Guest signs new two-year deal

I couldn't be happier with the announcement today that Brooke Guest has signed a new deal with Derbyshire, which takes him to the end of the 2027 season. 

He is a class act and has been since he came into the Derbyshire side in 2020. Long-time readers and supporters will recall the 'battle' for the gloves with Harvey Hosein, with a number of supporters hoping the locally-reared lad won out.

I was always in the other camp, respecting the ability of Harvey, yet appreciating what extra Brooke brought to the team. He often doesn't get mentioned in comments these days, because his standards are so high. He rarely misses a game, regardless of the format and he maintains a very high standard with bat and gloves. He has made more than a thousand all-format runs in each of the last three summers and has kept very well against pace and spin alike.

He can bat anywhere in the order and, while some don't deem it important, always looks like he is having a lot of fun. He must take a ball very cleanly, because in his time at the club he has had only one broken finger - which he played through, rather illustrating his attitude and importance to the side. 

Being back up keeper to him is similar to having the same role to Bob Taylor, many years back. They are completely different cricketers, but each has been inked into the team without any real thought, because of their high standards. Every team hopes for a top wicket keeper who can handle a bat and Derbyshire certainly have one.

He is coming into his peak and it is heartening that he will be spending those years, at least, with the club that gave him the opportunity to play first class cricket, when it didn't work out at Lancashire. 

As I wrote recently, only Golden Age hero Bill Storer, with twelve centuries while keeping wicket has exceeded the seven that Brooke has in red ball cricket so far.

I would be prepared, even as a non-gambler, to put money on him being top of the pile by the time he finishes with the county.

I just hope that is many years away.

More great news in what is so far a hugely enjoyable season.

Derbyshire v Middlesex day four

Derbyshire 472

Middlesex 315 and 307-7 (Holden 94, Eskinazi 61, Higgins 56, Gohar 52*

Match drawn

Rather like the Big Bad Wolf of the fable, Derbyshire, huffed and puffed all day but eventually had to admit defeat in blowing down the Middlesex batting order. 

They battled well, but my assertion last night - indeed two nights ago - that the pitch was simply too good for a positive result proved to be correct. 

They can be very proud of their efforts and once again it was fine margins.. half chances being spilled, edges going wide of the man and the decision going to the batter, when Gohar looked to have failed to regain his ground. Certainly Guest, a player not known for histrionics, seemed to think he had him bang to rights, but the person whose decision mattered felt otherwise. 

It was a good game of cricket and Derbyshire certainly held the initiative for the vast majority of it.

The draw points lifted us to second place in the table, behind Leicestershire, who have started very well. Next up is a trip to Glamorgan, on Friday, a team struggling for form so far this summer. The question will be over the fitness of the key all rounders, with Anuj Dal missing this game, Luis Reece unable to bowl for much of the second innings and Martin Andersson only bowling two overs.

No doubt we will hear more in the coming days. 

As always, I look forward to your thoughts on this game when you are able to give them!

Derbyshire v Middlesex day three

Derbyshire 472

Middlesex 315 (Geddes 59, Davies 54, du Plooy 52, Chappell  4-55, Tickner 2-52, Thomson 2-44)

Derbyshire lead by 97 runs

Derbyshire did extraordinarily well to enforce the follow-on today against Middlesex, the first time that they have managed to do so against this opposition.

Yet my assertion of last night still holds. I do not think the pitch has sufficiently deteriorated to allow us to take another nine wickets tomorrow and be able to force a win. 

The lead is 'only' 97 runs and of course, every run past that effectively counts double, as we have to make them. If I had seen signs of increased turn or any consistent form of lateral movement today, I would have been more optimistic, but I suspect this time tomorrow we will be praising another battling performance, rather than one that has resulted in the win points. 

We will see, but it should take nothing away from Derbyshire in this match. Middlesex are a good side with some very fine players. We have dominated proceedings and can be very proud of the collective effort so far. 

