County numbers surface AGAIN..

Isn't it funny how, as soon as they start doing badly, the usual suspects start to blame the English system for national failings. 'We don't need eighteen counties' is the battle cry from Kevin Pietersen, keen to extend the franchises to four - day cricket.

So when England win 50 and 20-over trophies it is fine then?

I don't get this argument that reducing down to eight or ten franchises would make our game stronger. For one thing you are halving the talent pool, and removing the possibility of a player overlooked for franchises developing elsewhere.

Would Ben Aitchison be thriving in the county game, but for Derbyshire? Would Sam Conners be a regular elsewhere? Both could become international bowlers, but they need to play cricket. 

People mention us, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire as targets, forgetting that 'big' counties poach our best talent once developed. Would that happen? I doubt it.. What about the late developers, of which there are many? 

For another thing, the crucial established fan base of the game would be lost. I couldn't care less about England, broadly speaking. I feel no 'connect' with the side and would always watch Derbyshire over them. The likely 5-0 whitewash in the Ashes can be laid squarely at the door of the ECB, not the players. I have watched about thirty minutes of the series, so far. 

The ECB decided to consign the four-day game to the bookends of the season. They promoted 100 - ball cricket to the detriment of the purest form. They ensured that we went into the biggest and oldest international series with next to no relevant practice.They ploughed crazy resources into a tournament few people want. They hand out central contracts, so international players don't need to play cricket..

Part of the issue is that the jump from county to Test is now too big. If international players had to play at least half of their county matches it would be a start. Who gets better at anything by not doing it? Two quality overseas per side helps too - just ask those who plied their trade in the 70s, 80s and 90s, often facing attacks better than international ones. When you had faced Imran Khan and Garth le Roux at Hove, or Clive Rice and Richard Hadlee at Trent Bridge, there were no worries at international level. So too if you could handle Holding, Mortensen, Malcolm, Bishop, Cork and De Freitas at Derby.. there was little much stronger on the international stage. 

Sport is cyclical. Look at the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. They had rich periods of success and they will come again, but they had their poor spells too. 

We have gone from asking Buttler. Bairstow, Malan and others to go from 50 off 20 balls to five-hour tons. It is no surprise that the only consistent player is Joe Root, who rarely plays in the short form.

I think Chris Silverwood will go, but so should Tom Harrison, who I am ashamed to say played for Derbyshire. The organisation needs an overhaul, as quite simply it isn't fit for purpose.

What price, as someone pointed out on the previous post, Mickey Arthur being seen as an option to replace him?

Not that we have seen anything of him yet and I confess to being a little concerned over not just the delay, but the massive silence from the club as to when he will be here.

I would have thought that an obvious PR win to let supporters and members know. 

Unless they don't know, and if that is the case they should tell us why that is. 

Merry Christmas

It is getting to a busy time of year for all of us, so I would just like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas

I will be back before the new year, but I hope you all have the festive period that you wish for. 

Have a great time! 

Congratulations!

Well done to Mark Allen whose name has been pulled from the hat for the autobiography of Tony Pope.

Congratulations also to Mark Beresford and Denis Eardley, who can each select two Derbyshire yearbooks from the list on my previous blog.

If each of the winners could email me with their choice of yearbooks and address, I will get them off as soon as possible.

Mark gets first pick, in the event of both wanting the same year(s), as his name was pulled out first.

Well done to all of you!

And thanks to all blog sponsors.. Competitions will resume in the new year. 

Weekend warmer

Boy, do we need it! Cold and foggy up here today, though a hint of sunshine on the afternoon dog walk suggested that the winter solstice and shortest day in three days time may herald better things to come. 

Shan Masood seems to be scoring runs for fun in Pakistan at present, his 190 today being his third ton in four innings. It also represented 62% of his team's score and Mickey Arthur's subsequent tweet made for good viewing:

Don't worry guys @shani_official is coming to a good home, where he will be backed to the hilt and will make a massive contribution to our new journey.

I don't expect any more signings until the new year, as things are gradually closing down. My guess is that Arthur will arrive in early January and work will crank up then, with new players coming in and players and coach getting to know each other. There are still plenty of out of contract players who may be good options to reinforce a small squad and a few trialists will doubtless arrive. 

We need a wicket-keeper to challenge Brooke Guest and with the rumoured signing of Ben Brown from Sussex, Hampshire appear to have one too many.

They have the talented Lewis McManus and equally able Tom Alsop already, so three of quality does seem a little like overkill. They may play Brown as a specialist batsman, but it may be worth keeping an eye on that situation.

