Better news on Clare despite long absence

The news breaking tonight is that Jonathan Clare has had surgery on a longstanding back issue.

As reported by the BBC, the player had surgery on Monday, as he explains.

“The problem grew from an old stress fracture when I was 16. All of the stress was going onto one side which is not a great thing to be doing when you’re a bowler.

“I went to London for a nuclear-spect scan and that found all the hotspots of where the stress was, so we finally had a path to go down and sort it out.

“I’m now looking at a four to six-month recovery period. Fingers crossed, I will be fit for late April or early May."

I really hope that this sorts the issue for the lad. No Derbyshire fan would argue the point that at his best he adds depth to the batting and quality to the bowling. He has an excellent pair of hands and has the potential, at 28, to play a part in the future for the club as an all rounder of considerable talent, at his best.

There is a big difference between 'there is nothing wrong with you' and 'we cannot find what is wrong with you'. Sometimes the latter can be frustrating for all concerned, but I will be keeping my fingers crossed that this marks the end of Clare's nightmare.

As I am sure you will.