When it was finally confirmed, as Glamorgan struck the winning runs in Cardiff, there were only a relative few diehards left at the ground, together with assorted members of the media, club officials and the players themselves. The game at Derby had ended for the day and the fans went home, safe in the knowledge that their side had done them proud. That's OUR side, Derbyshire. WE are Derbyshire and WE are promoted.
Tomorrow we may be champions.
Looking at the body language and demeanour of this fine young side, I wouldn't bet against them taking a trophy that is rightfully theirs. They have, after all, led the table for most of the season. While the lead has dwindled ahead of this final match, Derbyshire once again rose to a challenge and secured the 250 run target they needed for bonus points with relative ease, thanks to a fine partnership between young Academy products Ross Whiteley and Tom Poynton. Both batted beautifully and their stand was total vindication of the club's new policy and the way ahead. It was run scoring with the minimum of fuss and total professionalism and was a pleasure to witness.
In the field the side were again tigerish, aggressive and alert to possibilities, with Tom Poynton setting a live wire example behind the stumps and Whiteley proving impossible to keep out of the game with late wickets. After a more difficult season, Whiteley confirmed his rich talent today and came up with the goods when Derbyshire needed them most. All the bowlers did well - Palladino and Groenewald lively and probing, Turner downright fast and awkward, Wainwright canny, Durston testing and Whiteley looking every inch an international all-rounder in the making.
They were superbly marshalled by Wayne Madsen, who switched his bowlers around intelligently and was backed up by professional work, tight lines and lengths and precious few extras, once again. Someone said to me during the course of the day that they made you proud to be a Derbyshire fan, and he was right. It is a long time since we could say that.
During the day Tony Palladino was presented with his award for Player of the Year and it was richly deserved, much as I suggested the other day. He is a great asset to the club and quite obviously enjoys his cricket at Derbyshire, something that it is apparent in all of a side that crucially can only get better.
Tomorrow they have a chance to cement their place in history by clinching the title. Tonight I was privileged - a word I choose wisely - to spend some time with this young team and their professionalism shone through. There was no drinking, no real celebration - that is for another night. There was simply an understanding and acceptance of a job well done, the seeds for which were sown thousands of miles away back in Barbados in March.
In the words of one of my heroes, Bruce Springsteen, it's been a long time coming. But today was worth the wait and I hope that tomorrow they complete the work with the win that their cricket and professionalism thoroughly deserve. If they don't, then the season has still been a triumph. If they do, then in my considered opinion it is perhaps our greatest post-war feat. In the other years we had sides of far greater experience and bigger names. This side is young and in the eyes of the bookies and media, even those at local level, was set for a season of struggle in 2012. They have exceeded expectations - even mine - and we can enjoy the moment together.
Get down to the County Ground tomorrow morning and get on your feet at 10.30am to applaud them on to the pitch. There will be trials ahead and no one at the club is under any misapprehension as to the size of the job in hand. The first division will be tough and the planning for that will start next week, I'm sure. It will be as thorough as we have seen all summer long, though and you can be certain that they will not be found wanting in terms of effort and application.
Tomorrow should be special. Make sure you are there to see it...
Well done lads. You've made a lot of people very proud tonight.
Especially old Peakfan...
Thursday, 13 September 2012
HUGE day
I am sure that you all know that a Glamorgan win over Kent today will take us up.
Kent might score 500 second innings (though I doubt it) but Yorkshire could equally easily be rolled over by Essex this morning. Then again, Derbyshire could do the same against Hampshire.
However...
Assuming Kent lose and Yorkshire win, we need to score 250 runs in the first innings to cement the batting points that will mean a Derbyshire win tomorrow, irrespective of what Yorkshire do, would seal the title.
This roller coaster finish confirms why I love this game so much!
Off to the game now. Come on lads!
Especially important - GO GLAMORGAN!!!
Kent might score 500 second innings (though I doubt it) but Yorkshire could equally easily be rolled over by Essex this morning. Then again, Derbyshire could do the same against Hampshire.
However...
Assuming Kent lose and Yorkshire win, we need to score 250 runs in the first innings to cement the batting points that will mean a Derbyshire win tomorrow, irrespective of what Yorkshire do, would seal the title.
This roller coaster finish confirms why I love this game so much!
Off to the game now. Come on lads!
Especially important - GO GLAMORGAN!!!
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Nearly there...
Kent have slipped from 137-2 to 154-9...surely Derbyshire are going to be promoted now?
We'll save the champers for now, but get it on ice...
Postscript - 170 all out, no bonus points. Robert Croft, arch-nemesis of Derbyshire over so many summers, you are a star!Now 7-2 in the second innings, following on...
We'll save the champers for now, but get it on ice...
Postscript - 170 all out, no bonus points. Robert Croft, arch-nemesis of Derbyshire over so many summers, you are a star!Now 7-2 in the second innings, following on...
Derbyshire v Hampshire day 2
I left the County Ground at 2pm today. One of the things about living in Scotland is that it gives you a regular sighting of rain clouds and an awareness of how likely they are to kick around. The ones at Derby today looked to be set in for the day and so it transpired.
It was a shame, because the game is fascinatingly poised. with Derbyshire 105 behind and five wickets left with two days to play. Today's loss of two sessions doesn't affect the likelihood of a result after the thirteen wickets that fell yesterday. We will doubtless hope for dry weather tomorrow and a closing of the gap between the two sides totals, ideally with Derbyshire sneaking (or forging) ahead.
Tony Palladino batted beautifully this morning, unafraid to put bat to ball but playing "proper" cricket shots, not tail-end slogging. His pull/hooks for six were very well played and he looked composed and controlled at the crease. Indeed, had he gone through with his shot instead of checking it when he was dismissed, he could have gone close to a second ton of the season.
At the other end Usman Khawaja played sensibly and calmly. After a couple of early plays and misses he looked a player of class, driving straight and unafraid to loft the ball for a straight four and mid wicket six, a sure sign of a player in confident mood. Conversely Dan Redfern never looked at ease and couldn't get his feet moving. It was no surprise when he edged to slip and departed just before lunch.
So how does it leave things? Well, as I write, pretty much as I suggested last night. Yorkshire have rolled over Essex and look to be the form team on the verge of promotion, while Kent have some work to do to stay involved at Cardiff, where the home side's 390 was not part of the script. Yorkshire should win from here, which means that Derbyshire will need to score 250 runs and do the same to take the title through having won more matches, or score 300 to win it outright.
Things can change, of course, but after two days we are in the frame and fighting hard. After being 50-3 overnight, I'd have happily taken 167-5 today. Full marks to Palladino and Khawaja, for a terrific effort. More of the same tomorrow sets Friday up for a real nail-biter...
It was a shame, because the game is fascinatingly poised. with Derbyshire 105 behind and five wickets left with two days to play. Today's loss of two sessions doesn't affect the likelihood of a result after the thirteen wickets that fell yesterday. We will doubtless hope for dry weather tomorrow and a closing of the gap between the two sides totals, ideally with Derbyshire sneaking (or forging) ahead.
Tony Palladino batted beautifully this morning, unafraid to put bat to ball but playing "proper" cricket shots, not tail-end slogging. His pull/hooks for six were very well played and he looked composed and controlled at the crease. Indeed, had he gone through with his shot instead of checking it when he was dismissed, he could have gone close to a second ton of the season.
At the other end Usman Khawaja played sensibly and calmly. After a couple of early plays and misses he looked a player of class, driving straight and unafraid to loft the ball for a straight four and mid wicket six, a sure sign of a player in confident mood. Conversely Dan Redfern never looked at ease and couldn't get his feet moving. It was no surprise when he edged to slip and departed just before lunch.
So how does it leave things? Well, as I write, pretty much as I suggested last night. Yorkshire have rolled over Essex and look to be the form team on the verge of promotion, while Kent have some work to do to stay involved at Cardiff, where the home side's 390 was not part of the script. Yorkshire should win from here, which means that Derbyshire will need to score 250 runs and do the same to take the title through having won more matches, or score 300 to win it outright.
Things can change, of course, but after two days we are in the frame and fighting hard. After being 50-3 overnight, I'd have happily taken 167-5 today. Full marks to Palladino and Khawaja, for a terrific effort. More of the same tomorrow sets Friday up for a real nail-biter...
Player of the season
I was asked by two or three people yesterday who I would pick as player of the season.There are a number of worthy claimants for the prestigious award. Daniel Redfern has made huge strides this summer and produced some telling innings (oh for another one today...) while Wes Durston has been a very good all-round player for the club, taking wickets, bowling tight one-day spells and scoring runs (though less prolifically than last year). Tom Poynton has also done well and had his batting "Road to Damascus" happened a few weeks earlier would have been a very strong shout - much like he has in the field...
Then there's Tim Groenewald, who turns up and bowls well in nearly every game, while the efforts of Wayne Madsen as skipper, as well as with some fine innings, cannot be overestimated. I would also see David Wainwright as a strong contender, his bowling giving us a weapon we have lacked for a number of years. With perhaps a few more runs, Wainwright could have pulled clear in the voting, though this is one area that he needs to work on over the winter, especially to retain a berth at seven in the batting order.
For me, the award should go to Tony Palladino. I've watched him a few times this summer and he has bowled with rhythm and control in every match he played. Above all he bowled with telling hostility and there is an air of threat, potency and awareness that something is going to happen whenever he walks in from the deep to remove his sweater and bowl a new over.
He perhaps could have bowled in a few one-day games in the eyes of some, but I understand an injury niggle led to a need to keep him fresh and firing for the all-important promotion run-in. It was a shrewd move and Palladino's bowling has been superb. Nor should we discount his batting, with a stunning maiden century against Australia A, along with some crucial knocks at the end of the innings and stints as night-watchman (hint...do it again today, Tony)
Last year, a few people who should know better wrote off his bowling success as being largely due to the use of the Tiflex ball, suggesting he would do nothing when the switch was made. Yes, he's really struggled, only 55 championship wickets at 23. Now what you hear is that he wouldn't make a transition to division one.
We don't know yet if we'll be playing it for one thing. Let's just say that if we do, I don't expect Palladino to be found wanting. He's a class act and class acts will always take wickets.
A few runs today from him is first on the agenda though, and would be be priceless in the context of the summer.
Postscript: one should not forget the crucial role played in this season by that most important of twelfth men, team spirit. In match after match it has been the defining attribute of a young side of some talent. Whatever happens over the remaining days of the season, whoever comes in over the winter, it has been a joy to see and simply has to be maintained.
This may or may not be our year - we'll know more by the end of today, I think. Keeping that spirit going is the key to this being the first of many such summers.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Derbyshire v Hampshire day 1
A funny sort of day at the County Ground, at the end of which I would say, considering positions in other games, that we look to be in a position to be promoted, though not as champions. Kent would have hoped for better against Glamorgan (you're a saint, Jimmy Allenby) while Yorkshire have fought hard against Essex (how the heck does Sidebottom score those runs?)
