Derbyshire v Warwickshire Pro 40

I didn't do a preview for this game as there was little, if anything resting on it. A little pride would have done nicely and at least we didn't go down without a fight, but the failings that have dogged our one day cricket this season were evident once again.

The bowlers often make a good start but we then seem incapable of forcing home the advantage. Even allowing for a couple of good players (Maddy and Ambrose) getting going yesterday, we let them away from 42-3 to 229-5.

Kevin Dean showed what we are going to miss, even on an occasional basis, with an exemplary new ball spell. This is what Wayne White needs to learn. I was surprised to see White play at the expense of Hunter yesterday, unless the latter was injured. Maybe White was being given another chance to show what he can do and a decision has already been made, one way or another, on Hunter. The latter is unlikely to get any better, but has bowled well in the last few weeks, while White has time on his side but can only get away with that "excuse" for so long. He has bowled some very expensive spells this season and needs to find consistency in his game to maintain hopes of a first class career.

Dan Redfern also bowled steadily and followed it with a breezy innings. We must not expect too much from the talented young left hander, but he is a fine talent and could be an all round asset. While his bowling could be useful, I hope that it is not to the detriment of his batting.

Speaking of which, we did the same old things yesterday. The loss of early wickets put us on the backfoot and when faced with a not unduly challenging 7 an over for the last ten we fell apart. I don't know how you teach players not to panic in these situations, but it seems that our batsmen go for the big shots and don't appreciate the merit in running hard and whittling away at the total. Maybe we need a master class from Dean Jones and Michael Bevan in one day batting. Faced with seven an over, they would pick off the odd bad ball and place and time the ball so well that ones became twos and twos became threes. It is an acquired skill and experience helps, but we need to work on that.

Wavell produced a beauty of an innings yesterday that looked like it could have taken us home, with a little more support. He was very harsh on Ant Botha, clumping him for five sixes in the arc between mid wicket and long on, but in these situations a batsman needs something at the other end an it was not forthcoming. It was good to see James Pipe back behind the stumps, but unfair to expect one of his vintage innings after a sizeable layoff.

So that's one day cricket for this year and to be honest, thank goodness for that. With the odd exception we've played it badly this year (again) and I hope that we can work on the techniques of the one day game over the winter. The fielding is by and large OK, but the bowlers need to learn from Langeveldt on where to bowl and the merits of mixing up the pace.

While I feel that overall we have, as a side, made progress this season, I can't say this for the one day game. The Championship will be the more likely route to success for this side until we show greater maturity in key aspects of the game.

Buck's chance to prove me a mystic!

Could tomorrow see this moribund track provide a little bit of cricket history?

With Chris Rogers unbeaten on 237 at stumps and Derbyshire just 14 runs behind, one could be forgiven for thinking a declaration will come overnight, followed by a Warwickshire thrash and a Derbyshire run chase.

Yeah, and I'm actually Brad Pitt and my wife's Angelina Jolie (actually she's even nicer!)

It isn't going to happen that way and so realism should take over. With Warwickshire's stance throughout this game being "what we have, we hold" there will be no last day declaration, unless you count Derbyshire being left 290 from 20 0vers as a declaration. They are ahead of us in the promotion stakes and intend to stay that way. Who can blame them? If the roles were reversed, I doubt John Morris would tempt our opposition with 5 an over for 50 overs.

All of which means that Chris Rogers could tomorrow attempt to break the longest standing individual batting record in County cricket. That's George Davidson's 274 at Old Trafford against Lancashire in 1896, which has been threatened on a number of occasions over the years, but not yet beaten.

The most likely once seemed to be Stan Worthington, who got to 238 and had to retire with cramp, but Kim Barnett, Michael di Venuto and others have all threatened it in recent years, only to get out early the next day.

I'm actually feeling quite good about this one, as in my post of July 8 "Buck Rogers and a quest for centuries" I wrote:

Rogers has a deserved reputation for big scores. A triple century while playing for Northants, a double century against his countrymen for Leicestershire and a piffling 279 for Western Australia in a Pura Cup match. Even allowing for lapses of concentration and the odd good ball, we should now look to him to replicate that for us through July, August and September.
I'll go on record now, and risk looking silly later, by saying that Rogers COULD be the man to break George Davidson's long-standing highest individual score for the county, currently standing at 274.

