Derbyshire v India preview

With a spare ten minutes in our day, just a brief preview of tomorrow's game against India.

I have no idea who will play for the Indian side, as they play England in a Test match at Edgbaston, but they will be packed with talent.

Nor do I know who will play for us, but a sixteen-man squad has been announced which includes all three overseas players. While Mickey Arthur may get everyone back in the T20 groove ahead of Sunday's key game, there may be opportunities for others to impress.

Squad: Masood, Reece, Madsen, Du Plooy, Cartwright, Guest, Came, Dal, Kerr, Hughes, Thomson, Watt, McKiernan, Conners, Aitchison, Scrimshaw

It should be hugely entertaining and I hope blessed with good weather and a good crowd.

I will be back home to see it too - and can't wait! 

Du Plooy signs extension

I am really pleased to hear that Leus du Plooy has committed to Derbyshire for another year.

I had heard of at least three counties who were very interested in securing his services, but the deal makes sense from a club and player perspective. Very much so from that of a supporter! 

There is a strong batting core to the side which is now secured. The bowling needs work in the winter, but the averages this summer tell of a strong unit motivated well by Mickey Arthur and Ian Bell.

For Leus, it is an opportunity to work on his game under people who know the craft. He is an outstanding player, but can get better. I don't see him 'doing a Madsen' and staying at Derbyshire for all of his career, but the longer that he does so, the better for all concerned.

Good news to start the day. Hopefully some about Derby County later! 

Sussex v Derbyshire day 4

Not having seen the last three days of the game, I am to a great extent shooting blind tonight, but one thing saddens me.

The amount of 'supporters' queuing up on social media to criticise, moan and say 'I told you so' is both laughable and disappointing.

Derbyshire didn't 'let' Sussex score the runs to win the game today. They earned them, made them. As I said last night, a couple of players had to go big, and they did. Yet not for one minute do I think the wrong decision was made in not enforcing the follow on last night.

Mickey Arthur knows his players, they will have said if they were tired or not, the decision was made on that basis. I didn't see the action but, like I say, it is easy to say we didn't bowl well - they still need to make them. But it made for a more exciting game than watching them bat out time today. That's what Mickey promised us and that's what we got. I will risk being in a minority of one to say I will chance losing to have a chance of winning every time - and applaud a Head of Cricket who does so.

We know this is a work in progress. We know it is far from the finished article. We know that player X is good at this and less good at that. But those who purport to be supporters need to remember where we have come from in a short space of time. For every brilliant last over win there will be a disappointing defeat, adding to the learning process. But we are ahead of the game on this over the season.

At the end of it all, we lost. But we tried to win. 

For me, that's worth it tonight. 

Sussex v Derbyshire day 3

Derbyshire 551-8d and 127-7 (Reece 42*, Masood 37, Brooks 5-46)

Sussex 337 (Rizwan 130, Kerr 3-63, Dal 2-40,  Watt 2-56, Conners 2-94, Reece 1-56)

Derbyshire lead by 341 runs

Such has been the level of debate, as I understand it, during the late afternoon that at the end of day three at Hove I thought I would take a few minutes at the end of a lovely day on holiday to give you my thoughts.

When Derbyshire bowled Sussex out for 337 today, 214 runs behind on first innings, a lot of people seemed to think we would /should enforce the follow on.

I wasn't one of them. 

It had taken us 94 overs to bowl them out and the attack all had around 20 overs in their legs. Putting them back in was an option, yes, but I said to my wife and daughter, who take increasing interest in our improved fortunes, that in my opinion we should bat again.

For one thing, tired bodies easily become injured bodies. With a small squad, the last thing we need is a couple of injuries with a big game this weekend. Furthermore, we wouldn't want to bat last on a wicket where I suspect the players see signs of deterioration and perhaps have to chase a hundred against the clock to win.

The evidence from the end of their innings, when they lost three wickets in four balls, then ours when we lost seven before the close, is that the wicket is now a challenge. That's as it should be on the fourth day of the game, with variable bounce, perhaps a little turn and help for bowlers who are good enough.

Yes, we would have hoped to bat better second time around, BUT we closed the day 341 runs ahead. I know which side's players will sleep easiest tonight. 

We may declare overnight, or bat a few overs and set them 360 off 90, but I see this as much different to the wicket where Glamorgan so nearly beat us earlier in the summer. Crucially, so does Mickey Arthur, who knows his cricket, has seen this wicket close up and will have made the decision to bat again accordingly.

For what it is worth, if we bowl anything like first class players should, they won't get close tomorrow. If they do, they will have to bat brilliantly and will thoroughly deserve the win. But we will have to bowl badly to allow it 

But I will maintain, either way, that the correct decision was made.

It is a shame that this 'overshadowed' another good day by Derbyshire. Dal and Watt bowled tight spells, while Hayden Kerr took his first three wickets in first-class cricket for us in those four balls to end the home innings.

In the second, Luis Reece ensured we didn't collapse completely and Sussex, although happy how they fought their way back into the match, will look at tomorrow as a mountain to climb.

We will see. 

Cartwright comes in on one-month deal

Mickey Arthur has moved quickly to replace Shan Masood with the explosive Australian all rounder, Hilton Cartwright.

Cartwright, who has previously played for Middlesex, joins on a one-month deal, and will be available for the remainder of the Vitality Blast and also the three County Championship games in that period.

He will also be available for the game against India on Friday, ahead of a stint in the 'other competition' for the Oval Invincible.

It is a solid signing. Cartwright did OK for Middlesex previously in a short stint, finishing top of their Blast batting averages and second in their four-day bowling averages. I suspect the wickets this year will be more familiar to him than those of 2018 and he will offer a good all round option at a key stage of the summer.

I wish him well. 

Sussex v Derbyshire day 2

Derbyshire 551-8 (Madsen 176, Dal 146*, Watt 55*)

Sussex 142-3 (Conners 2-49)

Derbyshire lead by 409 runs

I won't write too much today, as I saw none of the action, but fair play to Anuj Dal and Mark Watt for adding a new County record partnership for the ninth wicket against Sussex, 108 runs. 

It is no surprise to me that Watt can bat, as he has shown it for Scotland, though my pleasure in seeing such a stand is always tempered by the knowledge that the wicket must be good for batting. 

Dal progressed to his second century of the season, a career-best and the one thousandth first-class ton of the club's history. He also took his average for the season past a hundred when the declaration came, while Watt made his maiden half century. 

Sam Conners took early wickets, but Rizwan will fancy batting on here and wickets will need to be earned, batsmen dug out. 

We must only hope that Dal's assertion of the ball starting to keep a little low proves accurate over the next two days. 

With Middlesex and Glamorgan both struggling, we have an opportunity here... 

Sussex v Derbyshire day 1

Derbyshire 339-5 (Madsen 171*, Reece 52, Masood 46, Dal 45*)

v Sussex

On a day when records tumbled and his good friend and team mate Shan Masood became the first man in the country to pass one thousand first-class runs, Wayne Madsen gave another example of his timeless brilliance, steering Derbyshire to an impressive 339-5 by the close.

The century took Madsen to  second place outright in the all-time county list of centuries scored, ahead of John Morris. It also, astonishingly, took him above Shan Masood in the averages, with 851 runs at 94 ahead of 1037 at 87.  Heady days indeed.

While he must have been close to being given out leg before in the morning session, thereafter he was in the most sublime of touches and the bowlers came alike to him. His unbeaten 171 is the highest score made by a Derbyshire player at Hove and he can take it further tomorrow. 

Earlier Masood, although not at his very best, edged to third man to reach a thousand runs and was just getting into his stride when he was leg before to Steven Finn. Reaching the landmark in just 12 innings saw him do so in four innings less than the previous record, set by Peter Kirsten in 1980. 

