Another top innings from Tom Knight

I don't know how many of you caught it, but there was another special innings from Tom Knight yesterday as Derbyshire's second team beat Yorkshire at Swarkestone.

Knight made 125 at a run-a-ball, only being run out by a direct hit from the boundary edge on the last ball of the innings, as Derbyshire posted 235-7 in fifty overs. The next highest score was Tony Palladino's 22, which indicates the importance of Tom's knock.

Yorkshire's innings got off to a strong start, with Hodd, Hodgson and Leaning all batting well, but when erstwhile county loanee Dan Hodgson was leg before to Palladino for 83, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. The last six wickets fell for 33 runs as Tom Taylor completed an excellent spell that saw him return figures of 4-33.

It's quite amusing that the Yorkshire club site reports on their side being young, yet given that most of our second team was playing at Derby against India, the local lads were hardly in the veteran stage. Yet a win by 29 runs ensued as Yorkshire finished their innings on 205-9, an excellent result in the circumstances.

There's quite a sea change going on at this level, where traditionally we haven't beaten the white rose county all that often. Yet at both academy and second team level we are starting to be the dominant side, something that can only augur well for the years ahead.

Well done to Tom Knight, though, who is rapidly developing into a genuine all-rounder after a stellar summer with the bat.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire preview

Coming off two tremendous wins and with a team full of confidence, Derbyshire will be looking forward to tomorrow's game against local rivals Leicestershire. Especially since the Foxes have been decimated by players defected, retired and injured.

James Taylor and Harry Gurney have gone to Nottinghamshire (memo to Gurney - why?), Paul Nixon has retired and Will Jefferson, Matthew Hoggard and Nathan Buck are all injured. Logically Derbyshire should have a strong opportunity to make it three from three against a dangerous side shorn of its major talent.

Its just a shame about the weather.

Today was apparently horrible and the next few days don't seem much better. If Derbyshire are to make it three from three they will need to score runs quickly and bowl with all the spirit and skill they have shown thus far. There are slight injury doubts over Mark Footitt, with either Tim Groenewald or Mark Turner set to deputise if he fails a fitness test. The Derbyshire squad is:

Martin Guptill, Paul Borrington, Wayne Madsen (Captain), Wes Durston, Dan Redfern, Ross Whiteley, David Wainwright, Jonathan Clare, Tom Poynton, Tim Groenewald, Tony Palladino, Mark Turner and Mark Footitt.

As for the visitors, their depleted side is captained by former West Indies ace Ramnaresh Sarwan, on who much will depend. Their squad is:

Greg Smith, Matthew Boyce, Jacque du Toit, Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Josh Cobb, Ned Eckersley, Wayne White, Jigar Naik, Claude Henderson, Robbie Joseph, Alex Wyatt and Nadeem Malik.

If the rain allows it, I expect a Derbyshire win. I'm more confident in the team than the climate though, so I'm sad to have this one down as a likely draw.

Glamorgan v Derbyshire day two

If Wales Online is anything to go by, Glamorgan are as good as beaten in this game, after Derbyshire bowled them out before lunch then extended their lead to 187 with four wickets in hand. "Glamorgan facing defeat against Derbyshire" says their headline tonight.

I'm not so sure it is that clear cut, as the indications after tea were that the wicket, which for two days had been damp underneath the top surface, was starting to flatten out a little. That should not take anything away from an outstanding fight by our middle/lower order, however, but we will need to continue to work hard to come away with the win points in this one.

Jon Clare has had a day to remember, with 5-17 this morning being followed by a belligerent unbeaten 40 after Ross Whiteley was run out shortly after tea. If these two talented young players continue in the vein they have shown in this game they both have the potential to be called up for England Lions in the not too distant future.

So too does David Wainwright and the three make up a terrific engine room of all round talent for Derbyshire. At 37-5 we were in real trouble today, but to then get through to the close on 152-6 was a superb effort. The problem has largely been one of negligible bounce and lavish movement, hence the large number of batsmen being bowled or leg before. It has not been, in short, the sort of track you would expect to see on a Test match ground.

Speaking of Wainwright, the left-handed all-rounder batted 47 overs and nearly three hours for his unbeaten 30, most of it made when the wicket was at its worst. Few would deem it an attractive innings, but in its importance to his adopted county it was beyond value. With no disrespect intended, it was not the sort of diligent, responsible innings one could have expected Greg Smith to have played in such a situation. After taking the wicket of Robert Croft with his only ball of the day, Wainwright could hardly have done any more for the Derbyshire cause today and he has become an instant favourite with the fans.

So what of the match? After a day of sunshine, Derbyshire's bowlers will hope for a little cloud cover tomorrow as Glamorgan embark on a likely chase of around 230. Any more will see Derbyshire fancy their chances; less will leave the game wide open.

Derbyshire are on top at the end of day two and have once again displayed an admirable fighting spirit as well as no little technical skill. They will need more of both tomorrow to conclude another very encouraging display with the win points.

Now that would shut up a few people, wouldn't it?

PS In other news, there was another encouraging spell by Matt Higginbottom today for Leeds/Bradford MCCU against Yorkshire as he continues his recovery from injury. He took the wickets of Anthony McGrath and Andrew Gale for just 16 runs having earlier made a belligerent unbeaten 31.

Now where's my sunglasses? That future is getting a bit bright for me...

Glamorgan v Derbyshire day one

Last night I suggested that Derbyshire might get an awakening in this match after the success of the Northamptonshire game. By tea time today it looked like I was pretty accurate in my forecast, as we slumped to 130 all out, but at 37-4 by the close Glamorgan are in big trouble.

