Middlesex v Derbyshire day 2

Middlesex 282 (White 120, Conners 3-65)

Derbyshire 201-9 (du Plooy 90, Dal 48, Bamber 4-37, Murtagh 4-60)

Derbyshire trail by 81 runs

A sage former Derbyshire cricketer told me last night that we had let the home side score fifty runs too many yesterday, in helpful conditions.

That came back to me today, as another anaemic batting performance in a season of them saw us struggle to pass 200 at the close with nine wickets down. This after bowling out our hosts for 282 before lunch.

White took his score to a fine 120 before edging the persistent Conners to Critchley at slip, while late shots from Walallawita suggested he might not long languish at ten in the order.

There were two wickets for Anuj Dal, who had a good day and later made a battling 48, his best of the summer by some distance. I like Dal, as a cricketer and a bloke, but the reality is that this Derbyshire squad is full of 'bits n pieces' players who don't do enough of any one thing to make a real difference. As a club, we have to aspire to more than that, because let's not forget we are playing matches now against the weakest teams in the country.

Only Luis Reece and Alex Thomson otherwise got into double figures and while both looked good in the middle, neither went on to anything resembling a good score.

The rest fell with uncertain pokes and prods to Messrs Murtagh and Bamber, with the exception of du Plooy, who looked on a different wicket to the rest.

When he plays his shots, like he did today, there are few better timers of a ball than Leus. The ball scorched to the boundary from mere pushes, although those boundaries were not distant. He looked in prime form and with Dal steered us to fleeting thoughts of first innings parity.

It was not to be, as a late clatter of wickets saw Conners and Aitchison required to nudge us to a batting point, a rare enough feat this summer to be noteworthy.

Prospects from here? Not good, I am afraid and unless our batsmen channel their vintage form, rather than batting like players of vintage, I fear another reverse in the coming days.

Middlesex v Derbyshire day 1

Middlesex 218-5 (White 101*, Anderson 53, Conners 2-53, Reece 2-62)

v Derbyshire 

A maiden century by Robbie White of Middlesex took the home side to at least a position of parity by the end of the first day, after Derbyshire began it as if making up for lost time this season. 

The home side won the toss and decided to bat, probably regretting it fifteen minutes later, as they subsided to 14-3. Sam Conners took two in an over and Luis Reece claimed the third, as Derbyshire perhaps entertained thoughts of batting by tea. 

Yet thereafter batting looked easier, although the ball passed the edge all day. When it took it, the ball dropped short or wide of fielders and the day became one of graft for the bowlers. 

White batted splendidly, largely by doing the obvious thing in such conditions of playing straight. He was quickly onto any aberration in length and line and fully deserved his first senior century. 

Conners was the pick of the bowlers, though Ben Aitchison was the most consistent and unlucky. It was good to see Luis Reece in the wickets again, though his rhythm didn't seem to be there and both line and length was variable. 

Anuj Dal bowled a spell or two without looking especially dangerous, while both Matt Critchley and Alex Thomson bowled only short spells. The latter did take a wicket, smartly held at slip by Critchley, and turned a couple of balls sharply enough to suggest the wicket may become more interesting for bowlers as the game progresses. 

For me, there was an undeniable end of season feel to proceedings, not helped by an Autumnal grey sky that didn't really lift all day and eventually drove the players off for bad light.

We will resume again tomorrow morning and hope to finish things off quickly. 

But White and his remaining partners may have other ideas. 

Middlesex v Derbyshire preview

Apologies for the radio silence in recent days, but a potent combo of a trip to my parents combined with running out of data meant I couldn't put down any cricket thoughts - even had I the time to do so.

Anyway, this is almost like the start of a new season, so long has elapsed since we last trod the sward. Our participants from the new competition are returned and there is a chance for players whose contracts are up at summer end to impress.

