Mark Watt signs for 2023!

I have two immediate observations regarding today's excellent news, which sees Mark Watt returning to Derbyshire, around his Scotland commitments, for all formats next season.

The first and most obvious is that we have picked up a very canny operator. He is one of those players who seems to have been around for years, which he has, but he is still only 26. My guess would be that although he is the junior of our three spinners, he will start next summer as our first choice.

He has to. His ability was noted and not questioned by any of the commentators at the T20 World Cup. Mickey Arthur speaks of him in glowing terms and his enjoyment of the game and of the individual battles within it are clear every time he steps onto the ground, with or without his notes on individual players...

He is a leader. The sort of player that every captain will want when the chips are down. Someone to who you can throw the ball in expectation that he will make something happen. That might be one of his 24 yard specials or many variants in between, including remarkable swing for a spin bowler at times.

As next year's captain, Leus du Plooy will know that he can depend on Mark, whose reputation precedes him in the shorter forms of the game.

Is he yet the finished article for 4-day cricket? No, but he hasn't played that much more in that format than I have. In the interview on the club site, Arthur mentioned him 'getting more revs on the ball' 'giving it more flight' and being 'a work in progress'. As are all spinners in their mid-20s, of course.

But let's not focus on any perceived weaknesses, rather enjoy the fact that we have recruited a player who has proven and established his credentials on the world stage. It has been a very good winter so far, exceeding my expectations for players coming in.

The other observation is that his signing almost certainly means that our other overseas player will be either a batsman or a batting all rounder. English wickets are rarely conducive to spin until later summer anyway and it seems very unlikely that we would go into the 2023 season with four spinners on the staff.

Logic thus dictates that the replacement for Shan Masood will be close to like for like, even if the new man is not necessarily an opening bat.

Last week's news that Leicestershire are set to sign Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane for 2023 was an eye-opener, as was the accompanying news that India are keen to see some of their players gather more experience on English wickets.

The exclusivity contracts held by those who play in the IPL means they couldn't play in the Vitality Blast, but there are a number of players over there who would undoubtedly benefit from a season in English conditions. Just as the county game would benefit from their presence.

Many are simply too well rewarded by the IPL to need county cricket, of course. The biggest stars can simply live off their IPL earnings, if they chose to do so. With Virat Kohli worth an estimated £120 million and even a talented young tyro like Prithvi Shaw worth £2 million, they don't really have to spend their summers in a Derby flat..

But it leaves a lot of outstanding cricketers who would undoubtedly be thrilled to work under an internationally renowned coach. Perhaps, like Shan Masood, keen to get back into the international picture.

Very much something to keep an eye on.

But for now, let's celebrate that we have secured the services of Watty. The man with the regular smile, the many variations and the desire to win that will continue to endear him to Derbyshire supporters.

Ben Aitchison

This is the first in a series I will run over the winter, each focusing on a young Derbyshire player with the potential to go far. Each can be a key member in a side that could see the resurgence of the county fortunes. 

There is no order of merit, nor is it alphabetical. But let's start with A for the sake of convention...

___________________________

Ben Aitchison is my kind of cricketer.

For one thing, in an age when sports stars are increasingly demonstrative, he isn't. In watching him celebrate a wicket, I'm often taken back to the footage of Jim Laker, celebrating each of his 19 wickets against Australia in 1956. Jim's excitement was demonstrated, at best, with a clap of his hands and the hitching up of his trousers. It was a reaction of its age, a man simply doing the job that he was paid to do.

Today's 'celebrappeal' appalls me. Bowler striking the pad, running down the wicket arms aloft, nary a backwards glance to the umpire to see if it is actually out. Then the 'teapot' of indignance when the finger isn't raised. Yes I'm talking about Stuart Broad as a prime example, but there are others and I don't like it. Time enough for that kind of thing when the umpire raises his finger. I guess I am getting old..