Of course,  Jim Allenby and Mark Wallace, a perennial thorn  in Derbyshire's side, are still to come but at the end of another extraordinary day's cricket Derbyshire will be quietly pleased with today's performance. Batting was never easy and, with the batsmen having to go off a few times, there was the continual issue of restarting an innings against bowlers who were refreshed from a spell in the pavilion.

You could probably have written the script that Graham Wagg would be the star turn for the Welsh side, but the former Derbyshire star needs that sort of performance on a regular basis this year after a disappointing 2011. We all know that he can be dangerous with a bat in his hand too, but on this sort of track the next ball can always be the one with your wicket on it.

There was lavish movement for bowlers all day and perhaps the biggest achievement was the partnership between Ross Whiteley and David Wainwright that added 48 runs in the afternoon. I'm sure that Karl Krikken was hoping for 200-230 today, but in choosing to bat he must have seen a wicket that he expects to deterioriate as the game progresses. First innings lead is not beyond the realms of possibility if conditions are again overcast tomorrow and, of course, we put the ball in the right areas.

In that final session, Tony Palladino and Mark Footitt again bowled with hostility, while Jon Clare picked up his first wicket of the seasonwhen he got Ben Wright leg before. With none of their side yet having made double figures, Glamorgan were on the ropes when the end of the day came after seven this evening.

Yes, the first innings was disappointing and we'd have hoped for more. But Derbyshire have battled as I fully expected they would and are very much in this game at the end of day one.

On balance, I'd have them slightly ahead. Here's hoping I'm saying the same, or better, tomorrow.

Glamorgan v Derbyshire preview

Derbyshire won their opening Championship match in some style at the weekend, while Leicestershire roundly thrashed tomorrow's opponents, Glamorgan. That being the case, if the weather stays out of things Derbyshire should naturally vanquish tomorrow's Welsh opponents with ease.

Of course, you know as well as I do, if you have followed the game for any length of time, that cricket doesn't quite work like that. Just when you think you have it worked out and things are going swimmingly, it has a habit of creeping up on you, smacking you on the head, kneeing you in the groin and walking over your fallen body. Form can go just as quickly as it came, teams can raise their game and you can take things for granted.

This is what Karl Krikken and Wayne Madsen now need to guard against. We beat Northamptonshire - a team I would regard as better than Glamorgan - with a brilliant, focussed team performance that has rarely been bettered in recent years. Anything less than that could see us in trouble against opponents  who will be smarting after a hefty defeat in the season opener.

The hosts have named the following 12, which of course sees Graham Wagg face his former team mates:

Rees, Walters, Bragg, Wright, Henriques, Allenby, Wallace (capt), Wagg, Croft, Owen, Cosker, Reed.

It's not a bad side, but by the same token there aren't many that I would swap into ours. Allenby is a dangerous player and we all know what Wagg can do, but there is no James Harris and Moises Henriques is as yet unproven, certainly on our tracks. The early season replacement for Marcus North, Henriques has a decent, if not spectacular record for New South Wales, though I would be surprised if he batted higher than Jim Allenby, a player that Derbyshire chased when he left Leicestershire.

As for Derbyshire, the old maxim "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies quite nicely. The only thing "broke" is Tim Groenewald's groin, so I would expect Jon Clare to take his place in the side. Mark Turner and Ally Evans will also be along just in case, but the Derbyshire side is likely to take the field as follows:

Guptill, Borrington, Madsen (captain), Durston, Redfern, Whiteley, Clare, Wainwright, Poynton, Palladino, Footitt.

The weather forecast isn't great for the next few days and that might legislate against a positive result. The reassurance against some recent trips to Wales, however, is that in Wainwright and Durston we have our own spin bowlers to counter Croft and Cosker. By the same token, our seam attack is stronger, as is the batting.

All we need to do now is prove that on the pitch - starting tomorrow.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 4

Wayne and Wainer's World...

Northamptonshire may be known as the Steelbacks but for me they will always be known for the county town's footwear. Quite apposite really, as the weather forecasts I saw yesterday and today were obviously cobblers and Derbyshire earned a quite remarkable win this afternoon by 203 runs.

To be honest, I didn't see that one coming and when Derbyshire added to their overnight total in relative ease this morning there seemed little reason to expect an ultimate triumph, Paul Borrington came oh-so-close to a maiden century for the county, but Bozza's time will come for that and if nothing else he has totally earned the right to a run in the team. His partnership yesterday with Martin Guptill should be seen in a completely new light now by those who dismissed the slow scoring and they both deserve hearty plaudits for their role in an astonishing triumph.

With Tim Groenewald missing with his groin injury, Derbyshire could not afford to be overly generous with their declaration and more quick runs from the admirable Mr Redfern, who looked so good in this match, enabled Wayne Madsen to set a target of 337 in 72 overs.

Although Mark Footitt and Tony Palladino each took an early wicket, there appeared no undue issues when the visitors brought up their hundred in the 35th over. Even the club's Twitter feed suggested they were playing out the draw (which seemed the summit of their ambitions throughout the game), but then a player who has made an enormous early impact at Derbyshire stepped up to the mark.

As you will know if you have read this blog over the winter, I had absolutely no doubt that David Wainwright would prove an outstanding signing for our club. Everything about him suggested he was the type of player we needed, including a loyalty to his club side at Castleford which, in the light of lucrative offers from eslewhere, suggested him a man of integrity, aside from genuine merit as a cricketer.

