This was a typical end of season game, in that we started late and finished early.
In between, Derbyshire started quite well and had our near typical stumble in the middle and towards the end. Billy Godleman 'failed' and 'only' made 45, but the start that he and Ben Slater gave suggested that we might make more than we had by the close.
That the spinner, Ansari, took four wickets on the first day suggested that Messrs Durston and Critchley may enjoy a bowl later in the game, but we would have been in a lot more trouble had it not been for a severe case of dropsy affecting our hosts as Chesney Hughes played one of his more restrained innings.
It has again been a funny old season for Chesney, with one or two innings suggesting that he has turned the corner, before a handful doing completely the opposite. That he has talent a-plenty is undeniable, but next year is a big one for him and he will need to show that he can produce the goods more often than has thus far been the case.
He did well today, though and we are very much in the game at this stage. Tail end support is needed to push the score beyond 300, but we could just as easily fold for under 250...such is the lot of a Derbyshire supporter, the knowledge that it could very easily go either way.
Tomorrow will tell, but for now, let's reflect on a decent day and hope that we hold the edges a little better than our opponents.
More from me tomorrow.
Our innings is at the crossroads and could fold quickly from here. We require a minimum of 300 if we wish to be in any sort of position to take advantage of bowling last. We must not allow Surrey to get away with dropping several catches. We have quite a long tail in this match and it would be very useful if one or two of the lower order could eek out a half century. Our later batting is not what it used to be,back in the days when we could almost guarantee runs from the last 4 or 5 wickets.
ReplyDeleteChesney Hughes still represents something of a frustrating figure but he is still more capable of producing runs than several of his team mates. He ranks third behind Godleman and Madsen but is a long way in front of the likes of Durston,Thakor,Elstone and Alex Hughes,all of whom have had very poor seasons with the bat. I agree he still lacks a certain amount of consistency and next season he will need to rectify this problem,but out of those already mentioned, he is by far the most likely to do it.
Marc - I'm sorry but that is a load of nonsense.
ReplyDeleteWes averaged 48 in the RLODC and 33 in the T20, both at very good rates. Alex Hughes has averaged 35, better than Roderick, Billings, Ingram and a number of bigger name batsmen. He also scored quickly in the T20 with limited opportunity, as well as showing his fighting ability with a double hundred after being rested from the senior team. He's also had a couple of nasty injuries that always set players back a little.
I won't bring up his crucial bowling in one-day games but both he and Thakor have been stand-outs in that area of the side. Young all-rounders don't develop both skills at the same pace, but to say they have had very poor seasons is actually insulting for someone who purports to be a fan of the county.
As for Elstone he made a maiden century and has had some decent cameos in the one-day game. Yes, he needs to kick on, but he will be aware of that.
Unfair comment. Totally.
peakfan - id agree - Wes hasnt had a great red ball season with the bat but his bowling has been useful and as you say our one day efforts would have been non existant without his contributions - he is a must keep for next season. Chesney still is an enigma to me - talented yes but doesnt deliver consistency - next season is key for him. Thakor in first season - will improve im sure and as you say Scott needs to improve
ReplyDeletehave good hols by the way
Thanks mate..hope to catch you at the Leicester game before winter...!
Deleteyes, you are well wide of the mark with this post. Alex Hughes, for example is proving to be a real quality cricketer. Thakor has improved a lot and is still young. Wes can win a match single-handedly and Elston, in my opinion has shown some real fight recently with the bat and is an excellent fielder. Chesney is certainly NOT the one most likely to be most consistent as you suggest, although he can be brilliant at times.The way he missed out on his deserved century today is typical of his overall performance. Millns and Critchley look promising too. We still have a considerable amount of 'hardness' to develop but the team has competed much better recently and I'm confident that we will be competitive consistently before too long. It is a matter of belief and attitude to some extent. I hope you can be more positive in your belief Marc.
ReplyDeleteSam
Sensible and sage comments Sam. Thanks for that
DeleteIn fairness, I think the point Marc was trying to make was about 4 day batting performances rather than overall contributions, and the evidence pretty much supports him if this was what he meant. Thakor, Elstone, Alex Hughes, and Durston have each managed only one innings over 50 in the championship, compared to Chesney Hughes' five. He's frustrating, to be sure, but his ratio of 50+ scores is only bettered by Godleman and is the equal of Madsen’s. None of the batters have shown much consistency – it’s worth bearing in mind that before Godleman began his run of centuries at Leicester, he’d only scored 148 in 9 innings – and depending on how you define inconsistency, Hughes isn’t really much worse than others. For example, if it’s the number of single figure scores, Hughes has 8, Madsen 7 and Godleman and Slater 6 each.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's right though to lump the others together though. Thakor's played several important innings in the context of games before aggravatingly getting out in the 40s, and I've said several times that I think he bats best when he feels the weight of responsibility and would benefit from a run at 5. Alex Hughes always knuckles down and works hard, although a lot of improvement is needed for him to be a reliable number 6. I've not seen anything to convince me that Elstone has the technique or concentration for 4 day cricket, however brilliant his fielding is, and it’s worth remembering that he’s actually older than Chesney and made his first class debut in the same year, so is hardly a developing youngster. As far as Durston is concerned, I’ve really struggled to understand how poor he’s been in 4 day cricket at the same time as being so outstanding in one day cricket. He doesn’t seem to place any value in batting time and gives no regard to the context of the game, with several of his reckless dismissals coming at critical points. He needs to play in the absence of a better spin option, but his batting at the moment is way below the standard needed for batting in the top 6.
blimey wed have been sunk without wes's bowling on day 3 - surrey could have got 800!
ReplyDelete