Last night I also wrote that I thought he could get enough to become one of the top scorers in the country today. At close of play, only Stephen Moore has scored more than Rogers this season and he has 61 more. If Waggy, Charl and Nayan can stay with him tomorrow, Rogers will deservedly enter the record books and could become the top scorer in the country.

If I ran the poll on whether he should stay next season again I suspect the result would be massively different than the 50/50 vote that transpired. With an average of 58 at present he has surely convinced the doubters and with four centuries and seven 50s in 24 innings can be said to have had a very fine season - hopefully with more to follow.

Conversely, in a batting display of solidity, led by Paul Borrington, Wavell Hinds and Tom New, ex-skipper Rikki Clarke only lasted two balls and must surely now be rested. Or dropped, or however you want to put it, but the poor bloke is having a nightmare. One of the Birmingham newspapers yesterday suggested that the Bears may be in for him at the end of season, despite him being under contract. While a player of unquestionable talent, he has massively underperformed this season and while part of me thinks he has to get better next year, the other thinks that the substantial contract that he must be on could be spent in better ways. All will be revealed in time, I'm sure.

So, let's celebrate a job well done tonight and hope that Chris Rogers manages a feat tomorrow that many will have lived and died hoping to see. We'll not be celebrating a win tomorrow, that is for sure, but a new record would send them on to the next game in good heart.

Warwickshire v Derbyshire

If four day cricket and two divisions has given County cricket a shot in the arm, the game at Edgbaston must have had a placebo administered because at the end of day two it is hard to see where a positive result can possibly come from.

Having crawled to 476-9 from over 145 overs of batting, Derbyshire responded with a more fluent (but there were close fields set) 83-0 in reply from 22 overs by the close. Only Ian Salisbury showed anything like aggression for the Bears, although Ian Trott showed admirable powers of concentration in making 181 in just over six hours of batting.

Here is the problem with a lot of county cricket, with soporific tracks emasculating even the most penetrative of bowlers (Langeveldt) who bowled 26 overs in taking 2-59. He needs one more to reach 50 for the season but must be seriously pleased not to have to bowl on this every other game. It must be the same feeling encountered by Stef Jones in moving to Taunton, a lot more work than the tracks he had at his disposal in Derby.

Our first target tomorrow will be the 327 to avoid the follow on so there's 244 more required after the positive start made by Buck Rogers and Bozza. It gladdens my heart to see two youngsters of the age and ability of Borrington and Redfern in the Derbyshire side and is testimony to the work being done in the Academy and Seconds.

The problem is that I fail to see how we can win this game. If we batted brilliantly tomorrow and made 120 a session, we'd close at 440 or thereabouts, still behind. On what we have seen so far the home side are keen to avoid defeat here so are unlikely to set anything attainable for us in the last innings. So unless we collapse in spectacular fashion (it has been known) the last day is likely to be as exciting as a rave featuring the music of Perry Como and Val Doonican.

It would suit Warwickshire, but with their next two matches being against Worcestershire and Essex (the latter without Kaneria who is now out for the season) they may yet have reason to regret the negativity that has been a feature of their tactics in this game. essex are now back in the race after thrashing a pitiful Leicestershire side today. How did that shower beat us in the Pro 40?

Finally, congratulations to Chris Rogers in becoming the latest to pass 1,000 runs for the season. He is currently seventh leading scorer of the season and nine more runs tomorrow will leave only Marcus Trescothick, HD Ackerman, Jacques Rudolph and Stephen Moore ahead of him. Another 76 will see him pass the excellent Rudolph and if batting conditions stay as they are he has every chance of doing that.

Well played Chris!

