Shropshire v Derbyshire Friendly

Derbyshire 325-4 (Godleman 111, Reece 76, Wood 75*, Dal 37*)

Shropshire 89 (Hargrave 69*, Conners 3-13)

Derbyshire won by 236 runs

While acknowledging that this friendly will not appear in any career records, today's match against Shropshire could not have gone any better for Derbyshire.

With rain and a wet square reducing the game to one of 36 overs per side, Derbyshire were put in by Graeme Wagg and made an imposing 325-4.

Billy Godleman, so prolific in this format, blazed his way to a century from just 43 balls. While not improving his season average, it will have done much for his peace of mind and runs in the scorebook will have done the skipper good.

Luis Reece also contributed 76, while Tom Wood hit a quick unbeaten 75 at the end, in partnership with Anuj Dal, who made an, unbeaten 37.

The home side were never in the hunt, despite a fine unbeaten 69 from George Hargrave, who I mentioned last night as a batsman of some talent. He carried his bat as his side subsided for just 89, the next highest score being the five of their number ten.

The wickets were shared between Conners, Aitchison, Potts, McKiernan and Tom Wood in a convincing display.

Glamorgan next. I suspect the same side will take the field, as work will preclude a match preview tomorrow 

Hopefully we play in equally convincing manner. 

Royal London prospects

I have had a few comments about the availability of Shan Masood for the Royal London Cup and at this stage the answer is simple.

There is a Pakistan training camp ahead of the one-day tournament against the Netherlands, but the squad has not yet been selected for that, nor the matches to follow.

There is every possibility he may be selected and therefore miss a lot of the Royal London Cup. But until that squad is announced (supposedly next week) we won't know for sure.

I am going on the basis that, having been picked for the series against Sri Lanka yet not played, he really hasn't done anything wrong to miss out this time. 

So a Derbyshire side shorn of Masood, Madsen and Du Plooy will need to find the runs to compete in this competition, while also missing George Scrimshaw from the attack. In a small squad, the side thus comes close to picking itself, unless Mickey Arthur's Magic Book of Contacts finds someone at very short notice.

The twelve-man squad for the opener against Shropshire tomorrow is:

Godleman

Came

Guest

Reece

Wood

Dal

Wagstaff

Harrison

Potts

McKiernan

Aitchison

Conners

My understanding is that there is currently no one fit or available outside of that twelve. With other counties likely missing more players to the other competition, it will still be a competitive side, but loans are unlikely, with other counties needing their more sizeable resources too.

Archie Harrison has been in excellent form for Repton School, the age group sides and the second eleven. Only the other day he made a run-a-ball 35 against a strong Northamptonshire side and followed it with 3-24 in seven overs. Such performances perhaps have pushed him to the front of Academy products deserving opportunity.

Mitch Wagstaff is another option, but he has been a little short of runs in the second team. Meanwhile it is a case of playing catch up for Tom Wood, who has only recently returned to nets and playing. It would be unfair to expect him to pick up his best form straight away. 

Expectation for this competition, in light of the above, may need to be tempered. 

But as we all now know, Mickey Arthur has got an extra ten per cent out of his players so far. 

I expect that to continue, whoever takes the field.

Shropshire will be captained by our former all rounder Graeme Wagg tomorrow. They also feature the well-regarded George Hargrave, who followed centuries in his first three varsity matches for Oxford University against Cambridge with an unbeaten 322 in this year's match. It was the highest score in the history of that fixture and suggests a very talented young player.

It will be a good run out ahead of our first game in the Royal London Cup on Tuesday, when we entertain the reigning champions, Glamorgan. 

Worcestershire v Derbyshire day 4

Derbyshire 130 and 343

Worcestershire 185 and 190 (Roderick 53*, Dal 5-40, Aitchison 3-55, Conners 2-54)

Derbyshire won by 98 runs

So, we'll just call it Dal's match for posterity, shall we?

Scores of 55 and 112*, with bowling of     1-35 and today a career-best 5-40 mean it really has to be. He could retire now and remember this one in his dotage.

There was a brief spell this morning, when Roderick and Haynes scored quickly, that some might have started crossing their fingers and toes. Yet it never seemed in doubt to me, as sometimes it is just a case of finding the bowler at the right end for the conditions.

It's funny, I had a pleasant chat yesterday with Alan Hill, our former opener. In the course of it, as we (especially he) commended the batting of Nuj, I said that I fancied him to yet play a part with the ball. Alan agreed, his skiddy and accurate length perfect on this final day.

The wickets were like buses, wait for a while and then they all turn up at once. What I like is that he doesn't move it extravagantly, because as Wilfred Rhodes once said about his spin bowling, you only need it to move enough to miss the middle and find either the edge or the pad.

He took the first four today, with Sam Conners finishing it off with the wicket of Hasnain, neatly pouched by Ben Aitchison at slip after Harry Came had put a similar one down from his bowling.

But it didn't matter. While there were other good performances in this game - Aitchison and Conners bowled well, Guest was excellent behind the stumps with nine catches, the second innings of Madsen and McKiernan should not be overlooked - this was Anuj Dal's match.

It was a fine team performance. 14 for 5, then 53-7 on the first morning, before Dal and Ben Aitchison doubled the score. The significance of that stand was considerable as the match progressed.

As I finish we are temporarily third in the table, just behind Glamorgan who have a game in hand.

When four day cricket resumes, we play Glamorgan in the middle of games against Durham and Leicestershire, two of the bottom three, both of those at home.

Still very much in the mix in four-day cricket, after reaching the T20 quarter-finals.

What a season this is. Full credit to the players, staff and especially Mickey Arthur. 

Now for the Royal London Cup... 

Worcestershire v Derbyshire day 3

Derbyshire 130 and 343 (Dal 112*, McKiernan 71)

Worcestershire 185 and 108-5 (Haynes 23*, Aitchison 3-27)

Worcestershire need 181 to win

An outstanding unbeaten century by Anuj Dal, his third of the season, together with another exemplary spell of bowling by Ben Aitchison has put Derbyshire on the brink of a remarkable win at the end of day three of this game.

