The Brian Lara post - also known as 501...
There's another big four days coming up for Derbyshire until the weekend with a Championship game against our local rivals Leicestershire.
Our cause has been slightly aided by the absence of Jim Allenby, who has today joined Glamorgan. I have to admit to surprise at that one, as I'd seen half the western world linked with signing the guy. I don't wish to do them a disservice, but there were few counties I thought him LESS likely to sign for. Presumably they have put considerable money in his direction as he's signed for three years. Good luck to him, I would have liked to see him at Derby, but I'm happy to leave it with the thought that either John Morris didn't rate him or he was asking a king's ransom. Given I'm quite happy with how we're shaping up and am not privy to who Morris may have lined up over the winter, I'm quite happy to leave it there for now.
On the face of it, the Foxes haven't the strongest squad in the division, but they have some fine players and we'll need to play well to beat them. Paul Nixon is also out of favour after recent comments and actions, so they will depend on Ackerman and Dippenaar boosting an inexperienced batting line up. Their 12 is:
Boyce
Smith
Dippenaar (capt)
Ackerman
Taylor
New (wk)
du Toit
White
Henderson
Buck
Harris
"Sweet Baby" James Taylor is having a good season for the hosts, while Ackerman and Dippenaar (both possibly in their last year at Leicester) always take some getting past. With ex-Derbyshire players Tom New and Wayne White in the side, there will be a little extra spice in the encounter too. Recent wickets there have offered help to the bowlers, so our final selection will be of paramount importance.
We're taking 14 to the game, as follows:
Chris Rogers (capt)
Wayne Madsen
Garry Park
Dan Redfern
Wavell Hinds
Greg Smith
Freddie Klokker (wk)
Graham Wagg
Tim Groenewald
Jonathan Clare
Jake Needham
Steffan Jones
Mark Lawson
Nantie Hayward
I'd reckon our top nine picks itself with the final two places between the bottom five named. I suspect we'll play a specialist spinner, as Jake Needham did well here last season, which would mean that Hayward, Clare and Jones were going for one place. On current form I'd be inclined to go with Hayward. Steff has not been as penetrative in the last couple of games, while Jon Clare has had a frustrating time with injuries and form this year - typical second season blues in fact.
Staying with the seamers, it was interesting to see Tom Lungley go out on loan to Lancashire today for a month. I'm not sure where it leaves Tom for next year, but he'll do his cause no harm at all if he goes there and takes a few Division One wickets. He's not had the best of seasons and maybe needs a sustained spell of cricket to get fully match fit.
We really need to win this game. With respect to the Foxes, there are few weaker sides in the division and we have to beat the likes of them to stand any chance of promotion. They have good players, but put the two sides on paper and we look stronger. Just need to prove it on grass now then lads eh?
Finally, I see there's suggestions that Mark Ramprakash could make an England return for the final Test. Given we have to win and he's still by a mile the best English batsman in the country - as well as being familiar with the track on his County ground - he has to come in. While accepting that batsmen have it all going for them in the current game, Ramprakash's feats in recent seasons have been extraordinary and he has to come in for the selectors to retain any credibility. There's also talk of Trescothick coming in, but I'm less sure of that one because of the health issues. I'd give Trott a game for sure, as I'm still not convinced that Bell is a bona fide Test batsman at the very highest level.
Still, why should we care? We've got Wayne Madsen, the Derbyshire Bradman...
Monday, 10 August 2009
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Surrey v Derbyshire day 4
It would have been nice if this, my 500th post on the blog, could have been marked by a Derbyshire win.
However, we have to be content with the draw points and I'm pleased that we lasted out the afternoon fairly comfortably to keep very much in contention for promotion.
That we did so was pretty much due to another fine innings from South African Wayne Madsen, who reached a serene second century for the County in an innings that promised much for the future. I listened to the commentary from BBC London (good work guys, you know your stuff and were nicely impartial) and was impressed by the selfless way that Madsen played for the team rather than himself. Having reached 82 by the tea interval, he adopted a "they shall not pass" attitude afterwards and ensured that Derbyshire got through to the points. He now averages 70 after four first class matches and we're very lucky to have landed a young player with such obvious talent.
To be fair, Derbyshire were always unlikely to go for 349 once Chris Rogers had gone first ball, while the loss of Garry Park just before lunch meant someone would have to come up with something extraordinary for a win to be an option. Greg Smith did a good job in the afternoon, but Surrey produced some aggressive bowling and at tea I had reservations about our holding out.
Full marks to Madsen and to Freddie Klokker though. Freddie is a committed cricketer who is maybe just short of top class but is also someone who will battle for anything and everything. In some ways he was a better man for this situation than James Pipe, who might have found it hard to resist having a go at the bowlers as they were digging it in after tea.
At the end of the game, we sit in third place in Division Two, just behind Gloucestershire. Some will see this as an opportunity missed, but I'm quite happy with the result after the final day. Of course, we could really do with beating Leicestershire next and opening up some daylight in the division, but that's a topic for another day.
Well done lads. Good effort.
However, we have to be content with the draw points and I'm pleased that we lasted out the afternoon fairly comfortably to keep very much in contention for promotion.
That we did so was pretty much due to another fine innings from South African Wayne Madsen, who reached a serene second century for the County in an innings that promised much for the future. I listened to the commentary from BBC London (good work guys, you know your stuff and were nicely impartial) and was impressed by the selfless way that Madsen played for the team rather than himself. Having reached 82 by the tea interval, he adopted a "they shall not pass" attitude afterwards and ensured that Derbyshire got through to the points. He now averages 70 after four first class matches and we're very lucky to have landed a young player with such obvious talent.
To be fair, Derbyshire were always unlikely to go for 349 once Chris Rogers had gone first ball, while the loss of Garry Park just before lunch meant someone would have to come up with something extraordinary for a win to be an option. Greg Smith did a good job in the afternoon, but Surrey produced some aggressive bowling and at tea I had reservations about our holding out.
Full marks to Madsen and to Freddie Klokker though. Freddie is a committed cricketer who is maybe just short of top class but is also someone who will battle for anything and everything. In some ways he was a better man for this situation than James Pipe, who might have found it hard to resist having a go at the bowlers as they were digging it in after tea.
At the end of the game, we sit in third place in Division Two, just behind Gloucestershire. Some will see this as an opportunity missed, but I'm quite happy with the result after the final day. Of course, we could really do with beating Leicestershire next and opening up some daylight in the division, but that's a topic for another day.
Well done lads. Good effort.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Surrey v Derbyshire day 3
So where's your money with a day to go?
Surrey are 223 on with 7 wickets in hand and are likely to look to set us around 320-350 tomorrow. With Gloucestershire winning today and Surrey now just behind us in the table, this is a massive day of cricket. They can't afford to bat us out of interest in the game as they need to dangle a carrot and risk losing to beat us and leapfrog us in the table.
Our batting today was disappointing. When you're 168-2 overnight a total of 323 is poor. That we got so far was almost entirely due to Graham Wagg and Dan Redfern who shared a crucial stand that kept us in the match. To be fair, it was the sort of collapse that would have been total two to three years back and again a feature was the fact that players were prepared to battle.
Wagg took two more wickets in the Surrey second innings, but we will need to bat better as a team tomorrow to have any chance of the points in this one. A draw would not be the end of the world as there is a lot of cricket left in the season, but I hope that we at least have a go for the win points and Surrey make a game of it.