Derbyshire? Well, we need runs tomorrow, pure and simple. The top order failed (a copy and paste job, that one...) but in their defence, the first 20 overs with a new ball at Derby is tough. If we can get through the first half hour or so tomorrow unscathed, there is still a good chance of runs in this track. Bounce was variable, with Ross Whiteley's broad shoulders getting some to lift from a length, but the bowlers did a good, disciplined job, conceding few extras.
Tony Palladino's opening spell was excellent, and I was glad I made the early start to see it. Tim Groenewald wasn't quite his usual parsimonious self, but Mark Turner bowled with real pace and had James Vince in early trouble before the Hampshire batsman completed an excellent century. He had time to play his shots and looked a class act, before giving it away. Prior to that Sean Ervine also batted well, though had a strong candidate for worst/most unnecessary shot of the season with an attempted reverse sweep that went hideously wrong. He and Vince had us on the rack and full credit to Derbyshire for fighting back well, with David Wainwright bowling a lovely spell.
Credit to Usman Khawaja too for two very good low catches at slip, but the Australian, who looked pretty good as the evening shadows lengthened, needs a big score tomorrow to take us to parity and preferably ahead.
Time to cross those fingers again...
Derbyshire? Well, we need runs tomorrow, pure and simple. The top order failed (a copy and paste job, that one...) but in their defence, the first 20 overs with a new ball at Derby is tough. If we can get through the first half hour or so tomorrow unscathed, there is still a good chance of runs in this track. Bounce was variable, with Ross Whiteley's broad shoulders getting some to lift from a length, but the bowlers did a good, disciplined job, conceding few extras.
Tony Palladino's opening spell was excellent, and I was glad I made the early start to see it. Tim Groenewald wasn't quite his usual parsimonious self, but Mark Turner bowled with real pace and had James Vince in early trouble before the Hampshire batsman completed an excellent century. He had time to play his shots and looked a class act, before giving it away. Prior to that Sean Ervine also batted well, though had a strong candidate for worst/most unnecessary shot of the season with an attempted reverse sweep that went hideously wrong. He and Vince had us on the rack and full credit to Derbyshire for fighting back well, with David Wainwright bowling a lovely spell.
Credit to Usman Khawaja too for two very good low catches at slip, but the Australian, who looked pretty good as the evening shadows lengthened, needs a big score tomorrow to take us to parity and preferably ahead.
Time to cross those fingers again...
Monday, 10 September 2012
Derbyshire v Hampshire preview
Are you ready? Almost certainly a roller-coaster of a game awaits us over the next four days.
The forecast looks pretty good - a few showers tomorrow then dry for the next three, so a positive result should be perfectly possible. Will it go Derbyshire's way? I hope so, I really do.
Hampshire have named a squad that rests former Derbyshire player Simon Katich and their thirteen is:
Jimmy Adams
Michael Carberry
Bilal Shafayat
James Vince
Liam Dawson
Chris Wood
Sean Ervine
David Griffith
Michael Bates
James Tomlinson
Kabir Ali
Hamza Riazuddin
David Balcombe
Derbyshire's eleven has yet to be announced, but is unlikely to change from the match at Kent, with Jon Clare deemed not yet fit enough to last the four days. So the likely line up is:
Wayne Madsen
Paul Borrington
Usman Khawaja
Wes Durston
Dan Redfern
Ross Whiteley
David Wainwright
Tom Poynton
Tony Palladino
Tim Groenewald
Mark Turner
The toss will be crucial, but how nice it would be to see Derbyshire take the initiative in this game and some of the worry from the fans. They are good enough to win it, without doubt, and only need to look back on sterling displays in the format this summer for confirmation of that. There's also the curse of the Sky cameras, but last time they were at Derby we were dominant against a very good Sussex side and ran out easy winners.
I'll not predict anything quite so straight forward this time out, but I think Derbyshire have enough in the side (and left in the tank) to win this one. Then it comes down to results and bonus points elsewhere, unless we rack up full points in this one when it doesn't matter one iota. The battle for bonus points at the three grounds will be important and we will all be keeping our eyes on Cardiff and Chelmsford, with both Glamorgan and Essex having many surrogate fans in Derbyshire for the rest of the week.
No Cook, Bopara, nor Masters for Essex, but they will give Yorkshire a tough game.
Good luck to the Derbyshire lads - I am sure that they will do us proud.
The forecast looks pretty good - a few showers tomorrow then dry for the next three, so a positive result should be perfectly possible. Will it go Derbyshire's way? I hope so, I really do.
Hampshire have named a squad that rests former Derbyshire player Simon Katich and their thirteen is:
Jimmy Adams
Michael Carberry
Bilal Shafayat
James Vince
Liam Dawson
Chris Wood
Sean Ervine
David Griffith
Michael Bates
James Tomlinson
Kabir Ali
Hamza Riazuddin
David Balcombe
Derbyshire's eleven has yet to be announced, but is unlikely to change from the match at Kent, with Jon Clare deemed not yet fit enough to last the four days. So the likely line up is:
Wayne Madsen
Paul Borrington
Usman Khawaja
Wes Durston
Dan Redfern
Ross Whiteley
David Wainwright
Tom Poynton
Tony Palladino
Tim Groenewald
Mark Turner
The toss will be crucial, but how nice it would be to see Derbyshire take the initiative in this game and some of the worry from the fans. They are good enough to win it, without doubt, and only need to look back on sterling displays in the format this summer for confirmation of that. There's also the curse of the Sky cameras, but last time they were at Derby we were dominant against a very good Sussex side and ran out easy winners.
I'll not predict anything quite so straight forward this time out, but I think Derbyshire have enough in the side (and left in the tank) to win this one. Then it comes down to results and bonus points elsewhere, unless we rack up full points in this one when it doesn't matter one iota. The battle for bonus points at the three grounds will be important and we will all be keeping our eyes on Cardiff and Chelmsford, with both Glamorgan and Essex having many surrogate fans in Derbyshire for the rest of the week.
No Cook, Bopara, nor Masters for Essex, but they will give Yorkshire a tough game.
Good luck to the Derbyshire lads - I am sure that they will do us proud.
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Full marks (again) to the marketing department
It is only fair and appropriate to once again commend an excellent initiative by the county's marketing team ahead of the game against Hampshire.
£5 for a ticket for two people that covers you for four days? What an inspired bit of work! The club need as many fans along as possible to support, make every day special and hopefully witness promotion - or at best the club's first trophy of the 21st century.
I hope that it gets the support that it deserves. Great work, guys.
£5 for a ticket for two people that covers you for four days? What an inspired bit of work! The club need as many fans along as possible to support, make every day special and hopefully witness promotion - or at best the club's first trophy of the 21st century.
I hope that it gets the support that it deserves. Great work, guys.
Radio show tomorrow night
In recognition of Derbyshire's biggest match in years, let's have a half hour radio show tomorrow.
9pm, be there or, as they say, be square. The link is on the left when you scroll down the page. Log in, or register, then search for "Peakfan's Derbyshire Cricket Chat". It's pretty self-explanatory from there. I will log in at 8.55pm, so you can find it, then start at 9pm
Any questions? Mail them to me at the usual address, or be prepared to contribute tomorrow. The software allows you to mail questions or comments in too, if you don't feel like chatting or you don't have a headset. A standard laptop microphone might work, though be aware of your "significant other" shouting "Your supper's ready" or "I've put two fizzy bath bombs in for you when you've finished"...
My headset cost a fiver from Tesco, so you don't need anything sophisticated, or you can just listen in, if you prefer. Then on Tuesday I will, in the words of Willie Nelson, be on the road again, nice and early, so I can reach the County Ground by lunchtime and see the rest of the match.
It's perhaps as well that we don't just need a bowling point for the title, otherwise I'd have needed to leave at 5am to get there for the start.
At which point Mrs P may well have set the wheels in motion to have me committed...
9pm, be there or, as they say, be square. The link is on the left when you scroll down the page. Log in, or register, then search for "Peakfan's Derbyshire Cricket Chat". It's pretty self-explanatory from there. I will log in at 8.55pm, so you can find it, then start at 9pm
Any questions? Mail them to me at the usual address, or be prepared to contribute tomorrow. The software allows you to mail questions or comments in too, if you don't feel like chatting or you don't have a headset. A standard laptop microphone might work, though be aware of your "significant other" shouting "Your supper's ready" or "I've put two fizzy bath bombs in for you when you've finished"...
My headset cost a fiver from Tesco, so you don't need anything sophisticated, or you can just listen in, if you prefer. Then on Tuesday I will, in the words of Willie Nelson, be on the road again, nice and early, so I can reach the County Ground by lunchtime and see the rest of the match.
It's perhaps as well that we don't just need a bowling point for the title, otherwise I'd have needed to leave at 5am to get there for the start.
At which point Mrs P may well have set the wheels in motion to have me committed...
Weekend warmer
Chewing the nails yet? Thinking over the next few days and what it will bring for Derbyshire's young team?
Me too. I've checked the weather forecasts (not bad for Derby and Chelmsford, wet in Wales) and scoured the web for news of the respective teams (not much at this stage).
I'm still pretty optimistic, but then you probably guessed that. Whether we have enough in the tank to take the silverware is a moot point, but there's still a healthy lead over Kent and a more slender one over Yorkshire. On the face of it, Kent have the easier final fixture, but with weather set to play a part you can never legislate against someone producing a special performance. With players like Walters, Wagg, Allenby and Wallace in the side you can never write Glamorgan off and if the ball swings then they will not lie down and die. They won't want to finish bottom, so have a big incentive to produce a performance in the last game of the season, something that was often a feature of Derbyshire's darker campaigns.
Yorkshire have hit form at the right time and have a fine batting side. Anthony McGrath has been a key man for them in recent games and shows the value of an older head in the later middle order. Kent have it in Darren Stevens (with Nash, Powell and Jones) and they have it in McGrath. Such players have been in tight corners during run chases and when batting for draws and they are worth their weight in gold in such circumstances. Yet I'm still not convinced by their bowling. Sidebottom's return has given them a little more, but as we're concerned about our batting, the Yorkshire fans must have concerns about that attack bowling teams out if they go up. Our attack and their batting would be a terrific side....
Their chances of a win will depend on the Essex side. David Masters makes a huge difference to the attack, as we saw at Derby and if he plays Yorkshire will have their work cut out, especially if he is partnered by the precocious talent of Reece Topley. We might also see Ravi Bopara and Alistair Cook play for them, who alongside Shah and ten Doeschate would give our northern neighbours a few nightmares. If the ECB are serious about getting England players into county cricket when they can, as they said during Tredwellgate, then Bopara and Cook should be, though doubtless the ECB will now want them to rest before next summer's Ashes...
Derbyshire? Well, we don't know what strength side Hampshire will field in the light of their cup final next weekend. Somewhat selfishly, I would probably settle for their under-13s. They are likely to rest anyone with a niggle, as only a bizarre combination of circumstances could see them promoted and they will face a Derbyshire side who will be up for one last fight, still smarting from Canterbury.