So, from a named thirteen I would omit Harry Came and Alex Thomson, who we know will be around next year. That would leave us with an eleven of:

Godleman, Reece, Wood, du Plooy, Critchley, Guest, Hughes, Dal, McKiernan, Aitchison, Conners

Our hosts have named a fifteen-man squad, a day after announcing that Steven Finn is leaving to join Sussex, very much end of era stuff. Their squad is also missing Peter Handscombe, who has returned to Australia, but they welcome back Toby Roland-Jones after a summer of injury:

Murtagh, Anderson, Bamber, Cracknell, Cullen, Eskinazi, Helm, Holden, Holman, Robson, Roland-Jones, Simpson, Stoneman, Walallawita, White. 

I hope that at the end of a wretched summer that we get something to engender optimism over the winter. That new players are required is a given. With Hudson-Prentice gone and Critchley rumoured to be going, we may well be two of our best players down, next year. With the contracts of Madsen, Godleman and du Plooy up next season, we are coming to a crucial crossroads in our club's history. 

Conners and Melton sign new deals

Good news for Derbyshire supporters today, with Sam Conners extending (and one assumes improving) his current deal until the end of 2023, while Dustin Melton has signed a new contract for next year.

For Conners it was a no-brainer. He is, for me, the most improved seamer on the staff and his ability to knock over early wickets with the new ball will make him a potent force. In two years time there will doubtless be no shortage of suitors for his services, but it is good to see him showing loyalty to the County that gave him his chance.

The case for Melton is less clear cut and he has played hardly any cricket this year, much the same as Nick Potts. As one of our three allowed overseas players, Dave Houghton will hope he is fit enough to play more of a role next year, when he should finally qualify to play 'as a local'.

I think he needs a good year, because plenty of players of talent have found their bodies unable to handle the rigours of first class cricket. When he gets it right he is a handful, but for the peace of mind of Derbyshire supporters he, like the other young bowlers, needs to show it on a more sustained basis.

Finally tonight, the second team will need 169 at Lady Bay tomorrow to beat Nottinghamshire. Sam Conners made an unbeaten 41 to take our lead to 96, before again getting among the wickets. 

New Nottinghamshire loan recruit Sam Northeast was drafted in for a knock in the second innings, but lasted only two balls before Conners pegged him leg before. 

James made 98 and Patterson-White 69 for the home side, but three wickets each for Conners and Alex Thomson left a run chase that should be feasible. 

Fingers crossed! I am happy with wins at any level, especially against you know who... 

Seconds on top at Lady Bay

Centuries from Alex Hughes and Luis Reece saw Derbyshire slightly on top after two days against Nottinghamshire at Lady Bay.

Replying to the Nottinghamshire total of 284 all out, we finished on 336-8. It was a curious innings, with the highest score after the 136 of Hughes and 112 of Reece being an unbeaten 21 from Sam Conners.

Both were good efforts, against an attack featuring Ben Hutton, Tom Barber, Peter Trego and Liam Patterson-White, though it was giant (6'7) former Oxford University seamer Toby Pettman who took centre stage with 5-30.

Reece hit thirteen fours and two sixes, while Hughes hit eighteen fours and a six in their fine knocks. Both were reminders, after a challenging season for Derbyshire batsmen, that we do have players, who can bat time and build an innings. 

Long may that continue to be the case. 

Potts signs three - year deal

Nick Potts, at nineteen, was rewarded for his potential with a three-year deal at Derbyshire today.

That the lad is promising appears to be beyond doubt and it looks like we are at least giving him the opportunity that wasn't given to a few that preceded him. Tom Taylor, Will Davis, Alfie Gleadall and a few others were discarded too soon and hopefully Potts makes the most of his opportunity and has better luck with injury than this year.

Potts joins Messrs Cohen, Aitchison, Conners and Scrimshaw as young seamers of potential and we must hope that two or three of them emerge next year from the 'promising' category.

What we will need is a spearhead, a go to when things get tough. Maybe in the overseas role, unless the greater need is a batsman of quality (at least in four day cricket). Of course we had one, in Tony Palladino, who I still maintain would have been worth his weight in gold this summer...

Speaking of mature seamers, Graeme Wagg, erstwhile of this parish, has had a game and a half for Shropshire in the last day or two. He took 5-16 against Devon, before blasting 109 from 69 balls, including ELEVEN sixes.

Still got it, but at 39 next April too old for a nostalgic return to Derbyshire.

Sadly. 

