Another top innings from Tom Knight

I don't know how many of you caught it, but there was another special innings from Tom Knight yesterday as Derbyshire's second team beat Yorkshire at Swarkestone.

Knight made 125 at a run-a-ball, only being run out by a direct hit from the boundary edge on the last ball of the innings, as Derbyshire posted 235-7 in fifty overs. The next highest score was Tony Palladino's 22, which indicates the importance of Tom's knock.

Yorkshire's innings got off to a strong start, with Hodd, Hodgson and Leaning all batting well, but when erstwhile county loanee Dan Hodgson was leg before to Palladino for 83, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. The last six wickets fell for 33 runs as Tom Taylor completed an excellent spell that saw him return figures of 4-33.

It's quite amusing that the Yorkshire club site reports on their side being young, yet given that most of our second team was playing at Derby against India, the local lads were hardly in the veteran stage. Yet a win by 29 runs ensued as Yorkshire finished their innings on 205-9, an excellent result in the circumstances.

There's quite a sea change going on at this level, where traditionally we haven't beaten the white rose county all that often. Yet at both academy and second team level we are starting to be the dominant side, something that can only augur well for the years ahead.

Well done to Tom Knight, though, who is rapidly developing into a genuine all-rounder after a stellar summer with the bat.

Derbyshire v Yorkshire

As days go, that must have been close to a 'Carlsberg' one. Cricket against Yorkshire at Chesterfield and beating them with over six overs in hand having chased 235, the pro scoring a hundred and contributions down the order. Oh, and our young spinner bowls a canny spell, removing their overseas player in the process and we did all that while resting three of our main bowlers.

Yup, that was a goodie. Having grown up on Derbyshire usually failing to chase 160 against Yorkshire in one day games, I would have loved to have seen that one, the latest in a long line of impressive displays this season. It just makes you wonder what could have been had we not played poorly twice against the Netherlands. One point from two games against them and the losses against Worcestershire shows what we need to address - keeping that level of intensity going against everyone.

There was no Dan Redfern today - hopefully being kept back for Wednesday - and while Hughes and Madsen scored a few, neither got quite the score they might have wished for. Nor did Greg Smith, although his bowling did a good job today, alongside Knight, while it was good to see Garry Park turning his arm over again after a shoulder injury for much of the campaign. Good discipline from Derbyshire too, with only ten extras, something that will please Karl Krikken and also Tom Poynton, who apparently kept well.

Of course, I have to close with mention of Martin Guptill, who seems to have gone from winter to high summer in form. I've been critical of Guptill's Championship form and while I accept he's had his share of awkward deliveries that have seen him go early, he will have been disappointed with his four-day campaign as an established Test player.

Now, however, he seems to have sussed the tracks. Having averaged around 40 in the T20 (no mean achievement) he now averages 93 in the CB40 with two centuries and a fifty in four knocks. Such is the way he goes for his shots that a lengthy Guptill knock should usually result in a win if others bat around him. Ross Whiteley gave the final impetus today with five fours and a six in his unbeaten 31 on a ground he knows well and has enjoyed considerable success. In full flight he is a player of obvious class and for me his on drive, the pose held as the ball speeds to the boundary, is his trademark shot. Not an easy one to play well either, but Guptill does it beautifully.

As I wrote earlier in the week, Martin Guptill for the first half of next season and Usman Khawaja for the second half could yet be the answer to Derbyshire's overseas needs for 2012. A few more innings like today and I might not be alone in that assertion either.

Yorkshire v Derbyshire

Remember the date. May 2nd, 2011.

That's when Derbyshire were taken seriously by the cricket world, including the Sky cricket commentators. Its also the date when anyone who labels the side as 'rubbish' on any forum, including this one, officially becomes a laughing stock.

To add the icing to the cake, the win took us top of the league.

The Derbyshire side were, quite simply, magnificent. The batting, as I wrote in my halfway report, was professional and displayed skill and common sense in equal measure. Wes Durston (pictured) again looked a class act, while Wayne Madsen has a range of shots that will always make him a danger man in the closing stages. Their form in the CB40 this season has been oustanding.