It's interesting, as promotion would see Derbyshire face some very difficult cricket next summer, perhaps, as I wrote the other night, before this young side is fully ready to cope with it. We are committed, and rightly so, to an Academy bringing through talent and we would remain very competitive in division two. The top tier would bring a different level, however and one simply cannot accelerate experience. Nor is there necessarily the money to go and sign players who have it - which may be counter-productive anyway, as the young players would then not get it themselves. Should we get there, fans should accept there will be challenges and be tolerant of learning curves. If we don't, there will be disappointment, but we carry on in the established manner. I read the other day that several counties had approached Derbyshire to discuss the club's blueprint, so we must be doing something right.
I don't expect many changes in our side. If Jon Clare was fit I would like to see him replace Mark Turner, but I can't see any other changes. The only realistic batting switch would see Chesney Hughes come in, but I think that unlikely at this late stage, unless Paul Borrington has any reaction to his nasal surgery.Alex Hughes is another pushing for a place, but his time will come another year.
Irrespective of concerns over our batting, if you asked Kent or Yorkshire if they'd like to swap with us right now they'd say yes, without doubt. A maximum bonus point draw would mean one of those sides would have to win to pip us for the title. Both would need to do so to prevent promotion in such an eventuality.
Can we score 400?That, I don't know. We'd need a big innings from someone and contributions around it, but three bowling points and a win would get promotion, if not necessarily requiring the purchase of a new trophy cabinet and "polishing the silverware" being added to someone's job description. No doubt there will be pitch inspectors descending from helicopters should five wickets go down before lunch on the first day...
Despite my reservations about the batting, I'm going to predict a win and if we do that, what happens elsewhere is irrelevant. Yorkshire may nick the silverware, but I'd comment more on that when I see the Essex squad. If a full Essex side plays - and they should field one, given the importance of the match - I cannot see Yorkshire beating them unless set a very generous chase on the last afternoon. Indeed, bowling first would give the white rose county their best chance, so that powerful line-up can take them close on Friday.
So, slipping effortlessly into parochial mode, let's hope that Yorkshire bat first....
More tomorrow.
Me too. I've checked the weather forecasts (not bad for Derby and Chelmsford, wet in Wales) and scoured the web for news of the respective teams (not much at this stage).
I'm still pretty optimistic, but then you probably guessed that. Whether we have enough in the tank to take the silverware is a moot point, but there's still a healthy lead over Kent and a more slender one over Yorkshire. On the face of it, Kent have the easier final fixture, but with weather set to play a part you can never legislate against someone producing a special performance. With players like Walters, Wagg, Allenby and Wallace in the side you can never write Glamorgan off and if the ball swings then they will not lie down and die. They won't want to finish bottom, so have a big incentive to produce a performance in the last game of the season, something that was often a feature of Derbyshire's darker campaigns.
Yorkshire have hit form at the right time and have a fine batting side. Anthony McGrath has been a key man for them in recent games and shows the value of an older head in the later middle order. Kent have it in Darren Stevens (with Nash, Powell and Jones) and they have it in McGrath. Such players have been in tight corners during run chases and when batting for draws and they are worth their weight in gold in such circumstances. Yet I'm still not convinced by their bowling. Sidebottom's return has given them a little more, but as we're concerned about our batting, the Yorkshire fans must have concerns about that attack bowling teams out if they go up. Our attack and their batting would be a terrific side....
Their chances of a win will depend on the Essex side. David Masters makes a huge difference to the attack, as we saw at Derby and if he plays Yorkshire will have their work cut out, especially if he is partnered by the precocious talent of Reece Topley. We might also see Ravi Bopara and Alistair Cook play for them, who alongside Shah and ten Doeschate would give our northern neighbours a few nightmares. If the ECB are serious about getting England players into county cricket when they can, as they said during Tredwellgate, then Bopara and Cook should be, though doubtless the ECB will now want them to rest before next summer's Ashes...
Derbyshire? Well, we don't know what strength side Hampshire will field in the light of their cup final next weekend. Somewhat selfishly, I would probably settle for their under-13s. They are likely to rest anyone with a niggle, as only a bizarre combination of circumstances could see them promoted and they will face a Derbyshire side who will be up for one last fight, still smarting from Canterbury.
It's interesting, as promotion would see Derbyshire face some very difficult cricket next summer, perhaps, as I wrote the other night, before this young side is fully ready to cope with it. We are committed, and rightly so, to an Academy bringing through talent and we would remain very competitive in division two. The top tier would bring a different level, however and one simply cannot accelerate experience. Nor is there necessarily the money to go and sign players who have it - which may be counter-productive anyway, as the young players would then not get it themselves. Should we get there, fans should accept there will be challenges and be tolerant of learning curves. If we don't, there will be disappointment, but we carry on in the established manner. I read the other day that several counties had approached Derbyshire to discuss the club's blueprint, so we must be doing something right.
I don't expect many changes in our side. If Jon Clare was fit I would like to see him replace Mark Turner, but I can't see any other changes. The only realistic batting switch would see Chesney Hughes come in, but I think that unlikely at this late stage, unless Paul Borrington has any reaction to his nasal surgery.Alex Hughes is another pushing for a place, but his time will come another year.
Irrespective of concerns over our batting, if you asked Kent or Yorkshire if they'd like to swap with us right now they'd say yes, without doubt. A maximum bonus point draw would mean one of those sides would have to win to pip us for the title. Both would need to do so to prevent promotion in such an eventuality.
Can we score 400?That, I don't know. We'd need a big innings from someone and contributions around it, but three bowling points and a win would get promotion, if not necessarily requiring the purchase of a new trophy cabinet and "polishing the silverware" being added to someone's job description. No doubt there will be pitch inspectors descending from helicopters should five wickets go down before lunch on the first day...
Despite my reservations about the batting, I'm going to predict a win and if we do that, what happens elsewhere is irrelevant. Yorkshire may nick the silverware, but I'd comment more on that when I see the Essex squad. If a full Essex side plays - and they should field one, given the importance of the match - I cannot see Yorkshire beating them unless set a very generous chase on the last afternoon. Indeed, bowling first would give the white rose county their best chance, so that powerful line-up can take them close on Friday.
So, slipping effortlessly into parochial mode, let's hope that Yorkshire bat first....
More tomorrow.
Friday, 7 September 2012
Kent v Derbyshire day 4
Years ago, when I was a kid, my Dad introduced me to all sorts of music. Not just the popular stuff of the day which we heard on the radio - I grew up in the Sixties, which was pretty cool - but the older stuff too. So I heard Hank Williams, Bing Crosby, The Mills Brothers, Glenn Miller and many, many more. Some I liked more than others, but it gave me a thorough grounding in music and ensured that my taste remains very eclectic to this day.
One of my favourites was an influential American vocal group called The Ink Spots, who broke ground later trod by the likes of The Platters, The Drifters and more. One of my favourite songs of theirs was the somewhat apposite "Maybe".
Where am I going with this? Well, maybe Derbyshire have now blown it. Maybe we're not good enough to go up. Maybe Yorkshire will beat Essex next week. Maybe Kent will beat Glamorgan. Maybe we will play in division two again next summer. Maybe our batting will fail again next week and we will finish third.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Then again, maybe the batting will fire against Hampshire. Maybe one more big effort will take us across the line. Maybe Glamorgan will fight hard to avoid the wooden spoon. Maybe Yorkshire's average attack will struggle to bowl out Essex.
You don't know. I don't know. None of us know.
Now for a fact.
With one game to go, Derbyshire are STILL top of the league. You'd be forgiven for not knowing that, with the comments doing the rounds at present. Without a shadow of a doubt, our batting remains poor at present, flimsy, unreliable and a definite weakness. It will undoubtedly be an area addressed in the winter. It will be a major concern should the unthinkable (for some) happen and we go up.
For what it is worth, I think we have punched above our weight this summer and, given the youth of this side, are way ahead of any schedule anticipated by Karl Krikken, Chris Grant and Wayne Madsen. If we were to go up there's a danger that we could get some serious hammerings next summer. Maybe not on the Derby County/Billy Davies/Premiership scale, but hammerings nonetheless. Perhaps it would be better to be among the favourites for promotion next year, rather than being a bookies certainty to come down. But should that REALLY stop us trying for it? As I've said all along, this is a work in progress, after all. Again, just as Poynton and Redfern have emerged this summer, maybe others will do so in 2013 and we would again surprise a few people. Who, pre-season, expected us to be top with one game to go?
I won't sit here with my laptop on my knee and pretend our batting is good, because it isn't. Generally speaking, we have won matches this summer despite our batting, rather than because of it. Fans are rightly stating that it hasn't been the same since Martin Guptill left, but we need to get used to it as Guptill won't be back next summer, unless we can persuade him to play T20. This is in many ways a typically Derbyshire side, one that wins when the batting gives the bowlers just enough runs to play with. I'm of an era that can remember when Venkat taking 6-115 saw him concede more runs than we had scored, after all...
We all know their faults - they've been debated all summer, of course, but for this next few days, get behind a bunch of young players who have given their all. Perhaps, at the end of it all, it may not be enough, but that should not detract from a summer in which our interest is likely to run to the very last day. Today that young side tried their best but against one of greater experience it was not enough. There were some stirring efforts, with Usman Khawaja, Tom Poynton and Paul Borrington resisting longer than most, but Kent's bowlers proved their betters on the day and fair play to them for doing so. After all yesterday's fuss, Tredwell didn't take a wicket...
We may see that result replicated next week, but if there's one thing I've learned over 45 summers of watching Derbyshire it's that cricket is a funny game. Our batting is a concern, but for now we play with the hand we're dealt and hope that a couple of them come up with the goods. Whatever happens, I know the team will battle to the end and I am proud to support a team that does that.
Maybe next week will be a disappointment, an anti-climax. Then again, maybe we will get more points from our game than Yorkshire and Kent do in theirs. Promotion is just one game away.
Maybe...
Postscript
Quite sad to see "Anon" jumping on here within minutes of tonight's defeat with a sarcastic comment about division one. I still despair of a minority of our "support" who would far sooner lose, so they can have a good moan, than win and celebrate success.
One of my favourites was an influential American vocal group called The Ink Spots, who broke ground later trod by the likes of The Platters, The Drifters and more. One of my favourite songs of theirs was the somewhat apposite "Maybe".
Where am I going with this? Well, maybe Derbyshire have now blown it. Maybe we're not good enough to go up. Maybe Yorkshire will beat Essex next week. Maybe Kent will beat Glamorgan. Maybe we will play in division two again next summer. Maybe our batting will fail again next week and we will finish third.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Then again, maybe the batting will fire against Hampshire. Maybe one more big effort will take us across the line. Maybe Glamorgan will fight hard to avoid the wooden spoon. Maybe Yorkshire's average attack will struggle to bowl out Essex.
You don't know. I don't know. None of us know.
Now for a fact.
With one game to go, Derbyshire are STILL top of the league. You'd be forgiven for not knowing that, with the comments doing the rounds at present. Without a shadow of a doubt, our batting remains poor at present, flimsy, unreliable and a definite weakness. It will undoubtedly be an area addressed in the winter. It will be a major concern should the unthinkable (for some) happen and we go up.
