Worcestershire v Derbyshire preview

Derbyshire take on Worcestershire at New Road tomorrow and are forced to field their third wicket-keeper of the season, after an unspecified illness for Richard Johnson ruled him out of the side.

With Tom Poynton already missing and highly-rated academy youngster Harvey Hosein still at school, Graeme Welch has brought in Yorkshire wicket-keeper Dan Hodgson (pictured) on a month-long loan. He has done well in his appearances for the white rose county and averages in the mid-twenties with the bat from limited opportunities, as well as having a good reputation with the gloves.

He will be well known to wicket-keeping coach Simon Guy and the club is to be applauded for moving quickly and decisively in an awkward situation. If it turns out as well as the loan deal for Azeem Rafiq a summer or two back, neither county will have any complaints.

Tomorrow Hodgson and his new team mates come up against a Worcestershire side that welcomes back Pakistan spin bowler Saeed Ajmal to their squad. The veteran off-spin bowler is a good player and will add much-needed guile and experience to a side that lost their strike bowler, Alan Richardson, to a coaching role at Warwickshire when Graeme Welch moved to the County Ground.

There are a few less familiar names in their side but they cannot be underestimated. Former Derbyshire favourite Ross Whiteley will be keen to do well against his old team mates and, like our last opponents Hampshire, they have a long batting line-up, headed by England man Moeen Ali.

Their side: Mitchell (captain), Pardoe, Moeen Ali, Kohler-Cadmore, Kervezee, Whiteley, Cox, Andrew, Shantry, Ajmal, Morris.

As I write, there's no news on the Derbyshire squad, but I don't expect major changes at this stage. While the middle order from five to seven hasn't yet contributed weight of runs, there's too much talent there for knee-jerk reactions. Opportunities for the likes of Alex Hughes, Scott Elstone, Ben Slater and Paul Borrington may come, but all need to add weight of runs at club and second team level to the argument for playing them.

The same goes for bowlers, of course. While there's been good discussion on these pages in recent days on the make up and balance of our attack, none of us sees them in the nets and knows the current form and fitness of those concerned. Graeme Welch does and makes his decision on the side based on that, something that we must all respect.

With Ajmal in the home side's ranks, there will be an expectation of the wicket turning as the game goes on, so I would expect to see a role for David Wainwright in this one, probably at the expense of Mark Turner unless there are injuries in the seam bowling ranks we are unaware of at this stage.

Stephen Moore will be keen to maintain his good early season form at the county where he got his start in the county game, so there are a few sub-plots to look out for in this one.

The weather forecast isn't great for tomorrow, but better for the last three days. I have confidence in a Derbyshire squad that has competed well so far without firing anywhere close to its full potential. That being the case, I'm going to take this one as the game in which we come good.

With decent luck with decisions and the weather, accompanied by better fielding than we saw on the first day against Hampshire, I'm going for a first Derbyshire win here.

What about you?

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.

Worcestershire v Derbyshire

Three in a row...

Another professional performance by Derbyshire, albeit one in which the early impetus from Hughes and Khawaja dissipated on a slow pitch as Wes Durston, for once, struggled. After Chesney's dismissal the next seven overs brought only 14 runs, but the target was such that a good couple of overs was all that was required to bring things back on track.

Hats off tonight to Usman Khawaja (pictured) for a disciplined, unbeaten innings that eventually saw the side home with eight balls to spare. It was good to see the Aussie import see it through and hit the winning boundary, finishing with 89 from 111 balls. The necessary injection of pace came from Greg Smith and Wayne Madsen and a fine win takes us clear at the top of the league.

Well as Khawaja batted, the win was equally the result of disciplined bowling and fielding in the Worcestershire innings. Tim Groenewald was the standout with an excellent 4-22, although the spin trio of Hughes, Durston and Rafiq bowled a collective 21 overs for just 82 runs. Rafiq also ran out the potential danger of Damian Wright in the closing overs and held the early catch that saw Moeen Ali out without scoring. It was an excellent performance from a young player who has had some undeserved stick from a few people and pleasing to see.

Although Tony Palladino was a little rusty on his return to the team, this was a good effort by Derbyshire. Next up in this competition is a visit to Hove to play the team that sits just behind us in the table, Sussex.
If we can win that one, we might just start fantasising.

