Heads of Cricket and the continued rumbling of discontent

I was fascinated to receive some statistics from a friend this week. He had gone into the records of Derbyshire's recent past to examine the results of the respective county coaches/Heads of Cricket.

There was a time when the position rarely changed, of course. Denis Smith became county coach in 1951 and retired in 1971, having overseen a period of relative success in the 1950s and a more transitional one in the decade that followed, as bona fide club legends gradually retired. 

He was no shrinking violet and a hard task master. The stories are legion about how he could put people firmly in their place with a look, or a pithy comment. His methods would likely not have been appreciated today, but they were different times, in school and in the work place.

'I don't mollycoddle them. No one holds their hands in the middle' he was fond of saying, while Edwin Smith told me how, after being dismissed by the opposition off spinner, he got back to the pavilion to be told 'you bowl it, you should know by now how to play it..'

Edwin took over from his namesake, tasked with bringing through young players because there was little money for anything else, and then sacked because those youngsters had - unsurprisingly - no success in too short a time frame. He was poorly treated, but a good few of those youngsters subsequently went on to long county careers.

Fortunes improved under Eddie Barlow and then Phil Russell, in contrasting styles restoring pride and respect to the county. Both of them, crucially, excellent man managers. You can get so much more from people if you take them with you as you go.

Since the millennium, there have been more frequent changes. The rankings for the various club coaches who had any real time at the club  - and the match percentage of their wins in red ball cricket - are as follows:

Karl Krikken - 27.1%

John Morris - 22.2%

Graeme Welch - 20.6%

Mickey Arthur - 16%

Dave Houghton (2004–07) -11%

Dave Houghton (2018–21) - 8%

I have always maintained that Karl Krikken was poorly treated, but the tenures of the top two in that list were both shorter than they perhaps should have been. 

It is fair to say that John Morris had a very good eye for a player. It was he who brought in the likes of Wayne Madsen, Chesney Hughes, Tony Palladino, Tim Groenewald and Jon Clare, as well as the mercurial Wavell Hinds, at a time when Kolpaks flooded the county game. He also signed Chris Rogers and Charl Langeveldt, both of them outstanding overseas recruits. The strong nucleus of the 2012 promotion squad is right there.

Yet John Shawcroft's excellent Celebration of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, published to mark the 150th anniversary, records skipper Luke Sutton saying that 'the feedback from every single player was very, very negative...it was the right thing to do' when Morris was relieved of his duties.

It is equally appropriate to acknowledge that Karl Krikken was a beneficiary of Morris' work. Again, John Shawcroft records Karl Krikken obtaining 'a negotiated release from his contract 'after the club introduced an elite performance model, which was to be overseen by an elite cricket performance director' - a role subsequently taken on by Graeme Welch. 

The results of both men were better than we have experienced at any time since. Krikken took us into Division One with a young squad and should certainly have been given more time with them. What he might have done with five years and a young team is a moot point.

Dave Houghton's results are damning, and one can only ponder how he was deemed the 'best option' for a return, after the 'effectiveness' of his first stint. I liked Dave as a man, but the results second time around were even worse and therein lies my concern for Derbyshire right now. 

I don't think the current squad at the county is at all bad. There are some good players among their number, but the reality is that Mickey Arthur has proved consistently unable to get the best from them. He hasn't managed it in five years, so why should we expect an improvement over the next two? By his own admission, as well as those in wider sports coaching, players stop listening to a coach after three years, because they hear nothing new.

There have been a couple of relevant stories in The Cricketer in the past week. One of them, by George Dobell, said that up to five counties are looking for Heads of Cricket this winter. I am unaware of any stories connecting Mickey Arthur to those roles and that tells a story, I think. So does the fact that none of the Hundred franchises had him involved last summer. His stock has fallen, beyond doubt, though seemingly not in Derbyshire. 

In the second story, Nick Howson in his end of season roundup said that Arthur's referral to supporters as ignorant 'may be tough to come back from'. For all the protestations that the comment was taken out of context, I maintain the club handled this badly. 

Ryan Duckett said that it showed his passion and commitment, which is nonsense. There are plenty of people with equal commitment about what they do who do not resort to insulting the fan base. He should have been censured for this and a statement released accordingly.

Nick also says the following, at the end of the article:

Arthur might be bathed in international experience, be as big an advocate of the county game as any of his contemporaries, be a member of the newly- formed County Insight Group and give Derbyshire global appeal. But promotion challenges haven't consistently materialised and the support has all but evaporated.