For what it is worth, I think we have punched above our weight this summer and, given the youth of this side, are way ahead of any schedule anticipated by Karl Krikken, Chris Grant and Wayne Madsen. If we were to go up there's a danger that we could get some serious hammerings next summer. Maybe not on the Derby County/Billy Davies/Premiership scale, but hammerings nonetheless. Perhaps it would be better to be among the favourites for promotion next year, rather than being a bookies certainty to come down. But should that REALLY stop us trying for it? As I've said all along, this is a work in progress, after all. Again, just as Poynton and Redfern have emerged this summer, maybe others will do so in 2013 and we would again surprise a few people. Who, pre-season, expected us to be top with one game to go?
I won't sit here with my laptop on my knee and pretend our batting is good, because it isn't. Generally speaking, we have won matches this summer despite our batting, rather than because of it. Fans are rightly stating that it hasn't been the same since Martin Guptill left, but we need to get used to it as Guptill won't be back next summer, unless we can persuade him to play T20. This is in many ways a typically Derbyshire side, one that wins when the batting gives the bowlers just enough runs to play with. I'm of an era that can remember when Venkat taking 6-115 saw him concede more runs than we had scored, after all...
We all know their faults - they've been debated all summer, of course, but for this next few days, get behind a bunch of young players who have given their all. Perhaps, at the end of it all, it may not be enough, but that should not detract from a summer in which our interest is likely to run to the very last day. Today that young side tried their best but against one of greater experience it was not enough. There were some stirring efforts, with Usman Khawaja, Tom Poynton and Paul Borrington resisting longer than most, but Kent's bowlers proved their betters on the day and fair play to them for doing so. After all yesterday's fuss, Tredwell didn't take a wicket...
We may see that result replicated next week, but if there's one thing I've learned over 45 summers of watching Derbyshire it's that cricket is a funny game. Our batting is a concern, but for now we play with the hand we're dealt and hope that a couple of them come up with the goods. Whatever happens, I know the team will battle to the end and I am proud to support a team that does that.
Maybe next week will be a disappointment, an anti-climax. Then again, maybe we will get more points from our game than Yorkshire and Kent do in theirs. Promotion is just one game away.
Maybe...
Postscript
Quite sad to see "Anon" jumping on here within minutes of tonight's defeat with a sarcastic comment about division one. I still despair of a minority of our "support" who would far sooner lose, so they can have a good moan, than win and celebrate success.
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Kent v Derbyshire day 3
I gave a little thought to the opening of tonight's blog and have decided to focus on the cricket to start with.
No, I'm not going to suggest that Derbyshire can win this game. Given that we have only twice in over 140 years made 350 in the fourth innings of a match, we are unlikely to set a precedent by making 400 tomorrow. By the same token, if we reach the close at 108-7, I will be a very happy man.
Runs don't matter at all and the only thing that does is that we have at least one wicket in hand at the end of the day. The team - no, the club - are hurting tonight as you can read in Karl Krikken's comments on Cricinfo.
The best way to get back at the incompetents that make decisions pertaining to this great game of cricket is to get a draw - one that will almost guarantee promotion. It won't be easy, but look at this way. By general consensus Derbyshire have a good attack, yet today they were rendered impotent by the Kent batsmen and the wicket, which seemed to play pretty well. Unless it takes a turn for the worse overnight, which is unlikely, the batsmen need to play straight, leave anything wide alone and just stay in there. They have shown on a number of occasions this summer that the team is perhaps greater than the sum of the parts and tomorrow would be the time to illustrate that once more.
If Kent win tomorrow, I would suggest them best placed of the likely top three, with an away game to Glamorgan to come. I still think Yorkshire will struggle to bowl out Essex twice and it will then come down to what we do against Hampshire, whose promotion hopes are gone unless they produce an extraordinary display at Chelmsford tomorrow. If we hold out for a draw, we will need just two points from the Hampshire game to go up, as we have won more matches than our rivals.
That's what it all comes down to. Months of hard graft becomes one day of playing down the line and boring the pants off everyone.
Maybe we could make our cause easier with an early morning call to the ECB.
"Hello, ECB, Karl Krikken here. I just wanted to make a tweak to our side under the 'exceptional circumstances' ruling. These are pretty exceptional, I'll admit..."
"What's that then Karl?"
"When Usman Khawaja is out tomorrow - sorry, IF Usman Khawaja is out - we'd like to swap Turner, M for Guptill, M. "
"You can't do that Karl. Khawaja is your overseas player and you're only allowed one...I think"
"Ah, but if/when Khawaja is out, he's no longer in the match, therefore we technically don't have an overseas player. I take it that's OK? Martin's travelled all night to get here and he's ready to go..."
They might say yes. Heck, they'll probably say yes and no. They might even say yes if we introduce H. Amla from our club academy for the Hampshire game... formerly known as Hamza Siddique. Yes, of course he went to Repton and is only 21...this summer has aged all of our lads...
The most telling words on today's situation were those of David Lloyd earlier on Cricinfo, when he wrote:
"The regulations make it clear that a player made available by England can participate in a championship match provided there are two full days remaining, but the paragraph starts with the proviso “in exceptional circumstances”.
So does the fact that Kent are challenging to go up, and playing against promotion rivals, on a pitch taking some turn and they would rather have a 30-year-old spinner in their side than a 20-year-old rookie constitute exceptional circumstances?
I don't blame Kent for asking the question and if we were talking Derbyshire and Wainwright here my feelings would be the same. But when Krikken says that Derbyshire have an e mail stating that Tredwell was precluded from playing if he played at Trent Bridge, that should have been the end of it. What happens if we had won the toss and made a decision to bat or bowl based on his assumed absence? The regulation is, and has been for some time, a joke. If a player is released from England duty and his county replacement has either batted or bowled in the game that should be the end of it. Tredwell's replacement, Riley, had done both and the switch should not have been allowed. End of story. Exceptional circumstances should be when half your squad is down with dysentery and three of the fit ones are stuck in traffic. Nothing less.
A county could then go in either a batsman or bowler short with a twelfth man, but take that risk, if they were prepared to do so. You might see Bopara not bat till number eight, or Bresnan have to bowl with the old ball, but them's the breaks. You shouldn't see eleven players take on twelve and when the ruling body of the game give you two different answers to one question it is a sad indictment on them.
Months of hard work could stand or fall on that decision but I would make two points here. One is that we should not build Tredwell up into a mystery spinner. He's a decent bowler, but not, for me, a world-beater. Second is that I would reiterate - block it out, take the draw points and then extend your first two digits in the approximate direction of Lords, lads...
I will admit that Kent have outplayed us in this game and in Sam Northeast have a batsman of genuine talent. I will concede that on the balance of play so far they probably deserve to win the match. I also hope that if we lose tomorrow we don't have a succession of moaners on here decrying the efforts of a side that has only lost one game all season.
But most of all, like the majority of you, I hope that we can get a draw.
No, I'm not going to suggest that Derbyshire can win this game. Given that we have only twice in over 140 years made 350 in the fourth innings of a match, we are unlikely to set a precedent by making 400 tomorrow. By the same token, if we reach the close at 108-7, I will be a very happy man.
Runs don't matter at all and the only thing that does is that we have at least one wicket in hand at the end of the day. The team - no, the club - are hurting tonight as you can read in Karl Krikken's comments on Cricinfo.
The best way to get back at the incompetents that make decisions pertaining to this great game of cricket is to get a draw - one that will almost guarantee promotion. It won't be easy, but look at this way. By general consensus Derbyshire have a good attack, yet today they were rendered impotent by the Kent batsmen and the wicket, which seemed to play pretty well. Unless it takes a turn for the worse overnight, which is unlikely, the batsmen need to play straight, leave anything wide alone and just stay in there. They have shown on a number of occasions this summer that the team is perhaps greater than the sum of the parts and tomorrow would be the time to illustrate that once more.
If Kent win tomorrow, I would suggest them best placed of the likely top three, with an away game to Glamorgan to come. I still think Yorkshire will struggle to bowl out Essex twice and it will then come down to what we do against Hampshire, whose promotion hopes are gone unless they produce an extraordinary display at Chelmsford tomorrow. If we hold out for a draw, we will need just two points from the Hampshire game to go up, as we have won more matches than our rivals.
That's what it all comes down to. Months of hard graft becomes one day of playing down the line and boring the pants off everyone.
Maybe we could make our cause easier with an early morning call to the ECB.
"Hello, ECB, Karl Krikken here. I just wanted to make a tweak to our side under the 'exceptional circumstances' ruling. These are pretty exceptional, I'll admit..."
"What's that then Karl?"
"When Usman Khawaja is out tomorrow - sorry, IF Usman Khawaja is out - we'd like to swap Turner, M for Guptill, M. "
"You can't do that Karl. Khawaja is your overseas player and you're only allowed one...I think"
"Ah, but if/when Khawaja is out, he's no longer in the match, therefore we technically don't have an overseas player. I take it that's OK? Martin's travelled all night to get here and he's ready to go..."
They might say yes. Heck, they'll probably say yes and no. They might even say yes if we introduce H. Amla from our club academy for the Hampshire game... formerly known as Hamza Siddique. Yes, of course he went to Repton and is only 21...this summer has aged all of our lads...
The most telling words on today's situation were those of David Lloyd earlier on Cricinfo, when he wrote:
"The regulations make it clear that a player made available by England can participate in a championship match provided there are two full days remaining, but the paragraph starts with the proviso “in exceptional circumstances”.
So does the fact that Kent are challenging to go up, and playing against promotion rivals, on a pitch taking some turn and they would rather have a 30-year-old spinner in their side than a 20-year-old rookie constitute exceptional circumstances?
I don't blame Kent for asking the question and if we were talking Derbyshire and Wainwright here my feelings would be the same. But when Krikken says that Derbyshire have an e mail stating that Tredwell was precluded from playing if he played at Trent Bridge, that should have been the end of it. What happens if we had won the toss and made a decision to bat or bowl based on his assumed absence? The regulation is, and has been for some time, a joke. If a player is released from England duty and his county replacement has either batted or bowled in the game that should be the end of it. Tredwell's replacement, Riley, had done both and the switch should not have been allowed. End of story. Exceptional circumstances should be when half your squad is down with dysentery and three of the fit ones are stuck in traffic. Nothing less.
A county could then go in either a batsman or bowler short with a twelfth man, but take that risk, if they were prepared to do so. You might see Bopara not bat till number eight, or Bresnan have to bowl with the old ball, but them's the breaks. You shouldn't see eleven players take on twelve and when the ruling body of the game give you two different answers to one question it is a sad indictment on them.
Months of hard work could stand or fall on that decision but I would make two points here. One is that we should not build Tredwell up into a mystery spinner. He's a decent bowler, but not, for me, a world-beater. Second is that I would reiterate - block it out, take the draw points and then extend your first two digits in the approximate direction of Lords, lads...
I will admit that Kent have outplayed us in this game and in Sam Northeast have a batsman of genuine talent. I will concede that on the balance of play so far they probably deserve to win the match. I also hope that if we lose tomorrow we don't have a succession of moaners on here decrying the efforts of a side that has only lost one game all season.