Ben will turn to the umpire and if the decision is the one that he wants will look down and clench and shake his fists in celebration as he walks towards the slip cordon. Nowt exaggerated or fancy, just a young man doing his job. In the words of the old disco classic, that's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it..He might occasionally 'push the boat out' with an upraised arm, but that is as far as it goes.

He is a bowler of vast potential and Lancashire's loss is very much Derbyshire's gain. A back injury last winter ruled him out of the early part of the summer, a stress fracture thankfully not sustained in bowling and therefore easier to heal.

He still missed the first half of the summer, too much from a Derbyshire perspective. A time when seam bowlers were dropping like flies and a revolving door of less satisfactory replacements were coming in for matches here and there.

Ben will have been pleased to see his team mates, George Scrimshaw and Sam Conners, earn call-ups for England Lions, but will likely have realised that bar for injury that could just as easily have been him.

He is that good. More than any other of the current young crop of Derbyshire bowlers - and there are some talented ones in there - he is the Mr Reliable. There may be an occasional ball that slips down leg side, but more often than not the batman has to play, has to handle the challenge of the moving ball and make a decision. That control has been even better this season, since he cut down his run up. I am unaware of any major difference that it has made to his pace, but as many fine bowlers over the years will tell you,  speed isn't everything and the subtleties of line, length and control are the things that frustrate and ultimately dismiss a batsman. Darren Stevens, Tom Cartwright, Derek Shackleton, Don Shepherd - how many examples do you want? There are plenty in the great Derbyshire lineage.

Were you to compare him to a local hero of yesteryear It would probably be Mike Hendrick. Another bowler capable of long spells, accurate and moving it around to the detriment of opposition batting lineups. Hendo was a good slip fielder too and also had a good arm. It is unusual to see a quick bowler in the slip cordon, but Ben has held some good catches this year and the days of your quick bowler fielding at third man or fine leg, not required to dive around and using their foot to stop the ball are gone forever.

He is no mug with a bat either. I do take issue with those who have asserted that Derbyshire have three number elevens, because Ben is better than that. Supporters will remember his bucolic half century in a losing cause against Nottinghamshire a couple of seasons back, but he has also shown that he can hang in there in support of an established batsman. He favours a whippy stroke off his legs and I think he can improve still further with the bat in his hands. There's a steady number eight in there, with time and hard work 

But it is as a bowler that he will make his name. 60 first class wickets at 26 is a solid start to his career, but the first of those figures will rise rapidly while the second continues to drop. The likely first choice seam quartet for Derbyshire next year is Aitchison, Lakmal, Chappell and Conners. I'm not sure if they will all take the field together, but at their best there will be plenty of batsmen with sleepless nights before facing them. It will be interesting to see who gets the new ball, but Ben rarely wastes it and would be a very strong candidate.

An affable lad from a lovely and successful sporting family, he won't get carried away by success, nor get too down on the occasional bad days that affect all sports people. 

But if I am any judge of a cricketer, I reckon there will be many more of the former over the next decade.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Guest signs contract extension!

Piece by piece, Mickey Arthur's jigsaw for revamping Derbyshire cricket is taking shape.

Today came news that wicketkeeper batter Brooke Guest has signed an extension to his existing deal, which will keep him at the club until the end of 2025 at this stage.

There were stories a few weeks back that he might not be here next season, but to be honest, I was always firmly of the conviction that such stories were nonsense. My understanding was then and is now - as today's announcement has shown - that Brooke is very happy at Derbyshire.

Indeed, all I hear are positive things emanating from the dressing room, positive comments about the culture that has been developed and an environment where there are no egos.

Brooke is a diamond of a cricketer and I have every expectation that at some point in the future he will earn representative selection. There are good wicketkeepers about, and there are good batters about, but those who keep to a high standard and score heavily at number 3 are in very short supply.

I have liked him since I first saw him at the club and needed no one to tell me that he had a bright future. I am delighted to see that he has shown the world of cricket - and certainly Derbyshire supporters - just what he is capable of in 2022.

With his hard work ethic, his positive attitude and a grounded upbringing, I am sure that he will go from strength to strength.

And we are all going to enjoy watching that.