Whatever happens tomorrow, it has to be better than England, who have been shocking in this Test match. Bopara looks a shadow of the man who scores so many for Essex and it shows the gulf between REAL Test cricket and the early season matches against the West Indies, where Bopara looked a player of real class. He's been found out (for now) and both he and Bell could be under threat for the final Test.
Still, this is a Derbyshire blog, so enough of the Test cricket. Let's go for it tomorrow lads and lay the gauntlet down to the others in doing so.
Surrey are 223 on with 7 wickets in hand and are likely to look to set us around 320-350 tomorrow. With Gloucestershire winning today and Surrey now just behind us in the table, this is a massive day of cricket. They can't afford to bat us out of interest in the game as they need to dangle a carrot and risk losing to beat us and leapfrog us in the table.
Our batting today was disappointing. When you're 168-2 overnight a total of 323 is poor. That we got so far was almost entirely due to Graham Wagg and Dan Redfern who shared a crucial stand that kept us in the match. To be fair, it was the sort of collapse that would have been total two to three years back and again a feature was the fact that players were prepared to battle.
Wagg took two more wickets in the Surrey second innings, but we will need to bat better as a team tomorrow to have any chance of the points in this one. A draw would not be the end of the world as there is a lot of cricket left in the season, but I hope that we at least have a go for the win points and Surrey make a game of it.
Whatever happens tomorrow, it has to be better than England, who have been shocking in this Test match. Bopara looks a shadow of the man who scores so many for Essex and it shows the gulf between REAL Test cricket and the early season matches against the West Indies, where Bopara looked a player of real class. He's been found out (for now) and both he and Bell could be under threat for the final Test.
Still, this is a Derbyshire blog, so enough of the Test cricket. Let's go for it tomorrow lads and lay the gauntlet down to the others in doing so.
Surrey v Derbyshire day 3
Strange morning session today.
It followed a similar pattern to yesterday, when wickets fell at regular intervals. In the various permutations for the game today, losing the skipper and Wavell in the first 15 minutes was not one discussed. When Smith and Klokker also fell to leave us 209-6 we could have been facing a sizeable first innings deficit.
Enter Messrs Wagg and Redfern, who added 106 for the seventh wicket in a stand of vital importance. Wagg has been short of runs this year and we could do with the remaining batsmen pushing the total into a lead this afternoon.
Either way, the game is intriguingly poised and a positive result is very much on at this stage.
It followed a similar pattern to yesterday, when wickets fell at regular intervals. In the various permutations for the game today, losing the skipper and Wavell in the first 15 minutes was not one discussed. When Smith and Klokker also fell to leave us 209-6 we could have been facing a sizeable first innings deficit.
Enter Messrs Wagg and Redfern, who added 106 for the seventh wicket in a stand of vital importance. Wagg has been short of runs this year and we could do with the remaining batsmen pushing the total into a lead this afternoon.
Either way, the game is intriguingly poised and a positive result is very much on at this stage.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Who's interested in this?
Nice idea from the Brit Oval.
The Wicket Widget is quick to install and once you have done so it gives you news feeds, match footage (albeit Surrey only) and radio commentary.
Best of all, you can chat online to likeminded cricket enthusiasts! So just think, all Derbyshire fans could meet via this through an invitation (from me) to join.
I think it looks good and is worth a try and it would be interesting to hear what you think.
Go to www.britoval.com/wicketwidget and download if you are interested. It is very quick. Once you have done so, e mail me at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk and I'll send you an invitation to join the group.
It could be the start of something big. Or small...
Just remember, you can uninstall just as easily if you don't like it
I hope to hear from you soon and will send your invitation as soon as I can afterwards
The Wicket Widget is quick to install and once you have done so it gives you news feeds, match footage (albeit Surrey only) and radio commentary.
Best of all, you can chat online to likeminded cricket enthusiasts! So just think, all Derbyshire fans could meet via this through an invitation (from me) to join.
I think it looks good and is worth a try and it would be interesting to hear what you think.
Go to www.britoval.com/wicketwidget and download if you are interested. It is very quick. Once you have done so, e mail me at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk and I'll send you an invitation to join the group.
It could be the start of something big. Or small...
Just remember, you can uninstall just as easily if you don't like it
I hope to hear from you soon and will send your invitation as soon as I can afterwards
Surrey v Derbyshire day 2
Sorry about the lateness of the blog tonight, but Mr and Mrs Peakfan have been married for 23 years today. We went for an intimate Chinese meal for...er... four (the kids came too) and had a nice time. Now, after a cracking feed and prawn crackers a-plenty it's time to reflect on the day's cricket.
As the old song goes, what a difference a day makes. Surrey 309-3 overnight, were all out for 362 with man of the moment Tim Groenewald returning his best figures for the County, a superb 6-50 in 24 overs that tell of his accuracy as well as penetration. Groenewald's recent emergence as a bowler of real quality highlights the effectiveness of John Morris' close season recruitment last year. He now has 21 first class wickets at 19 each, as well as averaging a very handy 24 with the bat. He was ably backed by that most willing of work horses, Graham Wagg, a little more expensive than normal but happy to bowl and bowl.
When we lost the early wicket of Wayne Madsen, then Garry Park went for 15, there were thoughts of a real battle, but Chris Rogers, aided by the promoted Greg Smith, took us serenely through to stumps with an unbroken partnership of 122. Rogers batted steadily at the start and I'm always happier to see him do that than go off like a train, when he can sometimes get out playing too loosely. Despite missing the first three Championship matches Rogers is now our top scorer for the season and averages just under 60. Having said that, Greg Smith is also having his best season and batted in the same vein as in the Pro 40 game earlier in the week. Smith could feasibly make his 1,000 runs this year and we really need both to kick on tomorrow, see off the opening bowlers and take us to a good lead.
There are, of course, two ways we could play this one. One is to declare at roughly the Surrey total and aim to win on a last day run chase, an option if the pitch is still good. The alternative is to aim to score maybe 550 tomorrow then get the hosts in again (and more importantly get Ramprakash out again). Whichever option is chosen will be dictated by the first seassion tomorrow, when a steady start could spark an afternoon run spree.
It is important that we do win this. Gloucestershire are well set in their game against Essex and should win tomorrow, while Kent lost to bottom side Middlesex, despite the last wicket heroics of Simon Cook and Amjad Khan. The division is wide open, but make no bones about it, Derbyshire are playing some REALLY good cricket at the moment, some of their best in a long time. When batsmen and bowlers both do their job, there's no limit to where it might take the side.
I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying every minute!
As the old song goes, what a difference a day makes. Surrey 309-3 overnight, were all out for 362 with man of the moment Tim Groenewald returning his best figures for the County, a superb 6-50 in 24 overs that tell of his accuracy as well as penetration. Groenewald's recent emergence as a bowler of real quality highlights the effectiveness of John Morris' close season recruitment last year. He now has 21 first class wickets at 19 each, as well as averaging a very handy 24 with the bat. He was ably backed by that most willing of work horses, Graham Wagg, a little more expensive than normal but happy to bowl and bowl.
When we lost the early wicket of Wayne Madsen, then Garry Park went for 15, there were thoughts of a real battle, but Chris Rogers, aided by the promoted Greg Smith, took us serenely through to stumps with an unbroken partnership of 122. Rogers batted steadily at the start and I'm always happier to see him do that than go off like a train, when he can sometimes get out playing too loosely. Despite missing the first three Championship matches Rogers is now our top scorer for the season and averages just under 60. Having said that, Greg Smith is also having his best season and batted in the same vein as in the Pro 40 game earlier in the week. Smith could feasibly make his 1,000 runs this year and we really need both to kick on tomorrow, see off the opening bowlers and take us to a good lead.