Zak Chappell bowled splendidly today, as did Blair Tickner and they were supported by some excellent catching. Alex Thomson also had a good day, with two wickets and a stunning catch to start the ball rolling, with the dismissal of Ryan Higgins. Yet the relative ease with which the lesser known Davies, Cullen and Geddes dug in suggested that it may need a howitzer and rocket launcher to get through the visiting line up tomorrow. 

I thought Brooke Guest kept splendidly today, one leg side catch especially noteworthy, but he set the tone in the field and both Madsen and Jewell were sure when opportunities came their way. Andersson too has a good pair of hands and is making a name for himself, especially at gulley.

We will see how things go. I would love to see us conclude a solid, professional performance with a win, but my head tells me that it is unlikely. We need a muggy morning, a lot of swing and radars firmly locked on from the outset, as well as holding on to chances when they come.

It makes for a gripping final day in which, at least, we are firmly in the box seat.

Derbyshire v Middlesex day two

Derbyshire 472 (Andersson 107, Reece 60, Fernandes 3-53)

Middlesex 101-3 (Tickner 2-23)

Derbyshire lead by 371 runs

Martin Andersson is turning out to be quite a signing, isn't he?

A second first class century in as many matches put Derbyshire in the driving seat today, although there appears to be little in the pitch, once the new ball has lost its seam and hardness.

Andersson and Luis Reece batted throughout the morning session with sound defence and no shortage of punishing strokes. When Reece was run out, Zak Chappell lent the necessary support to enable the former Middlesex all rounder to reach another splendid century. With Blair Tickner lending further support, the home total became one that appeared out of the question at the start of play. 

Then two wickets for Tickner and a third for Andersson put the home side in the box seat, before the limping du Plooy, struck on the foot by Reece, had to retire hurt before the close.

With a lead of 371 runs, Derbyshire are in a good position here, but unless the pitch deteriorates, which seems unlikely at this stage, it is hard to see where seventeen wickets can come from. The first session tomorrow will be very important, but once again the fighting spirit was a highlight of the day. 

Derbyshire would not have nearly doubled their overnight score last year. There is a refreshing new steel and determination about them, which is a joy to watch, especially for those used to years of capitulation. 

Andersson, with his century, a wicket and catch again showed himself a very talented player and shrewd acquisition by Mickey Arthur. Meanwhile, in the final session, Tickner ran in hard and was rewarded with two good wickets.

There is a long haul ahead and the likeliest result on a slow pitch appears to be a draw. 

But early wickets tomorrow and sometimes things can go your way. And if du Plooy is unable to continue his innings - who knows? 

Derbyshire v Middlesex day one

Derbyshire 267-5 (Lloyd 93, Came 73, Madsen 49) 

v Middlesex

I didn't see much of today's play, because we were enjoying our last day in Berwick and then returning home. 

In the last hour, the second new ball seemed to change things and neither Guest nor Madsen could do much about the deliveries that removed them. 

Let's face it, the Middlesex attack is probably a strong as a unit as there is in the division and Derbyshire's total, having been put in, doesn't seem too bad, if they can add more in the morning. 

I was really pleased to see David Lloyd make some runs after the early dismissal of Caleb Jewell, who didn't seem to do a lot wrong either. Also good to see Harry Came back in the runs, on what appears to be a battling day 

So I will leave today's comments for you to fill in the blanks! 

Derbyshire v Middlesex preview

Fourteen becomes thirteen for Mickey Arthur and Derbyshire's squad, for the game against Middlesex which starts at the County Ground tomorrow.

Anuj Dal sits this one out to rest a back problem, but the rest of the squad is as played at Leicester. I would assume that Mitch Wagstaff will get his first opportunity of the summer in place of Dal and we are likely to field the following eleven (with those missing out at the end)

Lloyd, Jewell, Came, Madsen, Guest, Reece, Wagstaff, Andersson, Chappell, Tickner, Morley (Brown and Thomson)

Four seamers and three spinners in that eleven, which covers all of the bases, quite nicely.

MIddlesex are one place below. Derbyshire in fourth and I suspect that this will be a good toss to win tomorrow. With Dane Paterson and Zafar Gohar in their ranks they cover seam and spin quote nicely, while Leus du Plooy will hope for runs against his old county.

