In what is pleasantly starting to sound like a broken record, that was another good day's cricket by Derbyshire. The icing on the cake would have been the dismissal before stumps of South African star Alviro Petersen, but he's a good player and there is no disgrace in having to work for his wicket.
Derbyshire would have been pleased with their total and there were solid contributions down the order. I thought today was the day for Dan Redfern to get that elusive first century, but he can be proud of his efforts this season. He is ten short of 500 runs and currently averages a respectable 35.
Then it was time for the bowlers and while Tim Groenewald again made early inroads, it was Jon Clare who stole the show with five wickets for the first time this season. The youngster has had a little stick from some areas, but we need to remember that he has had two years of injury problems that need psychological as much as physical recovery time. A shoulder injury is difficult for a bowler and, as I've written before, there is a nagging doubt in the back of your mind that if you put everything into it, everything could go again. He's now got 18 Championship wickets at 27 and has bowled well in spells in the shorter forms. While his batting has yet to return to the promise of his first season, Clare is young enough to come again and have a lot to offer Derbyshire cricket.
As for the rest of this game, I'd be surprised if we enforced the follow on, even if we were in a position to do so. Rather I think tomorrow will be a case of moving 450 on - ideally - before declaring after tea and allowing time to get them out again on the last day.
That's my thoughts, but to be honest, this time tomorrow I'm expecting to be sipping an ice cold San Miguel at a beach bar in a quiet stretch of the Costa Brava, chilling nicely after our first leisurely meal in Spain. I will be checking the score beforehand though and hoping for good news to start our holiday.
I'll be blogging when I have the chance in the next 10-12 days - so don't desert me now!
See you soon.
Another excellent post, completely agree about your comments about both Redfern and Clare who are both key to the future of the county.
ReplyDeleteHowever in terms of this game, if Derbyshire to get in a position to enforce the follow on, then i'd make them follow on. Our bowlers shouldn't be tired and i think it gives us the most amount of time to bowl them out again.
yes it,s been a good day,spoilt slightly by Petersen. I must say peakfan,i tend to agree with Washy in enforcing the follow on,assuming we bowl them out fairly quickly in the morning. The bowlers have had a good nights sleep,so why not?. Good to see Clare amongst the wickets and Redfern amongst the runs. Im beginning to think this lad might have what it takes. I hope he continues to progress and i for one will be more than happy to admit i was wrong.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your holiday peakfan.
Have a good one Peakfan!
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Washy - if we take the two wickets quickly enough to enforce the follow on, it's unlikely to take longer than half an hour, and we'll still have fresh bowlers, any moisture that is still around in the air, and a new ball. I think batting again in these circumstances would suggest fear of Glamorgan's spinners on the last day. We know the history, but there's no better time to break away from it.
ReplyDeleteWhatever my t20 doubts, there's a stability and confidence in our 4 day cricket (a mad day against Surrey apart) that says a lot about our new management team. All we need is a win to put the seal on it, and enforcing the follow on if we get the opportunity is the best way of doing it.
Shame that Redfern didn't make his century, but his numbers are becoming impressive. His last eight innings have produced 375 runs at 47 with four half-centuries and not out once before he reached double figures. I suspect he might have been at this level before in 2008 or 2009 before his season tailed off, but there's a momentum building that hopefully will take him on to the next level.
Here's an interesting reflection on the benefits of home-grown players. We've developed an expectation that as our players mature, they will be tempted away to other counties, and Smith and Groenewald may be the latest examples. Earlier evidence going back to 2003 is Wagg, Rogers, Clarke (OK, I stretch a point here), Patel, Botha, Rankin, Taylor(yes, I know he was helped out), Steffan Jones (likewise), Sutton (extenuating circumstances), and Cork.
Does anyone see the link here?
With the exception of Patel (Nottingham born and with a brother playing there) and Cork (no more need to be said about the reasons for his departure) none of these players were Derbyshire born and / or bred. I'm not suggesting that this makes them less loyal, but all have family, connections, history or personal circumstances that make their ties to Derbyshire looser and easier to break. Before that we had Cassar, de Freitas and Weston before you get to the appalling exodus of home grown players in the late 90's.
Even allowing for the fact that we've grown precious few of our own in the last 10 years, it's striking that it's the players who arrive from overseas or from other counties that tend to be tempted away. This isn't to say that Redfern or others couldn't be seduced by funny money from Warwickshire or Surrey, but that they have all sorts of friendship and family ties that are more likely to keep them here.
