Weekend Vitality Blast Preview: Lancashire and Yorkshire

Derbyshire return to white ball action this weekend. First, there is a trip to Old Trafford and Lancashire, before the end of the Chesterfield Cricket Festival on Sunday and the annual visit of Yorkshire. 

I think we will be looking at one win out of the two games, but after the hammering at Derby it is hard to see that coming in the game in Manchester. We just seemed overawed  and need to do something special to turn things around tomorrow. Conversely, I think Yorkshire are beatable. They have a good top five, but the batting thereafter is a little flimsy. 

Mickey Arthur has named a 14 man squad for the weekend. While the pitch will dictate matters, Alex Thomson may well get a game at Chesterfield, where he often does well, while Old Trafford can also make for happy hunting grounds for spinners in recent years.

Likely side:

Jewell, Donald, Madsen, Patel, Whiteley, Guest, Andersson, Chappell, Aitchison/Thomson, Ghazanfar, Brown

Came and Wagstaff also in squad 

Lancashire have Phil Salt and Joss Buttler available for the rest of their group games. They have named the following squad for the game against Northamptonshire tonight, which seems unlikely to change much for us:

Keaton Jennings (c), James Anderson, Jack Blatherwick, Jos Buttler, Chris Green, Tom Hartley, Matty Hurst, Michael Jones, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Ashton Turner, Luke Wells, Luke Wood

It won't be easy, tomorrow...

Meanwhile, Yorkshire has named the following squad for the game against Worcestershire tonight, again likely to be similar to what will play at Chesterfield: 

Bairstow, Bess, Chohan, Luxton, Malan, Milnes, Moriarty, O'Rourke, Revis, Sutherland, Thompson, Wharton

While acknowledging the talent of former England men Bairstow and Malan, the rest represent a side that has also struggled in this competition. They will be aware of their recent record against Derbyshire at Chesterfield and will want to put it right, but I think this a game in which Derbyshire can come out on top.

What do you think? 

Perception, perspective, recruitment and overseas roles..

Leicestershire (H)

Northamptonshire (A)

Middlesex (A)

Glamorgan (H)

Kent (A)

Those are Derbyshire's remaining fixtures in what has been a very impressive, hard-fought and enjoyable red ball season. We are SECOND, with five games to go.

I think it is important to keep a sense of perspective, after the defeat to Lancashire yesterday. 

Realistically, a side of their resources should be beating Derbyshire. As one correspondent pointed out in the comments yesterday, you look at who wasn't playing for them to realise the strength that they have, both in playing staff and financial resources.

For Derbyshire to beat such a side, as I have said before, most of the chosen eleven needs to play at their best and that eleven needs to be the best side at our disposal.

We have badly missed Luis Reece and a fit Harry Moore would also have been in a first choice side, as would David Lloyd. But such challenges have to be faced throughout a season and few counties go through one with their first choice personnel intact. Kent recruited an overseas quick that few had heard of (Keith Dudgeon) and after one match in which he took eight wickets, he couldn't play again. That has to have affected their summer.

I think our first choice eleven is pretty good. You don't get to second place in the league playing bad cricket. Yet the deciding factor will usually come down to squad depth and the quality and contributions of overseas players.

Derbyshire don't have a large squad and could ideally do with strengthening in the winter. Yet with limited resources, it will take some financial creativity to enable that to happen.

For example, two players who *might* strengthen our batting would be Andy Umeed of Somerset and Billy Root of Glamorgan. Both are good cricketers, their contracts ending at the end of this summer and they are currently playing only second team cricket. Both have been suggested to me as potential signings in correspondence. In an ideal world, one or both could be tempted to Derbyshire and most would say, off the cuff, that they would improve us.

Some of you will recall watching Umeed smash an unbeaten 172 off our attack in 2023 when he looked a serious player. Likewise, Root, although in the shadow of his illustrious brother, has played some telling innings for Glamorgan.