The Middlesex squad: 

Roland-Jones, Brookes, Cullen, Davies, du Plooy, Eskinazi, Fernandes, Geddes, Gohar, Higgins, Holden, Hollman, Paterson

With the exception of a few potential showers on Saturday, the game is set to be blessed by good weather. I can't call this one, but as I said at the start, I suspect that the team that wins the toss will dictate the match. 

I won't see any of the first day, as we will be spending our last day in Berwick, but I will post the score at the end of it and you can all add your comments as you see fit. 

I will of course be following our fortunes, but in what is forecast to be another beautiful day in Northumberland...

Fingers crossed the boys do us proud!

Book Review: Cricket Changed My Life: Eleven Personal Journeys by Annie Chave

Despite a lifetime spent following cricket as part of a family totally immersed in the game, Annie Chave has only fairly recently become known to The wider cricketing audience. 

Her sterling work as the editor of County Cricket Matters, a quarterly magazine that celebrates the county game, is laudable and she is a regular contributor to The Cricket Paper. She has also, among other things, been part of the commentary team for Guerilla Cricket and a third voice for the BBC commentary team at Somerset. 

This is her first book and will almost certainly not be the last. The premise is simple.. eleven people, men and women, whose lives have been changed by their involvement with the greatest of sports. Not all of them are well known to a wider audience, but their inclusion makes it a better read and helps to strengthen the argument  - cricket DOES change lives. 

I look back at nearly fifty years of playing the game and over twenty writing about it and the greatest 'buzz' has been the people it has allowed me to meet. Forget the runs and wickets, it is lifelong friendships, funny stories, the encounters with heroes who turned out to be every bit as nice as you hoped for. 

I especially enjoyed the chapters on Fred Rumsey and Enid Bakewell  because of their local interest. Also because Fred convinced the young me, when he played for Derbyshire, that you didn't need the build of an athlete and 20/20 vision to play the game and Enid, as the first female cricketer I ever saw, that women could be rather good at it too. 

The chapter on Callum Flynn, who had bone cancer as a child and yet recovered to play disability cricket is awe-inspiring. So too that on Waleed Khan, in a coma for several days after being shot several times in an horrific school shooting in Pakistan that saw 153 killed, 132 of them children.

The author's style is engaging and one suspects by the end of it that you would enjoy time spent in her company. The subjects, including Roland Butcher, Georgie Heath, Sue Redfern and David Lloyd are well-chosen and it makes for an enjoyable - make that refreshingly different - read.

Recommended - and another excellent title from Fairfield Books

Cricket Changed My Life : Eleven Personal Journeys is written by Annie Chave and published by Fairfield Books

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day four

And the expected rain came along and it ended in the expected draw.

I didn't miss much today, did I? 

Please add any comments you wish to make  below

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day three

Derbyshire 307 and 202-3 (Jewell 71, Madsen 62*, Leech 2-54)

Northamptonshire 500-8 declared (Procter 150, Zaib 105)

Derbyshire lead by 9 runs

Looking at the forecast for tomorrow, the weather should save Derbyshire from defeat in this game. You can never discount possibilities, of course, but there should be harsh words if they don't get draw points from this fixture, with a 50% chance of rain pretty much throughout the day likely to reduce the number of overs.

Northamptonshire progressed serenely to 500 before declaring, not really encountering any demons other than the desire to overstretch themselves. None of the Derbyshire bowlers looked especially dangerous, which suggested a draw should be within their compass when the time came to bat. 

Luke Procter took his innings to an admirable 150 before being well caught by Andersson from the bowling of Tickner. He looked very nervous early in the morning, before reaching his century and the leg before appeal from Reece when he was on 98 looked very, very close. Zaib also recorded a century, his at faster than a run a ball, in another fine display.

David Lloyd again, as is his wont, set off like a train but was derailed before his innings became anything other than useful. His 23 was a season highest, but it is worrying for an opening bat to be so short of runs. 

Harry Came got going but was another to fail to kick on, his dogged innings ending leg before to the impressive Leech, after a stand of 63 with Jewell.