But most of all, like the majority of you, I hope that we can get a draw.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Kent v Derbyshire day 2
First up tonight, in answer to the "Anon" comment of earlier - today's earlier article was not an assumption of Derbyshire going up, just an assessment of what we need, irrespective of where we are playing our cricket in 2013. I'd have hoped that the number of "ifs" in there might have illustrated that for all concerned, but could anyone who can't be bothered logging in put their name to a comment please. In response to the curt manner of the comment, I've been equally curt in deleting it.
I am not assuming and have not assumed Derbyshire will get promotion this summer, but when you are as far ahead as we were going into the Kent game, it is, I think, permissible to start thinking it could happen with two games to go. By the same token, over the years Derbyshire have made an awful habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of success and you cannot legislate for the same thing happening again.
However...
I still maintain there's something about this squad. Do I think this game is lost, given the first innings deficit?
Nope. We will have to bat much better the second time around, we will need luck and we will need Kent's bowlers to perhaps not be at their best. Yet if we can keep the target to under 225, it could be gettable. The ball is now turning and in Wainwright and Durston we have the best two spinners in the match. I'll not underestimate young Riley, nor the occasional left-arm wrist spin of Nash, but the greater threat to Derbyshire's winning this game appears to come from the Kent seamers and our own fallibility within sight of the winning post. Both sides will be wary of the game at Derby last month, of course...
We cannot get away from the fact that for what seems like the seventh game running our batsmen failed. At 112-7 we were in serious trouble, yet once again we were bailed out by nine, ten, jack, with Tom Poynton again batting with remarkable composure. In the last few weeks, county batting seems to have clicked for Poynton and I'm intrigued as to how and why that is. At this stage I can only say I am remarkably impressed by the young man, as I am by the positive attitude of the last three in the batting order. You could not, in all fairness, call it a tail.
Special mention needs to be made of a captain's effort from Wayne Madsen, who deserved better support than he got, while Paul Borrington showed guts in coming in at four and shaping up well, despite a broken nose, before falling to a bat/pad catch. It is also appropriate to mention the efforts of James Pipe in getting the swelling in Borrington's nose down overnight so that he could come in at an early stage. I once had mine broken playing five-a-sides and the next day looked like a cross between Jimmy Durante, a proboscis monkey and a panda...
If the worst happens and we lose it is a blow, but it is far from terminal. By my calculation, if Yorkshire win (which appears likely) they would be a point behind us ahead of the last game. If Kent win they will be six points behind us and might then fancy a win against Glamorgan and be back in the frame. Hampshire are currently struggling against Essex, who are 168 ahead with eight wickets left. Their powerful batting will be a tough nut for Yorkshire's bowling to crack at Chelmsford, so it will still come down to four days at Derby. If we win, we go up. If we don't, then you have to say that we blew it.
Yet as I've already said, that assumes we don't produce the most remarkable performance of a season piled high with them. Early wickets tomorrow, alarm bells ring and the game takes on a different complexion.
I'm prepared to be shot at by the harbingers of doom. If we were 350 behind at this stage I'd be joining you in proclaiming the game as lost.
But not yet, my friends. Not by a long chalk. Tomorrow is huge and it is time for the batsmen to answer their critics. First we need quick and regular wickets, then it's game on.
I am not assuming and have not assumed Derbyshire will get promotion this summer, but when you are as far ahead as we were going into the Kent game, it is, I think, permissible to start thinking it could happen with two games to go. By the same token, over the years Derbyshire have made an awful habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of success and you cannot legislate for the same thing happening again.
However...
I still maintain there's something about this squad. Do I think this game is lost, given the first innings deficit?
Nope. We will have to bat much better the second time around, we will need luck and we will need Kent's bowlers to perhaps not be at their best. Yet if we can keep the target to under 225, it could be gettable. The ball is now turning and in Wainwright and Durston we have the best two spinners in the match. I'll not underestimate young Riley, nor the occasional left-arm wrist spin of Nash, but the greater threat to Derbyshire's winning this game appears to come from the Kent seamers and our own fallibility within sight of the winning post. Both sides will be wary of the game at Derby last month, of course...
We cannot get away from the fact that for what seems like the seventh game running our batsmen failed. At 112-7 we were in serious trouble, yet once again we were bailed out by nine, ten, jack, with Tom Poynton again batting with remarkable composure. In the last few weeks, county batting seems to have clicked for Poynton and I'm intrigued as to how and why that is. At this stage I can only say I am remarkably impressed by the young man, as I am by the positive attitude of the last three in the batting order. You could not, in all fairness, call it a tail.
Special mention needs to be made of a captain's effort from Wayne Madsen, who deserved better support than he got, while Paul Borrington showed guts in coming in at four and shaping up well, despite a broken nose, before falling to a bat/pad catch. It is also appropriate to mention the efforts of James Pipe in getting the swelling in Borrington's nose down overnight so that he could come in at an early stage. I once had mine broken playing five-a-sides and the next day looked like a cross between Jimmy Durante, a proboscis monkey and a panda...
If the worst happens and we lose it is a blow, but it is far from terminal. By my calculation, if Yorkshire win (which appears likely) they would be a point behind us ahead of the last game. If Kent win they will be six points behind us and might then fancy a win against Glamorgan and be back in the frame. Hampshire are currently struggling against Essex, who are 168 ahead with eight wickets left. Their powerful batting will be a tough nut for Yorkshire's bowling to crack at Chelmsford, so it will still come down to four days at Derby. If we win, we go up. If we don't, then you have to say that we blew it.
Yet as I've already said, that assumes we don't produce the most remarkable performance of a season piled high with them. Early wickets tomorrow, alarm bells ring and the game takes on a different complexion.
I'm prepared to be shot at by the harbingers of doom. If we were 350 behind at this stage I'd be joining you in proclaiming the game as lost.
But not yet, my friends. Not by a long chalk. Tomorrow is huge and it is time for the batsmen to answer their critics. First we need quick and regular wickets, then it's game on.
Signing conjecture
I'm taking advantage of a day off today (sadly, it's because I have to work on Saturday) to catch up with a few mails and I have had several asking what I think about player X from a Derbyshire perspective for next summer. It struck me that I might as well share my thoughts with everyone on here!
First and foremost it should be made clear that Derbyshire will have far greater appeal as a first division side than if they remain in the second division. It is obvious - players want to test themselves against the best and, as James Harris has illustrated, if they are remotely ambitious and entertain international hopes they want to play at top level. I know that Bopara and Cook are from Essex and Bairstow from Yorkshire in the current England setup, but the side is largely from the top tier.
Second, it needs to be kept in mind that there is no football-style windfall with getting promoted. Millions of pounds and parachute payments for the relegated may be accepted in football, but Derbyshire will largely have the same to spend for next summer.
As I wrote the other night, I think we are well covered in the spin department, but could probably do with one extra seamer, ideally one who can bat, to cover the bases. Realistically, whoever comes in has to be better than one from Groenewald, Palladino, Clare and Turner, or there's no point. Mark Footitt has much to offer if he could stay fit, but unless a big name was available and wanted to join us - a James Harris style player, for example - we may as well give a full time deal to Ali Evans, who has done little wrong on a summer contract. Seven wickets yesterday for the Seconds highlights that the Scot is a decent bowler who wouldn't let anyone down and crucially will only get better.
It would probably be good to have competition for Tom Poynton behind the stumps, but if money is tight I don't see it as a necessity. There are plenty of guys out there who could come in on short-term deals if required, but Poynton has staked a very strong claim to be Derbyshire's wicket-keeper for a long time to come.
Which leaves the batting. For me, we need an English opening batsman and an overseas player. Lancashire and Worcestershire look like coming down - do they have an opener who is out of contract and worth signing? Do one of our second tier rivals - assuming, which we can't, that Derbyshire will get promoted? To some extent it doesn't matter, as wherever we play our cricket next year it is patently clear that we need another opening batsman as we currently only have Paul Borrington as a specialist opener.
That leaves the overseas role and next season will be a nightmare for counties. There's not just the Indian Premier League and then the ICC Trophy in June, but now an American Twenty Over competition, where money is likely to be no object and there is an opportunity to get in at the start of something that could be big. It coincides with our T20 as it is currently planned, so guess where the bigger names will go?
I wrote three months ago and haven't changed my stance since that the best overseas batsman from a talent and availability perspective next year is likely to be Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe. Taylor is an exciting, aggressive player in a similar mould to Martin Guptill. He is national captain and wicket-keeper, as well as being a useful spinner. He can either open or go in first wicket down and scores his runs quickly. Yes, he is largely untried in our conditions, but is available for almost the whole summer and could be a big success. There are plenty of others who could come in and out through a revolving door, but Zimbabwe are the only major cricket country with a largely free English summer in 2013. Any county that gets Taylor's signature for 2013 will be securing the services of a gem and I suspect he will be engaged by one of them before the end of October.
I would also like to see a second overseas batsman for the T20. Rana Naved was a failure and the statistics back up my suggestion that there is little wrong with our bowling. Few teams collared us in 2012 and you could add Messrs Knight and Burgoyne to the attack next summer with a degree of confidence. We need two batsmen who can reach or clear the boundaries and pull in the crowds. It won't be easy, for reasons I have already explained, but it has to be the aim.
Finally Murray Goodwin. Could he do us a job? I think Goodwin and Darren Lehmann have been the standout overseas batsmen in the county game over the last ten years, but he will be 40 well before the season starts and averaged only 13 this summer. In a younger player you could write it off as one of those things, but I can't see Goodwin getting better at that age so it's a "no" from me.
But as always, I'm keen to hear your thoughts!
First and foremost it should be made clear that Derbyshire will have far greater appeal as a first division side than if they remain in the second division. It is obvious - players want to test themselves against the best and, as James Harris has illustrated, if they are remotely ambitious and entertain international hopes they want to play at top level. I know that Bopara and Cook are from Essex and Bairstow from Yorkshire in the current England setup, but the side is largely from the top tier.
Second, it needs to be kept in mind that there is no football-style windfall with getting promoted. Millions of pounds and parachute payments for the relegated may be accepted in football, but Derbyshire will largely have the same to spend for next summer.
As I wrote the other night, I think we are well covered in the spin department, but could probably do with one extra seamer, ideally one who can bat, to cover the bases. Realistically, whoever comes in has to be better than one from Groenewald, Palladino, Clare and Turner, or there's no point. Mark Footitt has much to offer if he could stay fit, but unless a big name was available and wanted to join us - a James Harris style player, for example - we may as well give a full time deal to Ali Evans, who has done little wrong on a summer contract. Seven wickets yesterday for the Seconds highlights that the Scot is a decent bowler who wouldn't let anyone down and crucially will only get better.
It would probably be good to have competition for Tom Poynton behind the stumps, but if money is tight I don't see it as a necessity. There are plenty of guys out there who could come in on short-term deals if required, but Poynton has staked a very strong claim to be Derbyshire's wicket-keeper for a long time to come.
Which leaves the batting. For me, we need an English opening batsman and an overseas player. Lancashire and Worcestershire look like coming down - do they have an opener who is out of contract and worth signing? Do one of our second tier rivals - assuming, which we can't, that Derbyshire will get promoted? To some extent it doesn't matter, as wherever we play our cricket next year it is patently clear that we need another opening batsman as we currently only have Paul Borrington as a specialist opener.