Finally today, I will be doing the draw for the last two months sponsor/subscriber draws on Monday. The first out gets to choose between Tony Pope's fascinating autobiography of his life in cricket and memories of his father Alf and uncle George, or any two Derbyshire yearbooks from 1978, 1983 and 1986-97 inclusive. Second out chooses from what is then left. 

Please email your interest in the prizes to peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk as I would like them to go to those who can fill gaps in their collection, rather than provide duplicates.

Remember this is for blog sponsors only and you can get involved by clicking the 'donate' button viewable on the blog via a PC, laptop or kindle. 

David Smith

It is a sure sign of your own advancing age when your childhood heroes pass. So it is my sadness in todays news of the death of David (DHK) Smith, who played for the County between 1965 and 1970.

Born in Shipley, West Yorkshire, he came from a tough school in the northern leagues and one usually felt that boundaries were grudgingly hit. He slotted smoothly into the lineage of John Kelly, Charlie Lee, Ian Hall and Alan Hill, players who, it might be said, all batted against the sundial, rather than the clock.

Yet every side needs such a player and watching the travails of England in Australia one pines for sound defensive technique, knowledge of the ball to leave and the one to play quietly away. Nudging and nurdling worked well for those players, thirty a session, a hundred by the close if it was their day, making opponents work if it wasn't. 

David Smith had plenty of good days and in the late '60s and 1970 his opening partnership with Peter Gibbs was one of contrasts. Peter was all about classical drives and sound clips off the legs, while David was more functional, substance over style. The two became a sound pairing, paving the way neatly, in my favourite cricket summer of 1970, for the more expansive play of Mike Page and Chris Wilkins. 

He really became established between 1967 and 1970 and scored a thousand runs in three of those four years. There was rarely anything flashy, as it wasn't his way, but his role in the side was clear and he did it very well indeed. His was a wicket seldom given away. 

Edwin Smith told me a lovely story about a typically gritty, unbeaten 91 in 120 overs of graft against Glamorgan at Chesterfield in 1967. The visiting side's batsman, Peter Walker, later a television commentator, was unimpressed and vocal at the lack of aggression, especially when his namesake Edwin later scored an unbeaten 60 in no time, as Derbyshire made 'only' 221-7 declared in their first innings 

Yet the visitors made only 119 all out in 93 overs, Smith and Morgan taking 8-47 between them in 57 overs!  David almost had the last laugh, the visitors hanging on for grim life on the last afternoon, the last pair together when time was called. 

I said rarely flashy, but there was a Sunday game at Ilkeston in 1970, when we were chasing a tricky (in those days) score of 155. Barry Richards had breezed 40-odd, but runs hadn't come easy and visitors Hampshire had three international bowlers in 'Butch' White, Bob Cottam and Derek Shackleton, as well as two wily ones in Peter Sainsbury and Trevor Jesty. 

That afternoon, it didn't matter. Smith slog swept and pulled his way to an exhilarating, swashbuckling 85, as Derbyshire won in a canter with more than ten overs to spare. It was one of those rare days of total domination, Chris Wilkins finishing it in his usual style with a four and six from the only two balls he faced. 

At the end of that season David left the county game, bar for a one-day game in 1971. He played a couple more in the late 1970s for Orange Free State in South Africa, but like a few others at that time, he left the county far too soon, a career outside the game more lucrative and reliable. 

He will be remembered as a friendly man, one with a fund of stories and soundly appreciated by his team mates, as both a dogged, reliable bat and a good slip, as befits a man who kept wicket. 

Rest in Peace, David. You always gave of your best. 

Apologies

Apologies for the lack of communication in recent days, but an urgent trip south took up most of my time.

I haven't yet had chance to do the prize draw among sponsors, but anyone who would like to be in with a chance of a Derbyshire yearbook or two, or a copy of Tony Pope's autobiography, please email me at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk. Tony was son of Alf and nephew of George, with many extraordinary tales of cricket around the globe. 

Remember the draw is for blog sponsors only. 

I would like the prizes to go to those who want them and will offer a range of yearbooks to choose from.

Finally, in the only news of note, Graham van Buuren is staying with Gloucestershire having got his local qualification through.

Our quest for players will continue.. 

Keith Loring

I am sorry that the many things I have going on at present prevented me from noting the passing, last weekend, of Keith Loring, who was well-known to supporters of both Derby County and Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Indeed he was liked and respected wherever he went, a hard-working and conscientious man who was always happy to have a word and had a regular smile on his face.