Billy Godleman again failed to get going, edging to slip, while Brooke Guest assayed a drive with too great a confidence in the prevailing conditions and played on. When Leus du Plooy left one from Tom Haines, we were 83-4 and in trouble, especially for a side that had opted to bat on winning the toss.

Luis Reece has endured a challenging summer, primarily after missing a lot of winter work with knee and shoulder surgery. He has never found his best batting groove, but here he mixed restraint with strong drives when the opportunity arose. His first fifty of the summer was deserved, but an assayed sweep off Rawlins saw a simple catch lob to the wicket keeper. The stand of 120 had overcome early jitters, however, the game now evenly balanced.

It swung Derbyshire's way with another big stand, this one unbroken and worth 136, between Madsen and Dal. While often lacking opportunity, Dal took his summer average to 76 with a tidy, professional innings, measured in approach and as always excellent in running with and for himself and his partner.

As the shadows lengthened on what always looks a lovely cricket ground, the Sussex bowlers seemed to be looking down a barrel. If we can push past 450 tomorrow - and there is batting to come to do so - then the home side will face a challenging task, Derbyshire having gone with the team that I suggested and two spinners for the final innings.

That's for the future and there's work to be done to get there, but with Middlesex being caned at Trent Bridge and Glamorgan in trouble against Worcestershire, a win here could see us move up to second in the table. Now there's an incentive! 

Finally, it was nice to see the sportsmanship of the home side in acknowledging Madsen's batting. Especially so to see Mohammad Rizwan run in to shake his hand when he reached 150. The Pakistan captain is one of my favourite cricketers and seldom plays without a smile.

But hopefully we can do something about that over the next three days..

(Statistics above courtesy of David Griffin) 

Sussex v Derbyshire Championship preview

After a frenetic week of Vitality Blast cricket, Derbyshire head down to the scenic splendours of Hove for four days of county championship cricket, starting tomorrow.

Lest you forget, we sit currently fourth in that table after the excellent win over second - placed Middlesex at Chesterfield last time out. Promotion remains a distinct possibility and who thought I would be typing those words at the end of June?

The game heralds a welcome  return to the squad for Ben Aitchison, a player I rate very highly. He takes his place in this squad:

Godleman, Masood, Guest, Madsen, du Plooy, Reece, Dal, Kerr, Thomson, Watt, Conners, Aitchison, Scrimshaw.

I can't call the final eleven, which will depend on the wicket, of course. I would be surprised to see Scrimshaw play and guess the final selection may be between the two spinners or if Aitchison is being slowly integrated back into the squad. One assumes Luis Reece will bowl, as he did at Chesterfield and while it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Hayden Kerr could be kept back, my gut feeling is that Scrimshaw and Aitchison will share (very tall) twelfth man duties. 

That would leave two left and two right arm seamers, a slow left armer and an off spinner. As a man who likes a balanced and varied attack, that works well for me. 

As for the home side, they feature our old boy Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who missed the game between the two sides at Derby.

Chetshwar Pujara is now with the Indian squad, but Mohammad Rizwan remains to add silky class to the batting.

Their squad:

Alsop, Brooks, Carter, Coles, Crowcombe, Finn, Haines, Hudson-Prentice, Hunt, Ibrahim, Lennon, Orr, Rawlins, Rizwan.

Their seam attack with Steve Finn, Jack Brooks and FHP will be challenging, but the side interest here is that Shan Masood might become the first man in the country to a thousand championship runs. Only Ben Compton of Kent threatens him, on 988 runs to Masood's 991, but having had two extra innings.

With Kent in action at The Oval against Surrey, it may come down to whose side get to bat first, but Masood doesn't seem the sort of man to fret over such things. What a signing he has proved to be and when one considers he will return for the RLODC, and he averages 58 in List A cricket, one wonders how many he may yet end up with, enforced absence or not.

I will see tomorrow's play but we are away to Berwick upon Tweed from Monday to Friday and so I will see little of the play thereafter. Reporting may be as and when I can, but I will post a header for each day on which you can comment.

Let us hope that the good times keep rolling! 

Derbyshire v Lancashire T20

Derbyshire 188-8 (Masood 75, Madsen 70)

Lancashire 183-5 (Croft 47, Wells 42, David 42*)

Derbyshire won by 5 runs

How quite extraordinary that game was!

I will be honest, there were few points in that game, after the partnership between Madsen and Masood was broken, where I felt we were in the box seat. Indeed, when Hayden Kerr was out with the score just 51 in the eighth over, I was struggling to see where a score was coming from.

Another eight overs and 99 runs later, I thought we were looking at 200, then it tailed off again. The two greats - and I use that term wisely and accurately, as posterity will deem them so - have taken batting to a level we haven't seen in 40 years. For those who weren't there, this was what watching Wright and Kirsten was like, though Masood is more fluent as a bat than John was. Madsen is currently imperious, however and his stroke play quite breathtaking, while Masood struck his county record fifth half century of the Blast and went past 1500 runs in all formats for the season. Astonishing. 

The score gave us something to bowl at, even though Jennings, Livingstone and Buttler were all missing from the visiting line up, as was Parkinson. Such is the depth of their talent, the batsmen still looked imposing and they began well. 

Salt and Wells led off in style, before the former was brilliantly caught by du Plooy, who is seemingly in a one-man catch of the season competition. This one was possibly better than his three last night and he followed with a more straightforward one to remove Wells, who slogged unnecessarily at Thomson when they were already cruising at ten an over.

In came Vilas to partner the always dangerous Croft but he was well caught at the second attempt by Guest, while Croft fell to a fine diving effort from Thomson off the bowling of Watt.

Slowly, the rate was climbing, but with the powerful David at the crease, 33 from the last four overs seemed a formality. McKiernan, Watt and Hughes had bowled with discipline, but Hayden Kerr was outstanding tonight. Four overs for just 24, in the context of this game, was a terrific effort and he gave away little.

So much so so that it came down to the last over, with the visitors still needing eleven. At this point, hats need doffed to captain Masood, as George Scrimshaw was asked to bowl it, despite his previous three having gone for 48. After a nightmare at Trent Bridge last night it was a huge show of faith by the captain.

Yet it was rewarded by a bowler who showed courage and got his lines right when it mattered. A single to David off the first ball was followed by two dot balls, then a top edged four leaving six from two. Jones, on strike seemed to expect a short ball, but one well pitched up saw him leg before, leaving Lamb needing six from the last.

A wild swish to a well-directed short ball outside off went through to Brooke Guest and Derbyshire sealed a momentous, unexpected victory. 

This was a triumph of a battling spirit, no little skill and bravery, from both a captain and a man whose confidence had to have been knocked. The fielding was excellent too, in a good team effort. 

Beat Durham in the last game and we will be through. Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, who play each other next Friday, could still pip us on net run rate, but neither can get more than our current sixteen points, and ours is currently the best run rate of the three sides. 

For a team that were pretty woeful at the format last year, that is quite something. 

They deserve every credit for their efforts tonight and through the competition.

I can only use that word again.

Amazing!

Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire T20

I am short of time tonight and that is perhaps as well, as we weren't at the races today at Trent Bridge.

The home side dominated from first ball to last and once again Alex Hales, Joe Clarke Steve Mullaney and Ben Duckett feasted on bowling that was fairly average.

I thought Mattie McKiernan and Hayden Kerr did pretty well, but the rest were below par, George Scrimshaw having a pretty horrific night in the most expensive spell bowled in T20 by a Derbyshire player. But he wasn't alone and it was a bad night at the office.

There was really no chasing that total after we had been so overawed and only decent innings by Du Plooy and Guest gave the total some respectability. 

The game highlight from our perspective was thee catches of increasing brilliance on the boundary edge by Du Plooy, but that was as good as it got for us tonight.

We were second and second rate.

We have to do better at Derby tomorrow. 