Critchley in demand and...

As revealed yesterday on Cricinfo by George Dobell - one of the things alluded to by me last week - Glamorgan are one of several counties interested in signing Matt Critchley at the end of the season.

Playing for Welsh Fire it was always going to be so and the frustration is that they aren't THAT much better a side than Derbyshire. Fair play to them for winning the RLODC yesterday, but they were affected less than most by players going to the new competition. I don't see them winning other competitions, but can see others pursuing Matt's services too.

There is apparently a £30,000 buy out clause in his contract, which would need to be paid should anyone secure his services, but the question is whether Derbyshire can do anything to hang on to him?

We are always going to be outbid in these situations. The grounds hosting Test matches and the new competition have greater financial clout  and, let's face it, we are the only county to have not won a one-day trophy in the 21st century. Dave Houghton could offer him one-day captaincy as an incentive to stay, but the reality is that a player with ambitions of international and other selection will likely always choose others over Derbyshire. We may not like it, but have to face facts. There is only so much we can do financially too, so there must be a collective gritting of teeth among support. Losing Fynn Hudson-Prentice was tough. Were the same to happen to Critch it would be a massive blow.

It is one that Dave Houghton will have to handle this winter. Despite the poll on Twitter showing that 83% of supporters don't feel he is the right man to take us forward, my understanding is that he already been given a contract for 2022.

My feelings on that are clear, but what's done is done. Therefore we must hope that he makes a decent fist of the winter rebuild. With so many players out of contract - and at least one more possibly leaving - there is an opportunity to bring in some who can make us more competitive.

Houghton simply MUST do better on his overseas signings next year. I accept and acknowledge that the days of picking up a Kirsten, Jones or Azharuddin are gone, let alone a Barlow. But I hope Dave talks with performance analysts and finds us players with good statistics, just as Leicestershire did this year. Their T20 signings were far from household names, but by going on figures of where and how they scored runs and took wickets, they pulled out two gems.

With respect, Billy Stanlake was a disaster waiting to happen, while we were unlucky with Ben McDermott, though his travails outside of Australia don't suggest he would have been an automatic success. Logan van Beek was available and did take wickets, though too expensively, while Ravi Rampaul looked like time had caught up with him. Meanwhile Dustin Melton struggled with injury and hardly played.

I have ideas on where we need to recruit and what we need.

That's for another day and another article.. 

Seconds in control against Yorkshire

A mixed bag of a Derbyshire second team is in control after two days of the game against Yorkshire, at Leeds.

Batting first, Derbyshire made 299. Tyler McGladdery, a left hander from Rainhill CC at Prescot making 77 and his clubmate Sam Kershaw making 38. Nils Priestley made the same score  and there was a handy 39 for Zimbabwean Donald Butchart, son of former Zimbabwe International Iain.

Yorkshire responded with 207, with three wickets each for former Lancashire seamer Ed Moulton and Mattie McKiernan and two each for Ben Aitchison and Anuj Dal. Pillans top scored with 44, while there were twenties for Duke, Tattersall and Fraine.

With a lead of 92, Derbyshire quickly lost McGladdery and Kershaw, but Tom Wood, with an unbeaten 67, saw it to the close with Alex Hughes, closing on 113-2 and a lead of 205.

With two days to go there should be a positive result here. How nice would it be to see one of the players who could do with a performance come up with the goods? 

Time for a poll

 Derbyshire cricket may have reached an end for two weeks, but my postbag has got bigger than it ever has in the many years I have done this blog.

There has been a recurring theme to the emails - that the senders have major concerns about the club's future and especially under the current Head of Cricket. 

I actually took time to write to the chairman to express my concerns, but got no reply. I have many friends within and on the periphery of the cricket club and it was the only way that I could ensure that he was aware of my disappointment and frustration. If you share those concerns, whether as a member or a supporter, there is nothing to stop you writing to him at the Incora County Ground.

In response to those many emails, I am running a poll for the first time in many years, both on here and on Twitter. I am prepared to accept that I and those writing may be in a minority, but the polls will show the current level of support for the status quo.

