Final one for 2024

If you are a believer in portents, then 2025 could be special for Derbyshire.

Next year is a 'squared year', the only one in most of our lifetimes. The next one will not be until 2116, so to see that one you will need to be much younger than me (and probably not reading this blog right now!)

2025 is 45 squared, while 46 squared takes us to the year above..

44 squared? That was 1936, when we won the county championship. Maybe  posterity will see us as the 'squared year county', but lIke most of you I would settle for greater frequency than once in a lifetime...

Strange as it seems, I have lived and supported Derbyshire County Cricket Club through the greatest years, seeing all but one of the trophies in their history. There have been plenty of times that it hasn't seemed that way, but you can't argue with the facts.

Key to our prospects next season will be Caleb Jewell, who I watched yesterday opening the batting for the Hobart Hurricanes (Tasmania to you and me) in the Big Bash.

After a challenging winter so far for him, it didn't make for easy viewing. The pitch was flat, the ground small but Jewell looked like a player low on confidence during his innings of 22 from 20 balls. There was a lot of playing and missing, a couple of them from decidedly agricultural mows, several streaky edges and a couple that he middled going straight to fielders. He adjusted well to one wide ball to guide it through point for four, while another ungainly shot highlighted the size of the ground by sailing into the crowd over point. 

Yet there was no suggestion of permanence and it was almost a relief when he was caught at extra cover from a drive. I felt sorry for the lad, because anyone who has been in poor touch will know how it is. His side went on to post 214 and win, largely thanks to Ben McDermott and Tim David, but without their power, Hobart would have struggled from that sluggish start. 

I would like to think he is better than that, but I have to admit I am tempering my expectations. I would love to be proved wrong and that he comes over here to be a run machine, but I don't expect a modern version of Dean Jones, Marcus North, Michael di Venuto or Simon Katich. 

Truth be told, his career averages in red and white ball cricket are pretty much the same as those of Harry Came, so I think supporters need to be realistic. I hope he comes out of his current famine sometime soon, because we really need the input of a good, solid overseas bat. But I have to say I have some way to go before being convinced that Caleb will provide what we need.

We will see. Maybe he just needs a good batting coach to get him back to basics, but Mickey Arthur, after a string of disappointing signings from foreign climes, really needs two overseas players next year who will enhance the existing offer.

If they don't, what is the point of the expense? You could likely contract someone like Ajay Khunti, who averaged 180 for the second team in 2024, for a fraction of the cost and greater long-term commitment.

Anyway, this is my final post of 2024. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and I wish everyone the very best in 2025. 

If a trophy comes about, remember mystic Peakfan called it first...

Seasons greetings!

I thought I would take a quiet moment before the activity of the festive season to wish everyone the very best for Christmas and for 2025. 

I hope that Christmas is filled with everything that you enjoy and that the new year sees you stay fit and well. Equally pertinent, from a cricket perspective, let us hope that concerns that I feel we all share about Derbyshire in 2025 prove to be wrong. 

Caleb Jewell's winter struggles continued on his return to the Hobart Hurricanes side, when he made only seven runs  in their easy win over the Perth Scorchers, Mitch Owen blazing his way to a memorable century with some bucolic strokes.

Hopefully Jewell shows us what he can do in the rest of a pretty lengthy competition and discovers his best form ahead of his arrival on these shores.

If he can discover the class and poise of Nathan McSweeney, dropped from the national side after understandable struggles against Jasprit Bumrah, he will do alright.

McSweeney looked a very good player in anchoring Brisbane to a win today, pacing the run chase to perfection, despite wickets falling around him.

There will be interest in his services, for sure.

Anyway, seasons greetings to you all and thank you so much for your support - financial and otherwise - in 2024.

Bad luck for county alumni in Oz

It wasn't the best of weekends for former Derbyshire players at the start of the Australian Big Bash.

In yesterday's opening game, Hilton Cartwright (class of '22) seemed to hurt his neck in diving to stop a boundary. The game was suspended for ten minutes while he was attended to by medical staff, then taken off the field on a stretcher and in a neck brace. 

The injury has yet to be diagnosed at the time of writing, but it looked sufficiently bad for him to be ruled out for the immediate future. That's a real shame for the Perth Scorchers, as he has been in excellent form this season, averaging over 50 in the Sheffield Shield.