There are, of course, two ways we could play this one. One is to declare at roughly the Surrey total and aim to win on a last day run chase, an option if the pitch is still good. The alternative is to aim to score maybe 550 tomorrow then get the hosts in again (and more importantly get Ramprakash out again). Whichever option is chosen will be dictated by the first seassion tomorrow, when a steady start could spark an afternoon run spree.
It is important that we do win this. Gloucestershire are well set in their game against Essex and should win tomorrow, while Kent lost to bottom side Middlesex, despite the last wicket heroics of Simon Cook and Amjad Khan. The division is wide open, but make no bones about it, Derbyshire are playing some REALLY good cricket at the moment, some of their best in a long time. When batsmen and bowlers both do their job, there's no limit to where it might take the side.
I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying every minute!
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Surrey v Derbyshire, day 1
On the face of it, with Surrey 308-3 at the end of the first day, this has been a bad day for our boys.
Or was it? On what appears another fine batting track at Croydon's Whitgift School, our best chance of a win could well be in being set a total on the last afternoon that we can chase. It would be surprising if the wicket deteriorated markedly in the next few days and with short boundaries I think we did well to keep the score to manageable proportions.
We also got Ramprakash out for less than a hundred - congratulations to Tim Groenewald for that one - while Nantie Hayward bowled well and deserved his two wickets. We didn't help our cause by putting down three chances before lunch, but we're not needing snookers at this stage.
Graham Wagg had another erratic day, with his radar a little off and his bowling going for four an over, but we used eight bowlers today and that made the batsmen think. Even with ex Test bowlers Pedro Collins, Andre Nel and Chris Schofield in their attack, I wouldn't be unduly concerned at batting and we should, in turn, make a good fist of things.
Our cause was helped today by the news from Canterbury where Kent look like losing to Middlesex tomorrow. Chasing 335 to win, the hosts had slipped to 49-2 by the close and logic suggests that on a "sporting" track they should lose tomorrow. If we can win this one, we'll be right back on their tail with a lot to play for.
Surrey's day ended with the sad news that Mark Butcher has had to retire due to persistent knee problems. Butcher was a good servant to Surrey and England and few will forget his 173 against Australia at Headingley in 2001. He averaged 40 for Surrey through his career, the sign of a pretty good player.
I was pleased to see John Morris' comments after last night's win against Surrey in the Derby Telegraph this morning. He's absolutely right, we were strolling it at one point and there was no need for the big shots that got several players out. If they need further "encouragement", Morris should get Dean Jones along for a masterclass in one day batting. He's still the best worker of a cricket ball I've seen, a master of placing, timing and running. Six an over with Deano at the crease was a breeze - he'd have pushed three twos and taken no chances...
Finally tonight, a draw tonight for the Seconds against Leicestershire, with the precociously talented Chesney Hughes making 79. He's another young man that we will see much more of in coming years (at his height he's hard to miss!) and there is an encouraging array of young talent in the Second XI and the Academy.
Until tomorrow, and hopefully news of an encouraging Derbyshire reply to the Surrey total.
Or was it? On what appears another fine batting track at Croydon's Whitgift School, our best chance of a win could well be in being set a total on the last afternoon that we can chase. It would be surprising if the wicket deteriorated markedly in the next few days and with short boundaries I think we did well to keep the score to manageable proportions.
We also got Ramprakash out for less than a hundred - congratulations to Tim Groenewald for that one - while Nantie Hayward bowled well and deserved his two wickets. We didn't help our cause by putting down three chances before lunch, but we're not needing snookers at this stage.
Graham Wagg had another erratic day, with his radar a little off and his bowling going for four an over, but we used eight bowlers today and that made the batsmen think. Even with ex Test bowlers Pedro Collins, Andre Nel and Chris Schofield in their attack, I wouldn't be unduly concerned at batting and we should, in turn, make a good fist of things.
Our cause was helped today by the news from Canterbury where Kent look like losing to Middlesex tomorrow. Chasing 335 to win, the hosts had slipped to 49-2 by the close and logic suggests that on a "sporting" track they should lose tomorrow. If we can win this one, we'll be right back on their tail with a lot to play for.
Surrey's day ended with the sad news that Mark Butcher has had to retire due to persistent knee problems. Butcher was a good servant to Surrey and England and few will forget his 173 against Australia at Headingley in 2001. He averaged 40 for Surrey through his career, the sign of a pretty good player.
I was pleased to see John Morris' comments after last night's win against Surrey in the Derby Telegraph this morning. He's absolutely right, we were strolling it at one point and there was no need for the big shots that got several players out. If they need further "encouragement", Morris should get Dean Jones along for a masterclass in one day batting. He's still the best worker of a cricket ball I've seen, a master of placing, timing and running. Six an over with Deano at the crease was a breeze - he'd have pushed three twos and taken no chances...
Finally tonight, a draw tonight for the Seconds against Leicestershire, with the precociously talented Chesney Hughes making 79. He's another young man that we will see much more of in coming years (at his height he's hard to miss!) and there is an encouraging array of young talent in the Second XI and the Academy.
Until tomorrow, and hopefully news of an encouraging Derbyshire reply to the Surrey total.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Surrey v Derbyshire
Pedro Collins and Andre Nel back. And some bloke called Ramprakash...
It will be a different side we face tomorrow, with Nel playing despite undergoing surgery next week for his elbow injury. I'd hoped that Ramps might have sciatica after his mammoth innings against Leicestershire, but it looks like we'll need to get him out twice to win this one, no mean feat.
The Surrey squad is:
Stewart Walters (captain)
Michael Brown
Jonathan Batty
Mark Ramprakash
Usman Afzaal
Chris Murtagh
Chris Jordan
Chris Schofield
Simon King
Andre Nel
Jade Dernbach
Tim Linley
Pedro Collins
With a short boundary and a good track this will be a high scoring game and we will need to be at our best to get a result.
No news about our side as yet, but I'd expect Messrs Wagg, Groenewald and Jones, all rested today, to return alongside Wayne Madsen. We may go with four seamers, with neither Jake Needham or Mark Lawson convincing as spinners of late. With Wagg, Smith, Redfern and Madsen all able to bowl spin, it is less of an issue. If they're all fit, I'd expect to see this side take the field tomorrow:
Chris Rogers
Wayne Madsen
Garry Park
Dan Redfern
Wavell Hinds
Greg Smith
Graham Wagg
Tom Poynton
Tim Groenewald
Steffan Jones
Nantie Hayward
On a different tack, did you see the Kent v Middlesex scores today? If that was Derby, we'd have been docked points already. Mind you, four of those dismissals were run outs, which suggests there was some poor running going on too. Guess there'll be a result now, just hope it goes to Middlesex which, as the man said who went to the library via the vegetable shop, would be a turnip for the books...
It will be a different side we face tomorrow, with Nel playing despite undergoing surgery next week for his elbow injury. I'd hoped that Ramps might have sciatica after his mammoth innings against Leicestershire, but it looks like we'll need to get him out twice to win this one, no mean feat.
The Surrey squad is:
Stewart Walters (captain)
Michael Brown
Jonathan Batty
Mark Ramprakash
Usman Afzaal
Chris Murtagh
Chris Jordan
Chris Schofield
Simon King
Andre Nel
Jade Dernbach
Tim Linley
Pedro Collins
With a short boundary and a good track this will be a high scoring game and we will need to be at our best to get a result.
