Wood's stellar winter deserves reward

If there is any justice in this world, the next contract announced by Derbyshire County Cricket Club will be one for Tom Wood. Should it happen, only the churlish would suggest that it was anything other than fully deserved.

At the levels of the game that he has so far played, Tom has dominated. Not only has he scored runs in huge quantities, it is the way he has made them that has impressed.

For the last three years he has scored major runs for Derbyshire Second XI, for Ticknall in the Derbyshire Premier League and also for Frankston Peninsula, in the Victorian first grade.

Following on from a 2018 summer in which he scored over a thousand runs for the county second team as well as for his club, he has had a stellar winter in Australia, despite five weeks out with a broken thumb.

He has averaged just under 58 with the bat, including three centuries, 51 in twenty-over cricket and over 60 in the 50 over game. By any standards, that is highly impressive.

To put it into context, other county players such as Ben Slater, Matt Critchley, Luis Reece, Alex Hughes and Paul Borrington averaged around 35 in trips to Australia. In three winters over there, Tom's lowest average has been 45. 

He will be 25 this summer and the above statistics suggest that his time is now. I understand that Dave Houghton plans to have a good look at him on his return home and would be both surprised and disappointed were the player not to be offered a deal.

Of course, the Derbyshire batting side seems to be well established and assuming that everyone is fit, Tom would on paper be outside it, alongside Matt McKiernan and Anuj Dal. Yet in a side with several all rounders, the beauty is that Dave Houghton can select an extra batsman or bowler, depending on the greater need. 

All three of the above are capable of stepping in and making an important contribution. All are young enough to have their best years in front of them.

With a head of cricket who is keen to offer opportunity to the best young local talent, I would be surprised if there were many better options out there than Tom Wood.

Perhaps 2019 will be his summer and I could see him as a very strong option for us in the limited over game especially. A top six of Godleman, Reece, Madsen, Wood, Hughes and Critchley has a nice look to it. 

I hope he gets his chance. It would be very sad if a player of such obvious ability failed through a lack of opportunity alone. While Tom Lace will get four-day opportunity, Wood seems a better fit for the shorter forms. Indeed, a recent 160-ball innings of 141, with seven sixes and 13 fours, confirmed his power in the one-day game.

For me, the limited opportunities that he has had so far have not given him the chance to properly showcase his skills and a contract, together with an opportunity to justify a place, would be of mutual benefit.

Thoughts?