Masood call up is double-edged sword

Still basking in the thought that we really might make the knock out stages of the Blast, Derbyshire supporters heard today that should we do so we will be without our inspirational skipper, Shan Masood.

The reward for 1400 all-format runs this season is a recall to the Pakistan squad for their series against Sri Lanka. My understanding is that he will be available for the remaining group games and the trip to Sussex, but then will miss the knockout stages of the competition, returning for the RLODC and the remaining four-day games.

It is a double-edged sword. He has earned selection on the back of astonishing form for Derbyshire. Had his form been less impressive, he would be staying but we would be less concerned.

I am pleased for him, as in every way he has fulfilled the requirements of overseas player - and then some.

It would be galling, however, if he ended up merely carrying drinks. He is too good for that, but the squad is packed with talent and there are no guarantees his form will get him into the side. 

As for a replacement, Mickey Arthur said a few weeks back that his departure would afford opportunity to other people. That may still be the case, although the only obvious batting replacement would be Anuj Dal. With Tom Wood unavailable and Billy Godleman rested for this competition, there is no 'like for like' on the staff.  Harry Came most likely, unless Hayden Kerr replicates his Australian summer and moves up to pinch hit

In fairness, those comments came before qualification for the knock outs became a strong possibility. I am sure that the Head of Cricket will make enquiries to see who might be available at short notice, but in an ideal world it would be someone already here and used to the wickets. I have no idea who that might be, but I am sure that Mickey or the club might let us know in the coming days what the plans will be.

I don't see much point in flying someone halfway around the world for one game, potentially. But I am happy to hear other opinions on that.

Anyway, tomorrow we take the short trip to Trent Bridge, where victory would pretty much seal our involvement in the next stage, while ending any lingering hopes that Nottinghamshire hold, after a poor competition.

I don't see any change to our team, while our hosts last night fielded this side:

Hales, Clarke, Duckett, Moores, Mullaney, Christian, Patel, Harrison, Carter, Fletcher, Patterson.

I think we can beat them. In our current form I would say that about most sides and only a special innings by Alex Hales at Derby saw us lose that game. 

As we saw last night, take out the big guns of the opponent early and you maximise your chances of winning.

We'll see tomorrow. 

Posting a comment

I have had a few people say they have had issues posting comments on the blog.

The two best ways to do it are by either using your Google ID or by using the 'Anon' option.

When you get to the 'enter comment' line, click on it and it will open 'Comment as' where there is a small arrow pointing down. Click on it and it opens 3 options. Google ID is the first, so if you have one, enter that and you should then be able to put in a comment.

If you don't, click on 'Anonymous' then type in your message. Please put your name, or a name you wish to use, at the start or end so other users can see who it is and get to know you! Then click 'Publish'

If all else fails, pop your message to me at Peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk on an email and I will copy and paste it in, or send me a message on Twitter to @Peakfanblog

Hope that helps! 

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire T20

Northamptonshire 186-7 (Zaib 92, Neesham 28, Scrimshaw 2-34)

Derbyshire 192-4 (Madsen 73, Masood 58, Kerr 29)

Derbyshire won by six wickets

You know, the only problem with this run that Derbyshire are on right now is that I am running out of adjectives and superlatives. Where's Dr Johnson when you need him?

That run chase tonight was amazing, very much in the mould of those I have seen Shan Masood's Multan Sultans do in the PSL. Get a boundary early in the over, taking the pressure off, then milk it around for ones and twos.

We aren't used to that professionalism around these parts, but once Masood and Madsen got going, this was a batting masterclass. While Shan played an innings of brilliance, Wayne played one of genius. 

It was again a team effort and needed to be, with Saif Zaib playing a very good hand for the visitors that enabled them to get over the early loss of both Lynn and Cobb, their real batting heavyweights. It was clearly a good batting track and I was again pleased with how we pulled the opposition back at the end. Watt and Scrimshaw again did the business and credit needs tonight to go to Hayden Kerr, for a good all round effort.

His 1-29 included the wicket of Cobb, who looked in the mood for a big score, while he then gave early impetus after the loss of Luis Reece with a quickfire 29, including two sixes.

That was but the aperitif for a sumptuous stand between Masood and Madsen that turned the game. You might live to be a hundred, but you will rarely see better batting than the 95 they added in just eight spellbinding overs.

The captain was wristy, elegant, class personified. Meanwhile, Madsen played an innings that made a mockery of his never having played for England. Reverse sweeps for six, flicks over the keeper for four (he did it twice, to show it was no fluke), booming drives. This was batting on a level beyond the compass of mere mortals and the visitors seemed about four fielders short. His runs came at two a ball and in this mood he must be impossible to bowl at. 

Both men went before the end to rousing receptions from a good crowd that knew they had witnessed something special. There was no panic, because the job was almost done and with du Plooy and Guest at the crease it would be signed off.

Leus finished it in the grand manner, a huge hit for six from the bowling of Jimmy Neesham. This was a very good win over a side themselves playing top class cricket. The smiles on the faces of the Derbyshire coaching staff told a story, one of five straight T20 wins, a new club record, six in total. 

These are such heady days. One win from three now should see us to the knockouts. Who would have considered that after last year, when essentially  the same group  was very poor in all formats? Second in the group with a very good net run rate. Wow! 

Meanwhile at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire lost again and look very unlikely to progress from the group. Leicestershire, a side we beat twice, are also playing magnificent cricket and making a mockery of those who suggest 'smaller' counties should be dispensed with.

If that's the case, I don't know what they will do with all that land at Trent Bridge... 

If we can win there on Thursday, this may go down as the greatest June on record.

I think it is close already.

Sensational, gentlemen. You are doing us proud! 

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire T20 preview

These Tuesday fixtures are causing what I should call blog jams. There isn't much time left on a Monday after working 8 to 8, having dinner and walking our dog, especially when starting over on Tuesday at the same time.

So today's blog is short notice, for which I apologise, but I had to mark a crucial game with advance comment. By my reckoning, two wins from the last four should see us qualify, in a season where no side has really broken away.

A factor in our success this year has been consistency in selection. We have only used twelve players in the Blast and ten are ever-present, Alex Hughes for Harry Came the  only change. In addition, in no match have we conceded double figures in extras, which speaks volume for the accuracy of bowling, quality of wicket-keeping and intensity of fielding. It makes a big difference.

Those figures come from David Griffin and I suspect that when we bat there have been fewer dot balls, which ensures we maximise the value of the 120 balls. Three batsman (Du Plooy, McKiernan and Watt) are averaging over 150 per hundred balls, faced, only Hayden Kerr of the top eight less than 138. Meanwhile Watt, Hughes and McKiernan are going for less than eight an over, so the reasons for success are clear. 

I expect no change tonight, though Came, Thomson and Dal are in the squad alongside the eleven who so handsomely beat Warwickshire.

We will be wary of Chris Lynn and Josh Cobb at the top of the order, both in stellar form, but we are playing as a team now.

Can tonight be a record fifth win in a row?

I think so.

What about you? 

Radio Derby tomorrow

Just a late quick post to let you know I will be speaking on BBC Radio Derby tomorrow morning, around 7.20am.

All things Derbyshire cricket and can we keep the run going!

Also I have a signed copy of Luke Sutton's latest book to give away to a blog sponsor whose name is pulled out of the hat by my daughter.

If you have donated to the blog costs and would like to be included in the draw this coming weekend, please comment on here, or email me at Peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

If you would like to be included and haven't yet made a donation, please click the donate button, visible on PC, laptop, kindle or Mac. Any amount is appreciated, either a one-off or a monthly 'subscription'

Thank you in advance, I look forward to hearing from you! 

Birmingham v Derbyshire T20

Birmingham 159-7 (Hain 73*, Conners 3-25, McKiernan 2-18, Watt 1-28)

Derbyshire 160-3 (Madsen 55, Masood 45*, Reece 38)

Derbyshire won by 7 wickets

Name me a better fortnight than the one just finished in recent Derbyshire history.