The Australian again looked imperious and his stand with Madsen offered some of the best in batting. He registered his fifth half century in six innings, which is an impressive return, but again, he failed to turn his score into a big one. I am currently getting Lawrence Rowe vibes, another player delightful to watch but who, for all his charm at the crease, failed to register the BIG scores his side needed. 

I am hopeful that Jewell will do so before the summer is out, because the Australian selectors will not be overly impressed with a succession of fifties, no matter how breezily and classily they are made. His dismissal today, a slash at a ball he didn't need to play, was careless and unnecessary, given the match situation.

As the shadows lengthened, Northamptonshire pressed for another wicket, Harrison bowling an impressively accurate spell of leg spin from the City End and Guthrie bowling quickly at his old school friend, Guest, at the other. It was good, tense, PROPER cricket, the two most technically correct players in our side, against two contrasting bowling styles. 

At the other end was Madsen, of course. I am running out of superlatives for him, seemingly on a quest to be in the middle for most of his year as captain. He was unbeaten on 62 at the close, taking his season average to 96.5 in six innings. He is playing so straight, so late at times, an object lesson for anyone. His footwork is sure and he just looks on a different plane.

Eight runs ahead at the close with seven wickets in hand. I would hope we can see this one out amid the promised rainfall. 

After all, where there's Wayne, there's hope.

Anyway, we are off tomorrow on one of our three breaks this summer to delightful Berwick upon Tweed. I won't see much of the final day, but will post the final score for your comments.

Hopefully we are all of sound mind by then! 

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day two

Derbyshire 307 (Guest 91, Madsen 89, Reece 36, Broad 4-60, Procter 3-61, Guthrie 3-74)

Northamptonshire 236-3 (Procter 97*, Vasconcelos 82) 

Derbyshire lead by 71 runs

By the end of day two of this match, Derbyshire had experienced their first 'average' day of the season.

As is often the case at Derby, wickets fell in the first session, too many of them for home comfort. Guest added only four runs to his overnight score before being bowled and while Reece, not in his best touch, battled hard, it was left to Tickner, with a few lusty and at times unorthodox strokes, to take his team to a second batting bonus point. Broad bowled well and got considerable swing, but the engine room wasn't running at its peak capacity today.

Morley was out on the stroke of lunch, which meant the visitors batted in the afternoon. They got through to tea unscathed, after a somewhat insipid home bowling performance. Vasconcelos and Procter batted well, but there were enough loose deliveries to prevent pressure being built and they could have been made to work harder for the runs. 

The partnership had reached 143 when Tickner removed the former for an excellent 82, but the admirable Procter, fresh from 21 overs and three wickets, held an end down with gritty determination, judicious leaves and an occasional stroke of flamboyance. He is a good player and they are lucky to have him, the sort of professional, no-nonsense bloke that makes the county game.

Chappell got Bartlett, like Broad formerly a target for Derbyshire, to nick behind and Reece bowled Sales after an underwhelming stay that never suggested permanence. 

Yet by the close the game seemed to hang on tomorrow's first, often bowler-friendly session. Derbyshire must make better use of conditions than they did today, or could face a deficit of 100-200 runs, maybe more. For all the fight being shown so far this summer, I would suggest that might not end well. 

Having said that, the forecast for Monday suggests they will be on and off all day, so it is important that we keep the visitors in check - and ourselves battling - tomorrow.

Finally tonight, thank you to all who got in touch to congratulate me on the blog award. Your kind words are very much appreciated, as is your continued support and interest.

Latest radio interview

My latest interview with Matt Rhodes of North Derbyshire Radio was on air tonight.

We discussed the Leicestershire game, thoughts on the one that started today and on Wayne Madsen's contract renewal

You can hear it here

I am on around 14.20, but it is a great show, well worth a listen to the whole thing!

Seconds win thriller at Repton

Ben Aitchison completed an excellent comeback match for the second eleven, by winning the match and sealing an excellent run chase at Repton this afternoon.

Chasing 311 to win a terrific game of cricket, Mitch Wagstaff made 73 and Will Tarrant 53, before a slump reduced Derbyshire to 207-6, despite 39 from Yusaf Bin Naeem. 