Meanwhile Hayden Kerr (also class of '22) had to retire hurt today, after pulling a hamstring while running between the wickets for the Sydney Sixers against the Melbourne Renegades. That also seems likely to rule him out for a game or two, so neither man has had the best of starts to the competition. 

One player who did impress me was Cooper Connolly, who at just 21 and with only 18 T20 matches behind him has already played for his country. He took 1-18 with his accurate slow left arm and then scored 64 batting at number three, looking a very talented player in the process. 

I always feel there is much to commend a player who offers an all-round game in twenty over cricket. I would expect Connolly to receive a few offers ahead of The Vitality Blast this year, if he stays injury-free himself, of course.

On Thursday morning Caleb Jewell will doubtless line up for Tasmania in their opening fixture, alongside another former Derbyshire player, Ben McDermott (class of '21). Jewell has struggled for runs this summer, his drought extending to recent club matches for North Hobart, in which he was dismissed for nought and five.

As we all know, an out of form player is only a couple of balls in the middle of the bat away from finding his rhythm. 

It would be nice all round if Caleb could manage that on Thursday.

Weekend roundup

The article on Blair Tickner by Will MacPherson in the Telegraph earlier this week reflects great credit on the player and club.

You can see that article here

That Tickner was able to keep going after the diagnosis on his wife, Sarah's health is to his great credit. So too how the players and their wives and partners rallied around them both and their daughter, Florence.

It is clear that Tickner is a man of honour and the article leaves no doubt that he hopes to return to the county in 2025 for unfinished business. 

Only time will tell how realistic that ambition is. His wife will require ongoing treatment and it would be difficult to focus on his work, when he is potentially thousands of miles from home. 

My own gut feeling, should he be able to travel, is that Derbyshire will perhaps limit his involvement to the red ball section of the early summer, allowing him then to travel home at the end of May, before the T20 begins. He might then return at the end of the summer, depending on how the early part of the season goes for the county.

This week's news from Pakistan might be helpful, with both Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir announcing their retirements (again) from international cricket. Both appear to be set to see out the remainder of their careers in franchise and T20 cricket around the world. 

Amir's stint at Derbyshire last year was too short to be hugely influential, though he proved hard to get away. He didn't really appear to 'slip' himself but batters will always be aware that he has that ability if required.

It could well be that Derbyshire's Head of Cricket lines him up for a return, having a good relationship with the player. The same could be said for Wasim, of course, who worked a good partnership with Samit Patel when they were both at Nottinghamshire. 

I think the skill set of the latter would be better suited to Derbyshire, though my concern is that when I have more recently watched him, he hasn't looked especially fit. A knee injury has hampered him and he also appears to be carrying more weight than in his prime. In a Derbyshire squad that is already not the youngest, my personal feeling is that someone younger might be a better bet.

Perhaps the forthcoming Big Bash in Australia will be worth a watch. Having already signed Caleb Jewell from Tasmania, there will be other young talents there who would enhance our T20 prospects with bat and ball, as well as offering something extra in the field. 

Of course, a chance to impress in the English T20 could then offer an opening into The Hundred, which is an inducement that will hold considerable appeal.

All conjecture and supposition at this stage, but the more I think about it the more I feel it is likely that our second overseas role will be split next summer.

Given the challenges highlighted in my last post around overseas recruitment, it seems the most likely solution.

We will see.

Meantime, enjoy your weekend! 

Winter warmer

I think we all need a winter warmer today. 

It has been a horrible weekend, weather-wise and at such times the cricket season seems a long way off. It is currently 107 days until Derbyshire start their summer with a pre-season match at the County Ground and we can only hope that it improves considerably between times. 

I have finally managed to book a trip down there and I will be staying in Derby between June 4 and 7. I will then be able to see two 20-over fixtures and also visit family and friends in the area. It should give me an opportunity to assess our chances in that format, which appears our better chance of success once again. 

Mickey Arthur did get a trophy under his belt this week, winning the Global Super League with a win over Australian state side Victoria in the final. 

Zak Chappell had a good tournament for them, as was always likely from an excellent bowler in the format. Wayne Madsen was less successful, but it is still good to see the county legend getting belated opportunities overseas.

I just hope the competition allowed our Head of Cricket to spot some untapped talent over there. There are still too many questions against the Derbyshire squad for me to go in to 2025 with any degree of confidence. Caleb Jewell continues to play for Victoria second string, while Blair Tickner is absent from the current round of fixtures in New Zealand for 'family reasons.'