I'll wait.

Since a below-par performance at Northampton, Derbyshire have beaten Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Yorkshire and now Birmingham in the T20, sandwiching a fine win over Middlesex in the County Championship.

They are playing professional, fearless cricket, bowling with discipline, batting with flair and common sense in equal measure, fielding tigerishly. It is the best I have seen in many years and it is a joy to watch. 

Today, pretty much from the home side's Powerplay, they bossed the game. When Paul Stirling flicked Sam Conners to deep mid wicket and Leus du Plooy held the first of two catches, we were on top. A good innings from Sam Haine gave the home side more runs than looked likely, but they never got the scoring rate to one that might challenge.

The attack bowled well as a unit. Special mention to Sam Conners tonight, who has had a tough game or two but bowled very well here. So too did our spinners, yet again, while it is no coincidence that the return of Alex Hughes and his many variations has given balance.

When we batted, the result was never in doubt. Shan Masood set out to bat through and did, though less fluent than in some games. His running and calling was less sure today, and it is fair to say that he and Luis Reece are not always on the same page, possibly not even the same chapter, in their running between the wickets. One of these days, and soon, Reece will go on to a big score and it will be magnificent to watch

Nonetheless, the two gave us a half century start and when Reece departed to what seemed the inevitable run out, Madsen was quickly into his stride. Successive sixes off the dangerous Lintot brought the required rate down and when he was eventually well caught by Stirling at long leg, the result was a formality.

This, again, was the imperious Madsen of his glory days. There were some who thought they might be consigned to the past, but the Master has shown there is much more cricket in his locker, producing crafted gem after gem this summer 

The only sour note was the stupid throw made by Brathwaite to attempt to run him out, hitting the Derbyshire man on the back of the leg. It cost the Birmingham skipper  five penalty runs and reputational damage, because it was unnecessary and came across as petulant. He is better than that and I sincerely hope an appropriate apology was issued. 

At the end of it all, a square cut by the skipper sealed the win, the third over a 'big county' in a week.

These are heady days for Derbyshire, the like of which we haven't known since Dean Jones was here in 1996. A big week is coming up, with Northamptonshire at home on Tuesday, Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Thursday, then Lancashire at home on Friday. 

Two wins from the last four games (the other against Durham, also at home) should see us to the quarter-finals. 

Most immediately, a win over Northamptonshire, a team playing very good cricket, would put it within touching distance. 

In this form, don't discount it. This Derbyshire side will go toe to toe with anyone. 

Hugely impressive, gentlemen. Well done! 

Derbyshire v Yorkshire T20

Yorkshire 175 (Brook 77, Allen 37, Scrimshaw 3-20, Watt 3-29, Kerr 2-20)

Derbyshire 105-4 in 9.4 overs (du Plooy 48*, Masood 34, Leech 3-13)

Derbyshire won by six wickets

A tremendous unbeaten innings of 48 from just 20 balls by Leus du Plooy saw Derbyshire reach their Duckworth Lewis adjusted target of 105 in ten overs with two balls to spare. This after bowling Yorkshire out for 175.

The South African-born star hit five fours and three sixes in his punishing knock, which keeps the Falcons hopes of qualification very much alive. 

It was a sensational finish to the game, reviving memories of Matt Critchley doing the same thing to the same opponents a year or two back, as du Plooy took 19 from four balls (plus a wide). There were shades of Adrian Kuiper for me in how du Plooy smoked the ball over mid wicket for six  to win the game, clearly knowing it was away from the moment it left the bat.

Truth be told after two overs we were looking down a barrel, with Finn Allen and Adam Lyth taking 32 off Kerr and Conners. Then came Mark Watt, with an outstanding double - wicket maiden and a more subdued, celtic version of an Imran Tahir celebration.  For all that du Plooy will rightly get the headlines tonight, Watt's 3-29 in four overs, dismissing three of a strong top five, was a major factor.

Although Harry Brook played a fine innings, he lacked support and after McKiernan dismissed the dangerous Allen and Watt removed Shadab, the runs only came at one end. 

Scrimshaw also bowled beautifully and took three wickets for just one run in his final over, three for just 20 runs overall. Yorkshire fizzled away badly, adding only six runs for their last five wickets in the last two overs. Hayden Kerr also held his nerve to bowl well at the death and 175 seemed within our compass on a small ground.

The fielding is again worthy of mention, with Sam Conners once more outstanding in the deep. Brooke Guest missed a stumping that looked routine, but on replay it bounced abnormally and took him by surprise. 

Then came the rain, with Derbyshire's target eventually 105 from ten overs. I do understand how they calculate these tallies, but with a shorter Powerplay it seemed a big ask, especially having been reduced from 135 from 14 overs during an earlier stoppage. 

Reece hit one six over fine leg then was leg before and Madsen had a three-ball duck. But du Plooy was quickly into his stride and with Masood seemed to have things in hand.

Bess held a fine catch to dismiss the Derbyshire skipper, injuring himself in the process. Might he have bowled the closing over?

We'll never know and it doesn't matter. Although Guest was caught on the boundary, that was as good as it got for Yorkshire, as Leus took control. It was unlucky for Leech, who bowled two fine overs for the visitors, but Yorkshire haemorrhaged runs at the other end. 

Supporters will talk about this one for a few years and it was just a shame that only the hardy were still around to see it at the end, the ground looking superb at full capacity earlier. 

Sitting in my armchair at home, I genuinely fancied us, going into that final over. Left-hander on strike, a batsman of known six-hitting pedigree, shorter legside boundary to hit to and a bowler already gone for 15 in his first over. Once Will Fraine misfielded one and gifted a four, for me it was just a matter of time. 

The vice-captain duly saw us home, in heavy rain. Fair play to him for that and to the umpires for letting an excellent game play to a conclusion.

Four wins on the bounce, a double over the Yorkies. Their supporters aren't happy on Twitter tonight, but Yorkies are never magnanimous in defeat and they should realise, sometime, that they have no divine right to win. 

Be still, my beating heart.

Now let's do it all over again at Birmingham tomorrow. 

Book Review: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Wicket Keepers by Luke Sutton

There have been plenty of books on wicket-keepers over the years. Certainly plenty of biographies and autobiographies, but the latest offering by former Derbyshire wicket-keeper Luke Sutton is different.

In this book he looks at a number of wicket - keepers he admires and respects, interviewing them to get to the bottom of what makes someone good at the role.

I have always respected those who don the gloves. I did it in two or three games in my teenage years and wasn't especially good at it, but Big Frank in my school team was daft enough to stop it with his forehead, or any other part of his anatomy for that matter, so he got the role. I didn't argue. 

Despite his self - deprecation in this book, Luke was a very sound wicket-keeper and contributed his fair share of runs for Derbyshire  before a move to Lancashire that opened his eyes, as he explains, to how the other half live. Following on from Bob Taylor and Karl Krikken was always going to be tough and both get plenty of name checks in this excellent read. Certainly his sharing of a hotel room with Krikk is a laugh out loud moment. 

Luke sticks to who and what he knows, so there is no Godfrey Evans, Les Ames, Keith Andrew or Wally Grout in the book. But it will hold appeal for many, as the subjects are from the past thirty years of the game.

Especially refreshing is seeing the quite superb Sarah Taylor and Amy Jones interviewed. Both are excellent behind the timbers and earn the right to be there, alongside some fine male counterparts.

Jack Russell is there, of course, so too Alec Stewart. I was pleased to see Michael Bates too, who I thought quite excellent in a short first-class career that preceded a growing reputation as a fine coach.

The psyche and mentality of the role are discussed and it was fascinating to read Jack Russell talk of how he blocked out anything and everything before a day's play, focusing only on the job in hand with laser-sharp concentration. So much so that he walked past his wife at the gate of the ground on one occasion.. 