Then a crucial stand of 85 between Nick Potts (55) and 18-year old Joe Hawkins (24) turned the game, before both were dismissed with 15 still needed.

Enter Aitchison and with a delicious 'flip' off his toes for six and a flashing stroke through the covers for four,  the game was won.

Friendly or not, this was a cracking game on an excellent pitch, with Charlie Barnard hardly deserving to be on the losing side with figures of 6-108.

Terrific stuff, guys. And great to see you back, Ben! 

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day one

Derbyshire 216-4 (Madsen 89, Guest 87*)

v Northamptonshire 

The fighting spirit that served Derbyshire well at Leicester once again came to their rescue against Northamptonshire today. 

Having won the toss and inserted the home side, the visitors were vindicated when they reduced Derbyshire to 29-3 inside the first ten overs. 

Yet by the close the score had reached 216-4, thanks to a record fourth wicket stand for the fourth wicket against this opponent at Derby, knocking Levi Wright and Bertie Lawton from a record set 118 summers ago (thanks to David Griffin, X).

Of course Wayne Madsen was part of a new record stand of 169, yet again coming to the rescue after Luke Procter and Liam Guthrie found early movement. The maestro is rekindling memories of his last stint as skipper, when the runs flowed from his bat like the finest of wine.  Just like wine, Madsen is maturing, as Levi Wright did before him, after the age of forty. He looks solid in defence, is playing delightfully straight, yet showing the timing and placement of his salad days.

A prolific bat in the game's 'Golden Age',  Wright played until he was 47. We would take that from Wayne, I think...

With him was Brooke Guest, who remained at the close after the skipper was caught behind. He is thirteen runs away from his eighth first class century for the county, a record only exceeded as Derbyshire wicket-keeper by another hero of the Golden Age, Bill Storer. He made fifteen centuries for the county, a round dozen of them while also keeping in the match (he also bowled handy leg breaks).

It was a good day's work against a keen attack and although rain sadly truncated the day, they will be well satisfied at the close. 

If they can push on towards 350-400 tomorrow (assuming the rain relents) then the foundations have been set for another good display.

A winning one? The weather will dictate that, but we have done ourselves no harm with today's efforts.

Chapeau, gentlemen...

Proud Day!

I was delighted today to hear that the blog is, according to Feedspot, in the top ten ranked cricket blogs in the UK, ranked at four with some heavy hitters around me, including The Cricket Paper.

I am very proud of this but just keep writing what I hope people will enjoy. Readership continues to increase after all thos time and thank you so much to everyone who regularly checks in to read what I have to say. 

I am grateful to all of you, especially those who contribute their own thoughts on a regular basis. It is especially gratifying to have so many supporters of other counties getting involved too.

Thank you

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire preview

Mickey Arthur has named a 14-man squad for the game against Northamptonshire, that starts at the County Ground tomorrow.

To the eleven that played at Leicester are added Alex Thomson, Pat Brown and Mitch Wagstaff. The latter enjoyed a fine game in the well-balanced second team game against Lancashire, making 69 and 73 in his two innings, while Thomson did the same, making 87 in his only innings and taking six wickets in the match. It is heartening that everyone is making a strong case for inclusion in the first eleven at present and it can only be good for the team. Nye Donald is working with fitness staff to be fit for the T20, so looks likely to miss out until then.

Having said that, I would be surprised if there were any change to the eleven that played at Leicester, so I expect Derbyshire to line up as follows: 

Jewell, Lloyd, Came, Madsen, Guest, Reece, Dal, Andersson, Chappell, Tickner, Morley

Northamptonshire have named a 12-man, unchanged squad from the game against Lancashire, which they dominated but narrowly failed to win. They are currently missing Ben Sanderson, a very fine bowler, but Nottinghamshire spinner Calvin Harrison enjoyed an excellent debut on loan and Australian Liam Guthrie has made a positive impression with the new ball, since arriving on a 3-year deal and UK passport. Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus are in good batting touch, while Rob Keogh so often turns into Jim Laker against Derbyshire.

It will be a good game, but if the weather stays out of it, Derbyshire are capable of getting a second win on the board. The toss will again be important and hopefully Wayne Madsen can continue his fine form with bat and coin into this game. 