Dal followed Masood, Madsen and Guest to the three centuries tally, the total of four players equalling the county best achieved twice previously. He has been a rock for us this year, calm, composed, very organised and highly skilled. He is a classic case of the later developer, serving his County apprenticeship over several summers before finally blossoming. 

We didn't add substantially to the overnight tally, but setting a target of 289, on a wicket still offering considerable help to the seamers, looked like a tall order for the home side. 

Pollock, who approaches all innings like a T20, was dismissed for the second time in the match by Aitchison, the next ball after hitting him for six. The tall seamer, badly missed earlier this summer, bowled superbly again and had the batsmen in all kinds of trouble. 3-27 in fifteen overs was Mike Hendrick-style bowling and equally effective.

He bowls within himself and appears to have shortened his run up, which will help him bowl longer spells. You can put me down as a huge fan of a talented young bowler. 

Dal chipped in with a wicket, as did Conners, but the players went off for bad light around the right time for Derbyshire. Throughout the game the best time for batting has been the evening session, while mornings have proved quite a challenge.

On that basis, Haynes and Roderick need to play out of their skin tomorrow and we will need to bowl very poorly not to force the win.

It would be well-deserved. Good catches have been held and a couple of strong shouts were turned down that could have made the final day a formality. Meanwhile, tomorrow is forecast for cloud cover but little chance of rain. 

I expect 2022 vintage Derbyshire to wrap up victory before lunch, which would keep them very much in the promotion mix.

All that from 14-5 on the first day..

Worcestershire v Derbyshire day 2

Derbyshire 130 and 286-6 (Dal 85*, Madsen 69, McKiernan 58*)

Worcestershire 185 (Aitchison 4-40, Conners 3-53)

Derbyshire lead by 231 runs

I will make three observations ahead of my report on today's absorbing action at Worcester, in which a marvelous effort by Derbyshire put them into a potential match-winning position.

First up, while there have rightly been comments about Brooke Guest being in line for a Lions call after a fine summer, Anuj Dal is no less worthy. His second half-century of the game, this one crucially unbeaten, has steered his side into a strong position.

Nuj currently averages 78 with the bat and has twice played a blinder here at Worcester  Add in his 22 wickets for the summer and there is a serious cricketer on our books. One of several, in fact. 

Having said that, Guest took six catches here and kept to a very high standard. That is 38 catches for the summer and a batting average of 43 on top. Impressive. 

Second, there are some who purport to be Derbyshire supporters who really should stay off social media. Their comments when we were 14-5 on the first morning were rude and unnecessary, certainly showing little understanding of the challenge of batting on a green track against a hostile attack. Will they be equally quick to praise tonight? I doubt it, but having a low threshold for stupidity, I blocked them anyway and will never know.

Third and finally, the fighting spirit in this squad is magnificent. After a controlled and highly skilled morning spell by Ben Aitchison, getting back to his excellent best, Worcestershire were only 55 runs ahead. Yet Derbyshire were 92-5 when Hilton Cartwright was bizarrely stumped, only 37 runs on.

Could we, I thought as I watched, maybe scrape a lead of 140? Maybe that could be a challenge in the final innings.

They did that and then some. 

Wayne Madsen passed his thousand runs for the season in a gritty and stylish innings of 69, which ended when Barnard, who bowled tightly, pinned him leg before. At that point we were 111 runs on and my 'target' was possible.

But then Dal and Mattie McKiernan built a stand that was both valuable and beautifully constructed. The former was stylish, wristy and compact, the latter gutsy and powerful when the bad ball came along. The bowlers looked bedraggled by the end of the day, by which time the lead had reached 231. 92-5 had become 286-6, the partnership an unbroken 120 in just 28 overs. 

Cricket eh? There could yet be more twists in this tale, as the wicket appears to have eased a little (or was it just the quality of the batting?) and the home side might yet fancy anything under 300.

But that will be a tall order in the final innings against a keen pace attack. This is a day that will live long in the memory for Derbyshire supporters.

If we can finish the job over the next two days it will be very special indeed. 

Worcestershire v Derbyshire day 1

Derbyshire 130 (Dal 55, Du Plooy 38, Aitchison 25)

Worcestershire 141-5 (Ali 52, Haynes 48, Conners 3-45)

Worcestershire lead by 11 runs

My first sight of the wicket this morning suggested that this would be a very good toss to win - and bowl. Subsequent events, even from distance, as it was - proved that a safe assertion.

The home side won it and their seamers revelled in the conditions, as one might expect. Maybe we have become too used to playing on tracks where little happens, but we didn't handle the moving ball especially well. Pennington bowled splendidly and if I had the budget to sign a seamer on the circuit right now he would be high on the list.

Far too quickly we were 53-7, that paltry score only because Du Plooy chanced his arm. His stay didn't suggest permanence and it was only during a worthy stand between Dal and Aitchison that a score avoiding embarrassment was reached.

The home side's seam attack is a good one, as I said last night, though their early batting tried to keep us in the game with loose shots. Conners produced a good one to remove Libby, while both Pollock and Cornall gave it away with loose strokes.

Haynes and the debutant Ali played pleasantly, but with the exception of Aitchison, no one bowled consistent lines and lengths to trouble them. Again, both gave it away when well set and the home side ended the day eleven ahead, with five wickets remaining.

Derbyshire are not out of the game yet, but we need to bat and bowl much better tomorrow, or those with tickets for days three and four will be sorting out refunds. 

It was disappointing and again highlighted that this is some distance from the finished article as a side. 

Which we knew, of course.

We would just have preferred less clear evidence. 

Book Review: The Life and Death of Andy Ducat by Jonathan Northall

I am no betting man, but I would reckon that far fewer than fifty per cent of this blog's readers will have heard of Andy Ducat.

Which makes the efforts of Jonathan Northall in writing and Pitch Publishing in producing this book all the more laudable, as I suspect that is about the same throughout the country's cricket fans. 

Yet it is a book that deserved writing, because the subject was a giant of both football and cricket before the First World War, remaining a fine cricketer with Surrey until 1931, when he was 45 years old. 