Greg Smith struggled for timing but didn't give it away and worked it around. The strike rotation throughout was the result of what John Morris has been preaching for some time, working the ball into gaps and running hard. We lost a few wickets at the end but I was pleased to see the thought process that went into promoting Steffan Jones and Jon Clare for a hit. It didn't come off today, but you can't fault the idea.

Likewise the concept of opening the bowling with Wes Durston. I've written before that I thought he was underused last year by Chris Rogers and his bowling today was as good as his batting. There can be no higher praise, as he floated the ball in on a good length and made the batsmen play.

Even when the second wicket pair were going well they never seemed to be in control, but once Wes took the key wicket, an impressive Joe Root leg before wicket, the procession began. It was aided and abetted by one of the best fielding displays you could wish to see, with three or four catches of quite exceptional quality. Garry Park's goalkeeper-like dive to dismiss Lyth was stunning, but so to was the return catch taken by Durston off a powerful drive hammered back by Gale. Khawaja held two tumbling efforts near the end which was good to see, but Wayne Madsen's blinder at extra cover was simply extraordinary. Although they didn't say much on TV, mention should also be made of Luke Sutton's catch. Anything off the bottom edge is difficult and whether it lodged in his groin or fingertips, the skipper completed a fine display by hanging on.

Yet wherever you looked today there were heroes. Chesney's bowling again looked much improved, while Jake Needham bowled a steady spell and fielded well on the boundary edge. The death bowling of Steffan Jones and Jonathan Clare was excellent, with ball after ball hammered into the blockhole in a fine display. Park was, as always a livewire in the field and it was heartening to hear the commentators talk about an outstanding fielding side and a very focussed and happy team. That's OUR team...

Sutton deserves credit for martialling his troops well and keeping them on their toes with constant shouts of "get on it". The levels of fitness and concentration he showed were an object lesson to all and his team backed him to the hilt.

Not for a minute am I claiming that we are now world-beaters, but this weekend we have comprehensively beaten two Division One sides with their fair share of international cricketers. We have set a benchmark in performance that illustrates that on our day we can compete with and match anyone. There will be days ahead when we fall from those standards, when things don't go our way and when the result goes against us.

Yet we have now showed our true capabilities. Eleven players with varying levels of experience are playing as a team and today looked a most impressive and thoroughly professional unit.

Happy tonight? I should darned well hope you are. I certainly am.

Yorkshire v Derbyshire half way

I'd have snatched your hand off if you'd offered me 245-8 before the game.

Wonderful batting, once again, from Wes Durston and Wayne Madsen, with good sensible support from Greg Smith. The commentators revised their 'good score' from 190 to 220 and we ended up with that.

Great, professional effort. The working around of the ball was an object lesson in one day batting and if we can bowl and field better than Yorkshire the win is there for taking.

Of course, that's what we now need to do, so lift it boys. Good work so far!

Yorkshire v Derbyshire preview

Another day, another match and the big question is this - can Derbyshire maintain the momentum of today, which probably fed off the euphoria of survival at Leicester.

You just can't tell, but if we turn up with the same attitude we can give them a run for their money.

Yorkshire have announced the following squad:

Andrew Gale (c), Adam Lyth, Joe Root, Anthony McGrath, Jonathan Bairstow, Gerard Brophy (wk), Richard Pyrah, Ajmal Shahzad, Adil Rashid, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Patterson, Joe Sayers and David Wainwright.

Another side with plenty of international experience that should realistically beat us with some ease. Expecting otherwise would be rash, but as Master Villain  points out elsewhere tonight, playing as a team is a route to success. Chasing 200? That's 20 each. Everyone do their bit and if a few exceed that we'll do just grand, thank you.

I doubt Yorkshire will allow Azeem Rafiq to play against them, so I would guess either Ross Whiteley, Tony Palladino or Mark Turner could replace him. Otherwise there should be few changes from today.

Should be a good 'un. I just hope Dr Jekyll's XI turns up again, rather than Mr Hyde's, especially in front of the cameras.

Derbyshire v Yorkshire Pro 40

Another night, another 40 0ver game, another loss

Maybe I'm a little premature, but the thinking money is on the visitors when we need 105 in 13 overs with the big guns gone.

It's nice to see John Sadler make a few runs but I wish I could have got to the bookies in time to put money on Rashid getting Rikki. There's something about spinners that make his eyes light up and while I'm sure that in peak form he'd send it to all parts, this hasn't been close to that for the ex-skipper all season.