Weekend warmer

It has been a fairly quiet week from a Derbyshire perspective, although the news that Sam Conners has been selected for England Lions was widely welcomed.

He fully deserved it after an excellent season and I hope that this is just a start, for a fine young cricketer.

Further afield, I have enjoyed watching some of the Cricket World Cup and I thought that the qualifying competition was very good indeed. It was a shame that Scotland missed out, but they just seem to lack that one batsman of proven quality that some of the others had.

Mark Watt earned lavish praise from the commentators as a 'canny operator' and I think he was as good as any spinner that I saw in the past week. You can tell that he thinks about the game, but his side couldn't scrape together the extra few runs in each innings that would have made a difference.

The best player I saw in the week was Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe. He has had a fascinating background, which included doing his degree in Glasgow and playing cricket in Scotland before moving to Zimbabwe and qualifying to play for that country after a number of years in Pakistan.

Over the past 12 months he has probably become as effective a player as any in the world game, scoring a lot of runs and taking wickets with his clever and varied spin bowling. I like the way that he conceals the ball behind him as he runs into bowl, then baffling batters with a combination of accurate off, leg and topspin. His stock ball seems to be the off spinner, but he is talent, for sure.

A blistering 48-ball 82, followed by one for 17 in three overs won them the game against Ireland, while his 40 from 23 balls saw him the only man to come to terms with conditions against Scotland and turned the match. Add in his 3-19 against the West Indies and his has been a standout performance.

I look forward to seeing how he gets on now that they are mixing it with the big guns. I suspect there will be a few people looking at him. With Zimbabwe's relatively few international commitments in the next year he would be a good option, at least for the Vitality Blast.

Should we read anything into Mickey Arthur congratulating him on his performances on Twitter? Probably not, perhaps just a man with his finger on the pulse of the world game.

But I would be very happy if Raza shipped up at the Incora County Ground.

Just what the doctor ordered, for me.

Wagstaff and Harrison sign Rookie deals

Yesterday was way too busy for me to comment at the time and by the time I finished at 8:00 p.m. I was too tired to pen a few thoughts.

But in their own way, the signings announced of Mitch Wagstaff and Archie Harrison are as important as others so far this winter.

Both are products of the county academy pathway. Both have suggested in their short experience of senior cricket so far, that they have something to offer as their experience broadens and they develop.

They have each had success at age group international level and while this is no guarantee of continued success as mature cricketers, it suggests that the raw talent is there.

Wagstaff looks a compact opening batsman and it has been a while since one of those has come through our own system. It may be that his education sees his availability limited in the immediate future, but Derbyshire have to look to a future post Godleman and Reece. He will get opportunities in the summer ahead and like any other player. It is up to him to take them when they occur.

There is also a buzz about Harrison, who appears to have the natural assets of a genuine all rounder. He has scored heavily at Repton School and has done the same for the academy and on occasion for the second team.

A lot of hard work lies ahead for him, but it will be interesting to keep an eye on their development. Equally, it is important to remember that many players take time to handle both the physical and mental demands of the first class game. As we are now seeing from Anuj Dal, Brooke Guest, Sam Conners and a few more, patience brings its rewards.

How nice will it be to see a successful Derbyshire side with more than a sprinkling of homegrown talent within its ranks?

With the continued efforts of Daryn Smit and other Pathway coaches, as well as the efforts of youngsters and their parents, the future looks bright.

Weekend warmer

I have to admit to raising a quizzical eyebrow, perhaps in the style of Roger Moore, at news emanating from Trent Bridge this week.

Two very good cricketers, Toby Pettman and Dane Schadendorff, signed renewed contracts with Nottinghamshire, while Tom Loten joined them from Yorkshire.

It surprised me, to be honest. Pettman spent most of 2022 on loan around the country, doing quite well in those appearances. He looked a very good bowler for us on the first morning against Middlesex at Chesterfield, bowling accurate lines and troubling good batsmen. I was sufficiently impressed to think him worth a punt for next year at Derbyshire, though the subsequent signing of Zak Chappell rendered that redundant.

