Critchley signs but Parkinson leaves

Mixed news for Derbyshire supporters today, with the story breaking that leg-spinner Matt Critchley (pictured) has signed a new four-year deal with the club, but left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson has signed a two-year deal with Leicestershire.

The Critchley signing is excellent news. While the youngster still has a long way to go to be bowling sides out in the four-day game - and why would we expect otherwise at his age - he bowled superbly throughout the club's one-day season and troubled almost every side that he bowled against.

That he is set to work with Shane Warne over the winter is excellent news and will give him things to think about and work on. What he perhaps could really do with now is a senior spinner of quality to come in, work alongside him and mentor his short-term development.

With his batting steadily improving too, Matt is a player who could be a focal point of our team for a long time and I am sure that he will be well-treated at the club, as he has been with this contract.

The news of Parkinson is disappointing and tweets from chairman, Chris Grant this morning were fairly clear.

'I believe the actions of agent Phil Weston have been totally unethical and I will be raising the matter with the ECB' said Grant. 'Counties must be given the requisite 28 day protections for players within their Academies, otherwise poaching will become commonplace.'

One can only assume that the player's agent has got what he feels is a better deal for his young charge, at least in the short term. Whether this goes to the ECB will be worth watching, though the agent's stance will doubtless be that Parkinson was not a product of the Derbyshire Academy, rather that of Lancashire. He was a relatively recent addition to our resources and, as a result, perhaps not deemed a graduate in the normal sense.

Mind you, having taken most of his wickets and played his best innings against them this year, they will be well placed to judge his potential. The chairman is absolutely right that clubs who put time and money into a player's development through an Academy system should have some protection, and seems to have support for this around the country. I suspect that this case may eventually be seen as different though, as highlighted above.

Time will tell.

Further thoughts on city T20

I'll start this piece by saying that I have a massive respect for Chris Grant and what he has done for Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Regular readers will know that, and the level of professionalism, on and off the pitch in his tenure, is light years away from what it once was. More than anyone else on the county circuit, he has been transparent about his thoughts on the new city-based T20 and is to be commended on that.

Yet I am not convinced and it would seem that I am not alone.

Having spent a fair bit of time over the past few days looking over Twitter and various news sources, the biggest issue that I have - and I suspect many others too - is that there is no detail. To use the old phrase, the devil lies therein and the counties earlier this week voted for the introduction of a competition that no one really knows a darn thing about. How can you do that?

What cities will it be? One would guess, for eight teams, two in London, then one each in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, possibly Southampton and one in the west (Cardiff?) Surprise, surprise, that's one for every Test ground, bar Durham.

How will the teams be recruited? The best of the county game, plus the 'cream of world cricket'. Maybe three overseas per team, so a lot lifted from our domestic game for appropriate squads.

When will it be? That's a good one. The current thinking is July, when a lot of cricket fans - TRADITIONAL cricket fans mind, not this 'new audience' we will be finding - are taking their holidays, in the hope of catching some cricket played by the team they have supported, in some cases, for decades. Some sources say the month will be entirely given over to the new competition, which is a bit of a pain, isn't it? Call me old fashioned, but I reckon that the likelihood of a Lancashire fan from Liverpool going across to support a team called Manchester is slim. Likewise people from Sheffield suddenly buying Leeds tops. Only a quick Google search is needed to see what Derbyshire and Leicestershire fans think of supporting a team that may well have Nottingham, Outlaws or Robin Hood in its name.

If the aim is to make money for counties, I can buy that and superficially it is good. If the aim is to bring cricket to the masses equally so, but I struggle to see how. The TV rights will almost certainly go to Sky and they aren't close to saturating the domestic TV market, though granted are increasing it steadily. The cricket will be in eight cities in high summer, not across the far greater range of towns and cities as it is now. People won't travel two hours or more to watch a twenty-over game, be charged daft money for food and drink and maybe, if they're lucky, not have to pull their jacket around them for warmth or stick a beanie hat on their head.

This isn't Australia, where you can sit with a cold beer in 95 degree temperatures. With 65% of their population across the big cities that host state sides, the only change is a couple of extra urban teams. Of course the games are well-attended, it is by the same fan base. We'd have around 25% of our likely cities as a population base, a good few of the cricket faithful already marginalised and hostile at having to support a weird composite side that bears no resemblance to anything they have followed before.

Nor is it India, where the IPL is a huge affair and tickets are considerably more affordable. There's not the history to contend with there either, so the intermittent bugler who gets the crowds on their feet sounds like it is part of an event. Maybe a kazoo may be more appropriate for our version and quite possibly loud enough.

Of course the TV pundits are in favour. You don't bite the hand that feeds you, but it is delusional to think that a host of non-cricket families will discover the game for the first time, even if Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were in town - sorry, the city. For the unconverted, a six is a six, whether smitten by a golden blade or someone of more rustic talent. The game itself is a mystery and the word 'cricket' is met with a glazed expression and swift change of subject. They will, in short, be much less interested in London  beating Manchester than the traditionalists would watching Surrey do the same to Lancashire. Whoever gets the crucial marketing 'gig' will need to be offered a huge salary, as it is going to be tough.

Which brings me to my final point. What of those left behind? There will be, we're assured, a T20 competition as we have at the moment, but will it run simultaneously?  If so, the cream of the domestic talent will have gone, the top international talent will be signed up and you'll be left watching two largely second elevens,  bolstered by two blokes from Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Whoopy-doop...