I would like to think that those who know me and have followed the blog for many years will know I am far from an activist. Every Head of Cricket or coach at Derbyshire has had my support and there are some that I still feel were wrongly treated (Karl Krikken a prime example) when they were dismissed.

What I hear from my contacts suggests there are currently things happening that are very wrong and counter-productive to a cricket club that is going to continue to exist, let alone progress. It is also a concern that pertinent questions cannot be asked at member forums, without being intimated and agreed to at least 24 hours in advance.

I hope that you will take time to vote, either here or on Twitter. My considered opinion is that the club's board is keeping its collective head down and hoping this all blows over. Yes, there have been some reasons for the debacle of this summer, but there are many others that have not been made public and that have also been self-inflicted.

I am not and have never been a 'publicity wing' for the club. I am my own man and always will be. If I like something, I say so, if I don't I am equally prepared for that also.

So, over the next seven days, let me and let the club know how you feel. Yes, I know the club has more limited resources than many, but neither Leicestershire nor Northamptonshire are affluent and manage to punch above their weight by canny recruitment, the use of metrics and not just word of mouth.

Nothing I hear suggests we are going to improve on two bottom places and a second bottom any time soon. 

So it is over to you. Feel free to make additional comments  - remembering manners, please - below. Please note that Blogger no longer offers an option for a poll option - so please comment below. 

For those who have struggled with that:

1 - Click on 'Comments' or 'No comment' if there are none

2 - Type in the box that opens up with what you want to say. Make sure to add your name (or a name for regular use at the end)

3  - From the dropdown below it (alongside 'Comment As' ) choose 'Anon' if you prefer

4 - Click 'Publish' 

Thank you

PS vote at https://twitter.com/Peakfanblog/status/1426886462528708609?s=19

Derbyshire v Surrey RLODC

Derbyshire 215 (McKiernan 38, Wagstaff 36, McKerr 3-43, Moriarty 3-44)

Surrey 219-2 (Patel 111*, David 52*)

Surrey won by 8 wickets

The gap between cricket's haves and have nots was amply illustrated today, as Surrey's second team hammered that of Derbyshire by eight wickets, with over thirteen overs to spare.

Despite missing most of their first choice side to the new competition or international duty, the visiting top four of Patel, Stoneman, Pope and David was way ahead of anything that we could field.

A classy century by Patel and a bruising knock by the giant Singapore international David saw it almost like men against boys, the home attack powerless to stop it.

Surrey played well, or as well as they had to do in beating what is a very ordinary Derbyshire side.

Mitch Wagstaff batted well, though his departure confirmed his callow youth with an unnecessary shot. There is something to work with in the seventeen-year old, but the rest of the batting was anaemic. McKiernan did well for a while and Smit, on his return, at least ensured we got past 200. Most people got going, but no one went on to a big score.

The game was in fact a microcosm of the season. The batting can't get close to enough runs, the bowling, shorn of key players and confidence, looked distinctly average. Even Rampaul looked finished, his three wickets in the competition coming at a cost of over seventy runs each, a pale shadow of the T20 star of 2019.

In short, the squad needs a major overhaul this winter. As regular readers will know, I strongly feel this should start at the top, but very much doubt anyone on the board has the desire to change anything, which is both extraordinary and shows them as out of touch with support. 

We have too many players who are just short of this level, decent players but not match winners. I feel for them, because it isn't easy getting hammered every time you play, but we have to do so much better and we won't under the current regime.

I have heard things this summer, verified by several sources, that have in turn shocked, disappointed and saddened  me and I haven't seen the club at such a low ebb since before Eddie Barlow came.

We are losing Fynn Hudson-Prentice this winter and I don't expect him to be the last. Money is tight, but the club's future is at stake here and we can ill-afford to have another summer like this in 2022.

Bottom in four-day cricket, bottom in fifty-over cricket, next to bottom in T20, merely on a technicality. There are some good players at this club, but they need leadership and motivation, or the talent drain will become a flood.

I don't think Dave Houghton will help us turn the corner. At 64 he cannot have the energy for what is needed and if the club board, whether through misguided loyalty, a lack of awareness, or simply not caring expect him to they are delusional.