Would they be a better option than, say, Amrit Basra and Yousaf bin Naeem? In the short term, maybe, but long term? Someone like Root *could* be a long term replacement for Wayne Madsen, or we might try to recruit a gun overseas bat for that role, as Leicestershire have done with Peter Handscomb. You pay your money and take your choice, but Mickey Arthur is the man who has to improve the current squad within tight finances. I rate Root, but shouldn't a first-class average of 34 be higher? As for Umeed, his first-class average is only 21 and at 29 will he get better?

I won't accept that Caleb Jewell and Blair Tickner have failed this year. The Aussie opener has passed a thousand all-format runs, fielded well, caught brilliantly at slip and averaged over fifty. Being choosy, I would have liked to see more of those fifties converted to hundreds, but such is the level of responsibility for an overseas player. You HAVE to be better than the rest and to be fair to Jewell, he is second only to the incomparable Wayne Madsen in aggregate. For what it is worth, his average is higher than those of both Peter Handscomb and Cameron Bancroft at this stage of the summer, both, dare I say it, bigger name players.

As for Tickner, he seems a top bloke, immensely popular and has done pretty well. He has been heavily involved in decisions on the pitch and has bowled some good spells. But his wickets are costing 32 each and three players have taken more. Is that enough for such a role? But equally, playing devil's advocate, is there a guarantee that someone different next year could do better?

Our destiny still lies in our own hands. The two sides around us, Leicestershire and Glamorgan, have still to be played, as have Kent (who we already beat) and Middlesex. Northamptonshire might be the trickiest game, with the dangerous Yuzi Chahal engaged to the end of the summer to bowl his twirlies. Yet his wickets so far are costing 45 runs each... perceptions, again.

The point of this piece is merely to generate discussion. I think Derbyshire have done well this summer, with selection of overseas players being better than recent seasons. Of course there is always room for improvement, but let's not forget that even our heroes of yesteryear had their bad days. Many would welcome back Michael di Venuto with open arms, yet he only twice exceeded the average of Jewell this season for Derbyshire. I loved Chris Wilkins as an overseas player, but he never got close.

Derbyshire could yet earn promotion, if anyone knows what next season is to look like. Finishing in the top two could mean nothing, if the format of county cricket changes again. They could fall short, but they have given us reason to be cheerful this summer, with a small squad that has found the challenge of fighting on all fronts a considerable one. But we will resume red ball cricket on 22 July in a first v second fixture - when did we last do that? 

As for further improvements, well, they aren't always clearcut and might take time to realise.

But I do think we are moving in the right direction. As supporters, we all need to realise we cannot win every game and most likely won't. The gap between cricketing haves and have nots is widening and is likely to continue to do so. We are punching above our weight and it is good to see.

Stay behind them, because the players will need that support in the closing stages of the summer.

It could yet be memorable.

Derbyshire v Lancashire day four

Lancashire 367 and 406-6 declared

Derbyshire 261 and 251 (Madsen 95*,  Guest 46, Balderson 4-54)

Lancashire won by 261 runs

The forecast rain didn't really materialise and the expected defeat came in the early afternoon at Queen's Park today.

Truth be told, Derbyshire lost this game two days earlier. They didn't bowl especially well after the first session on the opening day, while the batting was indisciplined on the second, meaning they didn't get close enough to parity on the first innings. 

They got a rude awakening, from a Lancashire side that won its first red ball game of the summer. They played as a team, with most people contributing, while Derbyshire relied on the efforts of only two or three players to take the game into the final afternoon. 

Standing like a colossus above them all, once again, was Wayne Madsen. He made 70 in the first innings, which he followed today with an unbeaten 95. It takes his season tally to 97 runs short of the thousand in red ball cricket, at an average of just under 70. Quite what we do without him is something that will occupy minds in the winter ahead, when plans need to be put in place for his eventual retirement. 