As it is, that Netherlands defeat seems a long way away. Well done lads.

Worcestershire v Derbyshire day 1

Today we were carted around by a powerful Worcestershire batting line up, led by the imperious Graeme Hick, who hammered 450-8 in just 82 overs. Even the normally niggardly Charl Langeveldt got hammered, primarily at the start by Vikram Solanki but latterly by Hick en route to a run a ball 149.

That's the bad news. On the upside, we fought back well considering they were 392-4 and skipper Rikki Clarke bowled the best spell of the day, taking 2-37 in 12 overs despite an ankle problem that should have prevented him bowling. In addition, Chris Rogers and Paul Borrington batted steadily through to the close to finish 27-0 against an opening attack of Matt Mason and Simon Jones. The home side are also missing the prolific Kabir Ali in this game, so the rest of the attack looks less menacing, although Imran Arif has made a fair impression so far.

One would hope that our batting, with Jon Clare at eight and Graham Wagg at nine should be capable of getting to 301 and avoiding the follow-on with a decent batting strip. Their declaration to rob us of an extra bowling point presumably aimed at getting wickets tonight so we're still in this one.

On a different tack, there was a good article on the Derby Telegraph site today about Wavell Hinds. If you've not already seen it, you can do so at http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/sport/County-waiting-Wavell-explode-fuse-burning/article-252774-detail/article.html

I'll admit that I'd not really noticed the consistency of his scores and there's a few recent contributors on the 606 board who must be feeling a little awkward after criticising him. Much the same as Chris Rogers, the main criticism is that he's not gone on to a big score. In a side of questionable batting consistency, the onus is on these hugely experienced players to make the big scores and the younger guys to pitch in here and there. With Rikki Clarke they are our big names and if one of these guys made a hundred each time we batted there'd be no holding us. Lower order contributions have been good all season but time and again they have had to be.

Dan Birch dropped another catch today and this is a weakness of the burly batsman. He dropped an easy one at Lords and while not a liability in the field, he's not the most natural of athletes either. Today's cost us 75 runs as Hick moved to 149 and he owes us when he bats.

The decision to go with an all-seam attack was well intentioned but there must have been times today when Clarke wished he had the control and change of pace afforded by Doshi or Needham. Greg Smith hasn't bowled enough this year to bowl with control and took some flak today.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day. Perhaps the day when Rogers and Hinds come to the table and feast on the Worcestershire bowling. This time tomorrow, we'll know if Derbyshire can still have a say in this game (and the promotion race) or if we're destined for another year of under-achievement.

While considering the possibilities tonight, think on one thing. Worcestershire must think we're still very much involved - why else would they deny us that extra bowling point?

Worcestershire v Derbyshire preview

There's a more solid look to the Derbyshire side tomorrow. The thirteen man squad announced by John Morris reads:

Rogers
Borrington
Birch
Hinds
Clarke
Smith
New
Clare
Wagg
Langeveldt
Doshi
White
Dean.

Morris has yet to decide on a recall for Rikki Clarke, but his recent batting form suggests he should play in a crucial game at Worcester, currently top of the league despite our thrashing them at Chesterfield. Logic suggests he will play, as Smith at 5 and New 6 looks too high for both. I know that the Leicestershire loanee opened the batting for them, but I like the look of him at seven with Clare and Wagg to follow. It looks more promising than the sight of Wayne White at 8 against Surrey, lets put it that way. I suspect he and Dean will miss out, unless the wicket suggests little prospect of spin in which case Greg Smith will be the sole spinning option.

Worcestershire are pretty much at full strength, with an impressive line up featuring the very in form Vikram Solanki and Stephen Moore. That's as maybe, but they've not batted against Charl lately...

Their side is:

D K H Mitchell
S C Moore
V S Solanki
B F Smith
G A Hick
S M Davies
G J Batty
K Ali
S P Jones
M S Mason
I Arif
G M Andrew

A very good seam attack with Mason fit again, a player who often does well against us. Their batting is also strong, but the key to success is getting Solanki in early against the new ball. I think he is a player ill-treated by national selectors and a very fine batsman, but a little cloud cover and Langeveldt in his normal vein of form and... well, who knows?