Houghton said that after three years as his coach he doesn't know whether Anuj Dal is a batsman who bowls or a bowler who bats. Isn't that damning? Given that the lad has been unable to buy a run all summer, wherever he has batted and was the eighth bowler used today, the players seem to have a clearer idea.

Similarly he has said he can't put his finger on what is wrong. Isn't that his job? In my senior roles, if I don't know where the issues are I expect to be pulled up about it. 

There have been so many issues this summer. The continued selection of Godleman when he was clearly struggling, the insulting treatment of Hughes at Chelmsford as night watchman, the disappointing overseas selections - whitewash it any way you like and I could go on, but it has been shocking. This from a bloke who has been supportive of most coaches in my time doing this blog and likes to accentuate the positive. 

We have more  cricket in eighteen days time but I expect disappointing news for supporters in the intervening period, or at least season end. Let's face it, the remaining September fixtures are effectively 'best of the worst' matches anyway. 

I am not optimistic of us winning many, even with some returns from injury and illness.

I just hope that the board surprise me and show a greater willingness to do something than they have suggested this far.

Otherwise, I am afraid the clock is ticking on our club. It may be anyway, but to do nothing is frankly an insult to supporters after this season.

Sport is a result - driven business and we haven't got many this year. Yes, there are some reasons, but too many have been self-inflicted for my comfort. 

Derbyshire v Surrey RLODC preview

For a county that had two wicket keepers on the staff and signed a third as one of their overseas players for the summer, the odds must have been long that they would need to field a fourth before the summer was out.

Yet, in this annus horribilis it comes to pass tomorrow, when Academy Pathways coach Daryn Smit takes the gloves for the first time since 2019. Harvey Hosein's continued absence through concussion protocols and that of Brooke Guest, who is self-isolating through Covid protocols, means that Smit will make a belated return to senior cricket.

He recently announced that he will not return next season to Ramsbottom, where he has again been professional in the Lancashire League. Almost 600 runs at 53 and 36 wickets at 13 suggest no dimming of powers, but the commitment on top of a busy role and with a young family is too much.

At 37 he doesn't quite approach Harry Elliott, who came out of retirement to keep wicket in four matches in 1947, at the age of 55, but it will add something to a largely dead fixture from a Derbyshire perspective. 

We will be bottom of their division in the Royal London Cup, regardless of tomorrow's result. Following on from bottom in the four-day competition and next to bottom in the Vitality Blast. I still struggle to get my head around how a strong finish, when we play our next game in EIGHTEEN days time, equates to a season of progress, but it is the first time in 54 summers when I can't wait for it to end. There you have it, words I never expected to ever write, but very much from the heart.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice is also isolating in accordance with Covid protocols, so tomorrow's squad reads as follows:

Mitch Wagstaff, Harry Came, Tom Wood, Anuj Dal, Alex Hughes, Alex Thomson, Nils Priestley, Mattie McKiernan, Connor Marshall, George Scrimshaw, Ravi Rampaul, Ben Aitchison, Daryn Smit

As for our visitors, they hammered Warwickshire last time out, thanks to an unbeaten 140 from 70 balls by Tim David. Despite a number of absences, they still boast a fairly strong side, captained by Rikki Clarke, which last time out lined up as:

Clarke, Stoneman, Steel, David, Dunn, Geddes, McKerr, Moriarty, Patel, Reifer, Smith

Surrey can overtake Nottinghamshire and move second in the table with a win tomorrow.

It will take a big performance by the home side to prevent it. 

Derbyshire v Yorkshire T20

Derbyshire 108-6 (Hudson-Prentice 38*, Sullivan 4-11)

Yorkshire 109-2 in 8.4 overs (Fraine 69*)

Yorkshire won by eight wickets 

I have to admit that a stark sign of my current disaffection for Derbyshire cricket is that I didn't bother watching today's stream. That is a first for me, but it doesn't appear like I missed a great deal. I expected a defeat and like today's rain in Glasgow, it duly came. 

Another decent knock from Fynn Hudson-Prentice took us over three figures, but the score never seemed enough in a shortened game for me and we were blown away by Will Fraine, another of those players who must wish he could carry our bowling around in his cricket bag.