As it stands, there is little diminution to his powers and the pity is only that he didn't get the support he needed. Brooke Guest batted with good technique for over an hour, but when he was dismissed, the rest folded somewhat abjectly. It was understandable, on a pitch showing increasing signs of wear, but that is two successive years where Derbyshire have disappointed at Chesterfield. 

It doesn't make any difference to their second place in the table, but they cannot afford many more performances like this one.

The worse news today was that Harry Moore will play no cricket this season, having been diagnosed with a stress fracture of his back. I suspected as much and he will not be the last to find the demands of full-time cricket on a long back a challenge. He will get good advice from Ben Aitchison and Pat Brown, both of who have faced similar challenges. The support will be there for him, but he will miss out on his Hundred gig and Derbyshire are now a confirmed seam bowler down for the rest of the summer.

It is why I have been reluctant to build him up too much at this early stage in his career. He could be our next England player, but he will need good luck and a willingness to work hard on his fitness in order to do so. The difference between talented teen and successful professional is considerable and the path strewn with challenges. 

Naturally, like all of you, I wish Harry the very best of luck in his recovery. I hope we see him back on the field in 2026.

It crossed my mind yesterday, when Rory Haydon was fielding as twelfth man, that he might get a contract for the fifty over competition. With Pat Brown at the Hundred, Derbyshire are down to the bare bones and Haydon, who has taken wickets consistently in the second team and for Staffordshire this summer, would be one worth having a look at. 

We will see, but for now, attention returns to the white ball and initially, the game against today's opponents on Saturday.

Performance levels need to increase considerably, to avoid a repeat of this result and the one last time out at Derby.

Postscript: in his post-match interview - and it was good to see him fronting up after a defeat - Mickey Arthur revealed that he hopes both Luis Reece and David Lloyd will be fit for the next red ball game, against Leicestershire at the Central Co-op County Ground.

That is good news! 

Derbyshire v Lancashire day three

Lancashire 367 and 406-6d (Turner 121*, Balderson 82, Jones 63, Aitchison 3-64)

Derbyshire 261 and 138-3 (Madsen 39* Came 32, Wagstaff 25, Guest 20*)

Derbyshire need 375 runs to win

Unless the weather comes to their aid, Derbyshire will go down to a heavy defeat against Lancashire at Chesterfield tomorrow.

It is little more than they deserve, after an insipid performance on this lovely ground. Only one of these teams has looked like it had an unbeaten record going into this match and it hasn't been Derbyshire.

Despite an admirable opening burst by Ben Aitchison today, the visitors pretty much scored at will and a fine century by Ashton Turner, with good support from George Balderson and Michael Jones, took them to a lead of 512 before Jimmy Anderson declared.

He must expect the forecast showers throughout the day tomorrow to come to little, because they surely didn't need that many runs to be safe from defeat, against a county that has never once made 400 to win in the final innings in 150 years and counting. It was unnecessarily cautious, but if they end up winning it will matter not. If they don't...

When the Derbyshire 'chase' began, it again looked a different pitch. Lancashire were again more consistent in line and length and when Jewell went to Anderson for the fourth time in four red ball innings, the writing was, if not etched upon the wall, at least outlined large in permanent marker. 

Wagstaff and Came resisted well in an attritional half century stand for the second wicket, but neither suggested permanence. There were numerous appeals from a county whose motto should really be 'Plures appellationes quam Dr. Barnardo', but the former eventually drove loosely at the excellent Balderson, who has had a good game here, and was bowled. When Came's resistance ended in the next over, flicking at Bailey, there were even concerns the game might not make the final day.

Jennings spilled a routine catch offered by Madsen soon afterwards, his third of the match, prompting a witty message to me from a friend that 'he should cop them in his mouth, it's usually open..' But it really shouldn't matter, unless the collective overnight Derbyshire rain dance reaps rewards. Guest was also put down, by Turner at slip, otherwise the stout lady might already be working on her scales.

With a few balls now keeping low and the odd one lifting, home hopes rely on that weather preserving their unbeaten record this summer. Madsen remains, having gone past a thousand all-format runs for the fourteenth time (courtesy David Griffin) as does Guest and they need to bat long tomorrow for home hopes to last long into the day.

