When will we see your like again?

I wasn't sure whether to head this piece with a reference to The Corries O Flower of Scotland or the Three Degrees When Will I See You Again. Living north of the border, the former seemed more apposite, so I will go with that.

We have made late January in a month that seems to have gone on forever. But things are picking up. Our tubs have the shoots of fresh life coming up, while my parents have each had their first dose of Covid vaccine with no ill effects.

Me? I seem likely to get my first at the end of February or early March, with the second to follow sometime in April, maybe even May. It seems to knock on the head, even at this early stage, any hope of getting down to Chester le Street to see Derbyshire play Durham, even if we are allowed into grounds in small numbers by then.

Indeed, I am resigning myself to again seeing no 'live' cricket this summer. Of course I will be watching the live streams, though I pine for seeing old friends at the ground and enjoying the chat as we watch our heroes. We don't yet know what the full season format will be but July and August are likely to be ruled out for me by family stuff and work commitments. One of these years I must get down to Chesterfield, but it doesn't look likely this time around.

It's a pity, but I am looking forward to watching Ben McDermott in our colours and we seem to have pulled out a special player in the Australian wicket-keeper batsman. He certainly strikes a clean ball and will be worth watching, just like the rest of the side.

If we can get Sean Abbott over too, our side will be a match for most. With depth in batting, plenty of players with reputations to build and youth very much on their side, this will be a very exciting summer. 

I can't wait!

The countdown is on..

By my quick calculation this morning, we are now only 88 days from Derbyshire'opening match of the 2021 season, against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

At a time when the days seem so short and are bitterly cold, that though is welcoming. We are still no wiser as to whether supporters will be welcome, but I would bet a shiny shekel that most supporters would take settling down in front of their smart TV or computer right now, if they couldn't. 

No doubt the work is going on behind the scenes, while Ben McDermott appears in fine form over in Oz. He seems to be endangering those outside grounds as much as those within and appears to be a terrific hitter of a ball. That shouldn't mask the fact that he is a fine batsman, however, as he is far from a slogger. 

There will be a quandary, however for who takes the T20 team this year. Hard as it is to say it, I am not sure that Billy Godleman would get into a first choice T20 side as things stand. My top seven would be Reece, McDermott, Madsen, du Plooy, Wood, Hughes and Critchley, for what it is worth. There is serious firepower in that line up and I would certainly utilise Tom Wood, behind a top four that would make the thirsty salivate.. 

I mean no disrespect to Billy, who will doubtless score heavily in other formats, but a break would do him no harm and the captaincy could go to Luis or Alex. 

If we can pick up Sean Abbott to open the bowling, he offers additional batting power and the team starts to shape up well. 

It is something to think about in the coming weeks, for sure. 

Stay well, and keep in touch!