Hard work at Taunton

While it was not the ideal first day of the three-day practice match against Somerset today, there were positives to come out of the first day.

The way that the lower middle order and tail fought back from a lunch position of 96-5  to an all out score of 229 was encouraging. Thanks to fifty from David Wainwright, together with contributions from Dan Redfern, Chesney Hughes, Tom Poynton and Jonathan Clare, we achieved respectability, if little more.

It was a battling effort and augurs well for those who worked at typically English early season conditions. Any side that wins the toss in April will usually insert the opposition and expect to have a few back in the pavilion by lunch time. So it transpired today, but there will be plenty of opportunities for our eminently capable top order to shine in the coming months.

Later in the day, Marcus Trescothick and Arul Suppiah batted with the confidence of two fine players conversant with a Taunton wicket that usually rolls  out well. Closing at 83-0, they will fancy a long day of batting tomorrow and then putting Derbyshire under pressure on the final day.

It doesn't matter too much, but the bowlers will benefit from a good work out and it will be especially worthwhile for David Wainwright and Jonathan Clare, neither of who bowled too many overs in Barbados.

There's likely to be another opportunity for the batsmen, when they will hope for longer knocks in more favourable batting conditions.

At the end of the day, that's what this one is all about. We can do better and we will, but there's reasons to be cheerful.