man inspired. The latter never recovered from the loss of two quick wickets, but can be proud of their performances in the competition.

The Telegraph also reports the names of the fresh intake to the cricket club Academy. It's good to see that the hard graft goes on. If this quota system takes a hold, maybe the natural extension is to reward clubs playing an under 14 in their County first team with £100K. Pick a female in the side and get £150K. The potential is extraordinary. What price an over 50? Form an orderly queue behind me...

Anyway, the same article reports that two youngsters "graduating" from the Academy, namely Ben Slater and Matt Higginbottom, are likely to be rewarded with summer contracts in 2010. Slater, an opening batsman, looks like one to be watched as he was voted Academy player of the year. He averaged 86 for the Derbyshire Cricket Board Under 17s and thirty when opening the batting for Chesterfield in the Derbyshire Premier League. He sounds like a lad with a lot of potential and I'm sure he is in very good hands at the County Ground, where Andy Brown will know him from his time as coach at the Queens Park club. Meanwhile Higginbottom looks to have potential too and has turned in some good league performances with bat and ball, though in Second XI cricket he bats in the lower order.

It is good to see these youngsters progressing and I'm sure we all hope that recent graduates such as Atif Sheikh, Tom Whiteley and Paul Borrington continue to develop and push to join Dan Redfern in the First Eleven.

On the subject of youngsters, I notice that there is discussion on the "eligibility" of Chesney Hughes to be one of our under 22s in the coming season, the comments centring around the use of a phrase on the club site about the talented all rounder. What it says is that he is "Anguillan born but able to play on these shores without restriction due his ownership of a British passport".

What this means is that he can indeed play for Derbyshire whenever we wish, but the reality is that, until he qualifies to play for England, which is a few years away, it will cost us money every time that he does so. Without his passport he couldn't play - period - as he wouldn't get a visa to enable him to do so. Chesney has a British passport as Anguilla is a British colony.

He will qualify for the national side when he is 22, which would leave him plenty of time to make a major contribution to the club, but not as one who would earn them money as one of the under 22s in the side.

Derbyshire are already going to take a "hit" financially as counties will be expected to field three additional players under the age of 26. By the time next season starts, the only ones we will have in that age bracket will be Jake Needham and Jon Clare, neither of them fixtures in the side this year. So if John Morris decides to field his strongest side, and in doing so decides to omit Clare, Needham and Borrington, there will be severe financial penalties.

I think Borrington will be good enough for the first team. Redfern obviously is, but with only two others under 26 at present, we will face a financial penalty every time we take the field as, at present, we are one short. As things stand, the obvious Under 22s for our side next season will be Redfern and Borrington, with Sheikh and Poynton the options if required.

It is worth noting that these regulations apply to the County Championship and the 40-over competition, but not the Twenty/20. The reality is, however, that a tight financial situation has been complicated all the more. Remember too that playing players from these age groups does not earn the clubs extra money, this will effectively dictate their payout. So if we, or any other county choose to ignore the regulations, we would not get the cash, end of story.

If nothing else, I hope that fans realise the pressures that John Morris will face in 2010. Not only does he have to try to field a side to win matches, he has to do so with a side that will not lead to the club losing out on a substantial part of their ECB money.

Not, by any stretch of the imagination, an easy job.