Astonishing Academy

Most good judges of the non-professional game will tell you that the standard in the Derbyshire Premier League and those immediately below it is as good as you will find in the country. The number of former professional players among the ranks is testimony to that.

Look at today's opposition for the Derbyshire CCC Academy, Ockbrook and Borrowash. In their side they fielded Matt Cassar, Lian Wharton, Jake Needham and Kevin Dean, all of them players with varying degrees of first-class experience for Derbyshire, all of them good players.

Now over the last thirty years I have played in a few "old 'uns v young 'uns" games and more often than not the older heads won the day. It was their experience of certain match situations that saw them through, together with the naivety of youth in wanting to put one over on them. Why work the ball around when you can hit the old guy for six? Thus another one bit the dust as the old guy bowled it a little slower and with a little more air and the ball found its way unerringly into the boundary fielders hands. Another one bites the dust...

Yet today, the fledglings of Derbyshire CCC won the day with a run chase that I marvelled at as I got the regular updates. Chasing four and a half runs per over, these lads knocked it around, hitting boundaries when the ball allowed it or the rate threatened to drop, then won in some style against a side of genuine and obvious talent.

There were no real stars, although the two best known names in the batting line up, Ben Slater and Hamza Siddique, were relative failures. Instead it was two lesser known names - at least for now - who came up with the goods. Off-spinning all-rounder Matt Sanderson took four wickets and hit a couple of boundaries when they were needed at the death, while Eddie Ikin hit a composed fifty that helped the Colts recover from a shaky start.

There were runs too for wicket-keeper/batsman Chris Durham too, an unbeaten 35 that suggested we have a future challenge to Tom Poynton behind the stumps, while Peter Burgoyne contributed a tidy spell and a crucial 30 as the game neared its climax.

It was, however, a team performance, with steady bowling backed up by brilliant ground fielding. Maybe that should be expected from young players, but it was tribute to the way that they have worked and have been coached that they barely made a mistake in the field. There was steady bowling too, with everyone bowling good lines and making their opponents work for runs.

The trophy was rich reward for a terrific team effort through the season and for the club's decision to play them in the competition, building team spirit and a more competitive edge by playing against more experienced players on a regular basis. It can only stand a group of players well, especially when their age range is from 16 to 20.

It was also richly deserved reward for Academy coach Howard Dytham. He will be a happy man tonight. In future years his work with this squad could well see many more fans delighted by his efforts with an exciting crop of young players.

Bright future? You bet.