That leaves the overseas role and next season will be a nightmare for counties. There's not just the Indian Premier League and then the ICC Trophy in June, but now an American Twenty Over competition, where money is likely to be no object and there is an opportunity to get in at the start of something that could be big. It coincides with our T20 as it is currently planned, so guess where the bigger names will go?
I wrote three months ago and haven't changed my stance since that the best overseas batsman from a talent and availability perspective next year is likely to be Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe. Taylor is an exciting, aggressive player in a similar mould to Martin Guptill. He is national captain and wicket-keeper, as well as being a useful spinner. He can either open or go in first wicket down and scores his runs quickly. Yes, he is largely untried in our conditions, but is available for almost the whole summer and could be a big success. There are plenty of others who could come in and out through a revolving door, but Zimbabwe are the only major cricket country with a largely free English summer in 2013. Any county that gets Taylor's signature for 2013 will be securing the services of a gem and I suspect he will be engaged by one of them before the end of October.
I would also like to see a second overseas batsman for the T20. Rana Naved was a failure and the statistics back up my suggestion that there is little wrong with our bowling. Few teams collared us in 2012 and you could add Messrs Knight and Burgoyne to the attack next summer with a degree of confidence. We need two batsmen who can reach or clear the boundaries and pull in the crowds. It won't be easy, for reasons I have already explained, but it has to be the aim.
Finally Murray Goodwin. Could he do us a job? I think Goodwin and Darren Lehmann have been the standout overseas batsmen in the county game over the last ten years, but he will be 40 well before the season starts and averaged only 13 this summer. In a younger player you could write it off as one of those things, but I can't see Goodwin getting better at that age so it's a "no" from me.
But as always, I'm keen to hear your thoughts!
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Kent v Derbyshire day 1
Had Karl Krikken sat down last night and scripted this important match in realistic mode, he could have wished for little better than to bowl out a strong batting side on day one for 261. He might then have hoped to have got through to stumps unscathed, but after the early dismissal of Usman Khawaja, fans will have been heartened by the way in which Wayne Madsen and Wes Durston saw us through to stumps on 32-1.
Khawaja was opening because Paul Borrington sustained a suspected fractured nose in the field, though I would be surprised if that stopped the gritty young opener from batting at some point in the Derbyshire innings. We now need to bat for a day and a half, then hope that the spinners come into their own in the final innings. From the accounts I have read Khawaja was unlucky to be given out when well forward and we can live without too many of those decisions.
The bowling was again accurate and hostile, with the wickets shared out, largely between the seamers. Tim Groenewald and Tony Palladino took their combined championship haul to 92 wickets and one need look no further for reason we have sustained a promotion challenge. Meanwhile Ross Whiteley did what he had done all season and broke partnerships and he has a happy knack of doing so from balls that are not necessarily the most obviously penetrative. The dangerous Coles, who flayed us at Derby, was again undone by Wes Durston, so maybe there's been a lesson learned there.
In matches of such importance the contribution of the fielders is vital and Tom Poynton's leg side catch off Robert Key sounds pretty spectacular by any standards. After a long first season it would be understandable if Poynton's standards had dropped a little, but in both batting and glovework he seems to have improved as the summer has progressed. The early dismissal of Kent's talismanic opener after they elected to bat was a crucial wicket and gave us an advantage that we held for the best part of the day, despite a late recovery orchestrated by Geraint Jones.
The earlier September start will be a key session tomorrow and if Madsen and Borrington can put together a stand and see off the openers, the stage will be set for the free-scoring Redfern and Whiteley to come in and do what they do best. The most encouraging thing about our batting this summer has been the collective approach to building a score, although fans will appreciate a greater contribution from the top order than has been the case of late.
Elsewhere, Hampshire are well on top against a Masters-less Essex (a much less dangerous beast) while Yorkshire clawed Glamorgan back well after the Welsh county had a highly encouraging morning. I would like to think that if Derbyshire got to 198-3 tomorrow they would end up with more than 272.
Tomorrow, I hope that they prove it.
Khawaja was opening because Paul Borrington sustained a suspected fractured nose in the field, though I would be surprised if that stopped the gritty young opener from batting at some point in the Derbyshire innings. We now need to bat for a day and a half, then hope that the spinners come into their own in the final innings. From the accounts I have read Khawaja was unlucky to be given out when well forward and we can live without too many of those decisions.
The bowling was again accurate and hostile, with the wickets shared out, largely between the seamers. Tim Groenewald and Tony Palladino took their combined championship haul to 92 wickets and one need look no further for reason we have sustained a promotion challenge. Meanwhile Ross Whiteley did what he had done all season and broke partnerships and he has a happy knack of doing so from balls that are not necessarily the most obviously penetrative. The dangerous Coles, who flayed us at Derby, was again undone by Wes Durston, so maybe there's been a lesson learned there.
In matches of such importance the contribution of the fielders is vital and Tom Poynton's leg side catch off Robert Key sounds pretty spectacular by any standards. After a long first season it would be understandable if Poynton's standards had dropped a little, but in both batting and glovework he seems to have improved as the summer has progressed. The early dismissal of Kent's talismanic opener after they elected to bat was a crucial wicket and gave us an advantage that we held for the best part of the day, despite a late recovery orchestrated by Geraint Jones.
The earlier September start will be a key session tomorrow and if Madsen and Borrington can put together a stand and see off the openers, the stage will be set for the free-scoring Redfern and Whiteley to come in and do what they do best. The most encouraging thing about our batting this summer has been the collective approach to building a score, although fans will appreciate a greater contribution from the top order than has been the case of late.
Elsewhere, Hampshire are well on top against a Masters-less Essex (a much less dangerous beast) while Yorkshire clawed Glamorgan back well after the Welsh county had a highly encouraging morning. I would like to think that if Derbyshire got to 198-3 tomorrow they would end up with more than 272.
Tomorrow, I hope that they prove it.
Monday, 3 September 2012
Kent v Derbyshire - team news
I wasn't too far wrong with my suggested squad of last night, with Peter Burgoyne (and Alex Hughes) part of the Derbyshire squad that has travelled down to Kent for the start of the game tomorrow.
Logically the two talented youngsters will share twelfth man duties, but they should both have plenty of opportunities to play in such matches in the years ahead. The Derbyshire side will therefore line up as follows:
Paul Borrington
Wayne Madsen
Usman Khawaja
Wes Durston
Dan Redfern
Ross Whiteley
David Wainwright
Tom Poynton
Tony Palladino
Tim Groenewald
Mark Turner
There's no definitive news on the Kent side as yet, but with keeper Geraint Jones set to make his 100th consecutive championship appearance, a notable record, they are likely to be close to the following:
Key
Northeast
Blake
Nash
Powell
Stevens
Jones
Coles
Davies
Riley
Shreck
The absence of Tredwell on international duty could be crucial, especially as the game wears on, but Adam Riley is a promising young off-spinner who could well fill in, unless they prepare a seaming track and go with just four bowlers plus Nash's occasional seam. They are a side of considerable experience, which counts in their favour and Derbyshire will need to be at their best to get the desired result.
I still fancy us to get it though. At the back of the minds of the Derbyshire side will be their aspirations back in March and the fact that their gritty, aggressive cricket has taken them very close now. Below yesterday's post Marc makes the valid point that we cannot worry about the other matches and he is absolutely right. If we focus on our game and do all the right things, the other matches will not matter all that much.
It will be a close game, but I'm going to go for a Derbyshire win. Not out of misguided loyalty, nor because I'm being unduly optimistic. It is partly because I expect a result wicket and I feel that Derbyshire have the better all-round attack.
But more because I think that we're a good championship side, playing as a team and with a growing feeling that this is our year.
We'll see from tomorrow.
Postscript - there's an excellent article on Derbyshire on cricinfo today - well worth a read! Plus this one in the Telegraph. Nice to see the media noticing us at last...
Logically the two talented youngsters will share twelfth man duties, but they should both have plenty of opportunities to play in such matches in the years ahead. The Derbyshire side will therefore line up as follows:
Paul Borrington
Wayne Madsen
Usman Khawaja
Wes Durston
Dan Redfern
Ross Whiteley
David Wainwright
Tom Poynton
Tony Palladino
Tim Groenewald
Mark Turner
There's no definitive news on the Kent side as yet, but with keeper Geraint Jones set to make his 100th consecutive championship appearance, a notable record, they are likely to be close to the following:
Key
Northeast
Blake
Nash
Powell
Stevens
Jones
Coles
Davies
Riley
Shreck
The absence of Tredwell on international duty could be crucial, especially as the game wears on, but Adam Riley is a promising young off-spinner who could well fill in, unless they prepare a seaming track and go with just four bowlers plus Nash's occasional seam. They are a side of considerable experience, which counts in their favour and Derbyshire will need to be at their best to get the desired result.
I still fancy us to get it though. At the back of the minds of the Derbyshire side will be their aspirations back in March and the fact that their gritty, aggressive cricket has taken them very close now. Below yesterday's post Marc makes the valid point that we cannot worry about the other matches and he is absolutely right. If we focus on our game and do all the right things, the other matches will not matter all that much.
It will be a close game, but I'm going to go for a Derbyshire win. Not out of misguided loyalty, nor because I'm being unduly optimistic. It is partly because I expect a result wicket and I feel that Derbyshire have the better all-round attack.
But more because I think that we're a good championship side, playing as a team and with a growing feeling that this is our year.
We'll see from tomorrow.
Postscript - there's an excellent article on Derbyshire on cricinfo today - well worth a read! Plus this one in the Telegraph. Nice to see the media noticing us at last...
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Kent v Derbyshire early preview
In the annals of massive games, this is King Kong versus Godzilla. Not so much from the perspective of the merits of the two sides, but in relation to the significance of the result.
It is possible that by next Friday we could be hailing promoted Derbyshire, one game away from achieving their first silverware in way too long. Conversely, we could have had a nightmare and be looking up at Yorkshire and back at the ever-closer Hampshire and Kent. It is THAT close and any number of scenarios are possible. Which is why, of course, County Championship cricket is still the best, purest form of the game. Two points for a win in a one-day league is easy. Chuck in a bonus points and draw points scenario and the permutations are many, varied and fascinating.
We will all, of course, be following events at Southampton and Leeds more than ever before. Why, I might even get myself some leeks at the supermarket if I thought it would help the Welsh cause at Headingley. Let's hope former Derbyshire alumni North and Wagg do their bit for the cause.
As I wrote the other day, Derbyshire control their own destiny, which is a nice position to be in. If they play to potential, bowl with discipline, hold their catches and bat with application and self-belief, they will get a result. If they don't, we risk blowing it. It's as simple as that.
Much will depend on the toss. Kent supporter Martin Moseling suggested in a comment on this blog the other day that the wicket would be "slow and sticky or slow and flat" depending on which end of the square was used. Given the circumstances, I suspect that our hosts will want a result track, thus maximising their chances of success. A draw is of minimal use to them, again depending on results elsewhere and the gamble of a result track may be worthwhile - always assuming they don't fall foul of pitch inspectors, of course. They may leave grass on to help the seamers, or shave it extra close in the hope of the sort of turn seen at Lords today.
