Groenewald to leave and youth to get opportunity

Today's breaking news that Tim Groenewald is set to leave the county is sad, but will, I think, be seen as the day when the Welch revolution started moving through the gears at the County Ground.

I like Groenewald as a cricketer and he has been an excellent servant to Derbyshire. Then again, the club has been good to him and had it not been for the opportunities offered with the new ball when he left Warwickshire, his career could have taken a completely different route.

One thing is for sure, we will miss a player who has always given one hundred per cent and who has proved the most robust of seamers. Look back over his time at the club and there are few periods where he missed matches. Whether one-day or four-day cricket, Timmy G has run in to bowl and done so consistently.

He has not been quite so effective in the T20 this year and with a current rate of ten runs an over against him is not enjoying the best of campaigns, but he will be remembered as a very good seam bowler and an excellent club man. He is also a thoroughly nice guy and I am sure that Derbyshire fans will wish him well, wherever he ends up.

That Derbyshire waived their right to the player serving 28 days notice before speaking to other counties can be construed as a goodwill gesture, but also as a vote of confidence in the crop of young bowlers coming through. I fully expect to see change and experiment in the course of this summer and next, as opportunity knocks for the young brigade of seam bowlers. Tom Taylor is the first of these to gain elevation and replaced Groenewald in the side at Leicester today. The lad is a genuine talent and needs opportunity to move up a level. So too do the likes of the giant Ben Cotton, the whole-hearted Matt Higginbottom and the all-round talent of Greg Cork, even before you consider the likes of Jony Marsden and Will Davis.

Five years from now, maybe even three, Derbyshire may well field a first-choice attack that is primarily home-grown. There will also be more opportunities on the batting front, where again there are players emerging through the Academy who could force their way into the side in time.

Derbyshire will have made Tim Groenewald a decent contract offer but presumably could not compete, or chose not to compete, with what is on offer elsewhere. In all such dealings one has to consider the importance of the player and the cover available for them should they decide to leave.

In this instance, Graeme Welch has decided that he has the cover and that the money could be more beneficially used for strengthening elsewhere.

That's what he is paid for. Let the revolution commence... 

Groenewald signs three year deal

Regular readers will know that I was more hopeful of Tim Groenewald staying at Derbyshire than Greg Smith and I am delighted to see that he has signed on for another three seasons.

I understand that the player is very happy in the area and he is a key component of our team. As a bowler is is rarely injured, totally committed and usually penetrative. As a batsman he sells his wicket dearly but can hit the ball hard when required.

He is, in short, a model professional, the sort of player that a team of young Derbyshire-reared players can learn from, respect and work with.

I am thrilled that we will see him in our colours for the next three seasons.

Take a bow Timmy G - its nice to see that loyalty is still in the game and I look forward to many more wickets and runs in the years ahead.

Bit baffled...

One or two comments on the blog yesterday I can't agree with.

One said that Groenewald "had a couple of good spells and scored a fifty but didn't set the world alight". Actually, I think he did very well. In first class matches he averaged 20 with the bat, usually coming in at nine or ten, while he was top of the bowling averages with 34 wickets at 27 from only nine matches. He took 12 wickets in one day games and a further 7 in Twenty/20, where he was our second most economical regular bowler. That's a little more than "a couple of good spells" and he can be proud of his efforts.

Similarly, there are calls for John Sadler to be released after averaging 35 from just four one day innings and 71 from four Championship innings. On top of that he averaged 41 in the Twenty/20. OK, those averages were partly the result of a lot of not outs, but the fact is that Sads let no one down in 2009. In one day games he got in with 2-3 overs to go and in the Championship he was in at 483-4 against Kent, 350-4 against Middlesex and 400-4 and 143-4 against Essex. What's a man to do? It smacks of the comment made by the old Yorkshire wicket keeper Arthur Wood, when he came in during England's 903-7 against Australia with the score reading something like 730-5 and said "I allus was a man for a crisis"...

Sads scored a number of centuries for the Seconds and did well in his League appearances too. He could have done no more from his limited appearances in 2009. Yes, I'll agree that next year is a biggie for him, but I think that talk of releasing him after his summer's efforts are unfair.