Maybe I was a little harsh on the team last night by writing off their chances this year, but we need a couple of wins in the Championship to stay in the race. That they are good enough is beyond doubt. Their performances against Worcestershire and Warwickshire suggest they can compete against better sides, but the inconsistency is what infuriates all of us. You couldn't say at the start of a day that we'd close at 350-3 or 152 all out. Mind you, we should be grateful for small mercies, as the team I grew up watching offered the option of 120 all out or 170 all out on a good day.

In closing tonight, I hope for a win, naturally, but think this could be a very good game. I'd also like to make an honourable mention for my club side, who beat an Australian Veterans XI on Sunday in a game to mark our 25th anniversary. We won by 42 runs against a side that boasted several former first grade players. Rumours that Peter Moores was watching from his car proved unfounded, but our services are available if the country requires next year!

Come on Derbyshire, let's prove the doubters wrong and win this one.

Smokin'!

At 157-7 it looked like another case of deja-vu as the top order caved in once again.

By the close of play we are all sitting feeling rather smug having managed a first innings lead of 200, thanks largely to a 71-ball century from James Pipe (pictured) on his return from injury. He will have enjoyed that against his old county for whom he rarely batted higher than nine or ten.

The Yorkshireman is a key part of this side and has been badly missed over the past few weeks. He received valuable support from Graham Wagg, who is on fire at the moment and the tail, which once again wagged very well.

Rikki Clarke's lack of runs is a cause for some concern, but Wavell appears to have been unlucky today in being given out caught from a half-shouted appeal when it came off his sweater. There will be better days ahead for both, and if Wavell gets the sun on his back he will be good entertainment.

There is still a lot to do and Worcester surely cannot fold as easily again. If Solanki, Hick, Smith et al fire then we could still be left chasing an awkward 180-200 in the last innings, but we have done very well so far in this match. I suspect that Jake Needham may have a long bowl in the next innings but would be more than happy if the opening bowlers run through them tomorrow.

It's funny though. Last week after a poor result against Middlesex when missing players we were, according to some "fans" a worse side than ever and "rubbish". They're not making any noises tonight for some reason. I didn't join the chorus of condemnation last week and I'll not get carried away and claim we are world-beaters now. But I will reiterate that we are an embryonic side of some quality who will continue to mix good and bad days until John Morris gets the players that he wants. A few more days like this one though and they'll all want to join Animal's magic side!

Derbyshire v Worcestershire preview

There is no better place on God's earth to watch a game of cricket than Chesterfield.

Plenty of grounds will stake a claim. New Road at Worcester, Canterbury, Arundel, Cape Town. None can surely have the charm of the ground overlooked by the most famous Church spire in the world. There's less of the spire visible these days, but the ground is a picture and from a viewing perspective it is superb.

The return of the Chesterfield festival is to be celebrated and I hope that the weather is kind, with a bumper crowd almost certain.

Its time for a big hello to new West Indian batsman Wavell Hinds, who should appreciate the pace and bounce that is usually a feature of the Chesterfield tracks. Welcome back also to James Pipe, who's effervescent qualities have been missed, irrespective of the commitment shown by Freddie Klokker. From the team named one would assume that Rikki Clarke is now fit to bowl, otherwise we're looking at Hinds also being the fifth bowler. Useful as he may be, I don't think he's quite that good with the ball. The team is

Stubbings
Rogers
Birch
Hinds
Clarke
Sadler
Pipe
Wagg
Clare
Needham
Langeveldt

Plenty of batting with John "Bradman" Clare at 9, although cynics will say that we need them the way that the top order have performed. As we all know, it's a funny old game and perhaps the Jamaican's arrival will galvanise the others.
As for the visitors, they travel with a 12-man squad that reads:

D K H Mitchell,
S C Moore,
V S Solanki
B Smith,
G A Hick,
S M Davies
G J Batty
K Ali
GM Andrew
S J Magoffin
S P Jones
M M Ali

I suspect Ali will be 12th man as Derbyshire face a talented line up and in Vikram Solanki someone who is regularly a thorn in our side. There will be great interest in the performance of Stephen Moore after our declared interest in him last week, while this may be the last chance to see Graeme Hick on a Derbyshire ground, with rumours of a retirement going the rounds. One thing for sure is that our top order will be tested by the rejuvenated Simon Jones, while Kabir Ali and Magoffin make up a strong pace attack.
Fingers crossed for good weather and for Derbyshire to return to form with a vengeance!