Pre-season he proved himself a bowler who could both contain and also take wickets when conditions favoured him. He also showed himself a batsman of real talent, but today it was all about the bowler, as Wainwright slowly but surely whittled his way through the Northamptonshire middle order. There was a little luck along the way, especially when Middlebrook drove him onto Dan Redfern for Mark Footitt to take the catch, but every bowler needs that. At the end of a debut match that entered the realms of fantasy,  Wainwright can reflect on figures of 27-10-50-1 and 26-11-33-6. It is a long, long time since a Derbyshire spinner returned two such sets of figures in a game - and I include Robin Peterson in that statement. As the man who replaced Greg Smith in the middle order he can reflect on a job brilliantly done.

So too can Karl Krikken. It was perhaps tempting on the first day, especially when the visitors opted to leave out new South African spinner Con de Lange, for Krikk and Wayne Madsen to play Jon Clare instead of Wainwright. For me, you need that variety in the attack, even if the ball isn't turning and full marks to those concerned on an eminently sensible team selection.

Nor should we forget the efforts of Wes Durston, who took the crucial wicket of Newton soon after he reached a patient fifty, then the last one when his arm ball clean bowled Liam Daggett. Then again, you cannot discount the team, as there was not a single player who failed to make a contribution to this win. Tom Poynton kept beautifully throughout and the team worked brilliantly in the field.

As for the new skipper, he couldn't have done more. I noticed how his preferred position is now mid off, to enable him to talk to his bowlers and he timed the declaration to perfection. Then he changed his bowlers round and ensured that batsmen never got settled, placed fields intelligently and, at the end of it all, saw his young team (average age 23.8 by the way) win in some style.

One win doesn't make a season, but it might go some way to stopping some of the patronising garbage being spouted by cricket media people who really should know better. To them, Derbyshire might be "a team without any real talent" but today they won a memorable victory because they are just that - a team.

To be honest, from what I saw of this Derbyshire side over recent days, they're more a tribe or a gang. One for all and all for one might well have been the maxim of the Musketeers, but could easily be adopted by the Flying Falcons. Only time will tell if we can follow this with consistent, sustained performance and mount a serious promotion challenge (I think we can, for the record).

But by crikey, this one will do nicely for starters. Madsen's Marauders are up and running...

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day one

I watched Sachin Tendulkar batting in the IPL yesterday and my Dad and I reminisced about how we saw the little batting genius make his first century in Indian colours, at Chesterfield some twenty summers ago.

Today I saw the first century in Derbyshire colours by Daniel Redfern and while the young Derbyshire batsmen is in no other way comparable to the Indian maestro, his strokeplay today was worthy of comparison with him or any other top player you care to mention. The way that Redfern and Ross Whiteley counter-attacked after lunch was quite breathtaking and total illustration of the aggressive style of play promised by Karl Krikken pre-season.

This, of course, is not all about hitting everything in sight but in marrying shrewd shot selection with sound defensive technique and both young players amply illustrated their talents at the County Ground. Whiteley was very circumspect before lunch but opened up afterwards in an innings that displayed his powerful strokeplay beautifully.

Most other batsmen struggled on a day where batting was never as easy as those two youngsters showed it to be in the early afternoon. Martin Guptill was playing straight and beautifully when he chipped one to midwicket, Wayne Madsen got one that jagged back and seemed to keep a little low and Paul Borrington seemed to be moving his feet well and middling the ball when Jack Brooks got him to edge to slip.

Brooks is a good player, albeit one with a lot to say for himself, with a few verbals in the direction of Redfern and an unnecessary/somewhat silly late bouncer at Mark Footitt. I wouldn't have chosen a bowler of the latter's pace to flex muscles personally and Brooks may be wary of batting tomorrow if Footitt has any kind of memory...

Wes Durston did well for a while but was pinned LBW, while David Wainwright also looked composed at the crease. Later in the innings there were useful runs from Tom Poynton, whose late runs may turn out to be precious in what looks likely to be a low-scoring game. Certainly Derbyshire would have taken an all out total of 286 after being 21-3 inside the first hour.

The value of Redfern and Whiteley's stand was seen as Northamptonshire quickly subsided to 28-3. Tim Groenewald and Tony Palladino both bowled with accuracy and hostility in their opening spells, with Martin Guptill taking a characteristically sharp chance at second slip to remove Newton. Had Redfern managed to cling on to a snick from David Sales, the visitors would have closed at 28-4. As it is, they will approach the morning session tomorrow with some trepidation. With the weather set to be a little warmer, the conditions may be more conducive to swing and the Derbyshire seamers are eminently capable of destroying their innings before lunch.

Mark Footitt bowled with real hostility in the last few overs and, if Sales is removed quickly in the morning, might be a handful for lesser batsmen in the early season conditions. Meanwhile Tom Poynton kept impeccably in that final session and can reflect on a very competent first day as the first choice wicket keeper.

Throughout the day there was a very positive "vibe" around the ground and such a commodity has often been in short supply at the County Ground. It looked a picture and the team seemed far more agile, lithe and "up" for the game than the visitors. I see a season of genuine potential ahead and look forward to reporting on it immensely.

In closing, two final comments. Thanks to everyone I met at the club today for your company and conversation. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to tomorrow and another day of watching the Derbyshire young guns in full flow.