If they run it earlier in the summer, the chances are that the weather will impact on both the games and the attendances. Branded hot water bottles will be all the rage, if there are sponsors to be found for largely second tier and possibly second-rate cricket, maybe re-branded The Pound Shop T20. Overseas players will be involved in the IPL and won't commit to playing both English competitions. They are already complaining of burnout.

Then what will happen? Those in the corridors of power will sit back in their leather recliners, pontificate once more that the county game is dying and 'renegotiate' the cash hand out to eighteen counties. No one's going along to games, they will say, and there's too many teams. They will have short-term conscience money, but then?

What if the new idea fails, as I suspect it will? There may be an initial curiosity value for some, lured in by the big names, but by the time people realise that it is actually just a series of celebrity beer matches, one where no one really gives a monkey's who wins or loses, it may be too late.

Once the bigwigs have seen that Sky will pay big money for a short series of matches, however crass and meaningless, what guarantees are there that the second tier down - the counties - were not deemed surplus to requirements? The big names play in the city competition, they play for England and hey, it's the same as in Australia now. It must be good.

Unless these newly-formed city sides (they already hate the word franchises) are totally independent of the counties at whose grounds they play, it can only increase the financial divide between the rich and the poor. Derbyshire may - or may not - get an extra million a year, but our dear neighbours by the Trent will otherwise get ticket, merchandising and refreshment sales that will make the current financial disparity into a future yawning chasm.

The devil's in the detail right enough. Let's just say that, in my humble opinion, the people in charge of the the county game have done a Robert Johnson and met him at the crossroads.

I hope I am proved wrong and will gladly admit to it in due course.

But I am not convinced. Not by a long chalk.

Let's hope Cap'n Grant can steer the good ship Derbyshire through some choppy waters in the years ahead.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 4

Derbyshire 307 and 286-8

Leicestershire 247 and 301-8 (Cosgrove 110, Palladino 4-64, Davis 2-45, Parkinson 2-76)

Match drawn

The last day of county cricket at the 3aaa County Ground this year was like many of those that preceded it. Derbyshire huffed and puffed but, like the wolf in the fairy tale, couldn't manage to blow the final house or two down.

There was a spell where it looked like they could lose, when Horton and Cosgrove were piling up runs to take them to 122-2, then when Neil Dexter helped to take them to 200-3. The dismissal of the talented Cosgrove  triggered a collapse, but Sayer and Jones held on through the last twenty overs and the quest for the elusive first win goes in to the final match. A season without a home championship win is not one to look back on with great fondness, although we played some good cricket at times.

The evergreen Tony Palladino took four more wickets and remains the 'go to' bowler  of the side. Will Davis again showed his potential, as did Callum Parkinson, but the side's need for another experienced seamer and a spinner who can bowl out sides on the last day is massive. No criticism of Parkinson intended, as he has done a very good job in his handful of outings, but it is unrealistic to expect to bowl sides out twice when two of your main bowlers are just 19 and 20.

And so to Worcester for the last game of the summer. An opportunity to go into the winter with some runs and wickets under the belt and look forward to a winter of massive work, both in the nets and in the offices...

Thanks again to Rachel for the typing!

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 3

Derbyshire 307 and 286-8 (Madsen 134 not, Hosein 58)

Leicestershire 247 (Davis 4-68, Palladino 3-27)

Derbyshire lead by 346 runs

A fifth century of the season for Wayne Madsen today put Derbyshire into a position where they could feasibly break their duck for the championship season tomorrow.

With a game to go, Wayne is just short of 1200 runs for the summer and averages a touch under 60, highlighting once more how important he is to the cause. The pair he got recently was a momentary 'blip' in another golden season, one that earned him the Player of the Year award today.

We were in a pickle at 57-5, but Harvey Hosein once again came in and underlined his growing credentials. Getting out towards the end of the day took his average down to a piffling 128, but he has laid down the gauntlet to whoever comes in as wicket-keeper that there is battle ahead for that first choice role.

For me, that was part of the appeal of Daryn Smit. He is a good enough bat to just play in that role, or as a spinner to offer valuable options - a Wes Durston-type player as Wes was a few seasons back. If Harvey needed a break, Smit could then have taken the gloves. It would - could - be a very handy utility signing.

I had a few messages today asking if I thought Steven Davies might be headed our way on leaving Surrey, My answer was simple - no.

Davies is on a seriously good contract at The Oval and wants to leave for a county where he is guaranteed keeping wicket. Unless we plan  shooting ourselves in the foot with a twelve-bore, we don't want to block Harvey's path, merely have an adequate plan B in place and competition for the role. If that player is good enough with the bat to play as a specialist if required, so much the better.

Let's hope for that win tomorrow, to end the home season on a high.

Finally tonight, in the light of the decision to introduce a city-based T20 made today, I have brought in a poll for the first time in a while. Maybe I am alone, but I'm just curious how many people are actually interested in this. If there's money coming to the county as a consequence that's fair enough, but I remain to be convinced that it will attract the support that it will need.

So will you travel to Nottingham (I assume) to support a city franchise team of some name or another?

I'll leave it up for a week and see how it goes.

Decision day for counties and T20

There's a big decision at Lord's today, regarding the future of the T20 game in this country.

I say decision. Using an analogy with that other 'phenomenon' in the news, The Great British Bake Off, part of the problem appears to be that there are too many options on the table. Do you want it with jam, or butter cream? Maybe fresh cream instead and perhaps with vermicelli topping? No, scrap the vermicelli, let's go for a chocolate topping and tell you what, have chocolate filling instead.