A man who scored 23,000 first-class runs, played for England at both sports and made a list of Arsenal's top fifty players deserves more from history. Yet he was by all accounts a modest man and would likely have greeted his modest treatment by it with a wry smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

He was renowned for his fitness, which likely helped him to recover from serious injuries that might have finished a lesser man. Yet it is ironic that after being deemed 'good for another twenty years' the day before by a doctor for insurance purposes, he died of a heart attack at the crease in a wartime friendly at Lord's. 56 years old and 29 not out, a life and innings ended prematurely, beyond doubt. 

Any man good enough to hold down a place in a strong Surrey side, featuring Hobbs, Sandham and Fender, for twenty years must have been useful. Fifty-two centuries in that time, including a highest of an unbeaten 306 and an average just south of forty, confirms his value to his side and team mates. 

This is a worthy read, an excellent piece of research and a valuable addition to cricket's literature. 

The Life and Death of Andy Ducat is written by Jonathan Northall and published by Pitch Publishing

Worcestershire v Derbyshire Preview

There is a relatively simple selection ahead for Mickey Arthur tomorrow at Worcester.

Which of his four named seamers does he leave out on the day?

Messrs Conners, Aitchison, Scrimshaw and Potts are the four concerned and I couldn't call which one is omitted from the final eleven.

The rest of the side is the same as played Nottinghamshire, with Billy Godleman hopefully recovering form in local and club cricket ahead of the Royal London Cup.

Not is there any Shan Masood, again omitted from the Pakistan side to play Sri Lanka and carrying the drinks. It is frustrating for player and club and doing no favours for either. 

So that lineup, with Hilton Cartwright making his final appearance before he moves to the other competition:

Came, Reece, Guest, Madsen, du Plooy, Cartwright, Dal, McKiernan, Aitchison, Conners, Scrimshaw, Potts.

Our hosts welcome Pakistan fast bowler Muhammad Hasnain for his debut, who could form a lively pace attack with Joe Leach, Dillon Pennington and Ed Barnard.

Their thirteen: Pollock, Libby, Cornwall, Haines, D'Oliveira, Barnard, Roderick, Leach, Baker, Pennington, Hasnain, Gibbon, Ali. 

After their sensational win at Leicestershire yesterday, Glamorgan have moved into second place in division two ahead of Middlesex. Yet we still sit in fourth place and within range of them with a couple of wins of our own. 

With games against Durham, Glamorgan and Leicestershire before the season end, a win over the next four days would make things very interesting. 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire day 4

Nottinghamshire 618-8

Derbyshire 318 and 249-4 (Reece 86, Came 70)

With solid, dogged batting, Derbyshire ensured that they emerged from the game with draw points today.

It was largely due to an opening stand of 161 between Harry Came and Luis Reece, the former making his highest first-class score, the latter his highest of the season. It was the first century opening stand of the season and should ensure both men retain their places at the top of the order. 

Both batted well, ignoring appeals along the way that became increasingly prolonged and petulant. I would argue that some of the appeals today and the reaction to them bordered on dissent and Noftinghamshire aren't a side I enjoy watching. Good, yes but not one that I could get behind.

Tom Moores had a difficult second innings and conceded 27 byes, although one or two deliveries from Pattinson in particular were pretty horrible. Although Guest and du Plooy failed today, Madsen and Cartwright saw it through to the last twenty overs and handshakes all round. 

It is a result that sees Derbyshire fourth in the table ahead of Monday's trip to the scenic splendours of Worcester.

We would have taken that before the season, after what happened last year. 

Tom Wood

It has been a busy old day from a number of perspectives but I didn't want to end it without mentioning the news on Tom Wood.

I had known the background to the story for some time but a combination of respect for the player, his family and the club, plus the fact that there were legal ramifications meant that I carefully dead-batted any questions from readers.

It is a shame that Tom has effectively  lost this season, after working so hard to get on to the County staff for a number of years. There is no doubt that he would have been an asset in the Vitality Blast and I am sure he will want to make a statement as to his ability in the forthcoming Royal London Cup. With Madsen and du Plooy missing, logically he and Harry Came have opportunities to impress.

It won't be easy for him, as he has had little to no net work for several months, but the work ethic that got him onto the staff will serve him well. 

It is just a shame that an ingredient in an inhaler he has used since he was ten caused such a problem. Perhaps had the club medical staff not been so preoccupied with Covid they could have picked it up, but what's done is done. There was no intention, nor suggestion of anything being used for performance enhancement and it is just frustrating that a career can be slowed in such a manner.

Slowed, yet not stopped. It is good to read of the support he has had from the PCA and the club, while Mickey Arthur has welcomed him back into the fold tonight on Twitter.

Let's hope Tom discovers his best form in the remainder of the summer and shows Mickey and all of us his undoubted talent.

Like all county fans, I wish him well. 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire day 3

Nottinghamshire 618-8

Derbyshire 318 (Guest 109, Madsen 74, Fletcher 3-44, Mullaney 3-51)

and 79-0 (Came 38*, Reece 30*)

Derbyshire trail by 221 runs

After gifting their wickets in the first innings, Luis Reece and Harry Came dug in with admirable skill and pluck this afternoon, to give Derbyshire a good chance of a draw against Nottinghamshire tomorrow. 

The forecast for Derby suggests considerable time will be taken from the game on the final day. Although that will allow the main visiting bowlers to stay fresh, I would hope that ten wickets should be able to bat out the day. 

The openers battled doggedly through 38 overs in the second innings, after our first dwindled to something akin to very little once Wayne Madsen was dismissed. 194-2 became 318 all out as the ball started to swing for Mullaney and Fletcher. Conditions were quite different to those on day one, but we didn't handle them especially well. 

The follow on was inevitable given the weather forecast and the size of the lead, but the fight was commendable second time around. South African Paterson rather overdid the short ball but the hostility was taken from the attack and the day, ended with spin at both ends. Came showed good judgement of the balls to leave and play throughout. If he can build on his start tomorrow and post a big score, it will do his confidence the world of good. He can play, without doubt, but needs the weight of runs to confirm it in the scorebook. 

