The A-Z of Derbyshire Cricket - W is for Wright: John Wright

W is for 'Wow'.

Quite likely the source of my biggest dilemmas, this one, containing, as it does, some of my favourite cricketers and more than a few players who have enriched my enjoyment of Derbyshire cricket over the past forty-five summers.

It is a nice way to end. Rather than a mediocre assortment of players who did their best but were not perhaps in the first tier of county players, the W category contains some vibrant and honest batsmen, some bowling workhorses and a selection of players who most would say best exemplified the term 'first-class cricketer'.

Because they were. All of them.



Of course, there are big names - in the context of Derbyshire cricket giant names - who pre-date my watching of the club. There was Levi Wright, probably the preeminent batsman in the club's early history, whose career average of 26 per innings owes more to the variable wickets of the time than any lack of talent. Wright played for the county from 1883 to 1909 and amassed twenty centuries. He was also as good a cover point as the game had known at that time and saved numerous runs, as well as taking some remarkable catches. Over and above all that, his cricket memoirs remain one of my favourite books, florid in style but anecdotal nirvana.

Then there was Arnold Warren, the first in the lineage of outstanding Derbyshire seam bowlers. A number of contemporaries deemed him the fastest bowler in the country at the time, when he was fully fit and bounding in from a run that was deemed overly long. Becoming established in the side in 1902, Warren played up to the Great War and ended up with 939 first-class wickets at under 25. Like Bill Bestwick, he probably suffered from being asked to bowl as both shock and stock bowler and went for runs as he tired, but he was a fine bowler. In his only Test appearance, he took five wickets in the first innings against Australia but was never picked again. That he dismissed the great Victor Trumper in each innings must have been some consolation in his dotage, but Warren was not the last Derbyshire player to be poorly treated by national selectors.

Moving on a few years, Stan Worthington (left) was a fine cricketer in the side of the 1920s and 1930s, probably the best batsman of several who were magnificent in full flight but not consistent enough to rival the very best. Worthington averaged just under 30 from twenty thousand runs; the same from almost seven hunded wickets with bustling medium pace. In his prime he lost little in comparison to the great Wally Hammond, with who he added 266 at The Oval for England against India, yet Worthington, like the rest of the side, batted selflessly in scoring runs quickly to allow a strong bowling side to force results. He was later a well-regarded coach at Lancashire and was a fine servant to Derbyshire cricket.

In the last fifty years there have been a number of candidates. As regular readers will know, few players gave me greater enjoyment than our first overseas batsman, Chris Wilkins. A free-flowing, front of the wicket player, the advent of the burly South African, usually at number four, saw the beer tents empty, people sit up in their seats and newspapers being largely ignored. You never knew what to expect and on the bad days an impetuous early shot may see the ball held by a circling mid-off or an alert slip cordon. On the good ones - and there were plenty - the ball came off his bat with a crack and fairly fizzed to the boundary. He wasn't a player to play for your life, but if I had to compile an eleven of entertainers, Chris Wilkins would be one of my first picks.

Nor can I ignore the claims of Alan Ward (left), who looked at times scarily quick to my young eyes from the boundary edge. While acknowledging the naivety of youth, nor can I forget a few players backing away as another fast rising ball ripped down at them. Not having seen Harold Rhodes in his prime, nor Bill Copson at all, I cannot pass judgement on relative speed, but when he was fully fit (alas, too infrequently) Ward was an impressive, awesome sight and a contender for the quickest home-reared bowler in club colours. That a bowler as good as he was didn't reach five hundred wickets over ten summers speaks volumes and the feeling remains that he was a largely unfulfilled talent. But what a sight at his best...

Barry Wood will always have a place in Derbyshire history, as skipper of the 1981 Nat West Trophy winning side. His best days came at Lancashire, but he was a feisty character who played fast bowlers with considerable courage (and more than a few broken fingers) and bowled innocuous-looking medium pace in one-day cricket that was remarkably successful. A good player, Barry Wood, but a Derbyshire player for too short a time for greater consideration here.

So too for such players as Wayne White, Colin Wells, Rob and Phil Weston, together with Ross Whiteley. All had their days in club colours, but their greatest were (or are more likely to be) elsewhere. Good players all and worthy of note, but not greater consideration here.

