Derbyshire v Netherlands

After the encouraging performance against Middlesex, a depleted Derbyshire slipped back into old ways with a disappointing defeat to the Netherlands this afternoon.

While Khawaja, Clare, Palladino and Groenewald would probably have made a big difference to the final result, we should still have been capable of beating a team who are regarded as minnows in the world game. Having said that, they would appear to have been toughened up by their recent World Cup  exploits, even in defeat, as their bowlers have now shown twice that they are a match for county sides.

Indeed, much of the side is made up of nationals from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and in Peter Borren, the skipper, they have a good all round cricketer, capable of scoring quick runs and bowling tight overs. No side can ask for more - we could have done with such a player ourselves when it mattered today.

Similarly Shane Mott and Mudassar Bukhari showed themselves to be bowlers capable of keeping a tight line and length and both returned exemplary figures against a side supposedly their superiors.

Having made a dreadful start to our innings it appeared that Wes Durston and Wayne Madsen had steered us to calm waters and a push to victory, but when Durston was dismissed after a stand of 117 in 22 overs the wheels came off, four wickets going down for just twenty runs in five overs at a time when we were meant to be accelerating. Make no bones about it, 69 from the last ten overs with seven wickets in hand should have been a walk in the park.

That only two batsmen made it to double figures in the innings before Steffan Jones late onslaught brought respectability to the score tells its own sorry story. But the fact that we cling tonight to 'respectability' rather than a win says it all really.

This result doesn't end our CB 40 season (despite what some gloom and doom merchants are bound to be saying tonight) but we simply have to do better than this.

Poor. Sorry, there's no other word for it. I hope that this proves to be the low point of the season

Derbyshire v Netherlands preview

With no disrespect intended, Derbyshire have an ideal start to get their CB40 campaign up and running tomorrow at the County Ground against the Netherlands.

While the visitors acquitted themselves well in the recent World Cup, Alex Kervezee is back with Worcestershire and Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate doesn't play for them in this competition. Fast bowler Mark Jonkman, who bowled well last year, has been undergoing remedial work on a suspect action and is also out. Nor is there any sign of former Sussex veteran Baz Zuiderent in their travelling squad, which is:

Peter Borren (c), Wesley Barresi (wk), Eric Szwarczynski , Tom Cooper , Tom Whol ,Bradley Kruger , Mudassar Bukhari , Pieter Seelaar , Wilfred Diepeveen , Tom Heggelman , Berend Westdijk , Michael Swart, Shane Mott (overseas, Australia).


So no Michael Dighton either, after his heroics that resulted in last year's embarrassing defeat at the County Ground. The visitors have Australian grade cricketer Shane Mott, a left arm seamer and hard hitting batsman as their overseas player for the first four games of the campaign. He played his cricket in Huddersfield last year for Scholes, taking 52 wickets at 22 and scoring 602 runs at 33. Decent figures, but there's a big difference between Aussie first grade and county cricket.

As for Derbyshire, John Morris is likely to be missing Jon Clare and Usman Khawaja, while Tony Palladino may be rested after his efforts against Middlesex. Garry Park will surely come in after his outstanding knock in the Seconds last week, while there is a debut for Yorkshire loanee Azeem Rafiq (pictured). I'm not sure if Ross Whiteley's injury is serious or not, but I'd expect tomorrow's side to line up along these lines, with Luke Sutton suggesting on Twitter that he'll be fit:

Wes Durston
Chesney Hughes
Garry Park
Wayne Madsen
Greg Smith
Dan Redfern
Luke Sutton
Ross Whiteley/Tim Groenewald
Azeem Rafiq
Steffan Jones
Mark Turner

I don't think that will be too far away. We start a Championship game at Leicester on Wednesday and John Morris will want his first choice seamers fit and rested if at all possible. I'd guess that Groenewald would also be putting his feet up in an ideal situation.

My forecast? Surely a win. I'll be very disappointed otherwise.

Postscript: Mind you, as Yorkshire are finding today, you take these teams lightly at your peril. I can't decide whether the Netherlands are improving or Yorkshire are going through a nightmare since their collapse against Nottinghamshire.

I'll stand by my assertion though - if we are to be taken seriously by people in the press and media, we need to beat these sides.

Derbyshire v Netherlands

Six o'clock and as I type there's a strong possibility that Derbyshire could lose to their visitors from Netherlands.

After another distinctly average batting display in which only skipper Chris Rogers emerged with any credit, Derbyshire only totalled 206 thanks to a few late and lusty blows by Steffan Jones.

Netherlands are 78-2 from 20, with two Australians at the crease. In a text last night I suggested to a friend that you could put money on Michael Dighton playing well in this one and with a wicket, two catches and an unbeaten 33 thus far one could say that he has. He is accompanied by another young Australian, Tom Cooper, who has a decent first class record back home for South Australia and plays on a Dutch passport. As an ex-Aussie under 19 he must know what he's doing and with plenty of batting to come, if I'd a spare fiver I'd be tempted to go with a surprise victory.

128 from 18 overs is eminently gettable and either they need to make a mess of things or we need to bowl very well from here. As I close Cooper is out, the wicket of Dighton is likely to be the key to it all.