110-5 as I type and Sadler is just gone. That'll teach me. Dan Redfern gets a game tonight after his exploits for England Under 19s, but ironically he hardly scored a run in the one-dayers against them so doesn't come into this game a man in form.

The bowling got some hammer from Rudolph, another paid up member of the "Nearly came to Derby but got injured, so couldn't" club. He's done very well for Yorkshire and we're entitled to ask "what if?"

Come to think of it, there's a nice article in there, with players who very nearly came to Derbyshire but for one reason or another, didn't. Some amazing names, might have a think about that one over the weekend. The only problem would be the lack of a keeper. We've always had a good one and never needed to go overseas to find a Faroukh Engineer or Nick Pothas.

128-6 and if not down and out, we're sleeping in the park for tonight I'm afraid. 84 from just under 10 overs isn't going to happen and the early batting let us down. I should have a shortcut made for that phrase by now, I've typed it so often this season. I really rate Greg Smith but don't like seeing him as an opener (yes, I do remember his knock at Headingley, but....) and Wavell is always susceptible early in his innings before he gets his feet moving. After this it is Leicester on Monday and then the battle royal at Edgbaston, which can't come soon enough for me.

Bottom line is we can't play one day cricket yet. We can't bowl tight enough and we don't bat with enough discipline and common sense to win more than a handful of matches each season. I live in hope that over the winter our batters will learn how to pace an innings and our bowlers learn from the lessons of Langeveldt.

136-6, 78 needed from 8. The fat lady is warming up as I close.

It was 60 years ago today...

That Derbyshire fans looked forward to the second day's play against Yorkshire at Chesterfield with unbelievable excitement tempered with disappointment.

It was raining and was to do so for most of the following day too, thus robbing Derbyshire of what would have been one of their greatest ever wins.

On Saturday 26th June 1948, a large crowd went to Chesterfield to see the traditional battle between the two counties in the idyllic setting. Glamorgan were top of the table - just - and were to win the title for the first time that year, but Derbyshire were close in second place and Yorkshire third. The visitors were missing three players to injury and Test call ups. Len Hutton and Norman Yardley were fine batsmen and Alec Coxon a good bowler, but we were missing batsman Pat Vaulkhard, all rounder Les Townsend and fast bowler Bill Copson.

Their skipper Brian Sellers won the toss and decided to bat on what seemed a good batting track. Opening the bowling for Derbyshire from the pavilion end was the great all-rounder George Pope, with Cliff Gladwin opening from the Lake End. As always, there was an air of excitement as the day began.

After an hour, Yorkshire were 18-6, most of them off the edge.

There were three wickets for Gladwin, two brilliantly caught by Charlie Elliott. One held at silly mid on and another in the gully. Willie Watson was run out and Pope had two. Yorkshire had no answer to Pope's fast medium leg-cutters and Gladwin's accurate off-cutters and by shortly after 1pm they were all out for just 44. No one made double figures and the bowling figures are worth recording:

George Pope 14.1 - 9 - 12 - 6

Cliff Gladwin 14 - 1 - 29 - 3

George bowled four, had one caught behind and one lbw.

When Derbyshire's openers Charlie Elliott and Albert Alderman started the reply there were reportedly 14,000 people on the ground! Elliott followed his brilliant fielding with a patient 62, while Pope (73) and wicket-keeper George Dawkes (68) used the long handle to good effect on the way to a total of 277.

Left arm chinaman bowler John Wardle took 8-87 for Yorkshire in a Derbyshire innings that lasted 95 overs.

You do the maths. That was 123 overs in the day, yet there was STILL time for Yorkshire to go back in again. By the close they would have wished they hadn't, as they were 15-3. Pope removed both openers and Cliff Gladwin having Watson caught in the leg trap by Alan Revill.

So in one day's play there had been 336 runs and 23 wickets with Derbyshire 218 runs ahead and only 7 wickets needed for a win. How well must the County fans have slept that night!