I found myself nodding in agreement when several said that at the end of their career wicket keepers aren't assessed or remembered unduly for chances missed. Bob Taylor said the same to me, recalling one afternoon when he put down three chances in an over off Ian Buxton's in swing. I'd have loved to have seen Bob included in the discussion, but that might be something for down the line.

It is a grand and enjoyable read that ends with Keith Piper, who was a fantastic keeper in the all-conquering Warwickshire side. Like many of the best of his craft, he led by example in the field, often spotting little things that the captain had missed.

What I found most interesting was the discussion over a 'natural' and 'made' wicket-keeper. The focus on their work becomes intense at top level, as both Jos Buttler and Geraint Jones found, though criticism of their work can be unfair from those who have never had to do it. 

There are anecdotes a-plenty and the presence of Chris Read, Warren Hegg and Peter Moores - fine players and coaches  all - ensures the spread is excellent and the level of insight outstanding. 

This is a welcome addition to the cricket canon and I was left with a greater appreciation of the challenges of the role by the end of it. 

A special shout out to the publishers, White Owl. The book has a generous font size and for someone like me, who is more likely to see a ball coming towards him as a blur, rather than picking out the stitching and the side the ball lands on, that was a welcome sight.

This deserves to do well.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Wicket Keepers is written by Luke Sutton and published by White Owl, priced £14.99

Derbyshire v Yorkshire preview

Hands up who is excited for this one? All five thousand of you, for starters, plus the many who will tune in to the stream.

This will be a good barometer of our development tomorrow, as a team and as individuals. There are those who thrive on big occasions, others who freeze, so we must hope that our players come to the party in the most gorgeous of settings at Queen's Park.

It's funny, I remember being in the ground for the 1969 Gillette Cup semi final against Sussex and look at the capacity of five thousand now and wonder how they ever fitted eleven thousand in that day. I have no idea how much of the game some saw, back towards the bandstand, but it gave those present a greater appreciation of the fate of sardines..

Back to tomorrow and I suppose the big question is whether we use the same strip as we did for the Middlesex game. It only had three days  of play and there must be, a temptation to do so, given the success of pace off in that game.

My feeling is that Anuj Dal, who bowled so well, might replace Sam Conners in this team:

Masood, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Guest, Kerr, Hughes, Dal, McKiernan, Watt, Scrimshaw.

That would be eight bowling options for the skipper. On a small ground, the edges might fly from pace, so George Scrimshaw's radar will need to be locked on tight.

No news of the Yorkshire squad as yet, but they play at Durham tonight and have announced the following squad. With Finn Allen, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth and Harry Brook they have serious firepower in the top order:

Lyth, Allen, Bess, Brook, Fraine, Shadab, Kohler-Cadmore, Leech, Luxton,  Revis, Shutt, Tattersall, Thompson, Waite

Then again, so do we. As I have said before, we bat deep and both McKiernan and Watt have shown they can clear the ropes at the death if required.. 

It should be a grand game and an even better day out, if the weather holds. Fingers crossed we come out on the right side of the result.

Because we are good enough. 

One final point : it's lovely to see so many comments coming in but a lot are using the 'Anonymous' option.

Could you PLEASE put your name, or a name you wish to use on here, at the end of your comment. It helps me to reply to you more personally and helps readers build up an idea of who you are.

Thank you all! 

Melton to leave at season end

I had heard rumours and stories that Dustin Melton was leaving the club a few weeks back.

Out of respect for the club and certainly the player, I didn't blog it. He has been open about the challenges he has faced and it didn't seem appropriate to do otherwise, certainly until any 'official' news broke.

Today, in an excellent interview with Mickey Arthur on the club site, it was announced that he would leave at the end of the season, but remain available for selection until then.

While I kind of understood the rationale of Dave Houghton giving him an overseas berth, it was also a strange one. With such a role comes pressure to perform and that is a lot for a man with only eleven first-class matches to his name, as well as a record of the injuries that challenge any bowler of his type.

Let's not get away from the fact that Dustin could/can bowl and I remember him doing so very well at Leicester last year. When the radar is locked on, his aggression is reminiscent of Ole Mortensen, the pace lively. 

But as Mickey Arthur said, we have an attack of inexperienced bowlers and winter recruitment will focus on getting some experienced support for them. Dustin isn't that.

Arthur can build an attack around Sam Conners, Ben Aitchison, George Scrimshaw and Nick Potts. But a couple of senior bowlers, whose bodies can handle the workload of first class cricket, is pretty much a necessity.

That's why the decision of Dave Houghton to release Tony Palladino mystified me. Every side needs that 'go to' bowler and he was that player. Too much was then thrust on Luis Reece and his body rebelled. Suranga Lakmal had that role when he arrived, but did a lot of bowling on flat tracks and probably more than he had previously done. 

I am sure all of us wish Dustin Melton the best in his future endeavours. He can bowl - you don't get on a county staff if you can't - but he wasn't the right fit for us at this time.

Go well, Dusty. 

Derbyshire v Middlesex day 3

Middlesex 251 and 196 (Stoneman 67, Hollman 45, Reece 3-26, Dal 3-50, Watt 2-44)

Derbyshire 229 and 222-4 (Masood 98, Madsen 49*, Reece 35*)

Derbyshire won by 6 wickets

Not just because of the result, although all of us enjoy a win, but the manner of that win made this one of the most enjoyable games I have seen in some time.

For a starter, it was played on a really good wicket, where runs could be scored and wickets taken by those with the skills to do so. It was played on the most idyllic of grounds and only twice before had we chased more than 219 to win a game at Chesterfield - in 1948 and 1989.

Let's not forget, either, that this was a first defeat of the season for our opponents, one of the so-called 'big' counties that would survive in any cull of first-class cricket. They are a good side, the batting and seam bowling especially strong.

But we came out on top. I was very impressed by the discipline shown by Luis Reece, Anuj Dal, Alex Thomson and Mark Watt here. The control of the latter this morning, bowling a long spell, was especially impressive and his variations were there for all to see.

It was so good to see Reece back to his bowling best, while Dal has come on so much as a true all-rounder to be quite special. 

We did well to keep the chase under the 230 I suggested last night might be manageable. The fielding was good today, the catch held by skipper Godleman setting a standard for his side. 

As it turned out, we could have gone further, but yet again we were all in awe of Shan Masood.

In a season in which he has now scored an extraordinary 991 County Championship runs in just eleven innings, this was my favourite so far.

Batting was not easy, he was facing a keen attack on a wicket where the ball did some odd things. There was a challenging run chase and he was batting in front of his parents and brother, who were there for the day.

Yet with pretty much everyone else opting to graft, Masood followed a run-a-ball 49 in the first innings with 98 from 113 balls. It was sublime batting on a level we have rarely seen before and may seldom see again. Take every opportunity to watch this man while you can, because they don't come any more special. A century was richly deserved, but when he fell, the job was effectively done.

I have been fortunate too see every overseas player at Derbyshire, but Masood this season, in my opinion, is incomparable. You can bracket him with Kirsten, Jones, Azharuddin, Rogers and Di Venuto, prolific and fine players all and he loses nothing in comparison. 

At the other end Madsen, enjoying a renaissance in his career, was secure in defence, stylish in attack. He became the third highest run scorer in the county history today, passing John Morris and with only Denis Smith and Kim Barnett ahead of him. Like Masood, cherish every moment. I have watched Derbyshire a very long time and it has never been better than watching those two at the crease. Wright and Kirsten were special too, but this is proving a vintage summer. Madsen currently averages 76 in the four-day game, yet is 'only' second to Masood's 90. 

Extraordinary. 

Du Plooy came in to force a win in three days and hit two enormous blows, but when he was dismissed Luis Reece played a delightful cameo to highlight his value to the side. 