Besides the prospect of working full time with Mickey Arthur, Chappell must have got fed up at being second choice at Trent Bridge, when he is actually a very good bowler. Let that be a salutary lesson for Pettman, whose chances of regular first team action, especially in the light of Nottinghamshire signing. Olly Stone, seems slight.

I suspect that he will need to have his car ready for some more miles next summer, when he is likely to be heading out on loan again, the route to the first team seemingly some distance away.

So too Schadendorff. A thousand runs in the second team this year confirms him as a very good wicket keeper-batsman, but he is behind a pretty competent first choice in Tom Moores, who also happens to be the son of the Nottinghamshire Head of Cricket. That the Zimbabwean-born player appears good enough for first-class level seems beyond dispute, but with his rival only 26, I would suggest his best chance would be to ply his trade elsewhere.

Then there is Loten. A talented all rounder, he was surprisingly released by Yorkshire, yet has racked up at a county where his best chance of first team action - maybe only chance - is in the Royal London Cup. He would appear to be a similar sort of player to Joey Evison, who left Nottinghamshire due to a lack of opportunity and has done well for Kent.

I accept that with Alex Hales and Ben Duckett being back in the England fold there are batting opportunities to be had at that county, but the likeliest beneficiary of that, Sol Budinger, decided to up sticks and head to Leicestershire. Revolving doors indeed...

I would make two observations on this. One is that some of these players seem to be poorly advised, though they will doubtless be well paid at Nottinghamshire. It can't be a lot of fun to play second team cricket all the time if you are showing on a regular basis that you are good enough for the next stage.

Remember Mark Footitt? When he left Derbyshire he made a huge career mistake and moved to Surrey. It didn't work out down there for various reasons, then he had the choice of moving back up north. Go back to Derbyshire, where he had become a hero, or return to his roots at Nottingham, where he had struggled for opportunity.

Mark chose the latter and was rarely seen again.

Ross Whiteley is another classic example of this. For all of his talent and his match winning ability, it must be dull to play in front of a handful of spectators for much of the summer, only being brought out for T20 matches.

The other observation is that there are so many players of talent in this country. Those who wish to reduce  to eight sides at top level will be denying opportunity to many more than those that I have named.

I am looking forward already to watching Zak Chapell and Matt Lamb next season.

In a parallel, lesser universe, what might their plans be, having left one of eight 'big' Test ground clubs?

It makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Cohen leaves Derbyshire

It is always a shame to write about a Derbyshire player leaving. In all the years that I have written this blog, I have never found it easy to do.

It is especially difficult when the player had everything you could wish for in a cricketer, apart from a body resilient enough to handle the demands of first class cricket.

So it was with Mikey Cohen, whose release has been announced today. It came as no real surprise, as he missed a lot of 2021 with injury and barely played, for the same reason, in 2022. Given that he is from South Africa, there was additional pressure for him to perform every single time, as his name on a team sheet meant that the club lost ECB money for fielding a non-domestic player.

The frustration was that Mikey had it. Still has it, if that body will allow him to get out onto a pitch on a regular basis. Stress fractures have been the problem, the worst enemy of any fast bowler and perhaps a period of rest might enable his body to recover properly, before he perhaps tries again.

Because he is quick. Seriously quick, as he looked on his debut for Derbyshire when wicketkeeper and slips looked to be standing back a little further than we were used to. He took good wickets too, but sometimes the line wasn't quite right and his figures could suffer accordingly.

He took five wickets in an innings against Warwickshire last year and we all hoped that might be the start of something special. It was not to be, as those injuries returned.

We will miss his ready smile, his obvious enjoyment of what he did and his all action style in the field. He could handle a bat too, probably covering more distance than most in between balls as he walked away to square leg to 'recalibrate' between deliveries.

It is with the bat that most will remember him.THAT win at Trent Bridge in the Bob Willis trophy of 2020. He followed five wickets in the home side's two innings with a crucial and calm unbeaten 30, as he and Fynn Hudson-Prentice added 66 together and steered us to a winning run chase of 365. 