It isn't fair for me to comment, but please let me know what you thought below.

Thanks. 

Derbyshire v Yorkshire preview

What an absolute mess this cricket season is.

After this week's two fixtures at Chesterfield tomorrow, then at Derby on Thursday, we have no further county cricket action until 30 August, eighteen days later. It is a further five days until Derbyshire return to the county, which in mid-summer is little more than a disgrace.

I don't know too many people of a Derbyshire persuasion who have actively enjoyed this summer. When one combines its stop/start nature with poor performance it was always likely to be so.

We must only hope that there are more displays before season end that might rescue it to some extent and send us into the winter in better heart. A repetition of the Nottinghamshire game would do nicely, but I would like to hope that our summers are about more than being enthused about a one-off win against our local rivals.

I'll be honest, I don't expect change this winter, because the Board will not want anything that gives them additional work. Unless they get a succession of bad results from now to season end, it will be same again next April. Come to think of it, we could lose the remaining four-day games by an innings and it wouldn't make a difference. Both they and the Head of Cricket have much to do to persuade me we are on the right track, one that will lead to our preservation as a first-class county.

Tomorrow we play host to Yorkshire in a game that is winnable. Injuries permitting, I don't see any change in the side from the last match and we haven't got many options anyway.

Duane Olivier looks set to be out for Yorkshire, with a recurrence of the back issue he has had in recent weeks. Their squad looks likely to be along the lines of:

Ballance (captain), Birkhead, Coad, Duke, Fraine, Hill, Luxton, Patterson, Pillans, Revis, Shutt, Sullivan H, Sullivan J, Tattersall, Waite.

A showery day is forecast and another truncated fixture appears to be on the cards.

No forecast from me, because I can't call this Derbyshire side at present. If we play to our best, we will win.

If we don't.. you know the rest... 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire RLODC

Derbyshire 258-6 (27 overs) (Wood 109, Came 57, Patterson-White 3-41)

Nottinghamshire 217 (Hutton 46, Hudson-Prentice 3-37

Derbyshire won by 41 runs

On reflection - and it didn't take long - that was my most enjoyable Derbyshire watching of the summer.

A magnificent century by Tom Wood took us to a total that, if not insurmountable, was going to be a huge challenge. Not even a late assault by Brett Hutton threatened a Derbyshire win and the players can be proud tonight.

There will be a few glasses raised in Ticknall, for sure. I was thrilled when Tom hit the six to take him to his century and what especially impressed me - besides the power and range of his stroke play - was his selfless attitude. He could have been excused for pushing ones and twos to get near his ton, but he blazed away  and it was simply magnificent.

Square drives, cuts, upper cuts, powerful pulls and drives.. the innings had it all. The frustration, of course, is that it took the coaching staff so long to realise he could do this. He should have been in from the start of the T20, something that became patently obvious when the penny finally  dropped for them. There can be no accusations of him doing it against a lesser attack either, because it wasn't. Fletcher and Hutton are time served professionals, while Paterson is an international. They were all treated with disdain and while the jury is still out on Wood the four-day player, surely he will gain confidence from this and there should be an admission of earlier selection error?

My first sighting of Mitch Wagstaff was positive and he later held a blinding catch to reinforce that good batting impression. Harry Came also batted pleasingly and struck an excellent fifty of his own that set the tone for the innings. Later support came from Alex Hughes and Mattie McKiernan and the final total seemed scarcely believable.

The first over maiden of Hudson-Prentice set the tone and after that Nottinghamshire were always behind the rate. Economy was hard to find for most bowlers on a good track, but Fynn's three wickets and intelligent varying of pace again highlighted what will be missed in the future.

Alex Hughes captained the side intelligently and with coltish enthusiasm, holding three catches as the run rate climbed. For me, he should have been one-day skipper before now and is too good a cricket brain to fail to utilise. He switched bowlers and ends frequently, offered words of encouragement and had a sound brains trust with Rampaul and Guest.