Warwickshire v Derbyshire day 1

At the end of a slightly anti-climactic day one I'd reckon that honours are pretty much even at Edgbaston. While the home side will be pleased to have made 209 runs with only three wickets down in a truncated day, I'd reckon that we'll be pleased to have kept the run rate to under three an over while bagging three good wickets, including talismanic skipper Darren Maddy.

I'm pleased to have correctly called Morris' final eleven last night and they all bowled steadily. No wickets for Charl, but Waggy, Clare and Wavell all took one while Nayan Doshi bowled a very accurate spell of slow left arm.

The thing is things can quickly change. Langeveldt is often more effective on a second day with an older ball with the reverse swing going and after Tim Ambrose, due in next, they have the two spinners and then the three seamers. Without being cruel, if the Cricinfo batting order is correct, Martin and Woakes must be poor batsmen if Boyd Rankin (a surprise inclusion) is at nine. Two quick wickets tomorrow morning, with 209-3 becoming 230-5 and they could struggle to top 300.

Conversely we must keep our discipline and not let them get away. Trott and Troughton are both good players and if they get away we could be chasing leather till teatime and a first innings of 450. We have a comfortingly long batting order here, with Clare and Wagg at eight and nine but we know how fragile that early order can be and must hope that from here onwards they fire on all cylinders.

Tomorrow, tomorrow - its only a day away!

Warwickshire v Derbyshire preview

This time tomorrow we'll either be rubbing our hands with excitement or kicking the cat (makes mental note, must go and buy a cat tomorrow, just in case...)

With overcast conditions the toss will be vital tomorrow and we would love to win it. Derbyshire have announced a 13 man squad that is as follows:

Chris Rogers (captain)
Paul Borrington
Wavell Hinds
Greg Smith
Dan Redfern
John Sadler
Rikki Clarke
Tom New
Jon Clare
Graham Wagg
Ian Hunter
Charl Langeveldt
Nayan Doshi

So the Leicestershire Mercury was telling porkies when it said that New was playing his last game for us last night. The Nottinghamshire-born player has done very well for us and is in solid batting form. The key selection is Rikki Clarke - is he fit to bowl more than a few overs and is he in good enough form with the bat? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then he should be in the side, though fans would question his batting form even if we don't know the state of his ankle. One assumes that we would need a front line spinner and that Nayan Doshi will play against the side that courted him last season before signing Ant Botha so that would mean that Ian Hunter misses out. The final place would thus be between John Sadler and Clarke as a batsman and given that neither have been in the form of their life, that's a tricky one. My gut feeling would be to stick with the ex-skipper, but hey - what do I know?

We'd then have an attack of 47-wicket Charl Langeveldt, Graham Wagg, Jon Clare, Wavell Hinds, Nayan Doshi and a bit of Clarke, Smith and Redfern (the latter a useful off-spinner). Plenty of options and importantly a lengthy batting side. Getting those last two places right will be very, very important for John Morris.

The hosts have a strong looking side out and their 12 reads:

Darren Maddy (captain)
Ian Westwood
Jonathan Trott
James Troughton
Tim Ambrose
Tony Frost
Ant Botha
Ian Salisbury
Neil Carter
Chris Woakes
Chris Martin
James Anyon

Ambrose, Frost, Troughton and Trott all average in excess of 50 for the home side though only two of them have exceeded 500 runs. Youngster Woakes has had a good season but their bowling doesn't look excessively dangerous - here's hoping I don't have to regret those words! The Warwickshire fans on 606 are not very happy and are talking about wholesale changes for next season, so if we were to win this one there'll be much wailing and gnashing of teeth down Birmingham way.

Kiwi seamer Chris Martin hasn't pulled up many trees for the Bears, and their biggest danger still looks Neil Carter, who although past his prime has the knack of bowling wicket-taking spells. They may well decide on one of the spinners for the final place but could play both as they can both bat and Anyon may miss out with the skipper Maddy and Trott bowling their seamers as extra bowlers.

It is all set for a battle royal. We could really do with the big name players standing up and playing the innings they have all threatened in this one. After the destruction of Middlesex, another win here could set the momentum for a successful end of season promotion push.

C'mon boys - make us proud to be Derbyshire fans!