When Mikey played the shot off his legs for two runs from the bowling of Jake Ball to win the game, he became an instant hero. When I think back over 50 years of watching the county, that will always be in my top six moments and I suspect it will be for many more too.

It would have been great to have seen more of him as he had serious potential with bat and ball, but it was not to be.

I wish him all the best in the future and like most of you, I am sure, will continue to watch his fortunes, on and off the pitch, in the future. From what I have seen on his Twitter account, he is certainly one of the best guitarists ever to play for Derbyshire.

One of the nicest guys too.

Thank you, Mikey.

Godleman steps down, du Plooy steps up

This morning's announcement that Derbyshire will have a change of captain next season came as no real surprise.

Billy Godleman has held the role for the past seven seasons, for much of which he has led from the front with his unique, distinctive style of batting. He has been a run machine, not to put too fine a point on it, until the past two summers.

They have made for awkward watching. When Billy is in his best form, you would never hold him up as an example to others, never see him in the MCC coaching manual. But it works, for him and for the side. The slash through the offside, the rapier like square cut, the jumping pull and a hook that is remarkably effective, if ungainly.

Yet too often in these past two seasons his feet, head and hands haven't worked together and the result has been an early dismissal. The averages don't lie and the bottom line is that he would have struggled to hold on to his place were he not the club's captain.

That role and the commensurate responsibilities must have weighed heavily on him and it is to the benefit of both the player and the team that he now steps down, back into the ranks and hopefully back into the form that have made him into a modern county hero. 

Captaincy is not easy at any level of the game and I speak having been club captain for 9 successive seasons. It takes a lot out of you and the pressure at county level will be considerably more than that  I faced.

As he goes into the final year of his contract, Billy will have enough on his plate. My Dad has told me several times about the consternation among supporters when Arnold Hamer was finally released by the county after a decade of stellar service. Time waits for no man and regardless of his many great feats as a Derbyshire player, it was time for Arnold to go. It comes to all in the end, as it may have done for even so great a county player as Darren Stevens this year.

Yet Billy is young enough, at 33, to entertain and to contribute for several more seasons, if his game can get back into the groove that saw him score so many runs. To score ten thousand at this level you need to be a pretty good player..

His replacement as captain is Leus du Plooy. While some, myself included, might have favoured the claims of Anuj Dal, Leus is a good cricketer who might move on to the next level with the responsibility of captaincy.

It is equally a strong bargaining tool when his own contract negotiations are up for renewal next season. There may well be no lack of suitors for his services, but few of them will be in a position to offer him the captaincy as well. He will have to bed into the role, learn on the job, but he is an intelligent and thoughtful young man who will likely do so.

I understand he is very happy at Derbyshire and if an appropriate offer was made, when the time comes, will be prepared to extend his time with us.

I wish him well and while that learning curve is ahead, there is no shortage of experienced support inside the dressing room.

In closing, I would like to thank Billy for seven years of sterling effort. Only five men have captained Derbyshire in more matches, only five have held the captaincy for longer in terms of years. In itself, that speaks volumes.

Now let's get that run machine back. Because we all know that if it does return, our chances of success are all the greater.

Matt Lamb signs two-year deal

' I want to make this the county of choice'.

Those were the words of Mickey Arthur, soon after, he signed as Head of Cricket at Derbyshire last winter.

Today on Twitter he welcomed new County signing, Matt Lamb, to that same county of choice, in what is likely to be the first of several signings over the next couple of seasons that will galvanise and transform the club.

Historically, good cricketers don't move from 'big' Test match ground counties to 'little' clubs like Derbyshire. Matt Lamb is a very good, very talented player.

His absence from the Warwickshire side had been noted, though I had put it down to injury, rather than the player's desire to experience pastures new. Let's face it, his average suggests a player of above average talent, while the manner in which he scores his runs is indicative of someone who supporters will enjoy watching.