Third in the table tonight, playing some very good cricket. Mickey Arthur got his team selection spot on here, even omitting the second overseas player for a second spinner.

Next stop Yorkshire on Saturday, in front of what looks like a capacity crowd. 

I can't wait for that one.

Well played, fellas. That was great! 

Derbyshire v Middlesex day 2

Middlesex 251 and 95-3 (Stoneman 60*)

Derbyshire 229 (Madsen 62,. Masood 49, Guest 40 Roland-Jones 5-45)

Middlesex lead by 117 runs

Although they are still very much in this match, Derbyshire will look back on today as one of missed opportunity.

At 208-3, the top order having played well to a man, they were 43 behind and looking at a decent first innings lead that could have been match-defining.

Instead, the last seven wickets fell for just 21 runs. Toby Roland-Jones bowled well, but the later order was anaemic at best and it was disappointing.

Masood looked in great touch but was undone by extra bounce, while Godleman was undone by the advent of spin. Yet Guest and Madsen were solid and we were in the ascendant in the early afternoon period.

Then it all fell apart. Good bowling and loose shots combined to undo the last seven wickets and it was as if a pin had been stuck in a balloon as the mood at Chesterfield deflated.

This is a terrific cricket wicket and it has been a good game. You can score runs, you can take wickets with seam or spin. You can't ask for more. The result may ultimately lie in an experienced pace attack against one of much less, though our spinners have bowled much better. 

I thought Watt bowled splendidly in the evening session, but we need to make early inroads tomorrow to stay in this. I would suggest 230 the Northern limit of what we could chase in the final innings and that only if the late order shows greater resilience than today.

We also need to be sharper in the field. Too many half chances have gone down so far, things you can ill afford on such a track. A batsman is never truly in, but I have enjoyed the genuine battle between bat and ball, regardless of the final result. 

Big day tomorrow. 

Derbyshire v Middlesex day 1

Middlesex 251 (Hollman 48, Pettman 3-40, Dal 2-13, Reece 2-41, Watt 2-47)

Derbyshire 28-0 (Masood 27*, Godleman 1*)

Derbyshire trail by 223 runs

Derbyshire and Mickey Arthur will be very pleased with their efforts on the first day against Middlesex at delightful Queen's Park today.

Having chosen to bat this morning, the visitors were bowled out for 251 before the close, Derbyshire ending on 28-0.

There was a nice look to the attack. Two tall opening bowlers, a naggingly accurate medium-pacer, a left-arm variant, an off spinner and a slow left arm bowler. Variety - and a unit that worked very well.

Special mention for Toby Pettman, who bowled a very impressive first spell in which he could and should have had a couple of wickets, then came back and ended up with three. He ran in hard, got some steepling bounce from his 6'7 and troubled good players all day. He can be proud of his efforts, which were well-received by his team mates. 

Mark Watt bowled well too. I was impressed by the Scots spinner, who produced a beauty to dismiss the dangerous Eskinazi and had them in trouble throughout. Some may have been surprised to see him at first slip for a lot of the day, but he has a very good pair of hands and continues to impress me. 

Anuj Dal bowled an exemplary spell, taking 2-13 in fifteen overs, while Alex Thomson took a wicket thanks to a stunning catch at slip, even by Madsen standards. It was also nice to see Luis Reece getting his swing back, looking more like the player we have grown to love in the process. 

Hollman worked hard for the visitors, but wickets fell frequently throughout the day, as the ground fielding was keen, even if the catching wasn't always as it could have been. Two or three went down, of varying degrees of difficulty, but no one profited too much. 

Derbyshire had eight overs to navigate before the close and did so in relative comfort, Masood playing some trademark strokes on his way to 27 of the 28 runs scored. If he is still in at tea tomorrow the score will have rattled along. 

With the wicket turning a little on day one, we will now aim to bat and then bat some more. A last afternoon run chase may not be easy. 

Let's hope we don't need to worry about that. 

Derbyshire v Middlesex preview

It's Chesterfield week and in the middle of this chaotically arranged season we return to four-day action, halfway through the Blast.

Middlesex are the visitors and Derbyshire will be in good fettle after two excellent T20 wins. The injury issues continue, however and the latest loan seamer is the 6'7 Toby Pettman, who arrives for one game from Nottinghamshire.

At 24 he is in the second of two one-year deals there but is some way down the pecking order, despite a handy first-class record of 33 wickets at 21. He should look at the next four days as a trial, because Derbyshire will surely be looking for a seamer or two in the winter. He will likely enjoy the usual bounce at Chesterfield, as long as he doesn't get carried away.

Mickey Arthur has announced a fifteen-man squad, though that includes three spinners, one of them Mark Watt.  My expected side is the first eleven below, the last four not quite making it and being kept fresh for the Blast 

Godleman, Masood, Guest, Madsen, du Plooy, Reece, Dal, Kerr, Thomson, Pettman, Conners (Hughes, McKiernan, Watt, Scrimshaw)

Middlesex bring thirteen but Pieter Malan, their latest overseas player in a season where the door has revolved, isn't in the squad. Their seam attack is very experienced and will need careful watching:

Stoneman, Robson, Davies, Eskinazi, Greatwood, Holden, Hollman, Roland-Jones, Murtagh, Simpson, Bamber, Walallawita, White

The weather is set fair for the four days and a good game should ensue. I could see Derbyshire go with a second spinner, but who you leave out is the question. 

Hopefully the loveliest of cricket grounds gets the attendance that it deserves and with the former players event taking place tomorrow, I hope that there is a real festival atmosphere for the start of what is always a wonderful week.

Here's hoping it produces a Derbyshire win. 

I think it might. 

Worcestershire v Derbyshire T20

Derbyshire 168-7 (Masood 65, Du Plooy 27)

Worcestershire 129-9 (d'Oliveira 55, Haynes 35, McKiernan 3-19, Kerr 2-24, Watt 2-28, Hughes 1-21, Madsen 1-3)

Derbyshire won by 39 runs

That old adage of never judging a batting effort until the other side has had a go was never more apposite than tonight.

While our score of 168-7 was not out of sight, I felt that some late order clubbing from Hughes, McKiernan and Watt took it to competitive. Watt's last over flip for six down to fine leg was the shot of the innings, having first shimmied outside leg to convince Brown to bowl on leg stump, then moving with remarkable speed for a big man to off stump to produce a shot anyone would have been proud of. 

Once again the innings was built around Masood the Magnificent. I should invent some superlatives for this man, because his stroke play was again beyond everyone else on the pitch. Du Plooy played well for a while but good timers of a cricket ball were generally struggling, which gave me cause for optimism. 

As a unit, this was our best bowling of the season. The introduction of Alex Hughes has added nous to the attack and his variations of pace were never really dealt with. Hayden Kerr took 2-24 and was very steady, though he should have had three after a pretty awful mix up saw a dolly go down off Dolly... 

I thought it would be our game when Guest, a pickpocket behind the stumps, noticed Munro out of his ground and removed the bails in a flash. Watt had earlier produced one that seemed to swing and spin to remove Moeen Ali first ball, the tumbling wickets having a similar effect on the run rate. 

Yet star man tonight, for me, was Mattie McKiernan. A quick unbeaten 14, then 3-19 with his legspin, before a running, tumbling catch to remove Bravo. When Hughes held an equally good one at mid wicket to remove d'Oliveira, who made a battling 50 despite being dropped twice, the game was up. 

That was a top effort by Derbyshire. They were below par at Northampton but have played good cricket over the last two nights. 

They control their own destiny with six games to go and can do no more than that. 

Next is four-day cricket at Chesterfield, ground of the Gods.

Assuming we have enough fit seamers, of course... 

