Derbyshire v Gloucestershire preview

This is it. The final game in a season where Derbyshire's cricket has at times touched excellence, but at others has fallen frustratingly short. It will not escape the player's notice that had strong winning positions been converted we could have been playing for third place here, which would have been a special effort. As it is they could finish anywhere between fourth and seventh and it should be mentioned that in a possible new format eight-team division two that would be a second place finish. Not bad at all...

The Derbyshire squad is as follows:

Billy Godleman
Tom Lace
Luis Reece
Wayne Madsen
Alex Hughes
Matt CritchleyHarvey Hosein
Anuj Dal
Tony Palladino
Hardus Viljoen
Lockie Ferguson
James Taylor
Hamidullah Qadri

Tom Lace returns after missing the Middlesex match as loans usually work, his employers not wanting him to embarrass them with a big score. Looking at their batting, it would be no real surprise to see this as a possible top seven for next summer, as a season in division two would undoubtedly be better for his development than one in second team cricket.

The final place would appear to be between Qadri, Dal and Taylor, depending on the look of the wicket.So no Rampaul, no Gary Wilson, no Daryn Smit and again, no Will Davis.

Our visitors could, with a win, swap places with us and travel with the following squad:

Dent (c), Hammond, Bracey, Howell, Roderick, Cockbain, J.Taylor, Higgins, Charlesworth, Miles, Payne, M.Taylor, Drissell.

Chris Dent has a fine record against us, while Miles Hammond has restored a famous name to the county ranks and had a very good first summer. Ryan Higgins has proved an inspired signing from Middlesex and they will fight for the positive result.

I look forward to seeing a good amount of the cricket from the second day onwards, around family commitments and, with a good weather forecast for the work, expect to see a positive result.

I will stick my neck out and predict a Derbyshire win, sending us all into the winter in good heart.

Postscript - Somerset today announced the release of Fin Trenouth, who at nineteen would appear very likely to pick up a deal elsewhere. A hard-hitting middle-order batsman who can keep wicket if required, he would be a good pick up for a discerning county.

Having played in our last game of the second team summer, he must be on our radar and may be worth a shout, at the right age to get better and a price we should be able to afford.

I would think there would be plenty of interest in the former England under-nineteen. 

We'll see.