As the shadows lengthened at the end of the day and the cold returned with a vengeance after the afternoon sun, I watched a golden labrador gambol along the boundary edge without a care in the world. They're perceptive are labradors and I'm convinced that it must have been the guide dog of former Nottinghamshire batsman Mark Wagh, whose pre-season preview in a magazine barely worth mentioning suggested that Derbyshire had no players worthy of reference (I paraphrase, but you get the point).

If Wagh has a semblance of an idea about cricket then such crass comment barely adds credibility to his fledgling reputation as a commentator.

Maybe the dog should write it next time... the Falcons are flying.

Tomorrow, they might soar.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire preview

The Derbyshire squad for tomorrow against Northamptonshire has been announced and is pretty much as I named late last week. Assuming that we're not building snowmen tomorrow instead, I fully expect this side to take the field tomorrow, with Chesney Hughes taking an opening berth and the seamers all fit

Guptill
Hughes
Madsen
Durston
Redfern
Whiteley
Clare
Wainwright
Poynton
Groenewald/Footitt
Palladino

Tim Groenewald is perhaps the one with least bowling behind him pre-season, but logic suggests that he will play if Karl Krikken is happy he can bowl throughout the match. It is likely to be a slow track with movement for the bowlers and if the weather stays out of it should see a positive result.

Northamptonshire have been dealt a blow with the loss to inury of influential skipper Andrew Hall. There's no news yet on their team, but David Sales will lead in Hall's absence and Northamptonshire are dangerous opponents, batting long and with a good opening pair in Chaminda Vaas and Jack Brooks.

Then so are Derbyshire. An impressive pre-season has consolidated the positive vibe around the club and an early win can so often be a prelude to a fine season. By the same token, defeat would be a long way from the end of the world.

I'm looking forward to being there and just hope that the temperature picks up by a few degrees.

Might take that ice pick with me, just in case...

Derbyshire v Kent day 1

All things considered, that was a bit of a Carlsberg day for Derbyshire today. Granted, the Kent attack wasn't the strongest on the circuit, but you can only play against the team in fromt of you.

Matt Lineker got a score that will do him the world of good, Wes Durston got a century of apparent brilliance, while two young cricketers of massive ability gave it serious humpty at the end of the day, scoring at seven an over as they put tiring bowlers to the sword.

 It's funny, I wrote about them last night and firmly believe these lads could be the real deal. Both average around 40 this season and its not so much the runs they score as the way they make them. Confident strokes, booming drives, towering sixes. It is a pleasure to think of them as Derbyshire players for the next three years at least.

 405 in 86 overs is some going and set me thinking. How are we going to fit another overseas batsman into the side? Paul Borrington failed today, as did Dan Redfern, but we have Chesney Hughes and Garry Park outside this side, with Ben Slater and Hamza Siddique in the vanguard of the next generation. Eight batsmen have exceeded 500 runs this summer, as well as the outstanding Wes Durston, deservedly player of the year. Such a team approach to run scoring is tribute to a fine team spirit engendered by captain Luke Sutton and Karl Krikken.

Sutton has had his critics this summer, but 500 runs is a decent return from the skipper, who will probably drop down a place next summer, allowing Clare greater opportunity. If Tom Poynton continues to improve the skipper could well ease back on his playing commitments too, but we'll see about that.

Talking of next season, if I'm honest, the best overseas player that I can think of would be Danish Kaneria. His hearing in Pakistan is now at the end of this month and if, as seems likely, he is cleared of any irregularities, he will be free to return to their Test side and to county cricket. The former may be problematic, but Kaneria is a world-class performer who would strengthen any county side.

Mike Newell of Nottinghamshire has today said that they may go without one next year as the shrinking, IPL-skewed market makes signing someone decent increasingly problematic. Kaneria won't play IPL as Pakistani players simply don't get picked, but I would be very surprised if he was not near the top of Derbyshire's shortlist.

 I know we have a young Tom Knight and Peter Burgoyne on the staff, but at 18 and 17 they could be key members of a vibrant, locally-reared side for 15 years or more. As young spinners they could learn a massive amount from a world-class cricketer who has well over a thousand wickets in the first-class game, working with him in the nets and bowling alongside him in one day games, a strategy proven to work. In the Championship, the dry tracks that we have seen at times this season could see him bowl at one end when the shine is off the new ball.

 World class? Without a doubt. Derbyshire's next overseas star? I hope so. Right now I can't think of a single player in his league who would be available for the summer.

Monday musings

According to a contributor on the Forum, we're now being linked with Kent's Martin Van Jaarsveld. As a concept it is sound and as a player he would improve our side, even though he's had a poor season by his lofty standards. A player with international experience, Van Jaarsveld has been a run machine for Kent and would doubtless contribute for anyone else. Married to a northern girl, I could buy into the rumour and the idea that she wanted a move north.

Would he come to Derbyshire? I don't know, it would depend on various factors. If he was available, I doubt we alone would be interested (always assuming we are, of course...) I am unaware of his qualification status, but suspect he is qualified by either residency or marriage by now. Picking him up would also be a major signing and with Chesney Hughes and Wayne Madsen qualified next summer, fielding VJ and an overseas player would still leave us within the terms of the blueprint, playing nine English-qualified players per game - and many of them under 26. Mind you, that assumes that Greg Smith doesn't stay, in which case he would be the non-qualified. Given the choice, who would you rather have?

Still, its all supposition and rumour, nowt more than that. Today's game is farewell to the CB40 for this year and I was interested to see Paul Farbrace of Kent say that they were not beaten by a better team at Derby and that they had been their own worst enemy this season with some performances. He could have been talking about us, to be fair and it shows how a handful of performances can tarnish a season when you consider that we could easily finish third bottom in the CB40 and Championship with a poor finish.