Meanwhile Reece subjugated his natural style for one of attrition. He has been short of runs but again, a big one tomorrow will set him up for the rest of the summer. 

The first innings highlight was a fourth century of the summer for Brooke Guest, who continues to look a special cricketer. Only Bill Storer over a century ago has scored four centuries for the county in a summer as wicket-keeper and Brooke has time to go out on his own at the head of that list. 

He is only 200 away from a thousand runs for the season, but Wayne Madsen needs just 51 more to follow Shan Masood to that landmark. 

Dig in lads. No fours before lunch and precious few afterwards, as Cardus once attributed to Emmott Robinson.. 

That'll do nicely 

Book Review: Playing With Teeth by Jake Perry and Gary Heatly

For a Scottish cricket fan this book, detailing how Scotland's cricketers became a force to be reckoned with in the world game, makes a compelling read.

For a Derbyshire supporter living in Scotland it is even more fascinating. Caledonia has been a rich source for Derbyshire in recent years and the names of those who have turned out in the chocolate, amber and gold are on pretty much every page.

Grant Bradburn came very close to becoming Derbyshire's Head of Cricket last winter and reading this book highlights how similar a philosophy on the game he shares with Mickey Arthur. The book's title comes from one of his favourite sayings, about enjoying the game and he is credited - and rightly so - with improving the mindset and positivity within the squad, the side as a collective and players as individuals. 

Mark Watt, who has done so well in his stints for Derbyshire, tells of how one evening Bradburn put down one stump and asked the players who backed themselves to hit it with a yorker. Every time the bowler missed, the rest had to run five shuttles. 

No one put their hand up but Bradburn kept looking at Watt, who agreed to go for it and nailed it, first time. The coach urged him to have faith in himself, as he knew he had the skills and had shown he could deliver them under pressure. It explains a lot and why the left-arm spinner has become a key Powerplay and death bowler for club and country.

Lavishly illustrated and with a generous font, the book is a credit to the publishers and to the authors, who have done a sterling job in recording the major events in the best period in Scotland's cricket history.

It is an engaging read and some fine cricketers flit to and fro across its pages. Kyle Coetzer, Preston Mommsen, Craig Wright, Richie Berrington and many more, including the combative Con de Lange, whose premature death was a major blow to so many. 

It is a book that you pick up and read a dozen pages more than you expected. While the subject matter is good, the authors have presented it really well and it makes for an engaging read. 

Well done to all concerned. 

This really is a job well done. Whether north of the border or a son or daughter of the Peak, this is a cracking read.

Playing With Teeth: How Scotland's Cricketers Broke The Cycle of Glorious Failure  is written by Jake Perry and Gary Heatly, published by Pitch Publishing 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire day 2

Nottinghamshire 618-8 (Duckett 241, Hameed 196 Patterson-White 54, Aitchison 3-119)

Derbyshire 164-2 (Madsen 57* Guest 50*)

Derbyshire trail by 454 runs

Derbyshire fought back well on day two, of this game, but with weather likely to take a chunk from the remaining play, it is hard to see that we could bat so badly as to lose eighteen wickets on a fairly moribund pitch. If we did, it is dubious whether I or Mickey Arthur would be the more disappointed.. 

Nottinghamshire somewhat collapsed after losing the wicket of Ben Duckett for an excellent double century. But Patterson-White and. Pattinson hit well to take the score past 600 and pretty much legislate against the visitors having to bat again.

Bowling in that heat and on a wicket offering little help was a thankless task, but our young attack stuck manfully to it.

When out turn came Luis Reece and Harry Came both looked good, but will be disappointed in again giving it away when they had got in. Both will be aware that they need to do better, especially on a wicket more in their favour than the bowlers.

Thereafter Guest and Madsen batted well en route to half centuries, in what has been a fine season for both.

Hopefully they can both go big today, whenever we get on the field.

I still feel the wickets at Derby are TOO good. For me, it makes for a less enjoyable, less even game. It is patently clear that we need experienced seam bowlers over the winter, but I don't know who will sign up to bowl on these tracks every other week. Batsmen should score heavily but when the game is weighted too heavily one way, it loses its lustre for me. 

Apologies for the lateness of this blog, too much on right now... 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire day 1

I have to admit to not seeing any of today's play, which with the benefit of hindsight was no bad thing...

Duckett and Hameed added an unbroken 393 for the second wicket, but only the real partisan supporter would get much from a day when the bat dominates the ball so much.

Fair play to the two of them and to Nottinghamshire, but such 'roads' do nothing for me.

So over to you. Were there opportunities, or did they grind us into the dust? 

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire preview

We'd all love to be professional cricketers, wouldn't we?

Adored by your club's fans, a hero when you win the match with a key innings, a late boundary, a wicket or a fine spell. Heck, even a great catch can get you hero status.

Most of us have fantasised about it, but in those fantasies we always do well. We don't get first-ballers, or nick to slip, or play around a straight one.

Few of us get public condemnation in our workplace when things don't go as they should either. You mess up and your boss (presumably) doesn't put a post on social media saying you are rubbish at your job. Because the chances are, you're not. You just had a bad day. Any number of things can cause that, just as issues in the background can cause your overall performance as a sportsman to dip for a period of time. But it will still be between you and your boss.

So I want people to go easy on Billy Godleman. A terrific cricketer and a fine servant to Derbyshire in particular. He has scored thousands of runs across the formats at FIRST-CLASS level that most of us never got within a mile of and has skippered the side for a long time too.

Last year and this it has gone awry. Better men than I will be trying to figure out why, but it is right that Billy has been pulled from the firing line. There's no second team fixtures for him to play just now, so he turned out in league cricket at the weekend. I hope that the fast-approaching Royal London Cup sees him return to the form we have come to admire and respect over the best part of a decade. 