Steffan Jones? Yes, I'd like to see us sign him too, but he's playing in India with Somerset just now so nothing can be done until he returns as he's still contracted to them. I think we will sign him after his efforts, but patience is the key guys.

Tom Lungley? With eight first class wickets at 49 and none in the one day matches he had a poor year. He took eight wickets in the Twenty/20 but was also our most expensive bowler based on runs conceded per over. I think he has an option for another year which he is yet to sign, but cannot think he'll have many other offers on those figures. He is another with a massive 2010 ahead if he stays, but whether he is here is up in the air at present.

Charl goes so come on down...

After the early part of the week being spent in a state of excitement following the signing of Stuart Law, it is back to earth with a bang as news comes through that we will lose the services of Charl Langeveldt to the Indian Premier League between 18th April and 24th May.

By my calculations (albeit quick) that rules him out of three Championship matches and all but one/two of the FP trophy matches, depending on the time of his flights subsequently. It is, beyond a doubt, a blow to Derbyshire's prospects, especially in the one day competition that I saw as our best bet this season.

To be fair, however, there was little they could do about it. While the odd fan here and there may be outraged by his lack of loyalty, could anyone in their heart of hearts say that they wouldn't do the same? The chance to earn more in a month than in the rest of the season would tempt anyone. I enjoy my job, but if someone offered me another where I could just work for a month and earn the same money I would snatch their hand off...

So the onus now lies on others to fill the gap. Logic suggests Tom Lungley will be first choice to take his place, so long as his body is fully recovered from last year's various strains and pains. If not, there would appear an early opportunity for Tim Groenewald. Neither could be claimed to be as complete a bowler as Langeveldt, but both bring something extra to the side.

Lungley can dismiss the best on his day and when he has rhythm is himself a potent force. It is an important year for him after last season's problems as the club cannot carry an injury-prone bowler. Tom is also a worker in the field and offers something with the bat, although not as much as his double century in the local leagues a year or two back suggested. He and Graham Wagg are great mates and I suspect that one could feed off the success of the other. We'll see...

Tim Groenewald could otherwise get an early opportunity to impress. Known as a lively fast medium bowler who hits the deck, he has yet to fulfil the early promise he showed in his native South Africa, but could just be a later developer and another who benefits from a change of county. In recent years we've had Tim Munton, "Pop" Welch and Graham Wagg from Warwickshire. The latter two were unqualified successes while Munton was still a fine bowler. If Groenewald shows that level of ability we'll be more than happy.

He also brings a reputation as a fine fielder and a huge hitter of a ball in the lower order. It may be that the compromise is that Lungley plays the Championship matches and Groenewald the one dayers, which would certainly have its merits as an idea.

Only John Morris knows the answer to this little dilemma. We'll know in due course the effect this may have on our season, but for now I'll happily think that this threat to our side's success may just turn out to be an opportunity to a couple of players who need one.

Tim Groenewald signs from Warwickshire

Breaking news today is that South African born but English-qualified all-rounder Tim Groenewald has left Warwickshire with a year to go on his contract to join Derbyshire.

Like Garry Park, he was a player that the county wished to retain but he has opted for the greater opportunities at Derby than there would be at Edgbaston, where the legend that is Rikki Clarke stands ahead of him...

He has a tough act to follow, as the previous all-rounders we signed from the Bears, Graeme Welch and Graham Wagg became huge favourites at Derby. A fast medium bowler and big hitting batsman, he has hit more sixes in limited over matches than he has fours, which suggests that life will not be dull when he goes in next season.

It also means that with Wagg, Smith, Clare, Park, Needham and now Groenewald we have plenty of all-rounders to call on next year. It's a good job the ex-captain did leave, as he would have slipped back to seventh best all-rounder at the club!

While Groenewald's first class record isn't spectacular, he has done enough to suggest that there is something there and I'm quite prepared to trust the coach's judgement on this one. I've not seen enough of him to comment, but players take a while to settle in the County game and I'd suggest that there is potential, just as long as we don't expect the new Ian Botham.

So we "give" them Botha, Rankin and Clarke and have had Welch, Wagg and Groenewald in return (OK and Tim Munton, who was unlucky with injuries)

Think we've done better in those exchanges, don't you?