If ever I'm looking to find someone of a similarly positive persuasion to cover the blog while I'm away I think I'll get Karl Krikken to do it.
The DET this morning reported Krikk as saying that "We're still fighting, Jon Clare has got first-class hundreds to his name and Tony Palladino has got a first-class 50 - you never know. We'll give it our best."
I thought I was optimistic! Fair play to the Derbyshire cricket supremo, the team did battle to the end, but the shortage of top order runs cost us dearly in this match and changes really have to be made for Chelmsford.
As the club site reports this morning, the run chase against Nottinghamshire that I reported last night was down to excellent efforts down the order, with Paul Borrington top scoring with 88. I make it that Borrington and Lineker have each scored well over 2,000 runs in Second XI and high quality club cricket this season. That may not be enough to get them into a batting order like England's, but should surely get them a run in a batting line-up that has stuttered on three cylinders in recent weeks.
Whether they make a fist of it, to some extent, is neither here nor there. They may not do substantially better than recent incumbents, but they could scarcely do much worse given the same level of opportunity. Likewise with Poynton, who has batted aggressively and kept well for the Seconds. He has two centuries to his name and deserves a chance while Sutton rests an injured hand. A few people have been hard on the lad after a missed stumping at Chesterfield last week. He took another and held an apparently good catch. He's young and is going to miss a few, like others of his kind, but needs encouragement, the same as the others.
My team for Chelmsford?
Guptill
Borrington
Lineker
Durston
Redfern
Whiteley
Poynton
Clare
Groenewald
Palladino
Turner/Footitt/Knight
Guptill to captain, or otherwise Tim Groenewald. Madsen and Hughes will be back to their best, but other lads deserve a run now while they go away and work on their games and confidence.
Mind you, if both scored a century at Chesterfield tomorrow...
Peakfan,i completely agree. Let,s hope those that matter do!.
ReplyDeleteI think i just about agree with you Peakfan, apart from i'm not a believer of giving the captaincy to your overseas player, however hard working, committed and likeable they are.
ReplyDeleteI'd be tempted to play Madsen rather than Lineker, however unfair it sounds to the lad, and bat him at 5, away from the new ball with Durston and Redfern at 3 and 4. I'd also give Madsen the captaincy or if he didn't play i'd hand it to Durston. Out of interest who do we think will be the long term captain of this team in the future after Sutton? Will it be given to one of the experienced pros, or a talented youngster for the long haul.
Big match tomorrow first, what would be your team for that?
Mine:
Guptill
Lineker / Hughes
Durston
Redfern
Madsen / Park
Whiteley
Poynton
Clare
Groeneweld
Palladino
Knight