More recently there have been hugely popular all-rounders in Graeme Wagg and Graham Welch. Wagg was and remains an enigmatic cricketer, capable of genuine brilliance and relative mediocrity in quick succession. He could hit a ball long and hard, but perhaps not quite often enough to rank as a true all-rounder. He could bowl left-arm swing that would trouble the best and bowl out any player, but mixed that up with days when the radar had gone and the ball went everywhere. Perhaps that unpredictability accounted for his popularity among supporters. If it was his day, you knew we could challenge the best, but Wagg is another who remains a largely unfulfilled talent, though possessing remarkable natural gifts.

Graeme Welch was a fine county all-rounder. We liked him because he battled, he turned around lost causes and he made the very best of the talents he had. He wasn't the best batsman in the side, but he scored runs when others failed. He wasn't the quickest or most dangerous looking seamer, but he was respected by opponents as someone who could bowl a quicker ball, mix it up, move it around and make life difficult for them. Perhaps his greatest deeds are yet to come in his new coaching role, a field in which he has made an impressive early reputation. Welch is another who would get into any eleven of mine from an entertainment perspective, because he never gave up. There was no such thing as a lost cause and if this attitude can be passed over to his new charges he will take us far.

Which leaves one man and, after careful consideration, I am confident in having made the 'Wright' choice.

 If I were to choose one player who, irrespective of the state of the wicket and who was bowling, would get his head down and graft, I can't think of many that I would place ahead of John Wright. For all that he had a fine array of shots and, like all good left-handers, was immensely strong off his legs and especially through mid-on, the thing that I most remember John Wright for was his 'leave'. He was the best judge that I have seen in the county colours of the ball to let go and had an unerring ability on a humid morning when the ball was swinging around to play only what he had to. The 'oohs' and 'aahs' of a myriad county seamers must have been music to his ears and if it bothered him at all he never showed it. Instead, he just leaned on his bat, chewed his gum and smiled.

That was another thing about John Wright. He smiled a lot and seemed to appreciate that being paid for playing cricket, while undoubtedly not easy, was something that a lot of us cherished. He was one of the more genial players on the circuit and was well-liked by cricket fans around the country.

He might have ended up at Kent, where he turned up for trials, but their surfeit of overseas stars saw him try his chances at Derbyshire, where 150 in a second team game convinced the county that they had found a good 'un.

He was that all right. From 1977 to 1988, Wright was a model of consistency, his second-wicket partnership for much of that time with Peter Kirsten giving the county perhaps the greatest solidity they have ever had in batting. To a Derbyshire fan of my vintage, thinking back to the two of them batting at Lords in 1981 will bring a wistful smile to the face. When they were in full swing, which was often, there appeared little that the opposition could do to stop them. Indeed, a sign of their ability was how the opposition last-day targets got higher and higher. For supporters who recalled all to easily Derbyshire's inability to score 200 in the last innings, seeing us chase down 250-300 was a joy, such a target usually reached through a century from one of them.

1982 was the peak. In that golden summer, Wright scored 1830 championship runs at 56, with seven centuries and five fifties. Kirsten scored 1941 runs at just under 65, eight centuries and six fifties. That summer I would listen for the cricket scores on the radio and Derbyshire always seemed to be something like 230-1, with both going like trains. They didn't let me down in person either and for two Derbyshire players to be within touching distance of 4,000 runs between them, even now, seems extraordinary.

They were good friends and shared a flat together for some time. I remember a former girlfriend of mine telling me around that time that she'd been out for a drink with some friends and chatted up by a "New Zealander who played cricket for Derbyshire". I was jealous, but more of the fact that she'd been chatting to him, rather than me...it probably shows I wasn't all that serious about her, I suppose...

In 1984 Wright averaged over 60 and scored 1200 runs in just 21 innings, but by that stage he was job-sharing the overseas role with Michael Holding. Wright, in a delightfully self-deprecating way, told of how the opposition were always pleased to see his name on the team sheet in that period, as it meant that they wouldn't face trial by Holding. One got the impression that a lot of the enjoyment went for him at this time, something confirmed in his excellent autobiography, but he continued to give value for money and bad trots were few and far between.