While the first morning pitch inspection will dictate what we do, it would be nice to see Derbyshire command the game, bat and get serious runs on the board. While the absence of James Tredwell with England might legislate against the preparation of a turner, Karl Krikken could take an extra spinner with him, just in case. Whether he opts for a second slow left-armer in Tom Knight or the variation of Peter Burgoyne's off-spin is the question.
It would be good to see Jonathan Clare fit and firing, especially as he adds depth to the batting, and how Derbyshire would welcome an innings from Usman Khawaja such as he played in Kent last summer. The Australian hasn't scored the runs we might have hoped for, but a big innings here would certainly not go amiss.
Kent are worthy opponents and have additional incentives to do well, with a number of players whose contracts are up at season-end. Geraint Jones, Darren Stevens, Sam Northeast and Ben Harmison are all playing for new deals, the latter perhaps the one with most to fear. They are a side of far greater experience than Derbyshire and in Charlie Shreck have a bowler who has always been a bit of a bete noir for us, whoever he has played for. Brendan Nash has done well in the overseas role and Stevens has been a very good county cricketer for well over a decade.
It will be a tough game, without doubt. That's what you get when you're at the top of the table. At this stage in far too many seasons that I'd care to count we have been playing for pride alone - and sometimes not very well at that. I hope that our young side doesn't freeze in sight of the finishing line and goes out to play the adventurous, aggressive cricket that has served them so well in 2012. We are not top (and clear) by accident, but because we have won more games than anyone else. If we can win this one, depending on results elsewhere, the Hampshire game could be a party, as we could already be champions. If we draw, we will still be in a very good place at the start of next week.
I don't want to think about a loss at this stage. When we were following the fortunes in the pre-season tour to Barbados, back in March, few people would have expected this position with two games to go.
We're here now and full credit to all concerned. There has been a new-found self-belief in Derbyshire's cricket this summer and that's why I am going to stick my neck out and suggest we will come away with at least a draw in this one.
Depending on that all-important toss, maybe, just maybe, something more.
Team news tomorrow, enjoy your week!
Postscript - Marcus North has headed back to Perth, James Harris isn't selected and nor is Robert Croft for Glamorgan. I hope they have decent reserves...
It is possible that by next Friday we could be hailing promoted Derbyshire, one game away from achieving their first silverware in way too long. Conversely, we could have had a nightmare and be looking up at Yorkshire and back at the ever-closer Hampshire and Kent. It is THAT close and any number of scenarios are possible. Which is why, of course, County Championship cricket is still the best, purest form of the game. Two points for a win in a one-day league is easy. Chuck in a bonus points and draw points scenario and the permutations are many, varied and fascinating.
We will all, of course, be following events at Southampton and Leeds more than ever before. Why, I might even get myself some leeks at the supermarket if I thought it would help the Welsh cause at Headingley. Let's hope former Derbyshire alumni North and Wagg do their bit for the cause.
As I wrote the other day, Derbyshire control their own destiny, which is a nice position to be in. If they play to potential, bowl with discipline, hold their catches and bat with application and self-belief, they will get a result. If they don't, we risk blowing it. It's as simple as that.
Much will depend on the toss. Kent supporter Martin Moseling suggested in a comment on this blog the other day that the wicket would be "slow and sticky or slow and flat" depending on which end of the square was used. Given the circumstances, I suspect that our hosts will want a result track, thus maximising their chances of success. A draw is of minimal use to them, again depending on results elsewhere and the gamble of a result track may be worthwhile - always assuming they don't fall foul of pitch inspectors, of course. They may leave grass on to help the seamers, or shave it extra close in the hope of the sort of turn seen at Lords today.
While the first morning pitch inspection will dictate what we do, it would be nice to see Derbyshire command the game, bat and get serious runs on the board. While the absence of James Tredwell with England might legislate against the preparation of a turner, Karl Krikken could take an extra spinner with him, just in case. Whether he opts for a second slow left-armer in Tom Knight or the variation of Peter Burgoyne's off-spin is the question.
It would be good to see Jonathan Clare fit and firing, especially as he adds depth to the batting, and how Derbyshire would welcome an innings from Usman Khawaja such as he played in Kent last summer. The Australian hasn't scored the runs we might have hoped for, but a big innings here would certainly not go amiss.
Kent are worthy opponents and have additional incentives to do well, with a number of players whose contracts are up at season-end. Geraint Jones, Darren Stevens, Sam Northeast and Ben Harmison are all playing for new deals, the latter perhaps the one with most to fear. They are a side of far greater experience than Derbyshire and in Charlie Shreck have a bowler who has always been a bit of a bete noir for us, whoever he has played for. Brendan Nash has done well in the overseas role and Stevens has been a very good county cricketer for well over a decade.
It will be a tough game, without doubt. That's what you get when you're at the top of the table. At this stage in far too many seasons that I'd care to count we have been playing for pride alone - and sometimes not very well at that. I hope that our young side doesn't freeze in sight of the finishing line and goes out to play the adventurous, aggressive cricket that has served them so well in 2012. We are not top (and clear) by accident, but because we have won more games than anyone else. If we can win this one, depending on results elsewhere, the Hampshire game could be a party, as we could already be champions. If we draw, we will still be in a very good place at the start of next week.
I don't want to think about a loss at this stage. When we were following the fortunes in the pre-season tour to Barbados, back in March, few people would have expected this position with two games to go.
We're here now and full credit to all concerned. There has been a new-found self-belief in Derbyshire's cricket this summer and that's why I am going to stick my neck out and suggest we will come away with at least a draw in this one.
Depending on that all-important toss, maybe, just maybe, something more.
Team news tomorrow, enjoy your week!
Postscript - Marcus North has headed back to Perth, James Harris isn't selected and nor is Robert Croft for Glamorgan. I hope they have decent reserves...
No exact science
It is encouraging, in some perverse way, to see James Harris thinking over his next move after leaving Glamorgan and not just accepting what he has described as a "very good offer" from our neighbours at the other end of the A52.
There will be few counties in the top flight who won't be interested in a bowler who always seems to get wickets and is a handy and improving late order batsman. I'm sure that Derbyshire would be, assuming that we got a top flight slot, but whether we could afford a player of genuine international potential is a different matter. There is little doubt, however, that promotion for Derbyshire this summer would see a different issue in the signing of new recruits.
Realistically, whoever comes into the county this winter has to be better than we already have and has to give a reasonable guarantee of runs or wickets in the top division. Who offers that is going to be something that will occupy the minds of Karl Krikken and his coaching staff, along with Chris Grant, who will handle the contract discussions. Finding players who can coast along in the second tier as "old Derbyshire" used to do is relatively easy - getting people in who are good enough to mix it with the big boys is another matter.
I understand that some fans are already suggesting a move for the recently released Billy Godleman of Essex. When he was making his way in the county game at Middlesex, Godleman was talked about as an England player of the future. Yet it has never worked out for him as people expected and he has a career average of 30 per innings after around 120 first-class knocks. As a comparator, the oft-unfairly castigated Paul Borrington averages 28.5 from half the number of innings. I'm wary of players brought up on southern wickets moving up north, as there's not that many have made a decent fist of it in my recollection, but Godleman is the right age to perhaps get better,
It's a long way from an exact science. Last week I wrote that I had always rated Joe Sayers of Yorkshire, who has a first-class average in the mid-thirties. This summer he averaged only 17 for Yorkshire Seconds. Similarly I think that young players like Scott Elstone and Karl Turner at Nottinghamshire and Laurie Evans at Warwickshire have talent. All have scored stacks of runs for their respective county second strings this year, averaging in the mid-60s, yet none has so far translated that form to the first-class game. To be fair, Evans had a good T20 for Warwickshire, but at 25 has still to make the grade despite thousands of Second XI runs there and at Surrey.
As fans we have to trust the judgement of Karl Krikken and Dave Houghton on players who have the ability to score runs at top level. Neither presumably thought that Matt Lineker, another prolific batsman at lower level, had quite what it takes. None of us who watch the club has a real "handle" on what is required to be a good first-class cricketer because we have never done it. Besides the technical aspect there's a mental and physical side to the game that can cause some to fall short of the requisite standard. You can have the best technique in the game, but if you struggle to concentrate for longer than a couple of hours you're unlikely to make the grade; likewise if you're out on your feet at tea time.
The bottom line? Using the players named above as examples, I think all of them are capable of scoring good runs at first-class level, but we may never know, as Turner and Evans are approaching 26 and may struggle to convince a county to give them an opportunity. Elstone is younger, but at 22 is still to play a championship innings for Nottinghamshire. They are among the most prolific second string batsmen this summer, having scored more heavily than many bigger names.
If Derbyshire had signed any of them over the last couple of winters, you may well have applauded and hailed it a good piece of work. Should they do so this winter, some would think it a shrewd move, but the reality is that all are as yet unproven at county level, let alone first division. As a club we have progressed and if you compare those players to what we already have, they are of a similar standard, but not, at this stage, obviously better. The latter costs serious money, which is where we may struggle. With it, and assuming players were out of contract, you could have a James Harris, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali and top overseas batsman and hike up your prospects considerably.
This will be a tricky business though and I wish Messrs Krikken and Grant the best of luck in their search.
But we need to get promotion first...
There will be few counties in the top flight who won't be interested in a bowler who always seems to get wickets and is a handy and improving late order batsman. I'm sure that Derbyshire would be, assuming that we got a top flight slot, but whether we could afford a player of genuine international potential is a different matter. There is little doubt, however, that promotion for Derbyshire this summer would see a different issue in the signing of new recruits.
Realistically, whoever comes into the county this winter has to be better than we already have and has to give a reasonable guarantee of runs or wickets in the top division. Who offers that is going to be something that will occupy the minds of Karl Krikken and his coaching staff, along with Chris Grant, who will handle the contract discussions. Finding players who can coast along in the second tier as "old Derbyshire" used to do is relatively easy - getting people in who are good enough to mix it with the big boys is another matter.
I understand that some fans are already suggesting a move for the recently released Billy Godleman of Essex. When he was making his way in the county game at Middlesex, Godleman was talked about as an England player of the future. Yet it has never worked out for him as people expected and he has a career average of 30 per innings after around 120 first-class knocks. As a comparator, the oft-unfairly castigated Paul Borrington averages 28.5 from half the number of innings. I'm wary of players brought up on southern wickets moving up north, as there's not that many have made a decent fist of it in my recollection, but Godleman is the right age to perhaps get better,
It's a long way from an exact science. Last week I wrote that I had always rated Joe Sayers of Yorkshire, who has a first-class average in the mid-thirties. This summer he averaged only 17 for Yorkshire Seconds. Similarly I think that young players like Scott Elstone and Karl Turner at Nottinghamshire and Laurie Evans at Warwickshire have talent. All have scored stacks of runs for their respective county second strings this year, averaging in the mid-60s, yet none has so far translated that form to the first-class game. To be fair, Evans had a good T20 for Warwickshire, but at 25 has still to make the grade despite thousands of Second XI runs there and at Surrey.