At 26 he has served his apprenticeship and the Staffordshire-born batsman has a chance to develop his game under the tutelage of one of the game's finest coaches. It may well be that Ian Bell, who worked with the county last year, tipped them off as to the player's unease at Edgbaston, but it is an impressive signing and a statement of intent.

Lamb averaged a shade under 50 in his first team appearances last year, over 40 in List A cricket so far. Such figures are indicative of his talent, but I suspect he has the potential to kick on still further with increased opportunity.

He is also a useful medium pace bowler and no captain can have too many bowling options to choose from. At a time when the club have announced next year's membership rates, it is a timely signing, as well as being an astute one.

If this is what the winter holds in store, then bring it on. There is now additional competition in what is already a strong Derbyshire middle order and, following on from the signing of Zak Chappell, the Mickey Arthur revolution is starting to take shape at the Incora County Ground.

Welcome to Derbyshire, Matt. We look forward to watching you and welcoming you to one of the most friendly clubs on the circuit.

Here he is in action. 6'3 and imposing at the crease, one to watch for sure.

link

Season-closing thoughts

And so the dust has settled on another cricket season. A better one, enjoyed by most Derbyshire supporters, I would think.

I will be honest, I don't expect major changes to the playing staff this winter. The rumours about potential interest in Hassan Azad, oddly released by Leicestershire, continue but I don't see interest in many other domestic players. Not because they wouldn't improve the side, but because at this stage the budget isn't there.

With four existing players awarded their county caps, their salary would have had to increase commensurate with that. That may or may not have taken up a little slack in the budget. But no one would argue against those awards and if it helps to retain the services of the players concerned then it gets my vote.

I am curious, very curious about the way that Mickey Arthur will go in his search for an overseas player. It may be that this year he splits it, bringing in one man for the county championship cricket and Royal London cup, another - a 'rock star' as he calls it - for the T20.

I have seen and heard various comments about replacing Masood on a like for like basis, but I am not so sure that we will. Having been contracted for next year, Billy Godleman will almost certainly start it and will open. Having returned to the form that we have come to know and love, I expect Luis Reece to be his opening partner. He is a far more effective player in that role and with a strong seam bowling staff next year will not have to do so much in that line.

The reality under Mickey Arthur is the same as it was under Dave Houghton. We cannot afford to carry senior players in the second eleven. The two men named above, like a number of others next year, will be playing for their Derbyshire futures. My understanding is that the current staff is very happy and only a major sea change in that respect would see many of them, or any of them, wishing to leave next season.

With Yorkshire replacing Nottinghamshire, I genuinely think we could be well placed to challenge for four day promotion next year. But I also think an overseas spin bowler, ideally one who can handle a bat, would be a better option for us than replacing Masood like for like.

To throw in an example, someone like Imad Wasim might be a good option. Good enough with the bat to average over 40, talented with the ball in all formats. He did well for Nottinghamshire in a T20 stint and more recently has done an excellent job in the Caribbean T20. At 33 he is probably not going to interest the Pakistan selectors any more, but might just see a county stint as a last throw of the dice from that perspective. Mohammad Nawaz would be a similar option, good in both skills.

It is all conjecture, of course. But we need to be wary of a Derbyshire side where the tail starts at number 8. I think that Harry Came is deserving of a run at number six next year, which probably keeps Anuj Dal at seven, even though his batting talent probably warrants being at least one place higher. Someone like Wasim at eight would give him the support that is required to rebuild innings, while also giving Derbyshire a very strong option as either a stock or strike bowler, depending on conditions.

Anyway, we will see. Next year will be the 15th of this blog and I won't pretend that this year has been especially easy to keep it going. Hopefully things calm down a little in the coming months and for your interest over that period I will be doing pieces on some of our key players.

Do please keep in touch, with your comments and your emails. Your support is also appreciated with a donation, using the button on the blog for that purpose. I will be doing a few prize draws over the winter with some excellent cricket books as prizes.

But thank you to all of you for your support, your comments and your interest over the summer months.