Derbyshire have produced a lot of solid, competitive, aggressive and entertaining displays this season, but a handful of games where the intensity or skill level dropped have cost us. Worcestershire in the CB40 and T20 at home, Netherlands home and away in today's competition, Northamptonshire - these are the games that have spoilt an otherwise good season, when we have mixed it with the big boys  and given as good as we've got against all but Nottinghamshire.

With no overseas player, today will be a tough one to end positively, but I'm sure the players will give 100% as always. Win and third place is ours. Lose and third bottom will be.

More later.

Derbyshire v Middlesex CB40

The more cynical among our support might well have expected Derbyshire to lose today. After all, most important matches in the last couple of seasons have gone the way of the opposition as Derbyshire have either frozen, played below par or been pretty dreadful. Quite often the latter.

We lost today, but there was encouragement in the performance. Peter Burgoyne bowled a good spell at the death, while Tom Poynton played a lovely innings that hinted at things to come. With respect to a range of incumbents over the past couple of years, Derbyshire have struggled to replace James Pipe's pugnacious batting. Poynton, following on from a series of aggressive innings for the second string, may just be the man to do it.

While the bowlers did well to pull Middlesex back to "just" 253, the feeling remained that any challenge was going to require a Guptill special. Once that failed to materialise, there was to some extent an air of inevitability about proceedings. Having said that, it was good to once again see the side battle, with both Chesney Hughes and Wayne Madsen making runs and playing themselves back into the reckoning for Chelmsford this week in the process.

By the same token, Greg Smith departed for  a second ball duck and must now be marginally behind me in the list of those likely to play Essex. Whatever is going on behind the scenes with Smith's contract and future career, he is simply not performing for Derbyshire just now and would not be in my first choice side.

I've had a change of mind about the composition of that side and would probably bring in some more experience. Given that Matt Lineker has outperformed Paul Borrington at Second Eleven level, he would get my nod in this team:

Guptill
Lineker
Hughes/Madsen
Durston
Redfern
Whiteley
Clare
Sutton/Poynton
Groenewald
Palladino
Turner

There may be a need for a specialist spinner, presumably Knight, which would be another big decision for Karl Krikken. Peter Burgoyne did well with the ball on debut today, but his time will come and he is not yet ready for senior action on a regular basis at 17. Conversely, Mark Footitt bowled two dreadful overs today and the jury is still out on the left armer. That he has talent and pace is undeniable, but producing it once or twice a season is neither here nor there.

After the disappointments of Chesterfield week, I just hope that the team can pull together for one last effort at Chelmsford and ensure that our Championship finish befits a season in which we have played some pretty good cricket.

We'll see.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 1

Had it not been for the loss of Martin Guptill just before stumps, Derbyshire would have been delighted with their first day's work against Northamptonshire.

As it is, they must be pleased to have bowled out the table-topping side for 267 in a season when tails have wagged more frequently than that of a dog who finds a bone with a healthy slab of meat still attached. If we can emulate that tomorrow - and there's plenty of batting left to do so - we can yet establish ascendancy in this match. Whatever else, if the weather stays out of it there is plenty of time for a positive result and we need that, one way or another. If we lose, so be it, but a chance of a win is worth going for.

 I was delighted to see Mark Footitt back and firing with a fine mid-innings spell that tore open the visitors middle order. Without any risk of argument, if we had been able to field Footitt and Mark Turner this season we would have had the quickest attack in the County Championship, including the top division. Jon Clare is close to 90mph at times and Groenewald bowls a quick ball and on bouncy tracks batsmen don't like real pace - especially when it is accurate. If Turner and Footitt can work on their accuracy and fitness (in Footitt's case) over the winter our pace attack will be serious stuff in 2012.

There were a disturbing number of leg byes in the Northamptonshire innings, but four quick bowlers slightly off line, coupled with a short boundary, will do that. While the visitors will be happy with their recovery, Derbyshire are still in this game.

Martin Guptill hit a remarkable 13 fours in his 55 and had he remained for tomorrow we could have looked forward to a sizeable lead. As it is we need good contributions from young guns Redfern, Whiteley and Clare, together with a captain's knock from Luke Sutton. 350 is a long way off at present but not impossible and such a lead could be crucial in what is likely to be a low-scoring contest.

Incidentally, Middlesex's loss last night to Kent in the CB40 means Derbyshire could yet finish second in the CB40, which would be a remarkable effort. If it hadn't been for those Netherlands games...

Please let us get Scotland next year.

Derbyshire v Yorkshire

As days go, that must have been close to a 'Carlsberg' one. Cricket against Yorkshire at Chesterfield and beating them with over six overs in hand having chased 235, the pro scoring a hundred and contributions down the order. Oh, and our young spinner bowls a canny spell, removing their overseas player in the process and we did all that while resting three of our main bowlers.

Yup, that was a goodie. Having grown up on Derbyshire usually failing to chase 160 against Yorkshire in one day games, I would have loved to have seen that one, the latest in a long line of impressive displays this season. It just makes you wonder what could have been had we not played poorly twice against the Netherlands. One point from two games against them and the losses against Worcestershire shows what we need to address - keeping that level of intensity going against everyone.