I know mine has. My expectations for next year, if he remains at the helm, will be the lowest they have ever been. Regular readers will know that my unfailing optimism has been a feature of my time in writing this blog, but I would like to think I temper it with realism. 

Five years into a three-year project, two years after players 'stop listening', members and supporters have another two years of this to 'look forward to'. Well, whoopy-doo, wait while I get out the bunting..

I just feel the laissez-faire attitude at the club is worrying. Off the field they are great, doing brilliant stuff, but there appears to be little accountability for a man who has had far longer than other, more able ones were ever allowed. If any of the players were to say 'But I am passionate about my job, I work hard on my skills, I am hurting and this club means a lot to me', when they had averaged 20 with the bat and their contract was up for renewal, do you think it would save them? 

Mickey talks about the 'currency' of players being runs and wickets. By extension, his has to be results. You can't judge a coach on how hard he works, how he reflects and how much it hurts when we lose. Sport is a results-driven basis and he hasn't been on the right side of anywhere near enough of them. With or without HIS team.

We might have won a few red ball games, but we were still 16th out of 18 counties and I don't think that is good enough. I also think we can do better than that with a different coach and not too great a change to the staff. 

The recovery can start here, but only if those in charge are big enough to make the call. Maybe canvassing the players, as they did with John Morris, is a good place to start?

As for members, the forum this month is an opportunity to make your voice heard, if you agree.

And as always, your comments are much appreciated.

Madsen signs one-year red ball deal

There's good news to start a Thursday morning, as Derbyshire announce a new one-year, red ball deal for Wayne Madsen.

It will be his 19th year with the club, which marks a level of loyalty rarely seen in the modern game. Madsen joined the club in 2009 and has gone on to score more than 24,000 all-format runs, including 52 centuries, establishing him very much as a modern great of both Derbyshire and the wider county game.

Quite what the club would have done without him in that time is a moot point. He will be 43 by the time next season starts and so we must assume that it will be a long farewell to the game that he has graced for so long.

It needn't be, of course. If the eyes, feet and hands still move well and the runs still flow, there is no reason why he shouldn't perhaps have one more year after that. Standing at first slip won't test his stamina but we must hope a few hours at the crease are still well within his compass.

Will he be skipper? Maybe, but there's always the possibility that it could be a lure for the right, all-format overseas bat, which is on top of the shopping list for the winter. 

I do feel that next season will be a watershed for the club in many ways, with a number of contracts coming to an end. There has to be a higher level of performance, across the board, than we saw in 2026, because looking at players out of contract next year, there are a number who would strengthen both Derbyshire and other teams. It would be remiss of those involved not to pursue such opportunities should they present themselves. 

Finally today, there is an interesting interview with Ryan Duckett online, which is well worth a listen. 

It is clear that he shares the frustration of members and supporters at the season just finished. He mentions an opportunity for members to bring these up at a forthcoming forum and I would urge those who are able to do so to attend and express their own feelings. 

The club is admirably run - one has only to listen to the Derbyshire Chief Executive and to hear about plans for the future to understand that. 

Yet at the end of the day, this is Derbyshire County CRICKET Club and the name is on the gates. It is all well and good registering profits and doing a lot of good in other areas. But there should be no reason why we should not emulate other smaller counties with limited budgets and challenge for silverware. 

I accept that injuries played a part in 2026, but we were not the only county to be so affected.

It is down to Mickey Arthur to get more from his squad than he managed to do this year, or in those that preceded it. 

If he can't do that, then one has to question the wisdom of retaining his services any longer than is strictly necessary.

Good news for Donald and Bashir

Great news for Nye Donald and Derbyshire today, with his selection for the England squad in a five-match T20 series against Australia next month.

It is huge opportunity for him to showcase his talent. If he can show his best form down under, the opportunities for him in franchise cricket could quite easily change his life.

I really hope that he gets the opportunity and is able to show his best form.

Like all of you, I wish him well.

Equally good news came yesterday with the confirmation that Shoaib Bashir has another one-year central England contract.

It represents a considerable saving for Derbyshire in their budget, which can be redeployed in whatever way they feel appropriate.

Excellent news to start the week!

Weekend warmer

It's been a good week.

It started with media news that Shoaib Bashir has been awarded an England central contract, which has yet to be confirmed by the ECB. This would be good news for Derbyshire, if true, because they have doubtless been keeping money aside to cover the cost of his deal, 'just in case'. 

One assumes that Cricinfo wouldn't go public if there was any doubt, but until the puffs of smoke come from the ECB offices, we will hold our horses on the celebratory lap of honour...