In hoping for a decent forecast, I'm going for a Derbyshire win here.

What do you think?

In closing, I will be on the North Derbyshire Radio sports programme again tomorrow evening, discussing the Leicestershire game, this one and my thoughts on Wayne Madsen's new contract with Matt Rhodes.

I hope you tune in. For those who can't, I will post a link to hear it on playback, later tomorrow evening.

Madsen signs one-year contract extension!

It is fair to say that there will be no dissenting voices at the news that Wayne Madsen has signed a one-year contract extension, taking him to the end of 2026. Indeed, it is quite likely that street parties are being planned, to celebrate the news...

For the past few seasons, I have watched closely to see any signs of deterioration in eye, technique or commitment. Truth be told, there is hardly any. No thickening of the waistline, no reduction in the output of runs, no lessening in the safety of the hands at second slip. The hair may be a little grey at the temples (speaking as one who would love hair at my temples..) but Wayne, like a fine wine, gets better with age. 

His three innings so far this season have brought 236 runs, with a century and 96 among them. He still looks imperious at the crease and so far his feet, hands and eyes seem to be in perfect coordination. He remains the most prized wicket in the side and the man most feared by opponents. That has been the case pretty much since he first joined the county in 2009. 

What a servant he has been! With the way the modern game is going, it is fair to say that we are unlikely to see his like again. 

I am just thrilled that we have at least two more seasons to enjoy his contributions to the team and the club. 

He remains one of the nicest blokes you could wish to meet and I am sure that sentiment is echoed by anyone who has come into contact with him. 

Fabulous, fabulous news.

Second team in control at Repton

The second eleven did very well on the first day of four against Lancashire at Repton.

Winning the toss, they elected to bowl and put the visitors out for 269. George Bell made 76 but the bowling was keen. Former Sussex left arm seamer Will Rogers took three, but the talking point was two wickets on his return to action from Ben Aitchison. He also held two very sharp catches at slip, on a return he will be delighted with. Pat Brown and Alex Thomson also took two wickets each, the latter skippering the side.

When Derbyshire went in, Mitch Wagstaff showed nice touch with his first half century of the summer. He and Yusaf Bin Naeem added an unbroken 106 runs for the second wicket, after Will Tarrant was dismissed by Blatherwick.

At the close, Derbyshire were 135-1 with Wagstaff on 69 and Bin Naeem 37.

A good day's work, consolidating a fine start to the summer all round.

Second team in action at Repton

Interesting looking second team in the game against Lancashire, starting at Repton today..

Ben Aitchison returns to action and Pat Brown is also in the side, as is Nick Potts. Former Lancashire wicket-keeper/bat George Lavelle lines up against his former team mates, in a side captained by Alex Thomson and featuring several academy players.

The Derbyshire side:

• Wagstaff, Tarrant, bin Naeem, Thomson, Lavelle, Hawkins, Potts, Aitchison, Brown, Rogers, Green

More on this, later.

Leicestershire v Derbyshire day four

Leicestershire 484 and 357-9 declared (Tickner 3-82, Morley 3-84)

Derbyshire 393 and 305-4 (Madsen 96, Jewell 73, Guest 68* Reece 38*) 

Match drawn

What could have been a fascinating final day at Leicester was ruined by the negative mindset of the home side. 

They could have declared overnight, or after three or four overs this morning, but instead opted to bat Derbyshire completely out of the game and then attempt to bowl them out in 86 overs. 

Perhaps they thought there would be a collapse, or that the pitch would suddenly misbehave. But it was a flawed idea, because for Derbyshire to go for the runs and potentially lose wickets in the process, there needed to be a carrot, or incentive. They even had boundary riders from the outset, so were not overly aggressive with field settings.

It was a case of batting out time. Perhaps briefly, when Wayne Madsen and Caleb Jewell were together, there was a brief consideration of a chase, but the dismissal of the Australian made the draw points the prize.

