I switched on my phone this morning and the first messages were from Groupon, offering me a heart rate and blood pressure monitor. Now that is what I call targeted marketing, after the events at Chesterfield yesterday.
It was funny to see reactions to the Derbyshire win from the Yorkshire perspective. There were many savage comments about Tim Bresnan underneath a local newspaper report and barely one of them gave any credit to Matt Critchley. The consensus was that the Yorkshire bowler must have bowled badly, even though the video footage showed that he didn't bowl a bad ball. What he did do was give Critchley the room to free his arms and get under the ball, but anyone who has played cricket knows there are fine margins between a good and bad delivery.
'I could have bowled five yorkers and haven't played for a few years' said one. Then, sir, you should be in the England side, because that is a heck of a feat by any bowler. And the way batsmen use the crease these days even that is no guarantee you won't get ramped or hit.
It is quite sad that so many prefer to pour criticism on their own, rather than give even grudging credit to an opponent. As I have said before, there are times when you need to do that, when a batsman or bowler has the momentum and fortune and it all goes their way.
Mind you, Bresnan didn't help himself with a comment that referred to 'the lad at the other end'. It came across a little patronising, which I don't think was intended, but when 'the lad' has played for England Lions with success and has played a blinder, a name check would have been appropriate.
I doubt Queens Park will be among Bresnan's favourite grounds, as last year he was batting and nearly took them to a last over win with some big hitting, interrupted only by Luis Reece clinging on to a catch at extra cover from the bowling of Matt Henry.
Amidst the euphoria, it should be noted that Billy Godleman has now twice carried his bat in successive innings, a feat that has only once been done before. Thanks to David Griffin, the club's Heritage Officer, I can confirm that Michael Di Venuto carried has bat for 35 not out then 52 not out as Derbyshire beat Nottinghamshire, then Lancashire in 2003. Billy sits atop the averages at present with a 'piffling' 157, consigning once and for all my suggestion that he doesn't suit the format to the dustbin.
There is a good balance to this side and it remains a shame that Luis Reece isn't fit to add to batting and bowling strength. Since we made a decision on playing only one wicket-keeper, which was always common sense, there have been options to the bowling and depth in batting.
Fair play to Gary Wilson too, who has been solid behind the stumps, handled his attack well and rotated them cleverly. Meanwhile the five seamers have bowled with aggression AND discipline, which is a potent combination. While the spotlight has been on the main four, Alex Hughes has bowled some very canny overs and done well once again. They have been well supported in the field too and the introduction of Anuj Dal has been positive in that respect.
The one 'cloud' on the horizon is that Wahib Riaz is only contracted for ten games of the Vitality Blast before heading to the Caribbean Premier League. I have heard no suggestion of his being replaced, but I hope that this is a work in progress.
If we lose the next two games, against Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, the chances of reaching the quarter-finals will be slim, but winning even one of them would leave the last four games as winnable and a place in the knockout stage as within our compass.
It would be very disappointing if we were to go into those games with only one overseas player. Ferguson, Rampaul and Riaz have all gone for less than eight an over so far, which is quite an achievement, especially when two of them do the 'death' bowling.
Still, that is for another day.
Enjoy your Sunday, for tomorrow we go again...
I went to Chesterfield yesterday but had to leave early so missed all the excitement at the end. What a great victory! Can you please tell me where I can find video coverage of yesterday's play, and specifically of the final over?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
REV KEITH
Hello Keith the last over can be seen on the club's Twitter feed bit there was no full video coverage done to my knowledge with it being at an outground
DeleteHello Keith the last over can be seen on the club's Twitter feed bit there was no full video coverage done to my knowledge with it being at an outground
DeleteYes.ditto
DeleteId like to see some video if poss
Yarksheer and Notts have the most arrogant fans Peakfan. They think that they are automatically going to be successful, especially against a 'small County'. Just as an aside, I've always found Worcestershire and Sussex to be the friendliest.
ReplyDeleteReference Bresnan's comment about the lad at the other end, it just shows that in modern day sport, very few people can recognise a pretty special performance and respond in a sporting manner. Let's hope Yorkshire's captain keeps an over back for Mr Bresnan (if selected), for when Critchley comes to the crease tomorrow !!!
Here's hoping we can repeat this result tomorrow. Now wouldn't that be a bit special????
Think next two games are crucial you would say if we have any chance of progressing. I would say we would need 5 wins out of the last 7 to have a good chance so Yorks and Notts away are two of the tougher ones left. Least we still have hope which was very doubtful three games ago!
ReplyDeleteRev Keith, if you look on the DCCC website, go to the news tab, then "matchday clips" on the drop down, there's video of all boundaries, wickets, and landmarks from all of our matches. They are also put up on the Match Day Live feed more or less as they happen. It's a fabulous service, much quicker and better quality (at least from Derby, Chesterfield wasn't so great) than most other counties. The last over clip on Twitter was very misleading as it suggested that Critchley and Godleman barely acknowledged each other, whereas in fact there was plenty of chat between them and several fist bumps.
ReplyDeleteI travelled home in style from yesterday's match, on cloud 9 pulled by a great pair of unicorns. If Leicester was a dull exercise in inexorable predictability from an early stage, Chesterfield was a tense unreadable battle until the final staggering denouement. These two teams are truly producing some memorable finishes in recent matches - Chesterfield last year and Derby this year - so tomorrow's could be another tasty delicacy.
It is interesting how irrationally fans react to different situations. In the one day cup, Fisher and Plunkett scored 26 off the last 10 balls to win a match that Yorkshire had pretty much given up on, and Derbyshire supporters blamed Rampaul for a terrible penultimate over. Critchley and Godleman score 28 off the last 10 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the T20 and they are heroes. Of course, Yorkshire fans are looking down the other end of the telescope and praise Fisher for the win and Bresnan for the defeat. The truth as always is somewhere in the middle. Great bowling never goes for 20+ in an over, but it doesn't need to be that bad if determined and skilful batsmen get it right.
I haven't notice anyone comment on the fact that we were facing half of England's one day bowling attack here but still came out ahead. That has to be a massive boost for confidence going into the second half of the competition. Isn't it an interesting comment on international selection, though, that the best bowler here and in many other matches, Patterson, has never got so much as a sniff of an ODI?
I don't imagine we'll see much change for tomorrow's game, although, like one of last night's commentators, I think the Madsen ploy has been well and truly rumbled by any side with a big hitting opener. 11 an over at the start of the powerplay has become a bit of a free gift. But none of the three games this week are ones that we need to fear on current form. With yesterday's win and a win at Headingley last year, it's Yorkshire (presumably without Rashid) that will be under the greater pressure tomorrow. Notts are in pretty poor shape generally, and have been desperate at Trent Bridge, whilst the Bores are also struggling. Of course, we know that Derbyshire all too often tear up the form book when it favours them, and one great individual performance can swing any T20 match, but it's as likely that by next weekend we'll be close to the top of the group as it is that we'll be out of the running, and none of us would have expected to be saying that a week ago.
Wow. Just wow.
ReplyDelete