There was no Dan Redfern today - hopefully being kept back for Wednesday - and while Hughes and Madsen scored a few, neither got quite the score they might have wished for. Nor did Greg Smith, although his bowling did a good job today, alongside Knight, while it was good to see Garry Park turning his arm over again after a shoulder injury for much of the campaign. Good discipline from Derbyshire too, with only ten extras, something that will please Karl Krikken and also Tom Poynton, who apparently kept well.

Of course, I have to close with mention of Martin Guptill, who seems to have gone from winter to high summer in form. I've been critical of Guptill's Championship form and while I accept he's had his share of awkward deliveries that have seen him go early, he will have been disappointed with his four-day campaign as an established Test player.

Now, however, he seems to have sussed the tracks. Having averaged around 40 in the T20 (no mean achievement) he now averages 93 in the CB40 with two centuries and a fifty in four knocks. Such is the way he goes for his shots that a lengthy Guptill knock should usually result in a win if others bat around him. Ross Whiteley gave the final impetus today with five fours and a six in his unbeaten 31 on a ground he knows well and has enjoyed considerable success. In full flight he is a player of obvious class and for me his on drive, the pose held as the ball speeds to the boundary, is his trademark shot. Not an easy one to play well either, but Guptill does it beautifully.

As I wrote earlier in the week, Martin Guptill for the first half of next season and Usman Khawaja for the second half could yet be the answer to Derbyshire's overseas needs for 2012. A few more innings like today and I might not be alone in that assertion either.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 1

They say you can't win them all and that was the case today, but Derbyshire will be rightly satisfied with their first day's work against Gloucestershire, one that flew in the face of most opening days at the County Ground this year.

When I saw that Gloucestershire had won the toss and understandably elected to field I was concerned that we would struggle against an attack that has done consistently well this season. Especially when Wayne Madsen again went early and Chesney Hughes was soon following him. Given that Greg Smith later only lasted four balls it was a poor day for those I highlighted last night had a point to prove.

In between, Martin Guptill  and Wes Durston put on a superb 266 in just 53 overs, a partnership that must have been a joy to see. Durston has had a fine season and now tops the batting averages, while Guptill at last showed the talent that we knew he had in the Championship. Wes now has a fighting chance of making a thousand for the season and is currently 156 runs short.

Ross Whiteley came in and helped Durston see it through to the close, but Karl Krikken will doubtless look at today with satisfaction, tempered with the knowledge that he probably got his team wrong. Last night I suggested that Madsen should drop down the order to allow a debut for Matt Lineker and I am not convinced that Smith is mentally where he needs to be at present with the contractual issues surrounding him. Certainly the statistics suggest that and with Dan Redfern close to full fitness Smith will be lucky to retain his place for the next match. Madsen's recent decline is also a matter for concern and one hopes that he soon returns to his normal form.

At the end of it all, this was an excellent day for the county. If we can push on to 450-plus tomorrow it will be an excellent effort and the foundation of a potential win. Today was a celebration of a new contract for Wes Durston and it is heartening to think he will be with us for the next two summers.

Just need to push on tomorrow now - weather permitting.

PS Thought I'd beat 'Anon' to the draw tonight and point out that Wes Durston was signed by John Morris. Having said that, I first mentioned him as a worthwhile pursuit for the county on September 29, 2009 after his release by Somerset (check if you wish) and it took us several months to do so. Surely I get brownie points for the signing too...?

Derbyshire v Glamorgan day 4

Last night I suggested that a win today might ignite Derbyshire's promotion aspirations while cautioning that Glamorgan might fancy any chase under 320. After all, we had scored the best part of 400 runs yesterday, so the wicket was far from an elysian fields for bowlers.

I'm delighted to say that I was wrong as Derbyshire, for the second time in as many games, thrashed a pretty decent side and in doing so put themselves very much back in the promotion reckoning. Again, having said last night that we have fielded better attacks this season, I am delighted to say that I was wrong. On paper that may well have been the case, but on the pitch, where it matters, the attack rose to the occasion and the visitors never looked like getting the runs. Especially when Tony Palladino (pictured), en route to another five-wicket haul, removed their talismanic skipper Alviro Petersen for a duck.

The former Essex seamer now has 34 Championship wickets at 22 each and has proved an inspired signing by John Morris. What has impressed me when I have seen him is that he bowls a full, wicket-taking length that always gives him a chance. Occasionally, when a batsman is going for it, such a length can cost a few runs, but Palladino has done remarkably well and thoroughly justified his move 'oop north.'

Conversely, Mark Turner has had his struggles since moving from Somerset and has had a few disparaging comments go his way via message boards. He has struggled for rhythm, but ironically it was when he quickly removed both Mark Wallace and James Harris that I knew we would win. Both are capable of batting for a long time, and with the wicket's reputation for flattening out after the seam has done the same on the ball, I didn't expect the win, if we got it, to be anywhere near so emphatic. Turner apparently bowled with good pace and took key wickets to go with his valuable first innings runs. He can be proud of his efforts in this game and I hope that it is the start of the good times for an amiable lad.

The wickets were shared around and Jon Clare took another two, giving him 24 for the season at 29 each. With 343 runs at the same average he is on course for the mini-double of 500 runs and 50 wickets and his return to full fitness has been one of the plus factors of the season. Having said that, such things are not especially hard to find right now.

Clare's first innings century turned the tide of a game going against us, though the initial work was done by the admirable Dan Redfern. now the leading scorer in the Championship with 659 runs at an average of 39. The young left-hander is surely going to score his first century this season and is on course for a thousand runs at his present rate of progress. He has long looked a player of talent, but his technique looks more secure and he will have a major part to play in our future. Similarly Chesney Hughes also passed 600 runs in this match. While he has not always looked as secure as he did at times last season, Hughes has done very well in his second year. At times he can look a little leaden footed against spin, especially when he has to force them as was the case in the T20, but his promise is evident and at 20 he is a real talent.