Derbyshire v Warwickshire 1910

It is safe to say that the 1910 equivalent of Grumbler's Corner at Derby would have had plenty to complain about.


The county used 32 players that season and won only two of their twenty games, losing fourteen and ending up next to bottom. The side was heavily dependent on fast bowler Arnold Warren, solid left hand bat Ernie "Nudger" Needham and all rounder Arthur Morton, all of whom were ever-present in a poor season.

So too was John Chapman, a Gloucestershire man who had qualified to play for Derbyshire and had made his debut in the previous season. He had starred in a victory over Warwickshire that season, making 198 in a six wicket win. The innings flattered him, however as he finished his career with an average of only 18,

When Warwickshire came to Blackwell on June 18th, Chapman may well have reflected on his innings the previous year but had to wait to bat. The Blackwell ground hosted seven Derbyshire matches up to the First World War but then lost out to Burton-on-Trent and it offered a fine batting track for a decent side.

A year later, Warwickshire won the County Championship and on the first day they racked up an impressive 429-5, before declaring before lunch on the second day at 504-7. In reply, Derbyshire made a solid but insufficient 262 all out and were made to follow on before the close, when they were 51-1.

The following morning there was a collapse and 40 minutes before lunch the home county was 131-8 when Chapman walked out at number ten to join Arnold Warren. The latter was best known as a lively fast medium bowler, genuinely quick for a few overs, and although a steady batsman had never produced the spectacular. His average was 12 for the season, while the captain averaged 15. Spectators could have been forgiven for checking the times of early trains home.

In the forty minutes until lunch, the pair added 73 runs and went in only 38 runs adrift. A Warwickshire win had been delayed, but for how long?

Warwickshire attacked after lunch but so did the batsmen and the ball disappeared to all parts. Both reached their 50 and when the score reached 264 they acknowledged a new club record partnership for the ninth wicket. Although the visiting skipper rotated his bowlers, the runs continued to mount, Chapman forging ahead as Warren struggled with a knee injury.

Chapman reached his century after two hours of batting and Warren eventually reached his after two and a half hours. At tea, Derbyshire went in at 369-8, the batsmen having added 169 between lunch and tea and Derbyshire were now 127 ahead.

After tea, the runs still mounted until, with the partnership 283 runs and Warren on 123, the opening bowler was caught at slip. Wicket-keeper Joe Humphries joined Chapman who carried on until he was finally bowled by all rounder Frank Foster for 165.

There are several extraordinary facets to this partnership. One is that Arnold Warren never made another century in 445 first class innings and only made eleven fifties. Another is that John Chapman made only two centuries in his career and they came in successive seasons against Warwickshire.

The third is that 98 years on this partnership is still the biggest for the ninth wicket in a first class match. Whether it will ever be beaten is debatable, but limited cricketer that he was, John Chapman left an indelible mark on Derbyshire and international cricket.

Derby v Warwick day 2

Well, when they were 240-4 with Trott going well and a long batting order I feared the worst and thought we'd be 150 or so behind on first innings.

For the deficit to be only 40 is a good recovery, although our top order will need to do much better in the second innings to get ahead in this game. The first priority, as I type is for Stubbo and Rogers to get us through to stumps and we could do with one of these two batting a long time tomorrow. Ideally, we'd like them all to, but we need to post 300 in the second dig to make a match of this.

I don't know if it was starting to turn a little, but it was good to see Nayan Doshi break through with two quick wickets. He would have enjoyed the dismissal of his predecessor in the spinner role, Ant Botha, especially getting him for a duck. Langeveldt again showed his class, and figures like that (3-42 in 22 overs) don't lie, while Tom Lungley rattled through the tail and finished with 4-70.

Elsewhere, Jon Clare followed his batting heroics with a steady spell and a wicket, while Rikki Clarke was a little expensive.

Anyway, close of play has just come with Derbyshire 3-0. All to play for tomorrow, here's hoping for a hot day, no cloud or humidity and a chance to post a good score.

All followed by muggy cloud on Saturday of course!