He was a thinker about his game and team mates recall his gluing his top batting glove to the bat handle so it was in the right position all the time. They also attest to the origin of his nickname 'Shake', due to his messy kit bag, which he used to shake onto the dressing room floor in an attempt to find the cleanest gear. He was immensely popular in the dressing room and in 1976, when Eddie Barlow arranged a team bus for away games, Wright kept the players entertained with his singing and guitar skills. He was also willing to help with advice for younger players and few were surprised when he became a respected coach.

His dry wit continued in his successful tenure as coach of the Indian national team in the era of Dravid, Ganguly and Tendulkar. "The most important job is to make sure you get all the practice balls back"  he said, accepting that players of such talent needed little coaching.

Yes, he was a fine player and I will always remember his innings against the West Indies at Chesterfield in 1980 as perhaps the bravest I have seen by a Derbyshire batsman. It was a typical green-top and Messrs Roberts, Garner and Marshall were fast and nasty, most of the batsmen taking blows to the hands and body.

Wright took more than most, but made an extraordinary 96 from a total of 229. I am sure that the visitors wouldn't have grudged him that extra four runs in an innings of remarkable skill and courage. Wright went on to become the first New Zealander to pass 4,000 Test runs and remained a player that the opposition knew that they would need to dig out.

It was a privilege to have seen him and he is the perfect player to end this series.

A new coaching structure with considerable common sense

The new coaching structure at Derbyshire County Cricket Club is sound and well thought out, covering, as it does, all the bases in the county's cricket needs.

It is a team with a strong Derbyshire background - a factor that should not be underestimated - and some highly impressive coaching credentials, not to mention considerable first-class experience. That in itself will be of value to the younger players, as the psychological side of the first-class game is one of its biggest hurdles.

There may be a cynic or two who queries the number of coaches, but their remit covers both senior and Academy/age group cricketers. Others may query the cost, but my understanding is that the Derbyshire Cricket Board have helped to fund the appointments. The club now has a structure that will identify and nurture young talent better than has been the case before. Cricket at all levels within the county can only benefit. Most importantly, the players at the club will.

So who are the new men?

Many will recall John Sadler (left) as a doughty fighter as a batsman, who has more recently set up his own successful cricket academy in Yorkshire. He is well regarded and his new remit as batting coach sees the club engage one of the highest qualified batting coaches in the game. Assisting him will be Steve Stubbings, whose role will be primarily Academy-focused, but with scope to offer support at a higher level, as and when required. Stubbo did an excellent job with the second team last summer and fully deserves a role in the new structure. Both of these will be seen by supporters as sound appointments and if they can pass on their never-say-die attitude to the next generation of county batsmen there will be no cause for complaint.



Graeme Welch will, of course, lead on seam bowling, but will have support from AJ Harris. It is good to see the retention of the latter, as he seemed to do a good job last year. Like Stubbings, his main focus will be the development of younger players and his experience can only benefit the young talent emerging through the Academy. I look forward to seeing how our seam bowlers, already players of considerable talent, improve with Welch's input and they will be a key component in our quest for honours this summer. Meanwhile, the likes of Ben Cotton, Greg Cork, Jon Marsden and Tommy Taylor have a very good chance to progress under coaches of excellent pedigree.



Much as we have a clutch of seam bowlers emerging, so our spinners will benefit from the talents of another erstwhile county favourite, Ant Botha (left). He has been lured back from a successful coaching role in Australia to look after their development and it will be interesting to see how Peter Burgoyne and Tom Knight progress through his mentoring. Botha was a good professional, a more than useful spinner and a batsman who rescued his fair share of lost causes in the company of Pop Welch. His role will include assisting in the coaching of batsmen and his growing reputation as a coach in Oz suggests he will do an excellent job.