It is nonsense and yet, for the parochial cricket fan of a lot of cricket counties, it is worrying. The crux of the matter appears to be the creation of an eight-team competition, based on the Indian IPL model (yawn) played in eight major cities. You can bet your bottom dollar that we won't be one, nor will Leicester, while Hove, Worcester, Taunton, Durham and Chelmsford won't be either. Let alone Northampton, regardless of them winning the T20 this year. That a lot of these towns and cities are in counties that have made T20 successful on and off the pitch is more than a little ironic.

So will we have Manchester and Liverpool? Two great cities after all, but both in the same county. There's two Sydney teams in the Big Bash after all, another model the powers that be seem keen to emulate. Will anyone in Yorkshire outside Leeds get behind a side that doesn't actually represent them? What about a London side, a composite of Middlesex, Surrey and Essex?

Research shows that only 25% of the UK population is likely to be catered for in the populations of these eight cities. Outwith them, interest may well be akin to mine, which is minimal. How many people used to be overly fussed by the result of the North v South matches? Or the Gentleman v Players? Or indeed Smokers v Non Smokers?

The idea appears to be to have a month-long tournament, with players drafted in and bid for as they do in India. What happens if or when a player is injured playing in a franchise team and ruled out for his substantive employers is worthy of consideration.

Whether the cricketing authorities like it or not, cricket fans ARE parochial. Their club's history goes back generations and few can just give that up. There's likely only three or four of our players would likely be involved and I certainly wouldn't follow that team's fortunes as a consequence, probably as a squad member in most cases. I don't support Worcestershire because they have Ross Whiteley, or Somerset because of Tim Groenewald, nor would I expect others to.

It is what happens to the traditional game that is of the greatest concern to me. Talk of reducing the championship still further to ten games leaves me cold, then they will moan that we're not producing Test cricketers any more. If the proposed tournament is to be played in July, does that mean that what I would deem 'worthwhile' cricket is played without a hundred of the best players? Or do we have no cricket worthy of interest in one of the best summer months? It would make booking my summer holiday easier, right enough...

Then there's the overseas players. However tough it is to get decent overseas players for the T20, to run a suggested 'traditional' T20 alongside it will make it nigh impossible. The big names will go for the 'money' competition in the cities, because as mercenaries they generally don't care who pays them. That will leave the counties picking over the lesser lights, with reduced appeal for the matches as a consequence.

A two-tier league system would be my preference, based on the current county set up, but then I am one of the accursed traditionalists, nor especially a fan of the format anyway. It appears to me that those in the senior roles of the game must always try to justify their existence by tinkering with the game to 'enhance' it. Comparisons with India and Australia are odious, because the social and economic issues in the game as it is played in these countries differs considerably from that in England. And I've not even mentioned the weather and the potential of its impact...

Be sure of one thing. If counties vote for the new competition, accepting a reported sweetener or  'bribe' of a million pounds-plus per county to get it through, the game as a lot of us love it will change forever.

For the better?

Not in my book.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 2

Derbyshire 307 (Hosein 83 not)

Leicestershire 228-8 (Cosgrove 81 not, Davis 4-60, Palladino 2-27, Parkinson 2-71)

Derbyshire lead by 79 runs

It was another encouraging day for Derbyshire today, albeit in an end of season game against a county that is hardly among the high-flyers.

Yet one can only do well against what is up against you. After Harvey Hosein ran out of partners, Derbyshire made regular inroads into the Leicestershire batting, with Will Davis again giving notice of an ability to take wickets. That he bowls the occasional bad ball is beyond dispute, but between he bowls enough really good ones to trouble and dismiss good batsmen, his pace setting him apart from most and his potential quite considerable.

Callum Parkinson confirmed his talent too and has done well in his limited appearances so far, while Tony Palladino just did what he always does - running in hard and putting the ball in the right areas with metronomic accuracy. Top marks to Billy Godleman too, making bowling changes today that often brought early dividends - a joy to any captain!

If the weather stays fair, a positive finish would appear guaranteed from here, but the first session tomorrow could well dictate which way the result goes. While the dangerous Mark Cosgrove is still there, the visitors will entertain hopes of exceeding 300 themselves. 

Let's hope that we can stop them in their tracks and build a potentially winning lead tomorrow.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 1

Derbyshire 282-8 (Hosein 79 not, Hughes 55)

v Leicestershire

A battling, unbeaten innings of 79 from Harvey Hosein, in the course of which he took his season average to 194, took Derbyshire to a position they would be quietly pleased with by the close.

On what appears to be a slow wicket that offered help all day, we lost both openers early, recovered through Alex Hughes and Wayne Madsen, then slumped again, before Harvey got help from the tail and steered the ship to a better-than-it-looked-earlier total by the close.

Scoring runs never appeared easy, but Harvey pushed on well in the final session, ably assisted by Tony Palladino and Tom Milnes. Reaching 300 tomorrow would be impressive and a maiden century is tantalisingly within reach for a very talented young cricketer, who already has a career-best to his name.

Mention too for Alex Hughes, who again showed he has the technique and battle for the key role at number three. Leicestershire have a good and experienced seam attack, Mckay and Shreck being wily campaigners, but he did well and deserves an extended run in the position next year.

It all makes for an interesting day tomorrow.