Derbyshire v Leicestershire T20

Leicestershire 181-6 (Lilley 67, Rutherford 35, Kerr 2-25, McKiernan 2-37)

Derbyshire 182-4 (Masood 73, Reece 39, Guest 29*) 

Derbyshire won by 6 wickets 

On an evening when Shan Masood passed a thousand all-format runs for Derbyshire, the quickest man to ever do so, some good, old-fashioned common sense from Brooke Guest and Alex Hughes steered them comfortably across the finishing line.

Masood played an innings of rare brilliance, yet he does it again and again. There is no greater praise can be given than that the advent of players like Madsen and Du Plooy were rather like after the Lord Mayor's show.

He changed role with Luis Reece tonight, the latter playing the sheet anchor. It looked like a walk in the park when he was dismissed, but some careless batting meant that Hughes and Guest needed to show their professionalism at the end. It was like watching Roadrunner and Speedy Gonzalez as they placed the ball into gaps and sprinted. When an injection of pace was needed, they were not found wanting. 

I would always have Hughes in my one day side. He is brilliant in the field, savvy with bat and ball. Who could ask for more? 

Earlier the first half of the Leicestershire innings was pretty average from our perspective. Almost every over had a closing poor delivery and the visitors made hay. 

Yet Scrimshaw bowled fast and sharp, Watt and McKiernan showed canny skills and Hughes mixed up line and length as he always has. 

We do miss a Rampaul or Langeveldt this year, that guaranteed tight four overs at either end of the innings, but 182 seemed gettable on a good wicket and fast outfield.

So it transpired. Defeat tonight would have been a disaster for our hopes of progression, but we can go to Worcester tomorrow in good heart after what in the end was a fairly comfortable win.

Special mention, in closing, for Sam Conners.

He was outstanding in the field tonight. 

Northampton observations/Leicestershire preview

After the honeymoon period, Mickey Arthur must now be starting to see that the squad he was left by Dave Houghton needs a substantial overhaul.

There is so much you can do with motivational skills, but the current squad is short of quality seamers, especially for this format. 

Batting is our stronger suit, but last night was so pedestrian. To get the best from Shan Masood he should be able to anchor the innings, but early frailties have meant he has to try to up the tempo, as the runs aren't coming at the necessary rate.

I applaud the idea of Hayden Kerr going in higher, but not if it means that Madsen doesn't get in until five. Why not try Kerr opening, as Luis Reece isn't really firing this season after a long winter lay off. Madsen could then go three, Du Plooy at four, or vice versa, depending who was out first.

The placement and running was missing last night and I don't sense an intuition between Luis and Shan at the top of the order. It will doubtless occupy Arthur's thoughts between now and Thursday.

I also feel sorry for Sam Conners. He has played little T20 - only six matches before this season - and in an ideal world would learn that craft in the second team equivalent. But there is literally no other fit and/or in form seamer, so he is having to learn those skills the hard way.

But like I have said all along, this is a free hit season for the Head of Cricket and you can't make silk purses from sow's ears. Of course these are good cricketers, as they have reached the penultimate level of the game. But are they good enough, in all cases, to be regular match winners? Can they sustain a level of performance to enable the side to win regularly? 

To win more of these games than you lose you need five fairly tight bowlers. McKiernan, Watt and Scrimshaw are all going for eight or nine, but that's only three. Similarly in six matches our highest score is 59, so no one is playing a match-defining innings.

So improvement is needed all round. We can't ring the changes, as the only players outside the group named for the next two games are Thomson, Godleman, Potts and Cohen. Good cricketers all, but unlikely to improve the playing fortunes in this format.

We are missing Tom Wood, as we are missing Ben Aitchison. But as I have written before, winter recruitment is essential to take us on to the next level.

The next two games could get us back on track and both Leicestershire and Worcestershire are beatable. Win them and we will be smiling, but we need to bat and bowl as a unit, every run and every dot ball precious.

For what it is worth, my team tomorrow, in batting order, would go:

Masood, Kerr, Madsen, du Plooy, Reece, Guest, Hughes, McKiernan, Watt, Scrimshaw, Conners.

There's a case for Dal to play ahead of Conners, if only to give Sam a breather before we return to four-day cricket.

But we will see, soon enough. 

And you can hear my thoughts on the season so far on North Derbyshire Radio's Friday night sports programme between 6pm and 7pm (online or app) 

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire

Derbyshire 151-9 (Madsen 37, Kerr 29) 

Northamptonshire 155-5 (Cobb 70, Scrimshaw 2-32)

Northamptonshire won by 5 wickets

A short blog tonight due to a lack of time, but my expectation of a Derbyshire win lasted less than the length of a Powerplay with an ironic moniker...

We never got going tonight and even though late impetus came from Wayne Madsen and Alex Hughes, the final total never looked enough.

To be honest, at that point I went out to walk Wallace, our fox terrier. I couldn't watch any more, though largely because a stream that constantly lost focus seemed to have cameras operated by Edward Scissorhands. My head was sore, trying to decipher what was happening and while it may appear churlish to moan about a free service, the home side's stream was very poor. There appeared to be only two cameras,, although it served to show how good ours is in comparison.

So I didn't see the home innings after the first two overs, but after a breezy Powerplay they could ease to the win. Even the early loss of Chris Lynn gave me no hope of a fairytale ending. 

For me, our worst display of the season.

I have a few observations, but they will keep for another day, when I have more time and less need for sleep. 

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire T20 preview

A quick and early blog tonight, as we are off to see not the wizard, but The Killers, at Falkirk Stadium. This is a gig postponed three times because of Covid, so we are looking forward to it!

Mickey Arthur has announced what is basically 'the fourteen', with Alex Thomson in there rather than Mikey Cohen. I expect at least one change tomorrow, but we will see how it goes, tomorrow.

No news on the home squad yet, but they have been well-served so far by Chris Lynn and Jimmy Neesham on the overseas front. Both are dangerous customers and Josh Cobb has enjoyed playing against us since his Leicestershire days.

It will be a tough game, but then there are no easy ones in this group. One has only to look at results around the country to realise that in suggestions to cull first class counties, those who many would deem strongest aren't winning all the time. There is little difference between most, even though budgets are massively different.

Anyway, I will be back tomorrow night after the game, time permitting. 

Let me know what you think in the usual manner! 

Further thoughts, ahead of a busy week

I think we will see changes in the Derbyshire side for the next set of matches, this week.

The danger of leaving a five-man attack exposed was laid clear against Nottinghamshire. Both opening bowlers got punished, but they still had to come back because there was no one else. Wayne Madsen's part time spin is fine, but if is unrealistic to expect him to keep it tight if others are going around the park.

I think the top five last night is good. I am a big fan of your best players having the maximum time to bat and Masood, Reece, Madsen, Du Plooy and Guest are our best five batsmen.

Then it comes down to whether Harry Came is better in the middle order, as a batsman and good fielder, than either Anuj Dal, the best fielder in the club who offers lightning running between the wickets and a few overs, or Alex Hughes, a long time all round staple of this format.

I like Harry and he played two fine shots in a brief Came-o last night. But it is hard to argue he is better than the other two in that berth and he hasn't made the most of opportunities. 

I think the other vulnerable player is Sam Conners. I rate him very highly, but would prefer his talents kept fresh for four-day cricket at this stage.

We are short of bowlers, we know that. I suspect one or two will be the focus of winter recruitment, but we must go with what we have for now. I think back to Anuj Dal bowling wide yorkers against Glamorgan in the four - day game final run chase and he offers that option. As for Alex Hughes, his nagging line and varied pace would make him useful as well as lengthening the batting.

We ended the innings poorly last night. To lose eight wickets in twenty balls was pretty poor, regardless of how they bowled. Again, players of the experience of Dal and Hughes might have found the gaps and worked twos, rather than trying to hit it out of sight. 

I would like to see Hayden Kerr at six, as his Australian form suggests him a good hitter, given the time to do so. The confidence of a few runs under his belt might help his bowling too.