Then of course there's Ross Whiteley, who regular readers will know I have been praising for a good part of the last couple of seasons. At the moment his batting is more a series of delightful cameos, as evidenced in the T20 and again today, but here is another locally-produced lad who could be an asset for years. I was also pleased to see him get the final wicket today. His bowling needs a little more work and he has a tendency to drop one onto leg stump each over, but Whiteley has the potential to be an all-rounder for Derbyshire and make the number six berth his own in the long term.

It was stirring stuff, a fine team effort, well handled by the skipper. When you think that this win came about without a major contribution from Messrs Guptill, Madsen, Durston and Smith, it helps to reinforce somewhat forcibly the point that the chairman made with the blueprint for the future. There are good lads outside this side - Borrington, now a record-breaker in the Premier League; Poynton, a forcing batsman and ever-improving wicket-keeper; Knight, a left arm spinner of remarkable potential; Burgoyne, an all-rounder; Slater, a solid batsman and Sheikh, whose best is yet to come as a left-arm bowler of slippery pace. All that and I've not mentioned Jake Needham, who I still think will come again next summer.

Add into the mix that we had three youngsters in the Midlands Under-15 side for the Bunbury Festival and you see what remarkable work is going on in the academy and Second XI. I'm hoping that the weather holds as I hope to make it to Leek next Monday to see the Seconds on a flying visit down south. Sadly no first team games for me, but I look forward immensely to seeing some of the young tyros who will play a part in an exciting future.

The club site today highlights another good performance from them against Warwickshire, with Borrington and Matt Lineker adding 168 for the first wicket, Lineker making 125 and Borrington 66. While the prolific Lineker has had his struggles this summer, it is good to see him scoring with increasing regularity as it has progressed. With runs from Poynton and Needham, there was still time for Ally Evans to reduce Warwickshire to 30-3 in reply to 349-6. Evans, from the Carlton Cricket Club in Edinburgh via Loughborough University, has some impressive performances to his portfolio this summer and could be one to watch. Certainly, while occasionally erratic he takes wickets, not the worst of habits for a young bowler..

As I close, I note that there are six points between us in fifth place and Middlesex in second. There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't be the team making the late charge. Successive wins tells you we're a team growing in form and confidence.

The others will be noting that, bet your bottom dollar.

Come on the 'shire!

Glamorgan v Derbyshire day 2

In what is pleasantly starting to sound like a broken record, that was another good day's cricket by Derbyshire. The icing on the cake would have been the dismissal before stumps of South African star Alviro Petersen, but he's a good player and there is no disgrace in having to work for his wicket.

Derbyshire would have been pleased with their total and there were solid contributions down the order. I thought today was the day for Dan Redfern to get that elusive first century, but he can be proud of his efforts this season. He is ten short of 500 runs and currently averages a respectable 35.

Then it was time for the bowlers and while Tim Groenewald again made early inroads, it was Jon Clare who stole the show with five wickets for the first time this season. The youngster has had a little stick from some areas, but we need to remember that he has had two years of injury problems that need psychological as much as physical recovery time. A shoulder injury is difficult for a bowler and, as I've written before, there is a nagging doubt in the back of your mind that if you put everything into it, everything could go again. He's now got 18 Championship wickets at 27 and has bowled well in spells in the shorter forms. While his batting has yet to return to the promise of his first season, Clare is young enough to come again and have a lot to offer Derbyshire cricket.

As for the rest of this game, I'd be surprised if we enforced the follow on, even if we were in a position to do so. Rather I think tomorrow will be a case of moving 450 on - ideally - before declaring after tea and allowing time to get them out again on the last day.

That's my thoughts, but to be honest, this time tomorrow I'm expecting to be sipping an ice cold San Miguel at a beach bar in a quiet stretch of the Costa Brava, chilling nicely after our first leisurely meal in Spain. I will be checking the score beforehand though and hoping for good news to start our holiday.

I'll be blogging when I have the chance in the next 10-12 days - so don't desert me now!

See you soon.

Glamorgan v Derbyshire preview

After a heartening few days in the T20, it is back to business in the Championship tomorrow as we head down to Wales for a match against Glamorgan. I just hope we have enough players to make the journey and that we've not had half our boys offered a deal by Warwickshire after today's win. Ashley's after players, you know...

When you look at the terrific bowling by young tyros Hughes and Knight the recent performances are especially heartening, as is the manner in which Ross Whiteley has gone about his business at number six. He has a long way to go, but I am very hopeful that Whiteley will make the number six berth his own, as a batsman who can bowl a few overs or as a genuine all-rounder.

It was surprising but good to see Garry Park play today and I assume that he will be replaced by Dan Redfern tomorrow, allowing him time to recover before the big game against Nottinghamshire next weekend. I would see the following Derbyshire side:

Madsen, Guptill, Durston, Hughes, Redfern, Whiteley, Sutton, Clare, Groenewald, Knight, Palladino.

There may be consideration for a return by Jake Needham, who could well be in the travelling party, though his playing may be dependent on the fitness of Jon Clare, who only bowled two overs today.

As for Glamorgan, Graham Wagg is fit to play against us and takes his place in the following 12:

AN Petersen (captain), GP Rees, WD Bragg, MJ Powell, BJ Wright, J Allenby, MA Wallace (wicket-keeper), JAR Harris, GG Wagg, RDB Croft, DA Cosker and WT Owen.