Postscript - delighted to see Tom Wood make his senior bow today and I'm happy to correct an error from last night. Tom was never on the DCCC Academy, although he had a few games for them in his younger days.

His progress o the county game is an object lesson for any young cricketer - that you can get there if you are prepared to battle, even if there are rejections along the way.

I am sure the runs will come for him with extended opportunity - which I hope will be forthcoming.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire preview

There has been pleasing news for Derbyshire supporters in the past couple of days.

First, Tom Taylor and Ben Cotton signed contract extensions, keeping them at the club until the end of 2018. Now today, Taylor's Ticknall team mate Tom Wood has been selected in the Derbyshire squad to play Leicestershire at the 3aaa County Ground, starting tomorrow.

It is just reward for Wood. after a prolific summer that followed a prolific winter in Australia. His game is in a good place right now and I am delighted for a young man who could have a big future. The presence of Academy graduates Alex Hughes, Ben Slater and Wood is good to see in a county batting line up. The full squad contains eight from that Academy and is:

Billy Godleman
Ben Slater
Alex Hughes
Wayne Madsen
Neil Broom
Tom Wood
Matt Critchley
Harvey Hosein
Tom Milnes
Tony Palladino
Callum Parkinson
Will Davis
Ben Cotton

The visitors have also named a thirteen-man squad, though one at the other end of the age spectrum, with a strong over-thirty bias.

 Horton, Robson, Dexter, Cosgrove (capt), Pettini, Eckersley (w/k), Dearden, McKay, Chappell, Shreck, Klein, Jones, Sayer.

Checking through my mails in recent days, there has been some criticism in the comparison between Leicestershire filling the coaching role to be vacated by Andrew McDonald quickly, while we have taken our time.

The answer is simple and the criticism not valid to me.  They know their coach is leaving, while we wanted to give our mid-season replacement, John Sadler, a chance to make the job his own. He's not done a bad job, though hamstrung by some under-performing senior players and a few issues (the Ches n Wes stories) that are probably outwith his control.

Some younger players have taken the opportunity to make a case and, whatever happens at the summer's end, John can hold his head high. That an influx of reliable, more experienced talent is required is a given, and will doubtless be addressed in the coming weeks and months.

I am sure that plenty of work is going on behind the scenes to sort the many outstanding issues and there will be news soon enough.

In closing - thanks to my daughter for this!

Short weekend warmer

Thanks to you all for the good wishes after yesterday's hand surgery. I am currently recovering well and should be back to a semblance of normality in a couple of weeks.

I just wanted to close the correspondence on Daryl Smit for now, which is generating a postbag that Santa would struggle with, opinions of all kinds among them.

My own have been made clear, but of course, I am not privy to the team building plans, any more than you are. For all we know, there could be someone lined up from elsewhere and we may have a Kolpak target in mind as a strike bowler or spinner. What I would be against is packing the side with non-English qualified players, to the detriment of the young talent emerging.

So while I could handle us going 9-2 or even 8-3 with English/Kolpak balance, I would be loathe to see it slip to 7-4. We would struggle to afford it, for one thing and with Neil Broom already here, an overseas would take us to 9-2, before we did anything else. I know he's not a Kolpak, but he is not English-qualified either. I think Smit's experience over here would see him score more heavily, but Neil may well come back with a bang next summer, after a difficult 2016. I certainly hope so.

Let's see how it all pans out.

Thank you for your comments and mails and I will be back over the weekend with a daughter-typed preview of the season's final home game, against Leicestershire.

Smit double century as seconds draw

It must have been a jolly old morning at Belper today, as Derbyshire Seconds advanced their overnight 364-6 to 519-7 by the interval.

Full marks to the talented Rob Hemmings, who made a splendid 85 from 127 balls, but the star of the show was again South African Daryn Smit (pictured), who advanced his overnight 110 to an unbeaten 200 from 281 balls, with seventeen fours and four sixes. The pair added 211 in 43 overs, in what must have been something quite special to watch.

The game ended in a draw, with Ben Cotton picking up two and Hemmings one wicket before Neil Brand saw Glamorgan to a comfortable draw. Brand sounds like a player of talent and potential, but from a Derbyshire perspective, so does Smit.

It is hard to think he could have done more in two trial matches, keeping wicket tidily and recording scores of 59, 10 not and 200 not. It echoed the feats of Peter Kirsten when he arrived forty years ago and turned out for our second team and Smit could be an equally important player, if given the opportunity.

I fail to see how he couldn't be engaged on the back of his efforts, though of course am no more privy to the winter team-building plans than any of you. For me, it would be better to sign a player of established reputation back home, with one to build here, rather than one of a handful of keepers here who would be perhaps coming for one last pay day.

Unless we have AB de Villiers lined up as overseas ( a man can dream, huh?), Smit would do me very nicely and would doubtless be an asset in all forms of the game. I'd have liked to see him bowl a few overs today, as others have commented, but you need someone competent behind the timbers and maybe no one was up to that role.

Here's hoping there will be appropriate conversations in the next few days. If he turned out half as good as Wayne Madsen we'd have few complaints and I suspect he would be much more than that. Nor do I fear another Dominic Telo, a player of talent but one who played most of his domestic cricket at a lower level than the county game and struggled here. One doesn't skipper a South African franchise side, as Smit has, without having something special to offer.

Anyway, that's it from me for now. As I mentioned earlier in the week, hand surgery awaits tomorrow and a little enforced down time. Should any news break, I'll be back courtesy of my daughter, be assured of that.