No news about our side as yet, but I'd expect Messrs Wagg, Groenewald and Jones, all rested today, to return alongside Wayne Madsen. We may go with four seamers, with neither Jake Needham or Mark Lawson convincing as spinners of late. With Wagg, Smith, Redfern and Madsen all able to bowl spin, it is less of an issue. If they're all fit, I'd expect to see this side take the field tomorrow:
Chris Rogers
Wayne Madsen
Garry Park
Dan Redfern
Wavell Hinds
Greg Smith
Graham Wagg
Tom Poynton
Tim Groenewald
Steffan Jones
Nantie Hayward
On a different tack, did you see the Kent v Middlesex scores today? If that was Derby, we'd have been docked points already. Mind you, four of those dismissals were run outs, which suggests there was some poor running going on too. Guess there'll be a result now, just hope it goes to Middlesex which, as the man said who went to the library via the vegetable shop, would be a turnip for the books...
Surrey v Derbyshire Pro 40
Second in the Championship, now second in the Pro 40. We're flying so high we'll be getting nosebleeds next...
An amazing run chase today that set a new club record for a 40-over run chase. Irrespective of small boundaries and a weakened attack, seven an over for 40 overs takes some doing and great credit to all the players for a fine effort.
Cap'n Buck got us off to a flyer but got out before making a deserved 50, but Garry Park and Greg Smith batted so well that it didn't really matter. It was a great effort by two young players and Smith in particular was in sparkling form, making his 77 from just 52 balls.
Wavell Hinds appeared to go to a debatable catch that some thought was a bump ball and the wheels came off a little. I was concerned when I saw the team that we were light on batting and the sight of Tom Lungley coming in at seven did little to assuage my fears.
Yet it was young wicket keeper Tom Poynton who came in to play a very composed foil to John Sadler, the last of the recognised batsmen. Poynton scored two fours in the penultimate over to make the final over a three from six balls scenario, quickly settled by Sads sweeping a six from the first ball to seal the win. Anyone who has batted at the death in a close game will tell you that the temptation to simply slog is strong, but Poynton did very well for a young lad and can be proud of his contribution.
I'm really pleased for Sadler tonight. He's a good professional, has scored heavily in club and Second XI and done all he could have done to get into the side. When he got his chance today he paced it to perfection and sealed a run chase that was very impressive.
Earlier our bowlers took a pasting, with the honourable exception of Nantie Hayward who bowled a great 8 over spell for just 34. Dan Redfern bowled steadily at the death, as did Garry Park, but Tom Lungley and Ian Hunter took serious stick today.
So to the Championship tomorrow. More in the next article on that one, but for now - well done lads!
An amazing run chase today that set a new club record for a 40-over run chase. Irrespective of small boundaries and a weakened attack, seven an over for 40 overs takes some doing and great credit to all the players for a fine effort.
Cap'n Buck got us off to a flyer but got out before making a deserved 50, but Garry Park and Greg Smith batted so well that it didn't really matter. It was a great effort by two young players and Smith in particular was in sparkling form, making his 77 from just 52 balls.
Wavell Hinds appeared to go to a debatable catch that some thought was a bump ball and the wheels came off a little. I was concerned when I saw the team that we were light on batting and the sight of Tom Lungley coming in at seven did little to assuage my fears.
Yet it was young wicket keeper Tom Poynton who came in to play a very composed foil to John Sadler, the last of the recognised batsmen. Poynton scored two fours in the penultimate over to make the final over a three from six balls scenario, quickly settled by Sads sweeping a six from the first ball to seal the win. Anyone who has batted at the death in a close game will tell you that the temptation to simply slog is strong, but Poynton did very well for a young lad and can be proud of his contribution.
I'm really pleased for Sadler tonight. He's a good professional, has scored heavily in club and Second XI and done all he could have done to get into the side. When he got his chance today he paced it to perfection and sealed a run chase that was very impressive.
Earlier our bowlers took a pasting, with the honourable exception of Nantie Hayward who bowled a great 8 over spell for just 34. Dan Redfern bowled steadily at the death, as did Garry Park, but Tom Lungley and Ian Hunter took serious stick today.
So to the Championship tomorrow. More in the next article on that one, but for now - well done lads!
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Surrey v Derbyshire - Pro 40
Let's not forget we're unbeaten in this one too...
OK, two rain-offs helped, but it would be good to get on the pitch and keep the record going tomorrow.
John Morris has named the following 12:
Chris Rogers
Garry Park
Greg Smith
Wavell Hinds
Dan Redfern
John Sadler
Tom Poynton
Tom Lungley
Jake Needham
Ian Hunter
Nantie Hayward
Tim Groenewald
I suspect the top 11 will play and Groenewald will be saved for the Championship game the next day after bowling well at Canterbury. He's now top of the averages with 15 wickets at 23, so has earned a rest. The tail looks long with Poynton at 7, but he needs experience and won't get it in the pavilion. I thought we might have had Park as keeper, a role he filled at Durham, but Poynton got the nod.
The Surrey squad is also a young one and reads:
Stewart Walters (captain)
Michael Brown
Chris Murtagh
Usman Afzaal
Chris Schofield
Matthew Spriegel
Chris Jordan
Gary Wilson
Jade Dernbach
Tim Linley
Stuart Meaker
Laurie Evans
With no Ramprakash in this competition and Nel injured in a freak accident, they don't look especially dangerous but opportunities are there for players to make a name for themselves. Walters has been scoring runs lately, while Afzaal is a fine player. We still have to beat them and although the competition is the poor relation at present, a return to winning ways is essential for Derbyshire to get back into the groove for the Championship game starting on Thursday.
OK, two rain-offs helped, but it would be good to get on the pitch and keep the record going tomorrow.
John Morris has named the following 12:
Chris Rogers
Garry Park
Greg Smith
Wavell Hinds
Dan Redfern
John Sadler
Tom Poynton
Tom Lungley
Jake Needham
Ian Hunter
Nantie Hayward
Tim Groenewald
I suspect the top 11 will play and Groenewald will be saved for the Championship game the next day after bowling well at Canterbury. He's now top of the averages with 15 wickets at 23, so has earned a rest. The tail looks long with Poynton at 7, but he needs experience and won't get it in the pavilion. I thought we might have had Park as keeper, a role he filled at Durham, but Poynton got the nod.
The Surrey squad is also a young one and reads:
Stewart Walters (captain)
Michael Brown
Chris Murtagh
Usman Afzaal
Chris Schofield
Matthew Spriegel
Chris Jordan
Gary Wilson
Jade Dernbach
Tim Linley
Stuart Meaker
Laurie Evans
With no Ramprakash in this competition and Nel injured in a freak accident, they don't look especially dangerous but opportunities are there for players to make a name for themselves. Walters has been scoring runs lately, while Afzaal is a fine player. We still have to beat them and although the competition is the poor relation at present, a return to winning ways is essential for Derbyshire to get back into the groove for the Championship game starting on Thursday.
Lawdy Miss Clawdy...
I read tonight that a number of counties are "clamouring" - not my word - for the signature of Worcestershire spinner Gareth Batty.
"When a player of Gareth's quality becomes available, you have to be interested," said Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's Director of Cricket.