At the same time, Harry Came was deserving of opportunity to see if he has what it takes at first-class level and takes his place in the squad tomorrow at Derby. He will likely open with Luis Reece as Mickey Arthur names the following squad:

Came, Reece, Guest, Madsen, Du Plooy (c) Cartwright, Dal, Thomson, McKiernan, Aitchison, Potts, Scrimshaw, Conners

Nottinghamshire also name thirteen as they look to stretch their lead at the top of division two:

Hameed, Slater, Clarke, Duckett, James, Moore, Mullaney, Patterson-White, Fletcher, Pattinson, Paterson, Montgomery, Hutton.

I couldn't call the final elevens, but would be surprised if whoever wins the toss doesn't bat, on a day of anticipated serious heat.

Good luck to Leus Du Plooy, skipper for the game, in that and in his first-class debut as skipper. The home side are obviously very talented, but look less scary in this format, without Hales, Patel, Broad and Christian. Their seam attack is always a threat and carries way more experience than ours, but this Derbyshire side will, I think, acquit itself well.

We will find out soon enough. 

Durham thoughts and the Godleman 'situation'

I appreciate your forbearance this week while I sorted some pressing domestic things at my parents.

I saw very little of the Durham game, only the last hour or so of the final day when we got home, but I appreciated all of your comments as always.

First up, a massive round of applause for Leus Du Plooy for scoring two centuries in the match. I recall seeing him bat at Durham when he first started playing for us. The game was noteworthy both for his low place in the order (Dave Houghton saying he had to earn his elevation) and for the fact that he got hit in the 'crown jewels' several times, which was the first time I had seen it so often for one player.

His was the starring role for Derbyshire, although the 90 by Anuj Dal in the first innings and the century by Brooke Guest in the second were also crucial knocks as the game progressed. Both men have had stellar seasons and I can pay no greater tribute to Guest than that there have been no comments about our missing Harvey Hosein, nor about needing competition for him. Only the legendary Bill Storer has more centuries for the county as wicket keeper (12) than Brooke, while Bernie Maher also scored four.

Meanwhile Nuj has a batting average of 76 and a bowling one of 20 wickets at 32. A genuine all rounder who has come to the forefront this year, he is now a key part of the side. 

That trio, plus a good second innings from Hilton Cartwright, enabled us to set Durham a challenging total after the timeless Chris Rushworth threatened to run through us, not for the first time. I would love to see how many career wickets he has against Derbyshire and how many overall at Chester le Street, because there can be few better bowlers on the circuit who didn't get a national call.

It was always said - and wrongly - that Les Jackson was overlooked because most of his wickets came at Chesterfield and Derby. I am not sure if that is true of Rushworth, but what a servant he has been to the northern county.

Which brings me to another loyal servant and Billy Godleman. He has been a fine player for us since his arrival from Essex in 2013 and especially from 2015 to 2019 was a run machine at the top of the order. The two Covid-wrecked seasons saw his average slip to the mid-twenties and last year would have been the same, bar for an unbeaten century in his final innings.

This year that average has slipped to just fifteen, with a season - highest of just 38. Like everyone else, I have willed him to runs each time he has batted, but the charm and effortless flow of Shan Masood has made his unique, awkward style look all the more eccentric.

At 33 he is young enough to rediscover his best days, but after his latest failures he must surely be allowed some time out of the firing line. Nottinghamshire are next and their attack will be a challenge for any opener, especially one for who form is so elusive. As pointed out by a contributor earlier, Harry Came scored 87 and a century in his two innings against Yorkshire and deserves a chance, albeit against the best seam attack in the division.

I was and remain surprised that Billy was given a new twelve-month deal, though it may be tied into a benefit. Either way, with Mickey Arthur saying that the currency of players is runs and wickets, it is clear that he needs to rediscover his mojo fast.

His poor summer has overshadowed that of Luis Reece, another who in a season of batting 'plenty' has struggled for rhythm and his best form. An average of 28, with just one fifty in the four-day game, with one of only 15 and one fifty in the Vitality Blast. I suspect and hope that his winter of inactivity with surgery to knee and shoulder are the contributory factors.

But the truth is that however well we have done this year, to pick up on it in 2023 we need both men back at their best. Neither has suggested permanence at the crease and for the club to move forward we need eleven players contributing their best form.

Overall, though, a decent four days at Durham. The fight is strong, the 'failure' to force a win on the last afternoon down to a young attack and the wicket not really deteriorating, as few have this year.

I thought we might have seen Hilton Cartwright bowl on the final day, just for something different, while the spin of Madsen and du Plooy might have been worth an over or two.

But we ended the game in the ascendancy and that is again a step forward.

Sound winter recruitment will take it on again. 

Durham v Derbyshire day 3-4

Please put your final day thoughts in here.

Normal service will be resumed over the weekend! 

Durham v Derbyshire. days 1 and 2

Am down at my parents trying to sort some things for them with my wife.

Please leave your comments on days 1 and 2 here. 

Apologies for the lack of blogging... 

Post-match/pre-match thoughts

The disappointment was etched on Mickey Arthur's face last night in the post-match interview.

His side didn't show up. They weren't allowed to show up, but we all know they are better than they showed last night in front of the nation's TV cameras. 

But as I alluded to last night and he said in the interview, some of his squad have reached their ceiling. He knows who they are, I do, a good few of you will do. No names, because that isn't fair on people who have given 100% for this club, but motivation and tactics will take you so far, the requisite skill sets and mental toughness take you to the next level.

The trick now is for the club to back their ambition in recruiting a world-renowned coach with the additional budget to bring in players to take us on.

The absence of Hayden Kerr last night was a factor, losing a Powerplay and death bowler. So too the loss of their captain and leading scorer. But then losing Suranga Lakmal wasn't part of the plan either, nor the absence of Tom Wood for the summer so far. 

We have a small squad that has punched above its weight but the Head of Cricket will know, especially after last night, the scale of the challenge. 

Shorn of HIS players, the side reverted to the bad habits of seasons past with the personnel to match. It would have been interesting to see how Masood as skipper handled Rossouw, his team mate in the PSL, but the South African had the bit between his teeth and was pretty much unstoppable last night. 