Meantime, enjoy your weekend!

PS Thanks to those who were at Belper for their informed and well-expressed comments. Very much appreciated

Signposts for next summer at Belper? Wood and Smit make a case...

Last night, without the use of a crystal ball, I suggested that an 'impressive-looking' Derbyshire middle order might be worth keeping an eye on in the game at Belper, against Glamorgan's second team.

Indeed they were. Although Josh Clarke fell for just four, Ticknall's Tom Wood came in at four and played a lovely innings of 134 in just under four-and-a-half hours, with fourteen fours and four sixes. If Wood is not offered a deal for next summer, I will start to question the logic of our club's recruitment policy, plain and simple.

Here we have a lad from our own doorstep, who has scored heavily in local cricket for a number of summers, gone out to Australia and done the same in top grade cricket there, then come home and hit good runs against some quality attacks for the Unicorns. When given what appeared to be a belated opportunity in the second team, he responded with a double century, several other good scores and today's ton.

At 22, he is gold dust for a county not awash with exciting young batting talent and I hope that he gets a deal to show what he can do after a winter's work, when I would expect to see him push into the senior side. There is nothing to lose in playing the lad for the season's last two games, giving him a taster of the top level and seeing how easily he might make the transition. I would, were I picking the side.

Tom was joined in a stand of 158 by South African Daryn Smit, who batted to the end of the day in making an unbeaten 110 in four and a quarter hours of batting, nursing the side through to a healthy 364-6 at the close, after the quick dismissals of Greg Cork and Matt Critchley.

Ryan Bramwell earlier made a gritty 51, while Rob Hemmings shared an unbroken stand of 69 with Smit, who seems very much a player that we need for 2017.  Neat and reliable behind the stumps, capable of playing the innings that the game demands anywhere between five and seven in the order, able to bowl challenging leggies - what's not to like?

Last night I got a lovely email from someone at his club, saying that he was a 'superhuman run machine' and 'the ultimate professional' who thoroughly deserved a crack at the county game. It is hard to disagree, looking at his statistics. If a player with Smit's track record isn't the answer to our wicket-keeping question, I'm unsure what that question is. He's also got an ancestral visa, I understand, which would allow him to play here in the same way that Wayne Madsen first did.

For me, an experienced nucleus of Madsen, Godleman, Broom, Smit and a bowling overseas, augmented by the youngsters as their form and fitness permits, would give Derbyshire a better-looking side for next year, one with a strong, experienced underbelly. Another seamer of experience and we'd be alright, allowing for continued development of those young players and the building of a strong 'Derbyshire' spirit.

Let's see what the days ahead bring, but it would be criminal to lose two players of unquestionable talent to other counties through a failure to act quickly.

Anyone got a pen?

Welch back in the game / Seconds update

It was good to read yesterday that Graeme Welch is back in the game, as assistant coach at Leicestershire.

Irrespective of his early departure from Derbyshire, Welch remains a very good coach, especially of bowlers. His new role will suit him well and I am sure that his new county's bowlers will reap the benefit of his experience and wisdom.

I wish him well, as I am sure that you do.

Meanwhile, over at Belper Meadows today, some of his old charges were in action against Glamorgan, on the first day of a three-day game, It was a very young side, one in which South African wicket-keeper Daryn Smit must have felt almost paternal in the field, with Greg Cork as skipper.

An attack featuring five players of first team experience this summer (Cork plus Cotton, Davis, Hemmings, Parkinson and Critchley) bowled out the visitors for 287. Cork took 2-44, but the star was Callum Parkinson, who took 5-64 in 20 overs. Cotton, Hemmings and Critchley had a wicket each and the visitors reached their total thanks largely to South African born Neil Brand, who made 126.

It will be interesting to see how the Derbyshire reply goes tomorrow, with Josh Clarke, Tom Wood and Daryn Smit making up an impressive-looking middle order.

Derbyshire will resume their innings tomorrow on 14-0, with Kershaw and Bramwell the not out batsmen.

Monday musings

A nice couple of days off for old Peakfan afford an opportunity for early morning bloggery.

Also time for an early warning, that unless there's anything major happens from this Friday, I am unlikely to blog for around a week or so, as I have scheduled surgery on my hand. If there's anything super-exciting, my lovely daughter has agreed to type it while I dictate, but I don't want to impose too much!

Sod's law is that it will be when players start getting released left, right and centre, of course and conjecture will commence on their likely destinations. For what it is worth, I think that Derbyshire will engage the services of two or three young players of talent from local ranks and will then focus on match-winning players of established reputation. I think that both Charlie McDonnell and Tom Wood have done enough this year to warrant a deal for next season, as has Callum Parkinson. The first two will challenge a likely established line-up in the batting, with Wood likely to prove a real asset in the one-day game especially.

While we don't know the situation regarding Chesney Hughes, a top six of Godleman, Slater, Hughes (A), Madsen, Broom and Thakor should offer runs. Slater has really come onto his game in the second half of the summer, while Neil Broom will surely come good with a season of experience under his belt and time for reflection over the winter.

I'd like to see the recent opportunity offered to Alex Hughes extended. Sometimes such opportunity is all that is required for players to flourish and while I had concerns about his elevation to a role at three, he rose to it against Gloucestershire and has a sound technique to make a  very good fist of the role. Kim Barnett started in the middle order and became our greatest-ever batsman at the top, so perhaps Alex could benefit from such a chance. The team would do so, from his effervescent personality, fielding and handy bowling, while a top six of three older heads and three young players has a nice look to it.