In other news, both Martin Andersson and Nye Donald have enjoyed success in the Canadian T10. Sixes rained from their bats, although to be fair they rained from everyone's bats on football grounds, where the straight boundaries, playing across the pitch, were minimalist. It reminded of Heanor, back in the day, although the mid wicket boundaries, to the ends of the football pitch, were bigger. Anyway, it is good to see them playing on the world stage and I wish them continued good. fortune. I wouldn't want to be a bowler, on those grounds, that's for sure!

Vancouver Anchors, coached by Mickey Arthur and featuring Andersson and Donald, lost in the final to the Toronto Sixers, despite scoring 164-3 in their ten overs. Their opponents lived up to their name by scoring nineteen of them, in winning off the final ball. Doesn't sound like my kind of game, but each to their own...

There's been a little to-ing and fro-ing in cricket, with the most surprising departure being Ben Cox leaving Leicestershire. He had a very good summer with bat and gloves for them and apparently didn't miss a chance in red ball cricket. I had assumed he would go to Nottingham, where he has played for the Trent Rockets, but they have signed John Simpson from Sussex and the other likely option, Warwickshire, have the highly-rated Kai Smith behind the stumps. 

I would be surprised if Cox, a multi-format player, dropped out of the first-class game, because I've always rated him highly. It is worth keeping an eye on that one.

Moving on, I have enjoyed your comments this week and the standard remains very high, so thank you. I have to say that whether paid early, on a discounted scheme, or at the usual rate cricket membership at Derbyshire, for me, represents very good value. 

If you compare what you get for it with a season ticket for the football, for example, the value becomes clear. I do understand the reluctance in some quarters to shell out, after the comments made by Mickey Arthur, but what you get for your outlay is pretty good value. 

Having said that, they do need to do something about the food offer on the ground. I was disappointed on my visit to Derby this year, to find you couldn't buy a sandwich on the ground. This would seem a very basic need for people who will be at the cricket all day, as well as being something easily sorted. Not everyone wants an industrial-sized sausage roll and when these, or pasties, were the only visible options, the club is hardly catering for the healthy eating agenda...

Yesterday I was thrilled to enjoy a lengthy chat with Daryn Smit,  on his coaching career, his work with Derbyshire and his hopes for the future. 

We covered a lot of ground, so much so that we will finish things off this week, before I start to write it up. I can say with great confidence that you are going to love this and I am grateful to Daryn for giving up his time to talk to me. 

In closing tonight, I'm thrilled to announce that the blog has now gone past nine million views. I remain both humbled and flattered by the continued interest of so many people and I really do value both your comments and also the emails that I get on a regular basis. 

Thank you all so much for your support. I WILL continue with the blog, at least until this time next year, when I will review things after what will have been twenty seasons of coverage. 

Where did that time go? 

Enjoy your weekends!

Weekend news roundup

So Simon Hughes is the latest former player to decide to have a pop at Derbyshire, in a column in The Times this weekend.

He has made a good career in the media after playing for a number of years as a bit-part player at Middlesex. He had his days in the sun but never established himself as a regular and moved to Durham before slipping into the media.

This weekend he said: 

You question the raison d'etre of a club like Derbyshire... with a perennial position in the nether regions of Division Two and who haven't produced an England cricketer since Dominic Cork in 1995

For Hughes read Atherton and Pietersen. They were all happy enough to earn a crust in the first class game, but are now happy to question the existence of the member clubs who made their career.

I do get it, but it still annoys me. This is why I am so keen to see Derbyshire promote their own. Why I want to see the Pathway more obviously assimilated into the grand plan. Why I see no point in giving a short-term deal to a player who learned his skills elsewhere, rather than that opportunity going to one who has come through our age groups. You know who I am talking about..

But Hughes, like the others, neglects the fact that there is another side. Having more clubs ensures that late developers can sometimes throw themselves into contention for national selection. Mark Footitt came close, Nye Donald, George Scrimshaw and Shoaib Bashir made it, thanks to the experience and exposure that they got in Derbyshire colours. 

There were no takers for Bashir when he left Somerset. Had Derbyshire not taken him on, we would potentially have seen England 's number one spin bowler without a club. Of course, we don't know what happens with his central contract for the year ahead and a new decision will need to be made at the end of 2027, regardless of whether he retains it or not. I suspect he will need better figures than 2026, but we will see.

He is a young man with obvious talent yet needing the opportunity to bowl and keep bowling. The same with Nye Donald, who could easily be outside the game now, were it not for the opportunity he got in the East Midlands.