But I still think you have to give credit to Alex Hales. On his day he can do that to any attack, though we kept bowling a length to him and he could hit through the line without too many concerns, with only two fielders out in the Powerplay.

There's no need to panic. We have played the three strongest squads in less than a week and done well for the most part. Winning seven games will likely put us in the running for the knockouts, but with few real options  - only Cohen, Thomson and Godleman outside this group - we have to go with what we have. Which for me should be this eleven:

Masood, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Guest, Kerr, Hughes, Dal, McKiernan, Watt, Scrimshaw.

We weren't the best team in the world before last night. We aren't the worst now. Mickey Arthur will know better than any of us the limitations of the squad he inherited and, as I have said before, this year is a free hit, while he assesses his squad and how he can improve it.

Keep the faith. There will be ups and downs, but world-class players will do what Hales did last night. 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire T20

Derbyshire 178 (Du Plooy 51, Madsen 40, Ball 4-40)

Nottinghamshire 182-3 (Hales 91, Scrimshaw 2-35)

Nottinghamshire won by 7 wickets

I don't think Derbyshire played badly tonight but a masterly innings by Alex Hales saw them pretty much out of the contest by the end of the Powerplay.

Hales teed off at pretty much everything, had a few lucky breaks, but played an innings of stunning power. Although Derbyshire fought back well after his dismissal, it was too late.

A late innings collapse left us around 20 short of what we looked like getting as Nottinghamshire fielded well. The last eight wickets fumbled with unseemly haste in 20 balls and our total never seemed enough on a good batting track.

The top four batted well, but they never got away fully. Nor was the bowling bad, but there are times you have to give credit to a man at the top of his game.

The spinners were again tidy and Scrimshaw bowled well, but I am not convinced that this format suits Sam Conners, who took serious stick tonight. There is no like for like option, but I think that Hughes or Dal coming in might improve the depth of batting and bowling.

We move on. There was no disgrace in losing to an innings such as that. 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire T20 preview

Played four, won two, lost two doesn't really reflect how Derbyshire have played in this Vitality Blast competition.

Leicestershire and Yorkshire were comprehensively outplayed, Birmingham probably could have been beaten and Lancashire were given a much closer game than they expected. We are batting well as a unit and just need a few more edges to go to hand to show that the bowling is in decent shape.

I still feel that the bowling of Alex Hughes or Anuj Dal could be useful, but have no idea how you fit one of them into the side.

So it may well be an unchanged eleven for the visit of Nottinghamshire to the Incora County Ground tomorrow evening. They of course arrive chastened by their capitulation to Lancashire last time out and will want to get back on track in front of the Sky TV cameras.

I understand a crowd in excess of three thousand is still expected tomorrow and it should be a good game. We easily won a pre-tournament match against them, so they will be aware that it will not be a walk in the park tomorrow.

Their squad:

Christian, Ball, Budinger, Carter, Clarke, Duckett, Fletcher, Hales, Harrison, James, Moores, Mullaney, Patel, Paterson, Pattinson

They will fancy their chances of course, as no one would ever accuse them of a lack of confidence. But strange things happen if you put teams under pressure, as we are seeing this afternoon with Leicestershire and Birmingham as I write. 

It's a tough game to predict, but we could have beaten them twice last year, throwing away winning positions.

This year, the game plans have been better and the spirit is more resilient 

I am going for a Derbyshire win. 

What do you think? 

In Praise of Mickey Arthur

It is nothing short of extraordinary to see the change in Derbyshire cricket in a few short months.

Let's not forget that last year we were fairly awful across the formats. We rarely got into winning positions and when we did, we blew them. Players were low on confidence, supporters almost devoid of reasons for optimism.

Then the club announced the signing of Mickey Arthur, after a lengthy and robust recruitment process. 

He has come into the club and turned it on its head. Yes he has recruited wisely, with an outstanding overseas batsman in Shan Masood, who has led the batting from the front. Suranga Lakmal has had to contend with the best early season batting wickets in a decade, but has still bowled economically and well before injury struck, while Hayden Kerr suggests he will be a very able replacement. 

But it is the impact on existing staff that is so impressive. 

Anuj Dal has kicked on a level, as he hinted he might and is now a genuine all rounder with a niche in the side. Alex Thomson has proved himself a very able finger spinner and dependable late order batsman, while Mattie McKiernan has scored a maiden century and proved a very handy leg spin option now trust has been shown in him to be more than a bit-part player.

They are not alone. Brooke Guest looks a serious wicket-keeper/batsman and will only get better now he has established his credentials in the first-class game. Leus du Plooy looks less nervy at the crease and is playing with his early freedom, while Wayne Madsen has returned to the free-scoring run machine of his pomp.

These are examples, but there are others. Across the group the players are showing fight and ability, which is allowing supporters to get behind them. We have lost games, as any side will do, but have not gone down without a fight, which so often frustrated last year.

I said at the start of the summer that the Head of Cricket had a free hit this year, but he has proven how quickly a top coach can influence a group.  Just as Eddie Barlow did forty-odd years ago. Good players have stepped up a level, the more average have still kicked on, all have bought into the ethos. 

There will be casualties along the way, those who make way to get the group he needs. Barlow had to do that too and some big names departed, but the end justified the means. He did it his way and it was the right one. 

With concern over the future of the county game, my concern was always that Derbyshire couldn't stick with Dave Houghton. Lovely bloke, but less good as a motivator of men, a communicator . It is no coincidence that only Derbyshire saw fit to give him a head of cricket role and we did it twice, as if we didn't believe it the first time.

With Mickey Arthur we have the real deal and I hope that we get at least the three years from him that we got from Barlow. Forty years on, those who played with and under him still mention his name with affection, reverence and awe. Those who saw his team still get misty - eyed at the memory.

I suspect that those around in forty years time will do the same at the mention of the Mickey Arthur era.

This season is proving special. To see the players with smiles on their faces, obviously enjoying every minute, is a pleasure. As one said to me 'I'm pleased that is coming across, because coming in to work every day is an absolute joy'. 

I can't wait to see what the future holds. 

Lancashire v Derbyshire T20

Lancashire 219-6 (Livingstone 75, Vilas 34, Jennings 34, Scrimshaw 3-45)

Derbyshire 203-5 (du Plooy 59*, Reece 55, Guest 35)

Lancashire won by 16 runs

It is my considered opinion that whoever wins the Vitality Blast this year has got to get the better of Lancashire.

Their bowling resources are varied, but their batting is extraordinary. The hitters keep coming and when one considers Jos Buttler is coming in for a few games, the power in the batting is beyond the compass of most sides.

So it was this afternoon, when powerful knocks took them way past 200 and pretty much out of sight. Or so you would have thought. They had, after all, blown away Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in their previous game for under a hundred while chasing less.

And yet this Derbyshire side is made of stern stuff. Maybe had Shan Masood not been run out we might have taken it even closer, but Luis Reece made a fine half century, Leus du Plooy was explosive and Brooke Guest again quite special in a cameo of brilliance.

That the game effectively went down to the second last over was tribute to them all. Richard Gleeson held his nerve and the task for the last was too great, but there is no shame in losing to this side, especially when, from the frantic field changes, they were getting a little nervous as Guest and du Plooy launched their assault of 78 runs in six overs.

Earlier Salt and Jennings set the tone, before Livingstone, David, Vilas and Croft scored freely. The spinners, Watt and McKiernan, returned the best figures and it was a surprise that Madsen didn't bowl one, maybe two overs.Scrimshaw was the most successful  bowler, but was unlucky with a few top and outside edges. 

But this was another fighting display against a very good side. If we display similar virtues and skill against other sides in the group, a quarter final place is very much a possibility. 

Next is Nottinghamshire.

After this effort, there is nothing and no one to fear.