Which leaves Simon Guy, a wicket-keeper of considerable talent for Yorkshire and another level four coach who has worked in the England set-up. He will be the specialist wicket-keeping coach and will bring an array of new techniques and methods with him that can surely only improve our established senior keepers in Tom Poynton and Richard Johnson, but will also aid the development of the very talented Harvey Hosein. Interestingly, Guy pioneered the development of a face mask for wicket-keepers that gives facial protection but better visibility with lighter weight than a conventional helmet. Whether we will see these on the pitch this summer is a moot point, but Guy is another young coach with impressive credentials. That he has been lured to Derbyshire is proof of how this  has captured the imagination of the wider professional cricket community.

Meanwhile, the importance of fielding to a top side is recognised with the engagement of Cookie Patel, formerly fielding lead of England Women's successful side, who has worked with a number of county sides as one of the game's leading fielding coaches. Another level four coach who is highly regarded within the ECB set up, his skills and experience should see Derbyshire as one of the best fielding sides in the country in the coming season. We didn't always look that last year, so this is another development that will be enjoyed by supporters  - as well as by the county's bowlers..

Finally, Howard Dytham remains as Academy director, another role that is fully deserved as he has done fine work with the young players around the club's catchment area and is well-respected. With greater support from former professionals, we should hopefully see players emerging better placed to make an early, positive impact in the first-class game.

My thoughts? It makes a lot of sense. We now have an array of specialist coaches, all of them eminently qualified for their new roles and the DCB support means that we are paying little more for this set up than we were for the previous one. The difference being, of course, that the players have far greater access to support mechanisms and coaching resource. While there are no guarantees in professional sport, our chances of success have to be improved with the addition of such impressive personnel.

I am impressed and heartened by this announcement and would be surprised if there were any dissenting voices. Of course, we'll be better placed to judge its true effectiveness when we have seen how the players perform, but there must be genuine excitement at this announcement.

Over on the club site, Chris Grant says that he feels we make progress every day. So do I. There's a lot to like in this and it's a cracking start to the week.

Onwards and upwards lads.

The nicest bloke I ever met in cricket

Graeme Welch, end of story.

I've never got especially close to any player though have had conversations with many. My concern has always been that if you find your idols have feet of clay a lot of the magic might dissipate. That could quite easily have happened early on in my cricket supporting career when, after a game at Chesterfield, I politely asked a then Derbyshire batsman for his autograph as he stood by his car and was told to "**** off".

I was only eleven at the time and seriously upset by the incident. If that was how cricketers behaved I really didn't want to know them. After that incident I hoped that the player in question failed whenever he played for us. Apart from the odd innings, my prayers were answered and I celebrated quietly when he was released.

Subsequently I've known professional players as club pros and been unimpressed. A South African we had was incredibly full of his own importance and chatted up anything in a skirt with a greater determination than he showed at the crease, while an Aussie of some reputation was patently incapable of explaining to lesser mortals how to play a particular shot or how to get into the mindset of batting.

I've spoken with a number of Derbyshire players past and present and most have been OK. Steve Stubbings is a top bloke and I had a few pleasant chats with Kim Barnett. Dave Houghton was also a really nice man, happy to chat cricket for as long as you wished.

Best of them all was "Pop" Welch. A very fine cricketer and fantastic bloke.

A few years ago I took my son to see his first cricket match. A pre-season friendly at Derby, nice day and Chris Bassano in full flight. Derbyshire players were going to and fro between pavilion and nets and my son had a new autograph book. I saw the familiar Derbyshire all-rounder, hot and sweaty from a vigorous net, making his way back to the pavilion.

My son and I headed towards him, and before I could say anything he said "Hiya, how ya doing?"

After introducing ourselves, we stood for 10-15 minutes talking cricket and he happily became the first signature in my son's book. He asked my son questions too and included him in the conversation, which made him feel important, then came out with the bombshell.

"Would you like me to take your book into the dressing room and get the other guys to sign it"?

My son's face had the look that normally crosses it when Nintendo bring out another top game, and we walked with him to the pavilion. Five minutes later he emerged with a book laden with signatures, talked a while longer then excused himself as he needed a shower and a massage.

Pop Welch didn't need to do what he did that day, but he increased my son's interest in the game tenfold. He also restored his Dad's faith in professional cricketers. It was a sad day when injury forced his early retirement, but he will always be my son's favourite cricketer. For that matter, mine too...