In eight years as CEO at Derby County he oversaw the move to Pride Park from the Baseball Ground and a promotion to the Premier League. He was later in the same role at Derbyshire, where he saw 1800 seats added to the ground, between 2004 and 2012 and the installation of the marquee.

He was professional and efficient and I was always grateful for his courtesy and prompt answers to any questions I asked in the early years of this blog. 

He was respected throughout the county and beyond and played a very important and appreciated role in the development of its sports teams, big and small.

Rest in Peace, Keith. 

Shan Masood joins as overseas player

Thank you to Mickey Arthur for showing, from the outset, that old-fashioned county cricket overseas recruitment IS possible with knowledge of the world game.

I had mentioned before that Pakistan would be a rich picking-ground for overseas players. How could it not be, as the main sport in a country with a population of over 200 million? Throw in the appeal of these players to the local Pakistani community, now able to see them on their doorstep and the merit is obvious. That's even before considering the many who will tune in to the excellent streams from the county circuit. 

Thus the signing of 32-year old Shan Masood makes very good sense and the side looks immediately stronger. Not least because he can and will play all formats and is available for the entire season.

What's not to like in a solid, experienced left-handed opener who models his game on Alastair Cook, yet averages well over 50 in fifty-over cricket, as well as having a T20 century to his name? He knows our wickets too, having been prolific for Stamford School and then playing for Durham University.

English supporters will know him best for that brilliant 156 against England at Old Trafford in 2020, while 31 career centuries and the captaincy of Multan Sultans in the PSL confirm a rounded, experienced player. Exactly the sort to give ballast to a batting line up that too often misfired last season.

Here he is in blistering T20 form for the Multan Sultans, where he skippered Wayne Madsen. 

If this doesn't whet your appetite ahead of the season, nothing will

Blistering T20 knock

Welcome to Derbyshire, Shan. 

We look forward to welcoming you to a friendly club where your talents will be appreciated.

2022? Bring it on... and we haven't finished yet. 

Book giveaways

I am conscious that my book giveaways have slipped in the last few weeks, post-surgery.

I have a number of highly collectable duplicates from my complete set of Derbyshire yearbooks to give away to blog sponsors, which I aim to do before Christmas. 

To be eligible for this prize, simply sponsor the blog via the 'donate' button in the top left of the screen, which can be viewed on a PC, laptop or kindle.

All support appreciated and I will be drawing three lucky winners next weekend from those who have donated by that stage. You can choose from a number of available volumes. 

Thank you in advance for your support, which encourages me to create content when there are a number of other things competing for my time. 

I am grateful to all of you. Please note you can make a one-off donation, or pay an amount each month. In the absence of a blog sponsor, it encourages me to keep the blog going. 

Thank you. 

Dal deal makes sense for both parties

More good news on the contract front from Derbyshire today, with Anuj Dal signing a one-year deal.

It is one that makes sense from both perspectives. 

Dal has a chance to build on his powerful finish to 2021 and put himself in line for an improved deal next year, or be free to discuss one with other clubs. He has every incentive to do well. 

At the same time, the club and specifically Mickey Arthur can see if that late-season form was evidence of a player who has come to terms with the first-class game, or was just one of those golden spells that most experience from time to time.

The new Head of Cricket HAS to be able to shape the squad as he wants and the deals already given to the likes of Came, Wood, Thomson and McKiernan may or may not have been what he would have chosen to do.

Like all supporters, I hope all four go on to stellar careers in our colours and the deal for McKiernan is for for one year only. The others have two-year deals, as does Alex Hughes, though his record suggests he will offer good value in that time, especially in the one-day game.

There are positive signs from the other three, but their being contracted for two years will limit any team development plans that the new HOC has if they don't.

Here's hoping all kick on in 2022!

Either way, Arthur wraps up his spell in Sri Lanka on Friday and will hopefully arrive in Derbados in the near future. Pre-season work is already underway and I am sure excitement is building among the players.

Finally tonight, news today that the 2022 fixtures will not be out until January is disappointing, but understandable.

With more four-day cricket planned for high summer (Hallelujah!) and grounds for matches around the 'Hindered' to be finalised, there is much to do.

That's before any decision is made on penalties for the recent travails at Yorkshire, which may yet include their being relegated to division two. 

To be honest, that makes sense on purely cricketing grounds. Yorkshire without their international names are an average side, while Nottinghamshire, like them or not, clearly aren't.

They SHOULD, as things stand, walk division two. 

Not being defeatist, just realistic.. 

More from me soon.