Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 4

Derbyshire 200 and 481-6d (Lace 125, du Plooy 67)

Gloucestershire 419 and 263-2 (Bracey 116*, Dent 62)

Gloucestershire won by 8 wickets


Having watched it throughout, I found this a very odd day's cricket.

I watched before lunch as Tom Lace and Leus du Plooy gathered runs almost without incident, the travails of the first day some distance in the past. Barely a ball moved, but credit must go to very talented batsmen for their application and skill in taking the score to lunch, and beyond 400 without being parted.

They added 157 runs before Lace, coming out after the interval to score quick runs, edged a catch behind. du Plooy went soon afterwards, but the ease with which Hughes, Hosein and the promoted Rampaul scored runs thereafter suggested that there was nothing in the wicket.

At no point did the visitors present us with runs, stick on the part time bowlers or look like they were setting a target with buffet bowling. The only side who seemed to be pushing for a win was Derbyshire. Whether an agreement had been reached I couldn't say, but when the batsmen were called in, Gloucestershire were set what seemed then an exceedingly generous 263 in 49 overs, on a now moribund batting track, against an attack one would hardly rank among the best we have fielded in our 149-year history.

I didn't get it then, but I get it even less now. Were there any demons in the surface I could have understood it. The odd ball gripped for Matt Critchley and Wayne Madsen, but there was nothing else for the bowlers and, after batting resolutely for well over a day, we effectively gave the game to the opposition, the only side that could win from that position unless, like Frank and Nancy Sinatra, they did something stupid. Which  is why this report is out two minutes after the end of the game...

Without really trying anything ambitious, Gloucestershire eased to a victory that cements their promotion challenge and puts them beyond our reach. The excellent Chris Dent and James Bracey led off with a stand of 133 in thirty overs and from there it was an undemanding T20 target with nine wickets in hand. This for a side that has shown itself a pretty good side in that format. Bracey went on to a fine and largely untroubled century and they will drive home tonight with large and self-satisfied smiles and win points that were pretty much gift-wrapped for them.

I know we wanted to win. I know a win would have been valuable for igniting a promotion push. Yet having seen the way the wicket was behaving (or not misbehaving), the equation had to be far more demanding of the side batting last. 270 in 40 overs might have given us a chance if they played too wildly. Better still would have been an acceptance that we simply weren't going to win on this wicket, so let's just take a dull, but hard fought draw and stay within a win of Gloucestershire, who would still have been in the promotion places

As it is, they are over forty points clear of us in second place now and out of our reach. Meanwhile we are in a fight to avoid the wooden spoon, which scarce seems possible from some of the excellent cricket we have played, but reflects some occasional lapses and odd decision-making, together with a lack of penetration with the ball. I'm still puzzled by the omission of Tony Palladino here, who would have enjoyed this wicket on the second day and made them work more today.

In closing, I would like to wish Tom Lace well, after sustaining a nasty hand injury this afternoon. We may or may not see him again this season, but his century was another innings of high quality in a season that has seen a few of them.

In many ways he reminds me of Ian Bell at the crease, compact, organised, busy and balanced. I hope that we are able to sign him up for next season, as there is a nice look to the county top five at present.

The bowling needs some attention though. I won't blame them today as the wicket was perfect for batting, but our best two seamers are in their mid-thirties and our best all-rounder cannot surely open the batting and bowl the second most overs for too long.

A winter overhaul of the bowling, within budgetary constraints, is needed.