May the current feeling of optimism continue to buoy us all over the winter!

Season Review 2022

When considering the appropriate words for this end of season review, it is important to remember where we were at this time last year.

Quite frankly, the same exercise at the end of 2021 was painful. For the first time I was pleased to see the end of a cricket season and at that point could not see a way forward for the county I have supported for well over 50 years. It was patently clear that we needed a reset, a new head of cricket and a different mentality at the club.

Then came Mickey Arthur. He didn't start until the new year, but in a relatively short space of time has galvanised what was effectively the same squad into a team that competed in almost every game.

It wasn't perfect, how could it be? As he said himself before the season, first, we need to become hard to beat, then learn to win matches. The latter is still very much a work in progress, but all fans of the county would have taken, pre-season, the knockout stages in the Vitality Blast and interest in promotion, until the second last round of matches, in four-day cricket.

Overall the batting did well. Only later in the season did Luis Reece rediscover his mojo but he missed the early summer after major winter surgery on both his shoulder and knee. I have every expectation that he will return to former glories next year, when it appears he will be a batsman and occasional bowler, rather than the overworked all-rounder of recent seasons.

Billy Godleman sadly had a wretched campaign. Only a century in the final, largely academic game made his average semi respectable, but he will know as well as anyone that it simply wasn't enough for someone heading the batting and leading the side. Next year is a massive one for him, as we simply cannot accommodate a player who isn't offering what is required at this level. Can he return to former glories? I hope so, but I honestly don't know.

Shan Masood had a wonderful summer and was everything that could be wished for from an overseas player. There was palpable disappointment when he was dismissed, exceeded only by the news that he wasn't going to stay next year, instead taking up an option from Yorkshire. His stroke play, timing, placement and easy personality will be missed, but will live long in the memory. The irony that he will be back as captain of a now-relegated side next year is not lost on many.

Brooke Guest took on the massive challenge of batting at number 3 while being wicketkeeper and did an astonishing job. He reeled off four centuries and is a delightful player to watch when he gets into his stride, as well as an excellent runner between the wickets. His level of fitness is astonishing and he is to be commended for not missing a day of cricket throughout a long summer. 

His wicket keeping too maintained a very high standard and we have a high-class performer on our hands. What summed up his work ethic for me was when he came out as a runner for Ben Aitchison at Cardiff. If anyone was entitled to put his feet up, it was the genial Guest, whose smile barely left his face all summer.

Wayne Madsen enjoyed an Indian summer in his career. I don't think I was alone in thinking that the innings-builder, the run machine had gone and been replaced by a slightly inferior, yet still eminently watchable player of one-day cameos. He finished the season as the highest scorer in the country in four-day cricket, playing some magnificent innings, while his displays is in the Blast were breathtaking in their brilliance. We must enjoy him while we can, as it will be many years before we see his like again.

Leus du Plooy had a solid summer. To be honest, I think he is a better player than an average of 40 suggests and he is capable of much more. When he is in the mood, the ball flies from his bat with the minimum of contact and no bowler can keep him quiet. Yet there are also times when he looks ponderous and awkward, which can be a frustration. There is a sense of expectation when he walks out to bat, however, something given to very few. If he can step up next summer, the absence of Masood will not be so keenly felt.

Anuj Dal is my player of the year. For several seasons he has looked a player of talent, yet possibly one who might not go on to realise it. At the end of last summer, with the departure of Fynn Hudson- Prentice, the opening of an all-rounder role allowed him to find his niche in the side and how he responded! Almost 1,000 runs at an average over 70, as well as over 30 wickets was a remarkable return for an intelligent, articulate and engaging man. He has the opportunity to cement himself as a county legend and I really hope that he does so. He is another who looks like he enjoys every minute and is a firm fan favourite, quite possibly the next captain.

As Dal and Guest kicked on this summer, I think Harry Came may do in 2023. This year he played several fine innings in different styles and started to look at home at this level. His stroke play, when he gets in, is a joy. His defensive technique improved immeasurably and he may be one to watch next year. I had concerns he was just a twenty-over biffer, but he showed himself as much more than that this summer.

