That the profit was £105k pre-tax, after a winter where it has been clear, at least to me, that we were investing more on the cricket side, is quite remarkable.
Everyone involved deserves great credit for the work that they do, on and off the pitch. Our club is debt-free and there are very few sports clubs at this level that are able to say such a thing.
It is heartening news ahead of the season, with the final pre-season fixture starting tomorrow at the County Ground.
Further, good news came with Alan Hill continuing as club president. He is a man who has served Derbyshire well over many years, as player, coach and administrator. He has always been very approachable and courteous towards me and I look forward to meeting him again over the summer months.
I was also pleased to hear that Tom Poynton has joined the board, replacing the outgoing Colin Tunicliffe. The latter is another who has given sterling service to the county, on and off the pitch, but it is necessary for a younger man, someone closer to the modern game, to be involved at this level.
Tom is an excellent choice and knows cricket very well. He will be an excellent addition to the board, asking the right questions of the head of cricket and enabling the correct paths to be taken. I wish him well.
Moving to on-field matters, the Telegraph today says that Lancashire's Tom Hartley looks set to go to the World Cup with England. With Cricket Australia already truncating the stay of Nathan Lyon, it looks unlikely that Jack Morley's stay with Derbyshire will be a long one. Lancashire's problem is similar to that faced by Derbyshire with Mohammad Amir and they have quickly gone from three spinners, going into the season, to only one. I would be surprised if we didn't hear something about that this week.
Staying on the subject of overseas players, if Derbyshire are using the excellent resources of South Africa for the replacement of Amir, then that player may well not be with us until the end of April. The CSA T20 Challenge continues until then and so we should not expect the imminent arrival of anyone from the Cape.
Having looked at a few options, accepting there is no real 'like for like' with Amir, I think the best alternative might be Migael Pretorius. His record suggests a good bowler, while his batting is powerful. His experience with Durham last year would stand him in good stead and he is perhaps the player best suited for four day and T20 cricket, as well as to the balance of the side.
Others that may come into play might be Eathan Bosch, a fast bowler and big hitter, while as I wrote recently, Hardus Viljoen and Duane Olivier could be options if their demands were realistic. So too Wayne Parnell, who has been around the world and back on various deals.
For me, Pretorius would be the man, with Parnell and outside bet, but we must await developments and see if Mickey Arthur agrees.
Finally today, Glamorgan already have injury problems ahead of their first championship match. Eddie Byrom dislocated a shoulder in training, while Tim Van Der Gugten has a calf injury. Two big injuries to have so early on, hoping neither are too serious for both players.
More from me over the weekend, perhaps before and certainly during the match against Leeds/Bradford UCCE.
With Nathan Lyon now only available for 7 of Lancashire 4 day fixtures, what's the betting they recall Morley early. Apparently Australia are worried about Lyons workload. On and on goes the ridiculous player recruitment lottery.I realise he hasn't been recalled yet, but I'm sure he will be probably at the exact time we may need him the most.
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