I maintain we can do well in the RLODC, but for now focus switches back to four-day cricket. I had hopes of making some of Chester le Street, but my wife and I have to go and attend to the more pressing needs of my parents down south, so I won't see much of it. 

Leus du Plooy may be a doubt because of the blow taken to his elbow last night, but in a squad rapidly running out of players, I expect the following side to take the field. 

Godleman, Came, Guest, Madsen, Reece, Cartwright, Dal, Thomson, Watt, Aitchison, Conners

Hayden Kerr is going back to Australia with a side strain and will miss the rest of the summer, so we will see if a replacement can be found at short notice.

I think the young Australian did pretty well without delivering the spectacular and seemed to learn quickly in his first overseas experience. 

I wish him well for the future. 

Somerset v Derbyshire T20

Somerset 265-5(Rossouw 93, Banton 73, Scrimshaw 2-16)

Derbyshire 74 (Siddle 3-10, Green 3-17)

Somerset won by 191 runs

Overawed and outclassed.

That was the reality at Taunton tonight, as a rampant, brilliant Somerset steamrollered Derbyshire with a batting blitz, led by Rilee Rossouw. It was a T20 record score, as you might expect. 

It is very easy to say, as some were doing on social media, that we were 'crap'. We didn't bowl brilliantly - Scrimshaw aside, more later - but we weren't allowed to. Any aberration in line or length ended up at or over the boundary.

Yet it can't be forgotten how far we have come this summer. It is essentially the same squad as last year, and shorn today of their talisman captain, Shan Masood and overseas bowling all-rounder, Hayden Kerr, we were up against it from the start.

Some of these players won't be a part of the longer-term plans, some very much will be. But you can't let one result define the season. Only learn from it and move on.

Yes, it was embarrassingly one-sided, but for us to win tonight they needed to be off colour and we all needed to play out of our skins. We didn't and they certainly didn't.

Rossouw is a fearsome batsman in his best form and I have seen him do that against far better attacks than ours. You hope he might play around one early, but tonight he was on a different plane. Banton did well too, but should have gone early when Aitchison, a good fielder, put down one he would hold 99 times in a hundred. 

It was noisy, boorish, intimidating and we simply didn't cope. George Scrimshaw did and he was brilliant, fast and hostile. Four overs two for sixteen in the context of the carnage around him was sensational. But let's not forget that George was twice recently on the end of fearful stick and that Mattie McKiernan, who went for a world record-equalling 82 off his four overs tonight, had bowled superbly in the group stages, our second most economical bowler 

That is the great game of cricket, the leveller. How often do you see batsmen get a duck after a century? How often does a fielder drop a dolly, then hold a blinder? If you have played the game, you have been there. 

We were slaughtered in the field, but didn't help ourselves with some average moments. With the bat we were pretty shambolic, but again were facing an attack with four international bowlers, four more than we had.

It was painful, it was not as we hoped for by some distance. But we mustn't forget the memorable afternoons and evenings that this team has given us in the competition.

They will be hurting right now, as will Mickey Arthur and his coaching team. They are better than they showed tonight and next time they get to such a stage will want to do much better.

We go again. Durham on Monday, let's get back to winning ways in the four-day game. 

Somerset v Derbyshire preview

It's here.

After three quarter-finals we have two sides from the northern section, the Roses counties, through to Finals Day, while Hampshire disposed of a Birmingham side that had too great a disparity between their best and their worst.

It is Derbyshire's turn tomorrow (not Derby, thank you Sky TV) and I don't expect to see any changes to the tried and trusted formula for the season.

For me, it will either be Brooke Guest or Hayden Kerr who open and I think the former is a man to keep the run rate going with his running between the wickets, as well as his clean stroke play, leaving the two Australians for later innings power

Other than that it is whether Sam Conners or Ben Aitchison get the nod as the seam bowler for the eleven. Quite frankly I can't call that one and there's always a chance that Harry Came could play in place of either. That would still leave seven/eight bowling options, but my hunch on the Derbyshire side is:

Guest, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Cartwright, Kerr, Hughes, McKiernan, Watt, Scrimshaw, Conners /Aitchison

Dal, Thomson and Came complete the squad.

Somerset have named an unchanged squad of 14: Tom Abell (c), Tom Banton, George Bartlett, Jack Brooks, Josh Davey, Lewis Goldsworthy, Ben Green, Lewis Gregory, Tom Lammonby, Craig Overton, Rilee Rossouw, Peter Siddle, Will Smeed and Roelof van der Merwe.

It will be a tough game in front of a capacity, partisan crowd. The short boundaries should make for a run-fest and Somerset have some really fine cricketers.

Then again, so do we and it depends on which side holds their nerve on the big occasion. Regardless of the result, this Derbyshire side has exceeded the expectations of most people.

But I think there is enough quality in our eleven to take us to Finals Day.

What about you?

Go well, Mickey Arthur's Derbyshire Falcons. 

Scrimshaw call up for the 'other' competition

I note this in passing, only because it means that he will miss the Royal London Cup, but George Scrimshaw has now been called up for the 'other' competition, alongside Wayne Madsen and Leus Du Plooy.

He will play for the Welsh Fire side. 

I can actually see George becoming a T20 specialist in the next couple of years. It will likely suit him better than long bowls in the four-day game, or even ten-over spells in the Royal London Cup.

Derbyshire have held him back from the four-day cricket this year and wisely so, as an important past of the T20 game plan. He has done well for us, and I wish him well in his efforts in Cardiff. 

Somerset press conference confirms reasons for success

 There were smiles all round at the press conference at the Incora County Ground today, to which I was grateful to be invited by Zoom.

A smile is never far from the face of Mickey Arthur, while both Wayne Madsen and Hilton Cartwright laughed and looked happy as they faced an array of questions from those attending and doing so remotely. 

'We're daring to dream' said Arthur, 'we're taking it one game at a time and while it's great to be in the quarter final, it's just the start for us as a unit. We won't be happy until we get to Finals Day and then hopefully go one further'.

Arthur was bullish today and praised his team, reserving special praise for Mattie McKiernan 'perhaps the best spinner outside of The Hundred at the moment', while also lauding Mark Watt's 'exceptional' performance. 