The presence of Croft and Cosker suggests that the ball will turn and whoever wins the toss is likely to bat, then hope to score 350-plus. We go into the game after back-to-back T20 wins and some very impressive cricket and shouldn't fear anyone.

These are encouraging days with some good standards. Keep them going boys.

Worcestershire v Derbyshire preview T20

I'm not sure why, but it is noticeable that there are far less comments on posts after a win by the county than when we lose.

Maybe too many people are more used to losing, so like to get their moans in early, but check back over the last few pages and see what I mean. OK, perhaps more are attuned to our habit of, in the words of an old line dance classic, one step forward and two steps back, but surely people were impressed by last night?

We'll see after Friday's game. Revenge over a Worcestershire side we should have hammered at Derby is vital. Last night took us back into the pack for play-off positions and the boys batted well, bowled steadily and fielded superbly.

That eight overs were bowled by lads with an average age of eighteen and a half was most impressive. While Tom Knight is likely to go further with his bowling, Chesney's slow left arm 'darts' are a potent weapon. At one point last night he bowled a ball off three paces quicker than most seamers, giving a new dimension to the term 'quicker ball'. Knight, in contrast mixed his pace well but always attacked the stumps. He bowled a canny length and the batsmen had neither width to let their arms go nor leverage to get under the ball for boundaries. It was sensible, clever and heartening stuff.

It is a decent side for this format, though we are heavily reliant on one the top four making runs. It is to their credit that they have done so thus far and the batting unit, with the exception of that awful night last week at Derby, looks a decent one.

What makes a difference, of course, is fielding and there are some brilliant performers in the side. I mentioned Guptill, Madsen and Park last night, but it was a fine team effort last night, one that must be replicated tomorrow. What is especially heartening is the return to the team and form of Garry Park. He has endured a difficult year or so, but is for me beyond compare as a fielder. His speed over the ground, fast arm and secure hands make him easily the best I have seen in my time of following Derbyshire. People like Derek Morgan, Chris Adams and Phil de Freitas were fine fielders, but none had the all round brilliance of Park. As it was once worth the entrance money to see Bob Taylor keep wicket, so it is with Park in the field.

I hope that the runs continue to come and we see him in the county colours for some time. While the new blueprint may put a question mark against his long term future, as things stand he will always be in my one day side, irrespective of how many runs he scores or wickets he takes. In twenty years time, I guarantee that you will tell people that you saw Garry Park field, just the same as people talk about Jonty Rhodes, or those of a certain age recall Colin Bland. While those two remain the benchmark, I can't think of anyone better than Park in the modern game.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire preview

With the injuries Northamptonshire are suffering, we would perhaps have fancied our chances last night, but itwas not to be as heavy rain ruled out any play.

Tonight Derbyshire can get themselves back into the mix with a win over local rivals Leicestershire, a game that will prove tricky for us, especially if we don't improve on the batting against Worcestershire.

Our visitors have a couple of dangerous allrounders in Razzaq and MacDonald, while the rest of their batting line up carries enough weight to post good totals. It will be down to our bowlers to keep things tight and then needs greater professionalism from batsmen who are much better than they looked in front of the television cameras. Anyone who saw us against Yorkshire in the Pro 40 and then the other night must have thought our batsmen had dopplegangers, sadly bereft of the talent of the genuine article. Tonight is a chance to address that.

A win tonight puts us right back in the mix. We're second bottom but only three points behind second place with a game in hand. We will want to improve on last year, when Will Jefferson took the game away from us at Queens Park with a sparkling innings. Josh Cobb has been in fine form recently and this will be a tough game, make no mistake.

Durham v Derbyshire T20

You've got to give it to the boys right now, they're playing some good cricket.

169-5 at Durham today would have taken some chasing down, something that Ross Whiteley obviously felt when he tweeted to the world at the end of our innings. At halfway in our innings I wasn't too sure, despite a fine start by Martin Guptill, but he, Chesney Hughes and Wayne Madsen took the score to a level that was going to take some getting. 103 from the last 9.3 overs was an impressive effort.

We'll never know, but full marks to the players. Special mention to Wayne Madsen whose improvisation in the final overs is giving another dimension to the side. We seem to have taken a leaf from the book of the better teams in the IPL, in aiming for ten an over from the start and ensuring that there are wickets in hand for a final assault on the bowling in the last five overs.

We've now played three good sides and been far from disgraced. Although we are second bottom we're only two points from third and have some of the supposedly weaker sides to play and a game in hand. If we retain the current focus and professionalism we won't be too far away at the end of it all.

One thing I think is needed is an overhaul of the points system and I agree with a contributor to the Falcons Forum the other night. That you get the same one point for a rained off match as you do for a hard-earned tie is silly, while I still maintain that if scores are level the side losing fewer wickets should be declared the winner. Remember Lords, 1981?

If I was organising this competition I would change the points system to 4 points for a win, 2 for a tie and 1 for a no result. I'd also award a bonus point for any side that reaches 200, which is an impressive feat, but insert something in the rules that ensured boundaries were a minimum size. Otherwise you'd have teams setting fifty yard boundaries to rack up bonus points every match...

Next up is Worcestershire at home on Wednesday, followed by Northamptonshire away on Friday and Leicestershire at home on Saturday. A couple of wins from those games and we'll be very much in the mix.

Keep it going lads. This is impressive stuff.