It isn't JUST about bringing through youngsters, but for Derbyshire to retain their relevance, it is imperative that we do more than merely pay lip service to the Pathway.

There is the quandary. In Mickey Arthur, we have a man who sits at the top table of English cricket and is well-placed to state the case of players like Bashir, Donald, maybe even Martin Andersson, if his upward trajectory continues. 

But his background shows zero evidence of the development of young players. You look at Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Worcestershire and even Gloucestershire and see counties who have had recent success with teams largely reared by themselves. Yet Derbyshire can't match that and until we have a Head of Cricket who is prepared to offer opportunity, my concerns will still be there. 

Of course, you can't just throw them in. You couldn't pluck Theo Brown out of school and expect him to flourish, any more than you could play Matt Stewart and expect him to take five wickets a match. To succeed, they need to come into a side where they can play a part and learn at the same time. But it is crucial that Arthur - assuming he remains after recent events - is seen to consider them for senior action. 

Yousaf Bin Naeem will only develop if he gets regular cricket at a higher level. And I will die on the hill on which I argue Matt Stewart being around the first team squad would have had greater value long term than Will Rogers providing 'a different angle'. 

When Arthur goes, it is crucial that he is replaced by someone who has clear evidence of being able to work with young players, get the best from them and encourage them into a senior side where they are surrounded by seasoned pros of quality. Like Barnett, Adams and Morris, when they joined people like Steele, Hampshire, Wright and Kirsten.

Hughes' article goes on to say that counties earn 'on average' £1.25 million a year on membership fees. I think it is fair to say that Derbyshire would love to earn that...

In other news, The Cricket Paper reported:

Wayne Madsen's retirement from T20 cricket was followed by his departure from the professional game, closing a 17-year Derbyshire association 

Thank you to Simon for alerting me to this. I can confirm that there is no truth in it at this stage and any development will be announced by the club when they are ready to do so. 

For what it is worth, I fully expect Wayne to play the red ball season next summer, which may well be an extended farewell around the country. 

But that old saying 'you're a long time retired' still holds true and if he showed that the old magic is still there, you never know. Just like Old Man River, he might just keep rolling along.

I am sure that he will want to join his family in South Africa before too long, but while the body is willing and the returns are good...

Anyway, enjoy your weeks and I will see you soon.

Radio interview

My final interview of the 2026 cricket season took place last night with James Sadler of North Derbyshire Radio

We covered a good few topics and I hope it is of interest to some of you 

You can listen to it here

I am on just after the 25-minute mark.

Exciting news for the winter blog!

The winter months allow me a chance to recalibrate and get my breath back after a busy summer. 

I'm not sure how I ever found time to work, to be honest! Between Dad stuff, things around the house and garden, walking the dogs and days out with my wife, I can certainly fill my time without any issue at all. With books to read, music to listen to and Netflix to watch, there aren't enough hours in the day!

But I will keep the blog going over the winter. As and when there is any relevant cricket news to report, you will find my thoughts on it here. I expect to do a weekly round up, so do please keep checking in as you have been doing.

Now for some BIG news! 

Next month I will be doing an exclusive interview with popular former Derbyshire star Tony Palladino, which will probably appear in time to mark the 20th year of the blog's existence next year. I will be discussing his time with Derbyshire, life after cricket and his thoughts on the current situation at the club.

There will also be a competition giveaway of books to those who kindly contribute throughout the year. So if you would like to make a donation, either as a one off or as a regular thing, please use the donate button that shows up when viewing on a laptop or PC. You can also email me for details if you prefer to make a bank transfer and cut out PayPal.

Moving forward, next year I hope to do a monthly update on the Derbyshire women's team and I have an interview over the winter with Gareth Marshall, the senior coach of the Girl's Pathway and Assistant Coach to Derbyshire Senior Women's side.

I am also delighted to confirm an interview in the coming weeks with Daryn Smit, the Head of the Derbyshire Pathway. I am looking forward to that one immensely and finding out how they recruit and develop young players and who we should be keeping an eye on in the years ahead.

Last, but certainly not least, I will have an interview with Ben Aitchison, who will be discussing his recovery from injury, Derbyshire's and his season and his hopes for the future. 

If anyone has any questions you would like me to ask any of the above, please mail them to me at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

Between times, if you are missing your cricket fix, the YesPlay Pro20 Cup is on YouTube from South Africa and is well worth a watch. Many of the big names are involved and there have already been some excellent matches.

All that and at a time when you don't need to keep your eyes open with matchsticks...

See you soon!