'We have planned for Shan (Masood) going away and it offers an opportunity for someone else to come in and make a mark for himself' he added, conceding nothing in a suggestion that it might impinge on the performance of the team. The replacement is known to the coaching team, but understandably he would not go public on that.

Listening to Arthur it is clear why Derbyshire have so much improved this year - the focus on his own team's performance and, while doing the research on the opposition, not worrying about them unduly. Bring our A game and we will give anyone a battle is the mantra, being prepared for the next day of cricket and striving to make that the best of the season. It is enlightening and motivational for even the casual observer, so for those working closely with him it is no surprise that their individual games have been galvanised.

There was also time to praise George Scrimshaw and he stressed both his and the squad's work ethic, as well as their fitness and technical improvements. Yet he also said that we had only seen the tip of the iceberg and there was much more to come from this squad . I asked if he felt that more could follow George into international recognition and the response was swift and certain.

'A hundred per cent. We are seeing improvements across the group as they strive to better themselves. Making them believe in themselves and what they can do was an early message and tapping into that extra 3-4%, making them believe in the process'.

'We've told them to focus on the next ball, whether batting or bowling, because that can be the one that changes the game'. Sage advice, likely well-used by George Scrimshaw in the momentous final over against Lancashire. It was all very impressive, slick, believable.

Hilton Cartwright came next and spoke impressively, thanking Wayne Madsen, sat alongside him, for helping him with sweeping and reverse-sweeping in his short time at the club. The two seemed close, smiles rarely leaving their faces and he praised the players for the way in which he had been welcomed into the group and how they had all learned from the way the Indian players had approached the game last week.

Then came Wayne Madsen, who again stressed that the message drilled home was that 'we can beat anybody and anyone in the team can win us the game'. 

'We go into this quarter-final with a lot of belief as a group, all supporting each other and knowing that we all need to contribute. We are on a high and full of confidence, playing good cricket'.

Both players responded well to a question about Leicestershire being docked points for indiscipline, Cartwright  saying that since he had joined he had been impressed by how Masood, Madsen and vice-captain Leus du Plooy stressed the team focus on our game and what we could control, not getting dragged into other things that we couldn't. It confirmed a well-drilled squad that was prepared to play tough cricket but not cross the line. I was impressed by both of them.

I was pleased to get the final question, asking Wayne to what he attributed his golden form this year. The answer was, as so often, accompanied with a smile .

'A determination to come back from the injury last year and do my best for the county. Mickey has instilled belief and Shan has been a big factor too. To go in and bat with someone playing with such confidence and scoring so quickly rubs off on you'.

He's done pretty well, eh?

As they all have. The excitement is mounting and while Taunton will be a pressure cooker on Saturday night, they sound like they will be ready.

Scrimshaw call up the latest good news for buoyant Derbyshire

When Mickey Arthur arrived at Derbyshire, he said that he wanted to make us the 'preferred destination' for players, that he expected us to challenge and that he thought a couple of our players were good enough to challenge for England recognition.

He's not done bad, has he? I must ask him for the lottery numbers this weekend...

Yesterday's news that George Scrimshaw has been called up for England Lions was welcome and deserved. He has bowled well for the past couple of years but has really kicked on this season, generating serious pace to go with the generous bounce one would expect from someone of his height. When he has got it right, which has been most of the time, it has been spectacular. 

Credit is due to Ajmal Shahzad for his input, as well as to the player for a lot of hard work, but the Head Coach is getting the best from a small group of players, despite injury issues for most of his attack.

That was referenced by Anuj Dal today, when he presented Shan Masood with his second Player of the Month award in three months. Of the four nominees this time, two came from Derbyshire, Wayne Madsen the other.

Both are having stellar seasons, but there are many others. Brooke Guest, Dal himself, Mattie McKiernan, Mark Watt.. all have been encouraged and boosted by a coach who has achieved astonishing things in a few short months, regardless of what happens this Saturday in the Vitality Blast quarter-final.

These are indeed heady days. I was quite open in my assertion that last year was as low as I have felt as a Derbyshire supporter. There were a few bright spots, but it was largely dull, formulaic, uninspiring, losing cricket. My honest opinion then - and even now, with the benefit of hindsight - was that another year like that and they could have closed the gates and thrown away the key without too much complaint.

This is chalk and cheese. My least enjoyable year closely followed by one that is up there with those where we won a trophy, or came close to it, such as in 1996 and 1970.

Regardless of what happens for the rest of this summer, when I gave the Head of Cricket a 'free hit', this has been one in which Derbyshire became respectable, even fashionable again. I have had countless messages and emails from people who aren't even Derbyshire supporters, all of them saying how much they are enjoying the vibrant, positive, exciting brand of cricket that our team has produced.

Just as we supporters have enjoyed the smiles on the faces of players and coaching/support staff, their obvious enjoyment in what they do and the panache with which they have done it.

Well done to George Scrimshaw, Shan Masood and Wayne Madsen. 

But well done to the rest too, for making 2022 an already memorable summer that will live long in the memory.

Somerset away it is...

As an early night beckons ahead of a twelve-hour shift tomorrow, my chances of a lengthy blog on our quarter final opponents are slim to non-existent.

Of course it will be a stiff test. The best eight sides in the country at 20-over cricket have reached this stage, so whoever we got was going to be a tough game. Derbyshire are one of that best eight. Reflect on that a while.. 

We can spend all week discussing Overton, Banton, Lammonby, Rossouw, Siddle and others. But rest assured they will be talking about how to stop Madsen, du Plooy, Cartwright, Kerr and the rest of a strong side.

We are here on merit  and must play without fear, as we will.

Please comment below with your thoughts on the game and your likely lineup for our side. 

I  will preview the fixture later in the week and add my comments when time allows. 

Thanks in advance! 

Derbyshire v Durham T20

Durham 193-5 (Robinson 43, Jones 42, McKiernan 3-29)

Derbyshire 194-5 (Madsen 100*, Cartwright 38, Masood 31)

Derbyshire won by 5 wickets

Magnificent Madsen mauls Durham.