Jewell made his fourth half century in as many innings and again looked a very fine player. For me, his next challenge is to go on to a match defining century, because red ball cricket is rarely won by fifties, regardless of how stylish and enjoyable they are. As one old professional once said to me, when you have that many on the board you are seeing it like a football and should be 'drinking at the well' while the eye is in. There will be plenty of days when it isn't, for anyone.

Madsen again led from the front with a stylish innings, the only surprise being when he missed out on yet another century. But he can be proud of how his team battled in this game and how once again he has shown himself one of the all-time greats of the county. As well as a nigh-perennial problem for Leicestershire, averaging over sixty against them throughout his career 

It was left to Brooke Guest and Luis Reece to find batting form and steer Derbyshire to a comfortable draw. There were a couple of loud appeals against the former, though more indicative of a lack of understanding of the lbw law, as viewed from short leg, in the second instance.

In the end, both sides will be happy with the draw. Derbyshire showed that they will be prepared to graft this summer and will be very satisfied, from the position that they were in on day two. 

Leicestershire? A good side, but unless they show greater willingness to risk defeat in going for a win, I don't see enough variation in their attack to really challenge for promotion at the end of the summer. They missed Chris Wright here and cannot depend on his body holding together throughout the summer.

In closing, Derbyshire's second team are in action tomorrow and I suspect that David Lloyd might fancy a bat in that fixture. He seems to be pushing at the ball at present, never a good move as an opener. He remains the best option for us in that position, because we cannot burden Luis Reece, with greater responsibility than he already has in opening the bowling. 

I think David will come again and his importance to the balance of the Derbyshire side is clear. But Mitch Wagstaff will also aim to impress and offers a similar skill set, if required.

But a good effort. I don't think anyone can deny that.

Unbeaten, going into game three. We would have taken that in advance, I think? 

Leicestershire v Derbyshire day three

Leicestershire 484 and 291-8 (Ahmed 77, Budinger 44, Tickner 3-59, Andersson 2-32, Morley 2-54)

Derbyshire 393

Leicestershire lead by 382 runs

A fascinating but curious third day of this game set up what should be an intriguing finish at Leicester tomorrow.

Blair Tickner and Jack Morley added a plucky 47 for the last wicket, after Andersson was dismissed with no addition to his overnight century. There were a few edges but some good shots too, Morley clearly illustrating he has worked on his batting over the winter and can no longer be considered the 'Binary Jack' that his scores last season suggested. 

Budinger and Ahmed set off at a fair lick and extended the lead of 91 very quickly with a fine  stand of 132 in just 20 overs. Yet thereafter they lost wickets steadily to a Derbyshire attack that largely offered Tickner and Chappell's brimstone at one end and Morley's treacle at the other.  So much so that the next 50 overs added only 159 runs. Indeed, in the final session Green and van Beek batted as if they were trying to save the game, rather than win it. 

I can only assume that the home side doesn't see the pitch as having deteriorated so much as to leave Derbyshire a day and, say, twenty overs to get the runs, or maybe they are a bowler down. Both Ahmed and van Beek were struck on the helmet by a hostile attack and concussion protocols may or may not come into play.

 It seemed unduly negative, although perhaps they are banking on an historically accurate Derbyshire collapse tomorrow. Time will tell on that one, but when bad light brought the players off early, it seemed they had missed a trick in not getting Derbyshire in for a few overs and maybe nicking a wicket or two tonight.

Tickner in particular ran in hard, bowled aggressively and deserved his three wickets, while Andersson added to his fine match with two, but for me the best bowler was Jack Morley. The slow left armer bowled a beautifully controlled spell and clearly illustrated both why he was signed and why he has become the lead spinner at the club. He was by far the most economical bowler and maintained a nagging, probing length throughout, with a lovely loop to his bowling.

One assumes that Leicestershire will declare overnight and that Derbyshire will be set what would be a club record run chase of 383 to win. With Anuj Dal struggling and off the field with a back injury, one or two batters will need to step up, but it should be - weather permitting - an absorbing day.

Let's hope that the fighting spirit shown by Derbyshire so far extends into the final day. Record or not, with a fast outfield and not overly long boundaries it is not beyond them, if key men get in. 

There will be a few of us watching, for sure!