Then came the rain and no play on day two. Still, if the weather was fair we must have won, but only 90 minutes play was possible on the third day, when Yorkshire "advanced" - not sure if that's the right word - to 37-6 in 40 overs before the game was abandoned as a draw. Let's look at those second innings figures:

George Pope 17 -11 - 13 - 4

Cliff Gladwin 10 - 8 - 5 - 1

Albert Rhodes 10 - 5 - 12 - 0

Les Jackson 3 - 2 - 3 - 1

That's right, Les Jackson, in his second season, on as second change, with "Dusty" Rhodes, father of Harold, trying his leggies first.

So George Pope returned match figures of 31.1 - 20 - 25 - 10, socred 73 and still didn't figure on a winning side.

Mind you, the bragging rights were all ours for sure!

Derbyshire v Yorkshire - the halfway stage

Yorkshire's 169-5 is certainly a competitive total and on most grounds would make them favourites.

Cynics would say that Derbyshire's batting might put things even further their way, but much will depend on the start we make. Yorkshire were only 5 an over after five, but acceleration came from McGrath once he had worked out the pace of the track. We could have done with someone with the nous to do that against Lancashire, rather than going hell for leather after the bowling to be 25-4.

There are a couple of mysteries about the bowling today. One was why Jake Needham bowled a second over at the same batsman when his first went for 15. His second went for 19 and I can understand encouraging a young bowler but not when there's two big hitters like McGrath and Brophy in residence.

The other was why Wavell Hinds only bowled two when he just went for seven runs. According to teletext (which could be wrong) John Sadler also bowled an over for 13. His career record doesn't suggest a bowler of talent, so I'm hoping these decisions don't come back to haunt us.

It may be too early to be cynical, but if we lose today I don't see us progressing in this competition. I may be wrong, but I can't see us beating Notts twice, so a win today is really important.

Hope you've got those boundaries within range lads...

What a difference a day makes...

Never has a song been more apt...

Last night we were edged out in a thriller by a powerful Durham side. Beaten, but by no means disgraced. It was great to see Greg Smith back and making a powerful 47, and to see Wavell Hinds making a few runs before the wheels came off the batting in time honoured fashion.

Nonetheless, we nearly pulled it off, and had it not been for an expensive over from Graeme Wagg we could have won. Nayan Doshi produced his golden 20/20 form of the past seasons to produce a sensational hat trick, but the Duckworth Lewis decision went Durham's way as Benkenstein and Pollock kept their cool.

Then came tonight. First off, sorry for not blogging last night as I was playing myself (we lost, boo-hoo). Tonight I'd to work late and followed the score on-line. It was good to see us make a solid start, ad when a wicket goes down in this game there's always the danger it could be the precursor of a collapse.

Not a chance tonight, as Greg Smith (pictured) and Wavell Hinds put on a quite superb partnership. A 50 stand in this game is good going, 100 quite astonishing and these guys added 149 before Wavell was run out. Four sixes and three fours for the Jamaican who hit 61 from just 43 balls, while Smith followed last night's good innings with the first 20-over ton by a Derbyshire player. His hundred took just 62 balls, even quicker than Pipey's innings against Worcestershire!

In these games 150 is a fair score and will win 60% of games I would reckon. 180 will probablywin 80-90% of matches if you bowl steadily. With Mr Langeveldt in the attack you pretty much have a guarantee of economy, but by any standards tonight was special. I cannot think that any bowler has been more economical than that in 20/20. 4-0-9-4 is extraordinary, but it appears that they all played their part.

I'm pleased that I got pretty close to the side picked for these games, especially in the selction of two spinners, both of whom are doing very well. There are no guarantees in cricket, especially in this format, but there are few teams after tonight that will take playing us for granted. If that is not progress after the shambles of last season then I don't know what is.

Well played guys. Colossal performance!

Gillette Cup Final 1969

Once we'd recovered from the adrenalin rush that was the victory over Sussex, our attention turned to our opposition in the final.

It turned out to be Yorkshire, who clinically disposed of Nottinghamshire in the semi-final at Scarborough thanks to solid innings from Phil Sharpe and Doug Padgett taking them to 191. Garfield Sobers returned the astonishing figures of 12-8-12-1 but was not at his best with the bat, something Nottinghamshire needed if they were to post a challenging total. Although future Derbyshire skipper Brian Bolus and Cornishman Mike Harris gave them a solid start, they were always behind the rate and Sobers came in at 52-3 with a lot to do.