Let's get this right. This year, Warwickshire have enjoyed the skills of New Zealand off spinner Jeetan Patel and his six wickets at 66. They're now hoping to replace him with a man who currently has eight first class wickets at 84...
He'll be in good company with some of our former players there. Boyd Rankin (17 wickets at 41), Ant Botha (10 at 61) and Rikki Clarke (7 at 71).
If Batty goes there and says it is for his England ambitions, someone take him his pills. He has more chance of becoming Miss World than an England player bowling at Edgbaston. It also makes the efforts of Jake Needham (7 wickets at 50) resemble the new Jim Laker.
Coming one day after I questioned the spin bowling talent in the country, it merely emphasises how bare the cupboard really is. Somone mailed me to say I'd omitted Monty Panesar from my list of good spinners, but the truth is that I think he's gone backwards over the last two seasons and his eight wickets at 74 supports that view somewhat.
So in answer to the question "would I like to see Batty at Derby"?
No thanks. He's a decent one day, tight bowler, but nothing more. A decent bat, but nothing more. A good fielder, but no better than we already have.
Says it all really.
"When a player of Gareth's quality becomes available, you have to be interested," said Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's Director of Cricket.
Let's get this right. This year, Warwickshire have enjoyed the skills of New Zealand off spinner Jeetan Patel and his six wickets at 66. They're now hoping to replace him with a man who currently has eight first class wickets at 84...
He'll be in good company with some of our former players there. Boyd Rankin (17 wickets at 41), Ant Botha (10 at 61) and Rikki Clarke (7 at 71).
If Batty goes there and says it is for his England ambitions, someone take him his pills. He has more chance of becoming Miss World than an England player bowling at Edgbaston. It also makes the efforts of Jake Needham (7 wickets at 50) resemble the new Jim Laker.
Coming one day after I questioned the spin bowling talent in the country, it merely emphasises how bare the cupboard really is. Somone mailed me to say I'd omitted Monty Panesar from my list of good spinners, but the truth is that I think he's gone backwards over the last two seasons and his eight wickets at 74 supports that view somewhat.
So in answer to the question "would I like to see Batty at Derby"?
No thanks. He's a decent one day, tight bowler, but nothing more. A decent bat, but nothing more. A good fielder, but no better than we already have.
Says it all really.
Stubbings, Birch and Telo to leave
Steve Stubbings, Dominic Telo and Dan Birch have all been told by Derbyshire that their contracts will not be renewed, leaving them free to talk to other counties.
The writing was on the wall for all of them for some time, with the advent of Wayne Madsen and the availability from next season of Paul Borrington effectively spelling the end for Stubbings.
His departure is the one that will be most talked about by fans, as he is a past winner of the Supporters Club Player of the Year Award (on two occasions). He was always a model of courtesy and fans could equate with him as one always felt that he was giving 100% and would sell his wicket dearly. In recent seasons, however, he has not produced the weight of runs required at this level and, as I wrote a few weeks back, we need to aspire to better than Steve Stubbings if we are to move forward as a club.
Stubbo was written off by Dominic Cork at one time, who reckoned he was not a first class cricketer. A record of some 7,500 runs at 31 suggests that Stubbings was, but perhaps not of the very highest class. Time will tell if he will be missed. The early signs are that Wayne Madsen will be a replacement of the highest quality, yet many will miss the Stubbings chassis down the track and clip through the leg side, as well as the obduracy of his batting when the chips were down. Of those released, I would have thought him the most likely to get a deal elsewhere but I'm not sure exactly where.
Dan Birch came to the club on the back of some explosive performances in local league cricket and after fine performances for Kent Seconds. He made a stunning century on debut at Cambridge, but his good days became more sporadic as the County bowlers found him out with a moving ball and his immobility in the field did him few favours. Some felt that he deserved a go in the Twenty/20, but hiding him in the field was the problem and few could have expected him to be retained with his Second XI performances this year.
Dominic Telo came with the weight of expectation as one of the finest schoolboy cricketers of his generation. He looked balanced and composed at the crease and had a fine array of strokes, yet a series of cameo innings failed to produce something substantial. Fans became philosophical about him batting nicely for up to an hour and then getting out when set and an average of 18 in his two seasons tells its own story. Nor did he score the weight of runs in Second XI cricket to put pressure on the First XI. He was a brilliant fielder, but again Derbyshire need more from players than Telo was able to offer.
I understand that John Sadler, Tom Lungley and James Pipe are all out of contract at the end of this season, but this news suggests that all three will be or have been offered new deals. Sadler deserves it for a solid summer where he has done little wrong but could not force his way into the side, while Pipe is a forcing batsman and very good wicket keeper. Some feel he has slipped below his best with the gloves this year, but there are not many better glovemen out there and Pipe is a key player in the side.
Lungley's retention may be seen by some as fortunate. A poor injury record has ruined his career but on his day he is capable of bowling sides out. A couple of personal "blips" this year led to some seeing him vulnerable, but one assumes that with his name not included in this press release he will be getting another year. Having said that, Mark Lawson isn't mentioned here either and it would be a major surprise if he were to get another year. He didn't trouble batsmen earlier in the season and with Jake Needham now seen as the first choice spinner and various part time options available, Lawson's retention would be a major surprise.
So where does this leave us? If we're keeping Lungley, that would give us Wagg, Groenewald, Hunter, Lungley, Clare, Sheikh and Whiteley, with Greg Smith as back up. It may mean that we won't look to re-sign Steffan Jones, but only John Morris knows the answer to that one.
West Indian Chesney Hughes may well be groomed to add to the ranks of all rounders with his left arm spin and classy batting, while the current batting side has Paul Borrington and John Sadler in reserve. My guess (only that) is that John Morris will look to replace Chris Rogers, assuming he doesn't return to international cricket, with another batsman or an all rounder. The seam attack looks well provided for and I'd like to see us have a real go for Jim Allenby at Leicester.
If we got him, I'd be inclined to go for an all rounder or spinner. How's about this for the basis of next year's first choice side?
Borrington
Madsen
Redfern/Park
Allenby
Hinds
Smith
Afridi/Hopes
Pipe
Wagg
Clare
Groenewald
The two bottom names could be rotated with Lungley/Hunter etc, but that's a fine looking side on paper.
All conjecture of course and much could happen in the next few weeks. We're going in the right direction though, I'm quite sure of that.
The writing was on the wall for all of them for some time, with the advent of Wayne Madsen and the availability from next season of Paul Borrington effectively spelling the end for Stubbings.
His departure is the one that will be most talked about by fans, as he is a past winner of the Supporters Club Player of the Year Award (on two occasions). He was always a model of courtesy and fans could equate with him as one always felt that he was giving 100% and would sell his wicket dearly. In recent seasons, however, he has not produced the weight of runs required at this level and, as I wrote a few weeks back, we need to aspire to better than Steve Stubbings if we are to move forward as a club.
Stubbo was written off by Dominic Cork at one time, who reckoned he was not a first class cricketer. A record of some 7,500 runs at 31 suggests that Stubbings was, but perhaps not of the very highest class. Time will tell if he will be missed. The early signs are that Wayne Madsen will be a replacement of the highest quality, yet many will miss the Stubbings chassis down the track and clip through the leg side, as well as the obduracy of his batting when the chips were down. Of those released, I would have thought him the most likely to get a deal elsewhere but I'm not sure exactly where.