As fans we have to trust the judgement of Karl Krikken and Dave Houghton on players who have the ability to score runs at top level. Neither presumably thought that Matt Lineker, another prolific batsman at lower level, had quite what it takes. None of us who watch the club has a real "handle" on what is required to be a good first-class cricketer because we have never done it. Besides the technical aspect there's a mental and physical side to the game that can cause some to fall short of the requisite standard. You can have the best technique in the game, but if you struggle to concentrate for longer than a couple of hours you're unlikely to make the grade; likewise if you're out on your feet at tea time.
The bottom line? Using the players named above as examples, I think all of them are capable of scoring good runs at first-class level, but we may never know, as Turner and Evans are approaching 26 and may struggle to convince a county to give them an opportunity. Elstone is younger, but at 22 is still to play a championship innings for Nottinghamshire. They are among the most prolific second string batsmen this summer, having scored more heavily than many bigger names.
If Derbyshire had signed any of them over the last couple of winters, you may well have applauded and hailed it a good piece of work. Should they do so this winter, some would think it a shrewd move, but the reality is that all are as yet unproven at county level, let alone first division. As a club we have progressed and if you compare those players to what we already have, they are of a similar standard, but not, at this stage, obviously better. The latter costs serious money, which is where we may struggle. With it, and assuming players were out of contract, you could have a James Harris, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali and top overseas batsman and hike up your prospects considerably.
This will be a tricky business though and I wish Messrs Krikken and Grant the best of luck in their search.
But we need to get promotion first...
Saturday, 1 September 2012
And another thank you from me
A consequence of Derbyshire's success this summer has been in the interest in this blog, which continues to go from strength to strength.
Last month saw a new record tally of well over 20,000 hits and the 300,000 barrier is set to be broken this weekend. Last week saw 139 new, viewing IP addresses registered, highlighting that interest in the club is perhaps at an all-time high.
Thank you to all of you for continuing to look in and for your mails and comments. While we don't always agree, it is good that we share a desire for a successful Derbyshire County Cricket Club, one that looks ever-likely to come to fruition in the near-future.
Keep them coming - and thanks again!
PS I hope to try the first radio show proper a week on Monday, before the Hampshire game. If you would like to participate, a headset would be useful, though not essential if the inbuilt microphone on your laptop or PC is decent quality. Alternatively, you can just listen in, or mail your questions or comments to me through the software.
You can also mail me between times at Peakfan36atyahoodotcom. Here's hoping that replacing the symbols with words in that address foxes the robots and saves another raft of e mails from the blokes looking after my late relative's estate in Burkhina-Faso, or the one who has rolex watches at discount prices, or the one who wants to sell me something to "perk me up".
I'm a Derbyshire fan. How much more perked could I be?
PPS Yesterday at work we all had to dress as a sportsman in recognition of the Paralympics. Naturally, yours truly dressed as a cricketer (no pads and gloves, I'm not that weird...) and wore his Derbyshire shirt with pride.
There was a prize for the best "outfit" and I won, prompting the woman who presented me with the prize to say that I "really looked the part" and "was I interested in the sport"...
Hmmm...just a bit. I'm taking it as an omen. Man in Derbyshire cricket shirt wins trophy. It's got to be...
Last month saw a new record tally of well over 20,000 hits and the 300,000 barrier is set to be broken this weekend. Last week saw 139 new, viewing IP addresses registered, highlighting that interest in the club is perhaps at an all-time high.
Thank you to all of you for continuing to look in and for your mails and comments. While we don't always agree, it is good that we share a desire for a successful Derbyshire County Cricket Club, one that looks ever-likely to come to fruition in the near-future.
Keep them coming - and thanks again!
PS I hope to try the first radio show proper a week on Monday, before the Hampshire game. If you would like to participate, a headset would be useful, though not essential if the inbuilt microphone on your laptop or PC is decent quality. Alternatively, you can just listen in, or mail your questions or comments to me through the software.
You can also mail me between times at Peakfan36atyahoodotcom. Here's hoping that replacing the symbols with words in that address foxes the robots and saves another raft of e mails from the blokes looking after my late relative's estate in Burkhina-Faso, or the one who has rolex watches at discount prices, or the one who wants to sell me something to "perk me up".
I'm a Derbyshire fan. How much more perked could I be?
PPS Yesterday at work we all had to dress as a sportsman in recognition of the Paralympics. Naturally, yours truly dressed as a cricketer (no pads and gloves, I'm not that weird...) and wore his Derbyshire shirt with pride.
There was a prize for the best "outfit" and I won, prompting the woman who presented me with the prize to say that I "really looked the part" and "was I interested in the sport"...
Hmmm...just a bit. I'm taking it as an omen. Man in Derbyshire cricket shirt wins trophy. It's got to be...
Saturday something: The end is nigh...
One senses that there are a few nerves starting to creep into Derbyshire's players as the finishing line of a long and arduous county season comes into sight. On the one hand it is understandable, as all teams hope to win trophies and all players hope to win recognition for their talents in their careers.
For Derbyshire's young side, such recognition is on the verge of arriving remarkably early. This is one of the youngest sides that the county has fielded in its history and marks the closing of a circle in my cricket-watching of the county, which began when we were a rest home for the elderly and near-retiring. In the period from 1970 to 1975, far too many players who were past their prime and released elsewhere washed up on Derbyshire's shores for comfort. Some were a qualified success (Fred Rumsey a prime, one-day cricket only example) while others were an abject failure (Clive Inman anyone?)
This current side is a collective of young lads, many of them home-grown, who have exceeded all expectations already. I thought we would challenge this summer and be in the top five around this stage, but then be reliant on results elsewhere to have any prospect of progress. A few people suggested I was overly-optimistic in my assertion, but I just had a feeling that we would do well in this format, just as I was less convinced by our one-day prospects.
Let's be clear about this. With two games to go, Derbyshire control their own destiny. If we keep on doing the things that have got us through the summer with only one defeat - that's ONE defeat - then in two weeks time we will be acclaiming this group of players as Wayne Madsen holds high the championship trophy at the County Ground.
Yes, we have frailties, but maybe here in Derbyshire we're all too willing to concentrate on them at the expense of the things we are good at. We all know that the batting of late has misfired like an old car started up after years under a tarpaulin, but three players, Wayne Madsen, Wes Durston and Daniel Redfern are within touching distance of the thousand run landmark.
We have several young players - Redfern and Tom Poynton in particular - who have made giant strides this summer. We also have the likes of Tom Knight, Alex Hughes and Peter Burgoyne knocking on the door for future seasons.
We have the best seam attack in the division, bar none. As a collective unit, I'd back Palladino, Groenewald, Clare and Turner against any other side.
We have a top-class spinner for the first time in years and the role of David Wainwright in our rise this summer cannot be overstated, nor the occasional support from Wes Durston. When was the last time that we took 50 wickets from spin in a championship season?
We have a captain who has overcome personal tragedy during the summer to lead the side with flair, the courage of his convictions and dignity. I couldn't see Wayne Madsen acting as Gareth Batty did the other day after the actions of Murali Kartik. Whether within the laws or not, it flouted the spirit of the game.
We have excellent facilities at the County Ground and we are no longer the poor relations of the county circuit.
We have an excellent team behind the scenes who repeatedly come up with innovative campaigns and initiatives to spread the word about the club to all ages.
We have an outstanding chairman whose unflagging attitude to work and positive persona has seen remarkable advances being made in a very short tenure.
Above all we have the best team spirit that I have seen in a Derbyshire side in 45 summers. That has been worth an extra few runs, an unexpected wicket and a remarkable catch in every game we have played this summer. From such a team spirit you win games that appear likely draws and hold on to save games that look like slipping away.
That team spirit has got this young side through five hard months of a pulsating season, one that has produced more excitement and talking points than perhaps the previous five put together. They now have eight days, twenty-four sessions and two matches to end it in the best possible fashion and become the fifth Derbyshire side in 140-plus years to lift silverware.
As incentives go, that's got to be up there...
For Derbyshire's young side, such recognition is on the verge of arriving remarkably early. This is one of the youngest sides that the county has fielded in its history and marks the closing of a circle in my cricket-watching of the county, which began when we were a rest home for the elderly and near-retiring. In the period from 1970 to 1975, far too many players who were past their prime and released elsewhere washed up on Derbyshire's shores for comfort. Some were a qualified success (Fred Rumsey a prime, one-day cricket only example) while others were an abject failure (Clive Inman anyone?)
This current side is a collective of young lads, many of them home-grown, who have exceeded all expectations already. I thought we would challenge this summer and be in the top five around this stage, but then be reliant on results elsewhere to have any prospect of progress. A few people suggested I was overly-optimistic in my assertion, but I just had a feeling that we would do well in this format, just as I was less convinced by our one-day prospects.
Let's be clear about this. With two games to go, Derbyshire control their own destiny. If we keep on doing the things that have got us through the summer with only one defeat - that's ONE defeat - then in two weeks time we will be acclaiming this group of players as Wayne Madsen holds high the championship trophy at the County Ground.
Yes, we have frailties, but maybe here in Derbyshire we're all too willing to concentrate on them at the expense of the things we are good at. We all know that the batting of late has misfired like an old car started up after years under a tarpaulin, but three players, Wayne Madsen, Wes Durston and Daniel Redfern are within touching distance of the thousand run landmark.
We have several young players - Redfern and Tom Poynton in particular - who have made giant strides this summer. We also have the likes of Tom Knight, Alex Hughes and Peter Burgoyne knocking on the door for future seasons.
We have the best seam attack in the division, bar none. As a collective unit, I'd back Palladino, Groenewald, Clare and Turner against any other side.
We have a top-class spinner for the first time in years and the role of David Wainwright in our rise this summer cannot be overstated, nor the occasional support from Wes Durston. When was the last time that we took 50 wickets from spin in a championship season?
We have a captain who has overcome personal tragedy during the summer to lead the side with flair, the courage of his convictions and dignity. I couldn't see Wayne Madsen acting as Gareth Batty did the other day after the actions of Murali Kartik. Whether within the laws or not, it flouted the spirit of the game.
We have excellent facilities at the County Ground and we are no longer the poor relations of the county circuit.
We have an excellent team behind the scenes who repeatedly come up with innovative campaigns and initiatives to spread the word about the club to all ages.
We have an outstanding chairman whose unflagging attitude to work and positive persona has seen remarkable advances being made in a very short tenure.
Above all we have the best team spirit that I have seen in a Derbyshire side in 45 summers. That has been worth an extra few runs, an unexpected wicket and a remarkable catch in every game we have played this summer. From such a team spirit you win games that appear likely draws and hold on to save games that look like slipping away.
That team spirit has got this young side through five hard months of a pulsating season, one that has produced more excitement and talking points than perhaps the previous five put together. They now have eight days, twenty-four sessions and two matches to end it in the best possible fashion and become the fifth Derbyshire side in 140-plus years to lift silverware.
As incentives go, that's got to be up there...
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