In short, pretty good.
We have won two matches and lost one in conditions that favoured the side winning the toss. Most of the players have had a run out so far and most have made a positive contribution. You can't ask for more in pre-season matches.
Sure, we lost a final last night but in the grand scheme of things that wasn't so important. Dan Redfern and Ross Whitely made good contributions, while throughout the tournament, particularly with the bat, Jon Clare was a revelation. He biffed conclusive boundaries in the first match, gave late impetus in the second and smashed a brisk fifty in the third. All were impressive and valuable contributions, suggesting that he is close to being back to his best. We'll all hope for that, as a fully fit Clare has international potential.
The side in the final was well short of our T20 strongest. There was no Madsen, Groenewald or Footitt, no Khawaja or Guptill. Yet they posted a decent total and made a good game of it when at 40-5 some might have thought them dead and buried.
Like all teams, in the coming season Derbyshire will possibly delight and infuriate in equal measure. I've seen enough winning positions blown in recent years to realise that goes with the territory. Yet the last couple of days have suggested there might be more positive ones than we have been used to.
I'm looking forward to seeing if that is the case.
It would be great to have Cricket holidays and see your awesome game.
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