It is a pleasure to be able to write something positive, but we must not get carried away. The four-day win at Trent Bridge last year hid inadequacies we have failed to address and the success today must not be allowed to do the same. It is, after all, our first List A win over these opponents since 2004, as the BBC Nottingham commentator doubtless slipped in a time or two... 

Nonetheless, Tom Wood's century, the second fastest all-format one In the club's history, will live long in the memory of those fortunate to see it. It certainly will in mine. 

There appears to be something to build on, if the right supporting cast and overseas personnel can be acquired this winter. And if we now make the right decisions with regards to current personnel to enable the club to move forward.

I am far from convinced that will happen, but let's enjoy tonight and address those concerns another day. 

Apology

I have taken my eye off the ball a little in the last week or so and have published a few posts without reading them carefully. I can make an excuse for a few too many commitments from parents on both sides, but..

Could you please ensure that comments about players are not personal. They have been getting too close to the bone of late and that is not what this site is about.

Irrespective of whether they are not scoring runs and taking wickets, they are OUR players and representing OUR club. Cricket is a fickle game, as anyone who has played it will know.

No one sets out to fail but sometimes things don't go your way. At times it seems like the middle of your bat has gone forever, but we shouldn't forget that they are still trying their best.

For some of them, the games until the end of the season represent perhaps their last games in first class cricket. If that is the case, they still deserve respect for being in the top 0.1% of cricketers in the country, good enough to play at first-class level.

Please remember that when you post.

Thank you. 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire preview

I am back from a few very busy days at my parents and ready to watch some cricket tomorrow. Gulp...

The local rivals come to town and even optimistic old me struggles to see where a win is coming from. When you neither bat nor bowl well, the result is only going one way  and the Derbyshire players who have done well in this competition can be counted on two fingers.

Mattie McKiernan and Ravi Rampaul return after illness and George Scrimshaw is also available, as a fourteen - man squad has been announced as follows:

Mitch Wagstaff, Harry Came, Brooke Guest, Tom Wood, Anuj Dal, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Alex Hughes, Alex Thomson, Connor Marshall, Nils Priestley, Mattie McKiernan, George Scrimshaw, Ravi Rampaul, Ben Aitchison

No news on the Nottinghamshire squad at this stage, but even in the absence of most of their first team they will give us a stern test.

I don't think that playing for their futures has helped a lot of the Derbyshire squad and it is telling that the only two consistent performers have been FHP, who is leaving, and Brooke Guest, who knows he will be around. Most of the rest have Derbyshire, even first-class careers on the line and the pressure will be considerable.

Yet that is where a good man manager helps, takes the pressure off, inspires. We haven't seen that all season, bar for the usual end of game sound bites that have become irksome.

Yes, I know, as I explained to someone in email the other night, that we have been badly hit by injury, especially to the seam attack. But that was ALWAYS very likely when Dave Houghton rolled the dice and opted to go with young bowlers only this year. 

It was at best naive, but there are other words. Young bowlers unused to a lot of overs in club or second team cricket have broken down. They do, as bodies develop. We have also signed players with a track record of back problems, one of them as overseas who had played ten first-class games in ten years. The need for at least one older seamer whose body was used to the rigours of county cricket was obvious to most, giving us a decent chance. We released both of the ones we had... 

So no sympathy from me. Just ongoing and severe frustration at what I see as mismanagement of resources. That's before I get started on selections, tactics and motivation. 

In my absence I saw a few suggestions for alternatives as coaches. I have my own ideas and will gladly air them, if and when we decide to go in a different direction. Don't hold your breath on that. 

Because I am sadly of the opinion that we have a board that will happily opt for continuity and a quiet life, will accept excuses and will tolerate us being just the same next year. It is less hassle that way. They increasingly remind me of the one man in the marching band who are convinced that they are in step and the rest are wrong. 

If you are reading this and are a Derbyshire member, why not submit a question for the forthcoming members meeting? Ask about the club's direction, query the tolerance of sub-standard performance and ask why all the frustrations that I and others have aired have not been addressed. Don't use it for inane questions on the temperature of water in the toilets, the choice of sandwiches in the ground or the quality of toilet paper in the loos. 

Submit the REAL questions. Let's see if they allow them and will recognise and do something about the deep disappointment among the club support.