Which brings me to that key role at seven.

As I have written before, I expect Harvey Hosein to be our wicket-keeper for years and quite possibly get to international level. His technique is exemplary in both required disciplines, but I think that it is unrealistic for him to be seen as automatic first choice in three formats at the tender age of twenty.  A season average of 115 from limited opportunity is impressive, but a career one of 21 is more relevant at present  and we urgently need a wicket-keeper who can nurse the tail through to innings recovery as required, or take a game away from the opposition.

Having seen South African Daryn Smit involved with our second team, I am very much of the opinion that he would be the perfect fit for us.

I don't share notoveryet's concern that he might experience the issues encountered by Neil Broom this year, because he has greater experience of our conditions. Indeed, for the last three summers, he has made a case for consideration as one of Ramsbottom's finest-ever professionals, these statistics on a large ground and usually slow wicket:

2014 - Average 61 with bat and 88 wickets at 7.22
2015 - Average 113 with bat and 74 wickets at 8.19
2016 - Average 94 with bat and 25 wickets at 10.92

With plenty of bowling in all forms of the game in South Africa, Smit would be an intriguing option for Derbyshire, as a batsman and wicket-keeper of high quality who could also play as the former, as well as offering handy spin variation if required, while Hosein took the gloves.

I have no idea if we are seriously interested in him, but his appearance in the second team would be otherwise unusual at his stage of career . Someone asked him that very question on Twitter yesterday, but he's not going to say anything ahead of a club statement, one way or another.

I hope there is interest though, because his quality is undeniable. Derbyshire could then play an overseas bowler (please!) and whatever combination of seam and spin they felt appropriate.

I agree with notoveryet that a potential attack of Palladino, Milnes and Davis offers a nice mixture of the talents, with challenge from Ben Cotton and Tom Taylor another summer, though a left-arm presence would be nice for variation. That seems to be recognised, with Greg Cork, Gurjit Sandhu (ex-Middlesex) and Luis Reece (ex-Lancashire), lefties to a man, in the attack for the recent second team game against Nottinghamshire.

Reece is a decent cricketer and looked a good batsman when he opened the innings against us in this year's T20 at Derby, though less so when his one over went to all corners of the ground. That can happen to anyone though, and there's a good cricketer in the lad, perhaps, as I said earlier about Alex Hughes, requiring greater opportunity somewhere than he has had so far. A batting average in the thirties suggests that someone might give him another chance in the first-class game.

An overseas bowler though, someone who could take fifty-plus wickets this season...now that would make a difference, eh?

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 4

And the rain came down, a little earlier even than forecast, rendering any conjecture as to a likely outcome exactly that.

It would have been a good last day and we did well to take it to that stage, so I hope that we can build on the 'feel good' factor in the last two games of the summer.

Then the rebuilding commences...

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 3

Derbyshire 242 and 360 (Hughes 140, Milnes 56, Hosein 52 not, Broom 42)

Gloucestershire 331 and 10-0

Gloucestershire need 262 more to win

Sadly, rain that is forecast to move in from midday today looks set to have the final word in an absorbing contest, in which Derbyshire fought back heroically yesterday.

That they took the game into a final day was down to a fine team effort, led by Alex Hughes, with a wonderful, career-best innings of 140. Alex has struggled for a regular place this summer and putting him in at three has met with some criticism and a little bemusement, from me as well as others. Yet here he showed he has the game for the role and, given greater opportunity, may grow into it.

Whether his bowling will become good enough for him to be seen as a genuine four-day all-rounder is a fair question, but he has much to offer as a cricketer and his one-day contributions have marked him as one to watch. Even there, this summer he has only got in with a couple of overs to go, but perhaps John Sadler has discovered a niche for a very talented player to get into the side on a more regular basis. I hope so, as I like what he brings to the side.

Neil Broom lent good support before chopping onto his stumps, then after tea Harvey Hosein produced a battling innings to register a second first-class fifty. When Hughes departed, Tom Milnes came in and played a cavalier innings of 56 from 53 balls.

Milnes is another who has had his critics since his move from Warwickshire, but in the season's closing weeks he has shown himself capable of taking wickets and scoring runs at this level. Graeme Welch suggested that he saw some of himself in the young Milnes when he signed him from Warwickshire and it may be that next summer could see his career blossom.

It was a good effort by Derbyshire, and came despite only the second career 'pair' for Wayne Madsen, who got a reported brute of a ball to be out third ball. It just shows that anything can happen in the greatest of games.

With the expressed and obvious need for greater experience in the Derbyshire side, there is also a need for young talent to be encouraged and nurtured. Thus, the presence of some interesting trialists in the second eleven in their game against Nottinghamshire may offer pointers to 2017.

Former Lancashire all-rounder Luis Reece took four wickets on debut, while Gurjit Singh Sandhu, formerly of Middlesex, took three as Derbyshire bowled out Nottinghamshire for 84.

In Derbyshire's reply, young Australian Josh Clarke made a round hundred. Clarke, a left-hand bat, has made a lot of runs and taken many wickets with his slow left-arm in recent summers in the Derbyshire Premier League. I understand that he is keen to play county cricket and that we may be looking at him qualifying to do so. One to watch, for sure.