While I understand the genial Kiwi remains Mickey Arthur's first pick for next year, the health of his wife will surely dictate availability and there are presumably other options on the table.

A recent article, however, highlighted the challenge in recruiting overseas players.

After the ECB successfully lobbied the Home Office five years ago,  regulations were altered so that eligibility – which was previously linked solely to international caps – instead took into account domestic T20 appearances. Players are eligible for an international sportsperson visa if they have played 20 top-level T20 fixtures in a full-member nation in the last three years, for those without international credentials.

However, with players increasingly specialised and many of the best white-ball players not regularly playing first-class cricket, the challenge to find eligible, quality red-ball overseas players is clear. Zaman Khan, for example, has never played red ball cricket and to recruit players good at T20 represents a gamble in both the skill set and also the level of fitness to bowl 15-20 overs a day.

Players who do not meet the criteria can apply for a 28-day permitted paid engagement visa, but that doesn't enable them to fulfil a complete block of red ball cricket. In Derbyshire's case, such a player might be available for the first four red ball matches but then not for the next three. 

It highlights why a player like Tickner, theoretically interested and available, becomes a target. With the PSL and IPL overlapping the start of the English county season, the available options are increasingly limited.

Oh for the days when you could sign a big name star, safe in the knowledge he was able to play for the full summer. They're gone and will never return. 

Finally today, the recent sad passing of Brian Jackson leaves Edwin Smith as the oldest surviving former Derbyshire player. 

Edwin will be 91 on January 2, which would take him past his highest score batting for the county. Nonetheless, he is the last man to take over a thousand wickets in the county colours and is a quite wonderful man.

Just behind him in the age stakes are Michael Bentley, who played just one match for the county in 1957 and will be 90 in February, all being well, then Keith Mohan, whose 90th falls in June of next year.

Keith, like Edwin, has had a poor spell of health recently but remains a great character with a wicked sense of humour.

I still recall, with a smile, when we were at Derby railway station after the funeral of Walter Goodyear in 2016. We were both awaiting trains home, him to York, me to Glasgow and we had half an hour to kill, which we did with a coffee in the bar.

As the pleasant young waitress approached, Keith asked if we could have two coffees, 'for my older brother and myself...' 

The twinkle in his eyes was evident, the following grin shared with me.

Long may it continue!

Book Review: A Striking Summer: How Cricket United A Divided Nation by Stephen Brenkley

A cricket book that is also a social history? That'll do nicely..

Coming from a mining background, the events of 1926 and the general strike, together with the subsequent treatment of miners,  has been well engraved on my soul. In this book, which is admirably researched and written, Stephen Brenkley has managed to encapsulate the mood of the country while England were trying to wrest The Ashes from Australian hands. 

It is a series that has been well documented but not previously, in my opinion, as well as this. Until the fifth and final Test the matches were played over three days, which in those pre-Bazball times were insufficient to produce a result, even when heavy rain produced 'sticky dogs' to contend with. Crowds queued through the night to see a hard-fought series, culminating in a legendary finale at The Oval.

England's selection was muddled, as always, with the side taking the field experienced to  ridiculous proportions. Jack Hobbs was 43, wicket-keeper Herbert Strudwick 46 and Wilfred Rhodes, recalled for the final (successful) Test 48. Yet they triumphed, largely through the well-documented opening partnership of 172 between Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe in that final match, after heavy overnight rain had left the pitch perilous, some deemed almost impossible, for batting. 

The young Nottinghamshire pace bowler, Harold Larwood, who was to go on to greater things in Australia in 1932-33, made a difference and the visitors were blown away in the fourth innings by his pace at one end and the guile of Rhodes at the other. 

The author paints vivid pictures of the matches in the series and remarkably gives greater background on what the players got up to in the evenings, how they fared between matches and how the country responded to a series that was in stark contrast to what was going on around the shires. There are also enjoyable pen portraits of the major protagonists, which add much to the quality of the book, as do excellent photographs.

The miners were defeated, like the Australians. They eventually returned to work and faced longer hours for less pay, if they had a job to go back to at all. Not all of them did and it was a stark episode in the class division of this country. 

Stephen Brenkley has produced a masterpiece and Fairfield Books are to be commended for three books this Autumn that are worthy of a place on the shelves of any cricket fan. 

This is quite superb.

A Striking Summer: How Cricket United A Divided Nation is written by Stephen Brenkley and published by Fairfield Books