Dan Birch came to the club on the back of some explosive performances in local league cricket and after fine performances for Kent Seconds. He made a stunning century on debut at Cambridge, but his good days became more sporadic as the County bowlers found him out with a moving ball and his immobility in the field did him few favours. Some felt that he deserved a go in the Twenty/20, but hiding him in the field was the problem and few could have expected him to be retained with his Second XI performances this year.
Dominic Telo came with the weight of expectation as one of the finest schoolboy cricketers of his generation. He looked balanced and composed at the crease and had a fine array of strokes, yet a series of cameo innings failed to produce something substantial. Fans became philosophical about him batting nicely for up to an hour and then getting out when set and an average of 18 in his two seasons tells its own story. Nor did he score the weight of runs in Second XI cricket to put pressure on the First XI. He was a brilliant fielder, but again Derbyshire need more from players than Telo was able to offer.
I understand that John Sadler, Tom Lungley and James Pipe are all out of contract at the end of this season, but this news suggests that all three will be or have been offered new deals. Sadler deserves it for a solid summer where he has done little wrong but could not force his way into the side, while Pipe is a forcing batsman and very good wicket keeper. Some feel he has slipped below his best with the gloves this year, but there are not many better glovemen out there and Pipe is a key player in the side.
Lungley's retention may be seen by some as fortunate. A poor injury record has ruined his career but on his day he is capable of bowling sides out. A couple of personal "blips" this year led to some seeing him vulnerable, but one assumes that with his name not included in this press release he will be getting another year. Having said that, Mark Lawson isn't mentioned here either and it would be a major surprise if he were to get another year. He didn't trouble batsmen earlier in the season and with Jake Needham now seen as the first choice spinner and various part time options available, Lawson's retention would be a major surprise.
So where does this leave us? If we're keeping Lungley, that would give us Wagg, Groenewald, Hunter, Lungley, Clare, Sheikh and Whiteley, with Greg Smith as back up. It may mean that we won't look to re-sign Steffan Jones, but only John Morris knows the answer to that one.
West Indian Chesney Hughes may well be groomed to add to the ranks of all rounders with his left arm spin and classy batting, while the current batting side has Paul Borrington and John Sadler in reserve. My guess (only that) is that John Morris will look to replace Chris Rogers, assuming he doesn't return to international cricket, with another batsman or an all rounder. The seam attack looks well provided for and I'd like to see us have a real go for Jim Allenby at Leicester.
If we got him, I'd be inclined to go for an all rounder or spinner. How's about this for the basis of next year's first choice side?
Borrington
Madsen
Redfern/Park
Allenby
Hinds
Smith
Afridi/Hopes
Pipe
Wagg
Clare
Groenewald
The two bottom names could be rotated with Lungley/Hunter etc, but that's a fine looking side on paper.
All conjecture of course and much could happen in the next few weeks. We're going in the right direction though, I'm quite sure of that.
Monday, 3 August 2009
In a spin
It is quite unfair that Jake Needham seems to be getting a lot of the blame for the defeat tonight.
While he was outbowled, it is unfair to burden Needham with the blame for defeat. Tredwell is 5 years older, with England A tour experience and has almost seventy games more first class cricket under his belt. That's a lot of learning.
A number of fans suggest we need a top class spinner, but where are they?
Before the Second World War and in the 1950's spin was king. Rhodes, Freeman, Verity, Laker, Lock and many more came into their own on tracks that became spiteful when left uncovered and open to the elements. Even if I go back to the 1960's and 1970's when I started watching the game it was different.
We had Venkat (what could we do with him now?) Essex had Acfield, East and Hobbs, Gloucestershire had John Mortimore, Kent had Derek Underwood. There was Flat Jack Simmons and David Hughes at Lancashire, Birkenshaw and Illingworth at Leicester. Emburey, Edmonds, Bedi, Langford, Pocock, Gifford, Wilson - every county had a decent spinner who came up with the goods on a regular basis.
Fred Swarbrook would be in contention for an England place today, no doubt about it. So would Edwin Smith. Both good bowlers but eclipsed by the many others on the circuit in their time.
Today it is different. There's Kaneria at Essex, Croft at Glamorgan, Tredwell at Kent and Swann at Nottinghamshire. After that it's pretty hard to come up with someone semi decent. Rashid is the big hope but his 160 first class wickets have cost 35 and this year he has just 15 wickets at 40. Big bats, short boundaries and moribund tracks don't help the cause, but it is hard to see light on the horizon.
As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing exciting overseas. There's Harbhajan Singh, the "Turbanator" from India, Mendis and Murali from Sri Lanka, Hauritz from Australia, Vettori from New Zealand, Afridi from Pakistan and Botha and Van der Merwe from South Africa. Yet few of these would fancy the slog of the County game, nor be allowed to play. The two South Africans are good, tight one day bowlers, but don't strike me as bowlers who could run through the opposition in favourable condtions. Vettori needs another county stint like a hole in the head, while the Sri Lankan workload rules out their two fine bowlers.
For me, IF we were to go for a spin bowler, there is only one candidate. I never thought I would say it, but the man to go for would be Shahid Afridi. I was disappointed in his stint with us a few years ago, but he was a young bowler then. learning his trade. At 29 he is the finished article now. 257 first class wickets at 27, a similar number in one day internationals and over 350 in one day matches around the globe. We all know he is an explosive batsman, with over 100 fifties and 18 centuries, but for me, his batting would be a bonus.
He could open in the Twenty/20, tie people down with his potent mix of leggies and googlies, and bowl them out on dryer tracks as the season progressed. Of course, he would command a hefty fee, but perhaps the County could work a similar deal to that which took Rahul Dravid to Scotland a few years back. Perhaps a local businessman, or consortium could be persuaded to sponsor some of his salary in exchange for a little PR work when appropriate? Afridi is a cricketing deity in Pakistan and local followers would love the chance to see him in action.
Importantly, Pakistan have little international cricket between April and September next year. Indeed, they and Australia have the least commitment, so it could work on various levels.
There are any number of good international cricketers who could do a sound job for Derbyshire next season and I have every confidence that John Morris will source someone to do the business. If it is decided that a spinner is the way that we should go, you know who would get my vote.
While he was outbowled, it is unfair to burden Needham with the blame for defeat. Tredwell is 5 years older, with England A tour experience and has almost seventy games more first class cricket under his belt. That's a lot of learning.
A number of fans suggest we need a top class spinner, but where are they?
Before the Second World War and in the 1950's spin was king. Rhodes, Freeman, Verity, Laker, Lock and many more came into their own on tracks that became spiteful when left uncovered and open to the elements. Even if I go back to the 1960's and 1970's when I started watching the game it was different.
We had Venkat (what could we do with him now?) Essex had Acfield, East and Hobbs, Gloucestershire had John Mortimore, Kent had Derek Underwood. There was Flat Jack Simmons and David Hughes at Lancashire, Birkenshaw and Illingworth at Leicester. Emburey, Edmonds, Bedi, Langford, Pocock, Gifford, Wilson - every county had a decent spinner who came up with the goods on a regular basis.
Fred Swarbrook would be in contention for an England place today, no doubt about it. So would Edwin Smith. Both good bowlers but eclipsed by the many others on the circuit in their time.
Today it is different. There's Kaneria at Essex, Croft at Glamorgan, Tredwell at Kent and Swann at Nottinghamshire. After that it's pretty hard to come up with someone semi decent. Rashid is the big hope but his 160 first class wickets have cost 35 and this year he has just 15 wickets at 40. Big bats, short boundaries and moribund tracks don't help the cause, but it is hard to see light on the horizon.