So too is South African wicket-keeper Daryn Smit. At 32, Smit is an established, talented and somewhat unusual performer in Durban, home of Wayne Madsen. He has a mid-thirties career batting average, with six centuries and over thirty fifties. He has similar averages in the one-day formats, but also has over a hundred first-class wickets with leg-spin -  and more in the one-day game - to go with over 300 first-class victims behind the stumps. He has also been Dolphins franchise captain, and is a well-respected cricketer who has scored a lot of runs and taken many wickets as a league professional in this country.

It would be surprising for him to be playing for Derbyshire Seconds without being under consideration for a contract for another summer. It could be a left-field but very interesting move by the county and Smit did himself no harm with 59 in the first innings before seeing us home for a six-wicket win, in company with Clarke, who made an unbeaten 36 to go with his earlier century.

All this after a five-wicket haul by Greg Cork, which made for an interesting day all round.

More from me soon.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 2

Derbyshire 242 and 16-2

Gloucestershire 331 (Mustard 107 not, Dent 94, Palladino 5-74)

Derbyshire trail by 73 runs

Apologies for the lack of blog last night, but everyday life got in the way and meant that a reflection on the day's play had to wait until this morning.

Were it not for the late loss of two big wickets, which saw both our openers back in the pavilion, we didn't do too badly on Thursday, in limiting the first innings deficit to 89 runs. Tony Palladino led by example in taking five wickets, while both Tom Milnes and Callum Parkinson reinforced their recent good impression with tight spells and a couple of wickets each.

The team selection puzzled again though, with Matt Critchley selected, batting six but only bowling four overs. That long tail is likely to see another early finish, unless it wags with greater vigour than it managed in the first innings.

As for the opposition, Chris Dent scored well against us again, not quite on the Nick Browne scale, but another opener who would love to face us every week and scores heavily when he does. Meanwhile Phil Mustard scored what was his first championship ton for five years, although he has been some way removed from a four-day regular for Durham.

Will we see him at Derby next year? I hope so, because at present the side is crying out for an experienced player or two with the nous and gumption to battle it out when the going gets tough.

Phil Mustard or Niall O'Brien? Either would do me. No disrespect intended to Harvey Hosein, whose glove work is excellent, but a number seven who can score good runs and nurse the tail to respectability is absolutely crucial if we are to be more competitive next year.

A few more, too...

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 1

Derbyshire 242 (Slater 109, Broom 36, Miles 4-30)

Gloucestershire 27-1 (Milnes 1- 9)

Derbyshire lead by 215 runs

If today's cricket were a musical, it would have doubtless had Maurice Chevalier in a boater, crooning 'Thank 'eavens, for Benny Slats...'

Without him, beyond doubt, we'd have been in a pretty bad place tonight, but one of the few Derbyshire players to have made marked progress this summer effectively carried a side where only Neil Broom lent support after the dismissal of Billy Godleman.

It makes it all the more surprising that he was omitted at times this summer and one given for 2017 is that we have a solid opening pair in Slater and Godleman. Neil Broom continues to frustrate to the season end, making a start then getting out, while the least said about the rest, the better.

It was a funny-looking side to be honest, with everyone from number six at least two places too high. Matt Critchley is a good cricketer, but eight in the batting line-up at best at this stage. Harvey Hosein too and even from distance it looked a side that could go from 150-3 to 230 all out in no time. So it pretty much transpired.

An early wicket for Tom Milnes gave hope, but we need a good first session tomorrow to stay in this game.

Finally tonight, I read with interest that Angus Fraser echoed my own thoughts on yesterday's run-fest for England. Such one-sided contests are dull for those who like to watch a game, rather than long hitting all the time.

Fair play to England for a terrific display, but if we carry on like this, in fifty years time cricket will consist of a bowling machine at either end while batsmen compete to hit the biggest six  and running between the wickets will be a thing of the past.

Let's have a greater balance between bat and ball in future.

It has largely been a batsman's summer, for sure.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire preview

The penultimate home game of the summer sees Gloucestershire make the trip to Derby, in a game that has little riding on it, except for a home desire for a first championship win.

It is good to see Will Davis, Ben Cotton and Harvey Hosein restored to fitness and taking their place in this squad:

Billy Godleman
Ben Slater
Alex Hughes
Wayne Madsen
Neil Broom
Charlie Macdonell
Harvey Hosein
Matt Critchley
Callum Parkinson
Tom Milnes
Tony Palladino
Ben Cotton
Will Davis

My guess is that one spinner and one seamer will drop out on the morning, Callum Parkinson likely to get the spinner's berth in this format. Charlie Macdonell will hope to reinforce the positive impression of his debut, with another effort that might just earn him a contract for another summer.

Michael Klinger has returned to Australia, so England under-19 George Hankin replaces him in this squad:

Roderick (c), Dent, Tavare, Marshall, Hankins, Mustard, J.Taylor, Miles, Payne, Norwell, M.Taylor, Shaw.

I'd love to predict a Derbyshire win, but the season-long issue remains - who is going to take the twenty wickets required? A draw appears a more likely result.

But I hope I am proved wrong...

Monday musings

Dominic Cork for coach?

A sentence I didn't think I would be writing and would still be surprised to write, while omitting the third word.

I thought I should pen it, however, after the recent comments below the piece on Cork junior signing a new deal at the club.

I am quite clear in my admiration of Dominic Cork as a cricketer. He was combative, feisty, supremely talented with bat and ball, a match-winner and very much a player you would want on your side. He was a pretty good captain too - no Eddie Barlow or Kim Barnett, but shrewd and unafraid to lose a game in trying to win it.

