Quarter final thoughts and the unluckiest man at Derbyshire

I have to admit to being underwhelmed by the two Vitality Blast quarter finals so far.

The first, between Lancashire and Essex, went the way of the southern side. It is always nice to see a non-Test ground county progress, but the game was odd. Played at Durham, because of the Test match at Old Trafford, it offered little opportunity for any of the home side supporters to attend, without taking a day off for a cross-country trek. Why they didn't go for Birmingham or Derby is beyond me, each of them far less travelling.

Indeed, Derby would have provided a decent atmosphere with fewer fans, and the empty, echoing stands, together with a cold, damp night and an awkward pitch meant it was poor viewing. The redeeming feature was the always listenable Dominic Cork on commentary, but it was hard going for the neutral.

Lancashire lost because their big guns failed to turn up, and because Dane Vilas inexplicably gave the penultimate over to Liam Livingstone, a part-time bowler, when 24 were needed from two. By the end of it, Essex needed one, so as decisions go, it won't rank highly for the red rose support, who took to Twitter afterwards with unsurprising vitriol. They don't lose graciously up there...

Then last night Nottinghamshire cruised past a very average Middlesex side by ten wickets. Middlesex lost wickets early and when one of them was AB de Villiers, the game was up. Eoin Morgan tried his best but 160 never looked enough and Hales, with Chris Nash, eased to victory with overs to spare. The bowling was rather ordinary and some odd field placings made the result a formality from the end of the Powerplay.

The Derbyshire players have been hard at work ahead of their game at Bristol on Saturday, evidenced by the footage from the training sessions that have appeared on social media. It would be huge for the club to make finals day, and I just hope that we show up as the vibrant, aggressive Derbyshire on Saturday night.

In other news, perhaps the unluckiest man at Derbyshire reappeared in second team cricket this week and promptly scored an excellent century.

Matt McKiernan suffered a stress fracture in his back before the season, having worked hard to earn opportunity in an extended deal to the end of 2020. He only bowled a few overs as his rehabilitation continues, but Matt, also a fine fielder, was last man out for 134 in a total of 261, as the second team lost to a strong Middlesex side.

I think he would have been a good option in the T20, had he been blessed with better luck. The format is made for three-dimensional cricketers, which is my concern over Mark Watt. He is a handy bowler, but offers little with the bat and is not one of the best in the field. Nor am I sure his style would translate to the four-day game, whereas Matt would, I think, do so.

When a county like Derbyshire has a limited budget, they have to get value for money from players. Time will tell if Matt is blessed with better luck another year, but he strikes me as a player who wouldn't let us down if opportunity arose.

I'll be back later, or tomorrow morning, with a look at our quarter-final.