As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing exciting overseas. There's Harbhajan Singh, the "Turbanator" from India, Mendis and Murali from Sri Lanka, Hauritz from Australia, Vettori from New Zealand, Afridi from Pakistan and Botha and Van der Merwe from South Africa. Yet few of these would fancy the slog of the County game, nor be allowed to play. The two South Africans are good, tight one day bowlers, but don't strike me as bowlers who could run through the opposition in favourable condtions. Vettori needs another county stint like a hole in the head, while the Sri Lankan workload rules out their two fine bowlers.
For me, IF we were to go for a spin bowler, there is only one candidate. I never thought I would say it, but the man to go for would be Shahid Afridi. I was disappointed in his stint with us a few years ago, but he was a young bowler then. learning his trade. At 29 he is the finished article now. 257 first class wickets at 27, a similar number in one day internationals and over 350 in one day matches around the globe. We all know he is an explosive batsman, with over 100 fifties and 18 centuries, but for me, his batting would be a bonus.
He could open in the Twenty/20, tie people down with his potent mix of leggies and googlies, and bowl them out on dryer tracks as the season progressed. Of course, he would command a hefty fee, but perhaps the County could work a similar deal to that which took Rahul Dravid to Scotland a few years back. Perhaps a local businessman, or consortium could be persuaded to sponsor some of his salary in exchange for a little PR work when appropriate? Afridi is a cricketing deity in Pakistan and local followers would love the chance to see him in action.
Importantly, Pakistan have little international cricket between April and September next year. Indeed, they and Australia have the least commitment, so it could work on various levels.
There are any number of good international cricketers who could do a sound job for Derbyshire next season and I have every confidence that John Morris will source someone to do the business. If it is decided that a spinner is the way that we should go, you know who would get my vote.
Next season's overseas star
Well, slightly more of you think that we need a batsman more than a bowler for next year - 57% to 43%.
You may be right, but as I said last week, much will depend on who else we can sign in between times. If we got Jim Allenby to bolster the batting, well...
I'd still like to see us sign a quality spinner, but outside of Murali, Mendis, Vettori and (maybe) Afridi where are they? For that matter, where would the money for those guys come from, even if we could get them interested?
For this week's poll a nice topical one. After the loss to Kent, do you think we can regroup and get promotion this year?
You may be right, but as I said last week, much will depend on who else we can sign in between times. If we got Jim Allenby to bolster the batting, well...
I'd still like to see us sign a quality spinner, but outside of Murali, Mendis, Vettori and (maybe) Afridi where are they? For that matter, where would the money for those guys come from, even if we could get them interested?
For this week's poll a nice topical one. After the loss to Kent, do you think we can regroup and get promotion this year?
Kent v Derbyshire day 4
So, at the end of it all, we blew it this morning.
A fine partnership between Rob Key (who I still think is better than Ian Bell and should be in the England side) and Geraint Jones took the game away from us, but I said last night to friends that we needed to bat till lunch or set them 350, whichever was the quicker in coming.
The way that Kent collapsed after Key and Jones were dismissed suggested that a few more runs would have been very awkward and might have made that pairing have to take more chances.
We didn't seem to bowl too well, with Graham Wagg having an expensive day, though it happens to all bowlers on occasion. The fact is that Dan Redfern seemed to cause more problems than Jake Needham on a track that should have suited the latter. Maybe the extra pace of Nantie Hayward might have helped, but the ones selected did the business in the first innings, so...
For me the loss must be attributed to this morning's batting. We seemed to fall between the two stools, not knowing whether to go for quick runs or bat out some time, ending up doing neither especially well. It is especially galling after matching the "best team in the division" (TM) and perhaps besting them for much of the match.
What does it all mean? Well, that we need to regroup in time for the game against Surrey at Whitgift School on Wednesday. Kent are now 18 points clear with a game in hand and will be shoo-ins for the title, but we are still nine points clear of third place in the promotion stakes.
Crucially, Northamptonshire beat Middlesex today which means their game in hand could see them leapfrog us at some point, but we must now look to win matches, rather than picking up good draws.
Our promotion destiny is still in our own hands and a win at Surrey and Leicester will set up the game against Northamptonshire at Chesterfield very nicely. We'll learn a lot about our young side in the next couple of weeks.
A fine partnership between Rob Key (who I still think is better than Ian Bell and should be in the England side) and Geraint Jones took the game away from us, but I said last night to friends that we needed to bat till lunch or set them 350, whichever was the quicker in coming.
The way that Kent collapsed after Key and Jones were dismissed suggested that a few more runs would have been very awkward and might have made that pairing have to take more chances.
We didn't seem to bowl too well, with Graham Wagg having an expensive day, though it happens to all bowlers on occasion. The fact is that Dan Redfern seemed to cause more problems than Jake Needham on a track that should have suited the latter. Maybe the extra pace of Nantie Hayward might have helped, but the ones selected did the business in the first innings, so...
For me the loss must be attributed to this morning's batting. We seemed to fall between the two stools, not knowing whether to go for quick runs or bat out some time, ending up doing neither especially well. It is especially galling after matching the "best team in the division" (TM) and perhaps besting them for much of the match.
What does it all mean? Well, that we need to regroup in time for the game against Surrey at Whitgift School on Wednesday. Kent are now 18 points clear with a game in hand and will be shoo-ins for the title, but we are still nine points clear of third place in the promotion stakes.
Crucially, Northamptonshire beat Middlesex today which means their game in hand could see them leapfrog us at some point, but we must now look to win matches, rather than picking up good draws.
Our promotion destiny is still in our own hands and a win at Surrey and Leicester will set up the game against Northamptonshire at Chesterfield very nicely. We'll learn a lot about our young side in the next couple of weeks.
Lunch
33-1 chasing 318.
Game on. Big first hour this afternoon for both sides and Key looks in ominously good form for the hosts.
We'll need to bowl and field at our very best to win and also to get the draw, but a couple of quick wickets swings it firmly our way.
We need a golden spell from someone and Needham to emulate Tredwell in taking wickets and bowling a good long spell at one end so the seamers can spell one another.
Gripping stuff. There's also a Test match going on, but we all know the real action is at Canterbury...
Game on. Big first hour this afternoon for both sides and Key looks in ominously good form for the hosts.
We'll need to bowl and field at our very best to win and also to get the draw, but a couple of quick wickets swings it firmly our way.
We need a golden spell from someone and Needham to emulate Tredwell in taking wickets and bowling a good long spell at one end so the seamers can spell one another.
Gripping stuff. There's also a Test match going on, but we all know the real action is at Canterbury...
Kent v Derbyshire day 4
So, did we make a mess of things this morning, did Kent bowl well or is it swinging.
Kemp is a good cricketer, but normally takes wickets when it swings. What the rapid decline today has done is perhaps force a result one way or another. 318 from here is gettable, but if conditions are helpful, so are ten wickets.
We have the bowlers and the ability, not to mention the self belief. Early inroads are essential, but this will be a fascinating afternoon of cricket to complete a fine game. If it continues to swing, Jones, Wagg and Groenewald, backed by Smith, are every bit as good as their Kent counterparts.
The only concern is that they normally bat better in the second dig than in the first innings. Having said that, they need to make the highest score of the game to win - no mean feat.
Session by session updates and thoughts today as I have a day off and a leisurely one in prospect
Kemp is a good cricketer, but normally takes wickets when it swings. What the rapid decline today has done is perhaps force a result one way or another. 318 from here is gettable, but if conditions are helpful, so are ten wickets.