I like him just as much as a commentator, where his opinions make sense, are succinctly and articulately expressed and show that he retains his support of and loyalty to the county where he played the majority of his first-class career.

His return to the club a few weeks back, as assistant coach in an advisory role came as a surprise, especially when his burgeoning media career appeared to legislate against it.

Maybe I am in a minority of one, but I would be very surprised if Cork, should he even decide to throw his hat in the ring, would come out of a selection process as the new coach of the club.

As many other people in different sports have found, there is a world of difference between making informed comment on a sport and being able to inspire others to produce their best in it. One has only to look at the pundits on Match of the Day, none of them close to being regarded coaches, to see what I mean.

Cork's comments on the game of cricket make a lot of sense, but could he motivate our young players into producing their best on a regular basis? Could he spot and help them eliminate weaknesses in their games to take them on to the next level? Would he be prepared to forsake his media career in order to do so and would Derbyshire be best served, at a time when we need a coach of recognised talent, experience and qualifications, to appoint a man who hasn't held such a role anywhere?

It would be a leap of faith, for sure. If one were to think of people who may potentially be interested, there's a few with good coaching backgrounds who I would consider above him, Chris Adams an obvious one.

Much will depend on the role and its specification. I think that would change from the one that Graeme Welch had and I don't think that we'll see the same number of people involved. Of course you need your two teams covered and the academy, but the appointment of Tony Palladino to a playing contract with a bowling coach remit may be telling.

Doubtless we will hear before too long, as the club cannot afford to linger long in its decision making. The club needs that and John Sadler deserves to be told whether the role, or a role, is his so he can make plans for the future. Whoever gets the job needs close to a full winter and Spring with the players to engender a team spirit and improve techniques.

Much to watch in the coming weeks, but I would be genuinely surprised if Dominic Cork was the successful candidate - or indeed wanted to cut his coaching teeth in a role that is some way removed from being a walk in the park.

Cork latest to sign contract

Another day, another contract at Derbyshire, as Greg Cork signed a new one-year deal today, one that puts the onus on him squarely to work hard over the winter and next summer.

I always feel sorry for the sons of famous sports people, because they will always be compared, usually unfavourably, with their parents. It has been seen times many in cricket and Greg Cork, talented cricketer as he is, will always struggle to emerge from his father's shadow. Good a player as he was, Richard Hutton never emerged from that of Len, although in Derbyshire circles, Harold Rhodes managed to become an even better player than his father, which was quite an achievement.

The incentive to do so is clear. A left-arm bowler who can hit a ball hard and score runs would be a huge asset to Derbyshire and no one else on the current staff offers that. Greg now needs to score more runs and become more penetrative with the ball, things that would edge him ahead of the likes of Will Davis, Ben Cotton and Tom Taylor in his age group.

Next year will be a big one for him and he will know that there is a lot resting on the next twelve months. It is right that the club have given him that time to show his worth, and I hope that he realises his obvious talent.

There's been some good comments in recent days and thank you for them. Notoveryet questioned the results of Derbyshire's overseas players and suggested that only Cheteshwar Pujara, Martin Guptill, Usman Khawaja and Albie Morkel had been successes since Chris Rogers, with Jimmy Neesham and Hashim Amla, maybe Shiv Chanderpaul given the benefit of the doubt.

As a hard man to please - and remember, I grew up watching Barlow, Wright and Kirsten - I'd say that only Guptill earns an unqualified pass mark from me. Pujara wasn't here long enough, Khawaja will be remembered as much for his Hampshire last day knock, rather than what preceded it, while Morkel did OK but won us few, if any matches.

That T20 gig is tough though. Neesham's four wickets and composed knock against Lancashire won us the game, but in a format where two or three good overs and a quick thirty can make you a star, few of ours over the years have been standouts.

I'd agree that Shiv was past his best and Amla, like Dilshan, disappointed. It is a frustrating business, though I'd not agree we shop in the bargain basement for such players. There are world-class names in there, who don't come cheap. In signing them, an expectation of runs was largely unrealised. Would a good English-qualified player be a better bet? Yes, if you could guarantee a return, such as you get from Wayne Madsen, but remember Rikki Clarke? A top player for Surrey and also for Warwickshire, but his stint with us was a costly disappointment. There are no more guarantees in cricket than there are in life...

On the Chesney situation, logic suggests his contractual situation is the reason for non-selection. It could be his agent's valuation of his worth as opposed to Derbyshire's, in much the same way as Greg Smith and Tim Groenewald ended up leaving. It could be that he wants to winter back home, while we want him here to work on his game; he might not be fully fit for a four-day game, or it could be that they just want to try out other options. By the same token, his agent could have been very busy and just not had a chance to sit down and chat.

We shouldn't be too quick to jump to conclusions, but if Mark Footitt is earning the £150K that Huw Lloyd suggested last night, then expectations of Derbyshire competing in that market are unrealistic. Put another way, you'd need to guarantee a lot of runs and wickets for us to consider such an outlay - and you still have the rest of the squad to finance. Then what happens when player X and Y deliver better results on less money? I think you know the answer...

Based on Huw's figure, in Mark's injury-shortened season so far, each wicket is costing 7.5K. Were he playing for us, I'd venture there'd be a few dissenting voices on those statistics.

Keep the comments coming.