That's essentially it, as a superb 47-ball century from living legend Wayne Madsen saw Derbyshire boss a tricky run chase from start to finish, winning with five balls to spare.

We missed Hayden Kerr today and those Powerplay /death overs that are so important. Ben Aitchison, like Sam Conners, hasn't the experience in this format to bowl his overs for under eight, but he came back well after his first went for plenty. The two spinners both bowled excellent spells, McKiernan especially impressive and although the total was 15-20 more than we would have hoped for, I felt it was within range.

So it transpired, a new highest successful chase being set with classy, intelligent, purposeful batting. Despite the early loss of Reece, Madsen and Masood breezed along at ten an over before the latter was dismissed. He never looked completely at home today and there were a few false shots, but it didn't really matter..

Nor did the early dismissal of Du Plooy to a fine catch at gulley, because Cartwright came in looking like a latter-day Adrian Kuiper and was soon hitting his stride, two straight sixes booming over the sightscreen. 

He went before the end, as did Guest, but today none of it mattered, because Madsen was simply sensational. 

Sixes over the keeper, ramps, uppercuts, slog and reverse sweeps.. it was simply a masterclass and an absolute joy to watch. 

On the basis of this season Wayne is good for another three or four years. I hope the club issues a highlights video to watch time and again. 

Breathtaking stuff. Whoever we get in the quarter finals will be wondering where you bowl to a man in that form. Yet the thing about this year's vintage is that there are runs all the way down. When Guest went, the reassuring sight of Hughes was walking out, while players who can reach and clear the ropes were awaiting their turn. 

We will find out later who we play in the coming week. For now, celebrate Wayne's first 20-over century and a record ninth win of the Blast.

What a player, what a team. 

What a win. What a summer. 

Derbyshire v Durham preview

Mickey Arthur has announced a squad of sixteen for tomorrow's final (and relatively academic) final game of the group stage against Durham at the Incora County Ground, the County already through to the knockout stage. Feels good, eh? 

A win and the right combination of results  could see us secure a home tie, but our league placing will determine who we play from the other group.

And there's a conundrum too. All three overseas players are picked. Assuming full fitness and availability, which two would you go with? My gut feeling, given that Masood is in the squad and captain, is that he plays, while it makes a lot of sense for Hilton Cartwright to get another knock on English soil ahead of the quarter-finals to maintain, eligibility.

So Hayden Kerr will be given time to recover from his niggle and I hope that Ben Aitchison is given another opportunity to stake a claim. I wouldn't  drop George Scrimshaw, as one or two have suggested, but George seems to have been worked out by some opponents who now see the upwards slash at his short stuff as the more sensible way to runs to a pull. The last two games have suggested so and he needs to be very much on his line and cramp the body or he will haemorrhage runs.

So my feeling is this team, with the other squad members the last five named:

Masood, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Guest, Cartwright, Hughes, McKiernan, Watt, Aitchison, Scrimshaw (Dal, Came, Kerr, Thomson, Conners)

I don't think there's much between Conners and Aitchison, to be honest, but Ben needs overs in case he has to play down the line. Luis Reece bowling and dropping down the order might give him a breather too, as he is finding soft ways to get out at present. Harry Came is a decent option up top, though the Head of Cricket has shown himself loathe to make too many changes.

Durham named the following eleven for their game at Trent Bridge last night and it shouldn't be far from tomorrow's side:

Clarke, Jones, Robinson, Turner, Coughlin, Eckersley, Carse, Trevaskis, Raine, Tye, Sowter.

They have struggled for runs in the competition and no one has yet broken the 300 run barrier, with the highest individual score, of 65, one of only four half centuries (Derbyshire have twelve)

It SHOULD be a home win, but we have all been here before and things don't always go to plan. Yet this is Mickey Arthur's Derbyshire, an altogether different beast to teams of recent vintage.

I will go for a home win, to round things off in style.

What do you think? 

Derbyshire v India and QUALIFICATION!

Apologies for the late arrival of the blog, but on a day when we got back from our holidays, our son was going away on his and there were parental needs to attend to, the day ran away yesterday.

India beat Derbyshire, as you would have expected, but the big news was that regardless of the result against Durham on Sunday, Derbyshire has made the quarter finals of the Vitality Blast for the third time in five years

There we will play either Surrey, Somerset, Essex or Hampshire. All good teams and the final game becomes one of ensuring a home quarter final, but this side should be afraid of no one. We have beaten good teams already, home and away and the magnitude of this achievement should not be underestimated.

In his first season, the one where I had effectively given us a 'free hit', Mickey Arthur has made us harder to beat in four day cricket, a good side in the short form. The bowling isn't quite there as a unit, but the batting is long and has proved capable of setting and chasing big totals. Like the best Derbyshire sides of the past, regardless of shortcomings that some are quicker to point out than others, we have found a way to win, regularly.

Having beaten Lancashire, Yorkshire and Birmingham, there isnt a team in the other group to fear. Of course, they have good players, which is why they qualified, but we won't come up against our dear neighbours because well, they didn't. We did it the hard way too, only once each playing the two weakest sides in the group, Worcestershire and Durham. 

The team will be prepared well and I hope that we win on Sunday to end the group in style.

There was a bumper crowd last night which will swell the coffers quite nicely, but I had no expectations of a win against strong opponents. We didn't post a score to challenge, despite a pleasing debut from Hilton Cartwright and battling knocks from Madsen, Guest and Hughes. It was great to see Ben Aitchison back, albeit looking a little ring rusty and we acquitted ourselves well.

There were some lovely players in the visiting ranks and it is such a shame that the IPL 'exclusivity' doesn't allow them to play here more often. The players would benefit, their competition would get publicity and the Indian national side would become stronger still. With good pace bowlers, quality spinners and attractive batsmen on show, it was an evening for the connoisseur, in many ways a throwback to when games against touring sides were your only chance to see big international names.

Anyway. I have a garden to attend to and a Durham preview to write later, so I will catch you then. 

Well done, Derbyshire! You are doing us proud.