We have the bowlers and the ability, not to mention the self belief. Early inroads are essential, but this will be a fascinating afternoon of cricket to complete a fine game. If it continues to swing, Jones, Wagg and Groenewald, backed by Smith, are every bit as good as their Kent counterparts.
The only concern is that they normally bat better in the second dig than in the first innings. Having said that, they need to make the highest score of the game to win - no mean feat.
Session by session updates and thoughts today as I have a day off and a leisurely one in prospect
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Kent v Derbyshire Day 3
What a fascinating duel is taking place at Canterbury!
At the end of the third day, Derbyshire are exactly 250 runs ahead with six wickets left and the game very much alive going into the final day. Tomorrow's forecast is for light rain, which could ruin a potentially tight finish, but it will be interesting to see how both sides approach it.
Going into the game I suggested that we'd be delighted with a draw and that is easily within our compass unless we collapse tomorrow. With Hinds and Smith at the crease and plenty of batting to come, that should not be an issue and it is more a question of when Morris and Rogers decide to declare. They will be wary of Kent's potentially explosive and long batting line up on a wicket that does not appear to have deteriorated. The most likely result would appear to be a draw, but cricket is a funny game..
We ended up with a less-than-expected but still handy first innings lead thanks to Tim Groenewald's best Championship figures, before Chris Rogers (pictured) played the captain's innings we have been waiting for when it mattered most. Wayne Madsen got the unluckiest of dismissals - run out at the non-strikers end when the ball was tipped onto the stumps, before Garry Park came back to form with a fine 50 in a partnership with Rogers that took the game from the hosts.
Although both, together with Dan Redfern were dismissed after tea, Hinds and Smith saw us to stumps to leave the game beautifully poised. While I know Derbyshire would love a win, the draw points will be useful and will cement their place in the table, especially as Gloucestershire's game against Glamorgan looks destined for a draw, as do those of the chasing pack.
Another big day tomorrow then. They will all be from now until the end of the season.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Kent v Derbyshire day 2
The more I read about cricket, the more I lament the fact that many of those doing the reporting don't seem to have a clue. Perhaps they're merely filling in their time before the football resumes next weekend, but the quality of journalism in some quarters is poor.
How about this gem from today's Times by Mark Baldwin
"They may be the top two teams in the LV County Championship second division, but you sensed throughout yesterday that a gulf in class existed between Kent and Derbyshire"
Oh, really? On a day that most others reckoned was pretty even? If I was John Morris I'd have that pinned up on the dressing room wall for the rest of this match, maybe even the rest of the season. Could a side have a greater incentive?
Derbyshire hit back in fine fashion today and could yet gain a valuable first innings lead. One suspects this will go to the wire and the top order must bat better second time around for sure, but this game is eminently winnable thanks to the multi-talented Graham Wagg who took 5 wickets, three with seam before lunch and two with spin afterwards
"Unexpected talent" says Sporting Life tonight. Really? In Derbyshire he bowled it last season and has done so regularly this year. Maybe the press need to return to days of having cricket specialist writers, rather than staff hacks who cover everything to some degree but little very well.
There are exceptions. Michael Henderson is always worth reading, even if you don't agree with him, but after that one can count the good writers on the fingers of one hand. Oh my Arlott, Cardus and Kilburn of long ago...
Back to today and we did very well to remove the dangerous Kent top order before lunch, but they bat long, with Parnell, an all rounder of some talent, at number nine. We've been held up by Tredwell, a player with an emerging reputation as an all rounder who must surely get a winter tour this year, yet could come out tomorrow and gain a lead that many cannot have expected.
Credit again to Tim Groenewald, another shrewd signing from Warwickshire. We have a unique swap arrangement going with the Brummies. We take players from them and they become excellent, they take them from us and they turn into... well, let's just call it the reverse Midas touch. I cite in one direction Messrs Munton, Welch, Wagg and Groenewald - in the other, Messrs Rankin, Botha and Clarke. My case is rested, m'lud.
We're not there as a team yet, but I would never discount this Derbyshire side. IF (big if) we can set Kent around 300 on the last day then this game is winnable, but we cannot assume to bowl them out cheaply twice as a matter of course. Wagg and Groenewald both did very well today and continued their recent excellent form, but to win this game I feel our spinners must emulate Tredwell, who will surely be the danger man second time around. With Wagg, Needham and Smith we have the resources, even before Redfern and perhaps Madsen are considered, but they need to bowl the right length and pace for the track.
Unless the weather again intervenes, the thinking money would be on a positive result here, with two innings gone in two days. It would be heartening - no, astonishing - if Derbyshire were to emerge victorious, but we have shown at least one member of the press corps that we aren't that far behind the favourites for the title in grit, ability or - yes I'll say it - class.
Big effort tomorrow lads. We know you can do it. Go get 'em.
How about this gem from today's Times by Mark Baldwin
"They may be the top two teams in the LV County Championship second division, but you sensed throughout yesterday that a gulf in class existed between Kent and Derbyshire"
Oh, really? On a day that most others reckoned was pretty even? If I was John Morris I'd have that pinned up on the dressing room wall for the rest of this match, maybe even the rest of the season. Could a side have a greater incentive?
Derbyshire hit back in fine fashion today and could yet gain a valuable first innings lead. One suspects this will go to the wire and the top order must bat better second time around for sure, but this game is eminently winnable thanks to the multi-talented Graham Wagg who took 5 wickets, three with seam before lunch and two with spin afterwards
"Unexpected talent" says Sporting Life tonight. Really? In Derbyshire he bowled it last season and has done so regularly this year. Maybe the press need to return to days of having cricket specialist writers, rather than staff hacks who cover everything to some degree but little very well.
There are exceptions. Michael Henderson is always worth reading, even if you don't agree with him, but after that one can count the good writers on the fingers of one hand. Oh my Arlott, Cardus and Kilburn of long ago...
Back to today and we did very well to remove the dangerous Kent top order before lunch, but they bat long, with Parnell, an all rounder of some talent, at number nine. We've been held up by Tredwell, a player with an emerging reputation as an all rounder who must surely get a winter tour this year, yet could come out tomorrow and gain a lead that many cannot have expected.
Credit again to Tim Groenewald, another shrewd signing from Warwickshire. We have a unique swap arrangement going with the Brummies. We take players from them and they become excellent, they take them from us and they turn into... well, let's just call it the reverse Midas touch. I cite in one direction Messrs Munton, Welch, Wagg and Groenewald - in the other, Messrs Rankin, Botha and Clarke. My case is rested, m'lud.
We're not there as a team yet, but I would never discount this Derbyshire side. IF (big if) we can set Kent around 300 on the last day then this game is winnable, but we cannot assume to bowl them out cheaply twice as a matter of course. Wagg and Groenewald both did very well today and continued their recent excellent form, but to win this game I feel our spinners must emulate Tredwell, who will surely be the danger man second time around. With Wagg, Needham and Smith we have the resources, even before Redfern and perhaps Madsen are considered, but they need to bowl the right length and pace for the track.
Unless the weather again intervenes, the thinking money would be on a positive result here, with two innings gone in two days. It would be heartening - no, astonishing - if Derbyshire were to emerge victorious, but we have shown at least one member of the press corps that we aren't that far behind the favourites for the title in grit, ability or - yes I'll say it - class.
Big effort tomorrow lads. We know you can do it. Go get 'em.
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