More evidence for the investment in our local talent, and spending money to make sure we keep the best here.
That makes sense notoveryet. We do have a history of losing players,for all sorts of reasons,but you,re right that home grown are more likely to remain put.
ReplyDeleteSounds obvious but we are far more likely to hang on to players if we are offering a high standard of cricket (i.e division 1). That would tend to remove the "Im ambitious and want to play at the highest level",argument.
I just wonder how much the recent improvement owes it,s origins to the removal of the "fear factor" that was obviously part of the previous regime. I may be imagining it,but from what i,ve seen,which has been quite a bit,the players seem a lot more relaxed and actually enjoying what they are doing.
I know we haven,t suddenly turned into crickets equivelent of Man United,but happy players tend to perform better than those with a chip on their shoulder. If so,then all credit to Krikken and Sutton. The Titanic at long last appears to be changing course.
Good test of the new spirit tomorrow, though. Quick three wickets, knock off 120-2 to win and on the road by early afternoon with an 8 wicket win? Or last three wickets add 120, chase 220 in 50 overs, and freeze? The last day failure from a winning position has been such a barrier for us for a couple of years that beating it will be a sign that we can turn consistent and steady into wins.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a barrier. We just can,t seem to polish teams off when we get them on the ropes. I can,t blame you for being cautious,notoveryet. Been a Derbshire failing for years.
ReplyDeleteWe need to get Wallace out early doors and i think then we,ve cracked it. He,s a good player though and can do some damage. We must have them out by lunch at the very latest.
A win today would give us a real confidence boost for the remaining T20 games.
Excellent win in the end, thanks to Guptill's batting which stabilised the wobble, and well batted as well by the in form Ross Whiteley, who should have earnt himself a run in the 1st team with recent performances. A century for Poynton in the 2nds is also promising and boosts his claim for a starting berth.
ReplyDeleteMore worrying is the form of Chesney Hughes, who seems to be struggling slightly, i'd move him to either 4 or 5 just to get him out of the firing line a bit at least until he finds some form. We also managed to curse Redfern as well after all the praise we gave him, and there was a rare failure for Madsen, but all in all an excellent performance and result, which can hopefully revitalise our CC season and enable us to push on in the T20, keep up the good work!!!
Couldn,t have put it better myself Washy. We had our usual wobble,but came through well in the end. That,s the sort of game we would have lost in the not too distant past,as you well know.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Hughes. Ive been saying it for a while now with regard to T20,but i think a similar policy would be wise in all forms of cricket. He just doesn,t look like he,s going to get any runs at the moment. I think we should keep him in the T20 side,if only for his bowling,bat him at 6 and if he,s still out of form come the next four day game,then maybe leave him out for Park.
Good win today though. Bring on Notts.
This was a good win inside three days, and even with a small wobble at the end, there was no real sense of our foot coming off the throat of a decent team that has often undone us in the past.
ReplyDeleteBack to my frequent theme of consistency, this team now seems to have worked out how to play many more good days than bad, and if it can now begin to pick up the habit of winning as well, we are finally going somewhere - even better, with a vision of where we might be heading.
Good to see Guptill making runs in CC, what looks like a bold and nerveless innings by Whiteley (I think I've been distracted by the fact that I thought he was a bowler, rather than a batter who bowls a bit and could get better). Big contributions from Redfern and Durston to give us the initiative in the first innings, telling bowling from Clare, Palladino and Knight. I'm not sure many of us would have anticipated good wins without significant contributions from Groenewald, Madsen and Hughes, and Smith out of the team.
I'll pun on my screen name and say it's not over yet, but I might feel better tonight about Derbyshire cricket than I have for a good few years.
Like Peakfan, I'm going grey for a couple of weeks of holiday - opposite direction to the north-western extremity of Scotland, but as and when there is an internet connection, I'll keep in touch and hope my optimism is rewarded.
Enjoy your hols notoveryet. Hope the wind doesn,t lift your kilt too high!.
ReplyDeleteLike youself,i feel more optimistic about the future. We are not a team of worldbeaters,far from it,but we are at last heading in the right direction. Im really pleased Whiteley is making headway with his batting,which i think he should concentrate on. I dont see him as much more than a fill in bowler,at least at the present time,but he could make a very useful batsman. I hope we give him a chance up ythe order in the T20 and put Hughes down a cog or two,for his own good. Fingers crossed.