Sadly, Tom Wood played little cricket and we didn't really get to see the player that we know is in there. Hopefully he will get back to being the run machine we know from local cricket next season, as there is strong competition for places in this Derbyshire side and there are others well ahead of him at this stage.

As for the bowling, there was a big difference between pace and spin. None of the spinners made a strong case for regular inclusion. Mattie McKiernan did well in the T20 until the quarter final, but rarely bowled in 4-day cricket. He did play some important and fine innings, but seems unlikely to force his way into this side as a batsman who bowls a bit. Alex Thomson started the season well, but faded as it went on and his averages with bat and ball are not strong enough to stake a claim for a regular place.

 Meanwhile Mark Watt, like McKiernon, was a major factor in the T20 success, but looked less of a threat in the longer form. Nor did his batting suggest him the number eight that he ended up in that format. In short, a canny bowler when the batsmen have to score quickly, less threatening when he has to wheedle them out. 

By contrast the seam attack did well, despite its relative inexperience. Sam Conners was the pick of the bunch, taking fifty first-class wickets and doing remarkably well to stay fit and play most matches in all formats. An England Lions call up was his reward and if he can tighten up a little over the winter, curbing the tendency to leak runs with the new ball, the sky is the limit for a very talented bowler.

Likewise, Ben Aitchison. He missed the first half of the season with a stress fracture, but quickly made up for lost time with a reduced run up and looked a bowler of high talent. I suspect he is the best of them all and, with increased support next year, could also be interesting the national selectors. His batting could also develop and there is a bright future ahead for the undemonstrative giant. A great asset for both of these bowlers is their commitment and skill in the field.

Because of injuries Nick Potts was thrown in perhaps before he was ready, but showed that he was capable of good spells and high class deliveries. Like Conners his effectiveness would increase with greater accuracy, but the potential is definitely there for a young man only just out of his teens.

George Scrimshaw bowled effectively in the Blast and also earned an England Lions call. He was rarely seen outwith that format and I suspect that he will become the latest England bowler to limit himself to the short form in due course. His fast, whippy style is well suited to when batsmen have to get after him, but I am unsure as to whether the variations are there to make him a wicket-taking force in the longer form.

Suranga Lakmal arrived as the second overseas player and was unlucky. Firstly, the country was blessed with the best early season wickets for several years, then he picked up a serious elbow injury which ruled him out of most of the summer. I understand that he will be back next year, restored to full health and his experience will be of great value to an otherwise young attack.

Others flitted in and out, but had little opportunity for sustained success. Alex Hughes let no one down in the T20 but played little outside it, while Hayden Kerr replaced Lakmal as overseas and did OK, without pulling up any trees. When he in turn was injured, Hylton Cartwright replaced him but failed to impress.

Toby Pettman was the best of several players who came in on loan, but none of them seem likely to move here over the winter. Ryan Sidebottom bowled some good spells, but returned to Warwickshire injured and his track record is not good from that perspective.

Nonetheless, as we go into the winter, Derbyshire fans can reflect on a summer that was far more enjoyable than many in the recent past. There was a smile on the face of the players, suggesting that they both enjoyed and bought into the ethic introduced by Mickey Arthur. It contrasted considerably with the look and body language at the end of the previous season.

If the club's perennial budgetary situation allows it, another opening batsman and a spin bowling all rounder of quality should be the winter goal. With Zak Chappell already added, the seam attack will be a dangerous proposition next season, assuming full fitness for all concerned. 

A job well done then. With five players rewarded for their efforts with county caps, but most of the existing staff coming to the end of their contracts next season, there is plenty to play for and reasons to impress.

Some will fall by the wayside, as Mikey Cohen looks like doing, having played little cricket this summer with his latest injury. But as a collective, the players did supporters proud this season. If this becomes the county standard, there will be few complaints.

What is exciting is that a number of these players are some way from their peaks and have much more to offer.

We all look forward to what the future holds.