Although he pushed up the rate a little, Chris Old had him caught behind by Jimmy Binks and from then on the innings declined from 89-3 to 123 all out.

So Yorkshire it was, and sadly we couldn't go down for the final as Dad just couldn't get away from work. I was settled in my favourite seat in the house to watch the final, which was live on BBC (those were the days!) Admittedly, there was frustration later in the day as Grandstand took over coverage and the cricket switched with numerous other sports, with increasing attention being given to the football (the final took place on September 6th).

Yorkshire were put in to bat by Derek Morgan who won the toss and we sat back to watch the wickets tumble. After all, Geoff Boycott had been ruled out of the Yorkshire side and we weren't too worried by Barry Leadbetter and John Woodford. They put on 37 before Peter Eyre removed the latter, which brought in Brian Close. He and his younger partner built the score and the scoring rate until Close was very well caught by Mike Page as he was really opening up. Unfortunately, Page injured his shoulder in taking the catch and was pretty much a passenger for the rest of the game. Although Phil Sharpe, another future Derbyshire player went quickly, Padgett and Leadbetter raised the 150 and we saw the game slipping away. Although not a high score, 150 seemed a mountain for our batting and when the Yorkshire innings closed on 219-8, thanks to some late order hitting from Richard Hutton, we knew we were up against it. The bowlers stuck well to their task, although Peter Eyre followed his semi-final heroics with 1-53 as the most expensive bowler.

Maybe if Gibbs and Smith gave us a start we could still do it? They did, but against Chris Old and especially the underrated Tony Nicholson it was slow work. With the score on 37, the latter removed Peter Gibbs en route to figures of 1-14 in 12 overs. With Mike Page injured, Derek Morgan came in at 3 but, fine cricketer that he was, fast scoring was not his game and he was soon run out. According to Dad, the alarm bells were ringing when Alan Ward came in at four in an attempt to raise the scoring rate. David Smith went at 54, but Ward and Ian Buxton mounted a partnership and struck a few lusty blows. The scoring rate was still below par, however, and Ward went at 77. When John Harvey, another capable of some powerful shots, went at 83, we were resigned to defeat.

Page came in at number seven and did his best but was clearly incapacitated. Once Ian Buxton holed out to Brian Close off the bowling of Don Wilson we knew that the end was in sight, and the innings ended with five overs to spare, Close and Wilson taking three wickets each.

A 69-run defeat was not part of the script we had in our heads (it saw us bowling them out for 85 then knocking off the runs in the evening sunlight) but we had at least been there. What we didn't know was that it would be a number of years before we were next to compete in a big final at Lords.

And next time we would be there...

Derbyshire v Yorkshire preview

Another big game and a win will see us with one foot in the quarter finals.

Yorkshire are the only side to beat us this season but we made a mess of our batting having bowled very well. They are also having a real problem with their overseas quickies, with Morne Morkel lasting one game before breaking down and now Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has damaged a hamstring on his debut and looks likely to miss several weeks. With Mattthew Hoggard and Ajmal Shahzad already on the crocks list, tomorrow's visitors have their problems.

They have a good strong batting line-up, however and are apparently set to field the side that beat Yorkshire at Edinburgh last week after a few early alarms. If so, they would take the field as:

Gale
White
McGrath
Rudolph
Brophy
Rashid
Bresnan
Pyrah
Wainwright
Gough
Kruis

Time was when I'd look at this sort of side and be worried, but while they are a fair side I am confident that we have enough to have them equally wary. We don't know the situation with James Pipe's injury but Fred Klokker is proving a very able deputy and I'd expect the following side to take the field tomorrow.

Stubbings
Rogers
Sadler
Clarke
Birch
Klokker
Wagg
Claire
Lungley
Needham
Langeveldt

My only concern is that if a bowler has an off day we don't have a sixth, even seventh option at present. Once Greg Smith is fit, Wavell Hinds arrives and the skipper's thumb fracture is better we'll be fine, but we either shorten the batting for the extra bowler or go with what we have. Another option might be Dan Redfern in the middle order to give us an off-spin option, but he's not played much recently with A level commitments so it would be a gamble.

Here's hoping that the weather is fine and we get a good day at them. Come on boys!