Yet only the most partisan of supporters would feel it was justified, after a below par and disappointing performance here. 

Seconds win twice against Lancashire

Derbyshire's second team played two T20 matches against their Lancashire counterparts at West Houghton Cricket Club today.

In the first, a strong Derbyshire side won by 5 wickets. Lancashire made 126-7, with the talented Harry Singh making an unbeaten 81 and no one else passing ten. Alex Thomson took 2-20, while Mohammad Ghazanfar and Samit Patel each bowled four tight overs. 

Derbyshire chased them down with five balls to spare, despite Nye Donald being run out without scoring. Yousaf bin Naeem made 39, Ross Whiteley 31 and Harrison Parker 27

The scorecard and video clips can be seen here

In the second game, a much younger side restricted the same Lancashire eleven to 111-9, with Joe Hawkins taking a remarkable 2-12 in his four overs and Ajay Khunti taking 3-13 with his leg spin.

Derbyshire again chased them down to win by four wickets, Khunti (27) and Hawkins (18) the main contributors. Against an attack including Charlie Barnard and Tom Hartley, that was a good effort.

Scorecard and video clips here

Derbyshire v Lancashire day two

Lancashire 367 and 114-1 (Jennings 51*, Wells 31, Bohannon 30*)

Derbyshire 261 (Andersson 79, Madsen 70, Balderson 4-71) 

Lancashire lead by 220 runs

Derbyshire conceded a first innings lead of 106 runs at Chesterfield today, with supporters left feeling much of it was self-inflicted.

I think that is fair, when three are dismissed shouldering arms and another two are 'strangled' down the leg side. With Zak Chappell run out in a dreadful mix up with Martin Andersson when they were going well, it was a day for wondering 'what if'. 

Truth be told, there was no excessive movement once the first hour had gone, though a very occasional delivery nipped in off the pitch. Jimmy Anderson was the danger man and removed both openers with balls that nipped back to first remove Wagstaff leg before, then destroy the stumps of Jewell. That's three times in three innings now, which both will be aware of.

His later spells were less effective, but Balderson bowled well in a skiddy style and dismissed both Came and Guest to deliveries they could have left well alone. Madsen and Guest had steered Derbyshire to calmer waters at lunch, but the dismissal of both in the early afternoon was a blow. The captain batted well again, but was thought out by Hurst, standing up to the stumps to cramp his footwork and Balderson obliging with a pitched up delivery to trap him leg before.

Dal and Andersson took the score on, but like Guest earlier, Nuj never suggested he was in his best form. Andersson was and it was frustrating when Dal was the latest to be dismissed playing no stroke. Chappell also looked in decent touch but his dismissal was poor from both players involved, given the match situation. It left Andersson, who was excellent, exposed with the tail and there was no happy ending this time.

Thereafter it was a procession, but the deficit could have been worse, bar for the battling from middle order and tail. Then again, maybe it should have been better, given those self-inflicted wounds.

Lancashire more consistently bowled in the right areas, something emphasised in their second innings, when Jennings and Wells progressed at a rate too brisk for Derbyshire comfort. The advent of Dal to the attack produced an unplayable ball to bowl Wells, but the ubiquitous Jennings and Bohannon steered them to the close at 114-1, despite good, accurate spells from Tickner and Morley.

At this stage we are fighting for the draw, which might be aided by the Wednesday weather forecast. But with Lancashire hoping for their first red ball win of the summer, they will aim to score quickly tomorrow to progress the game, regardless of the potential for stoppages on the final day.

I wasn't overly impressed by the visitors in the field and had the sound down very early, their constant vocals, 'Oohs' and 'chirping' unnecessary, just as it was at Old Trafford. There's no need for such nonsense and that would be the case were Derbyshire the culprits.

Here endeth the sermon...

Derbyshire v.Lancashire day one

Lancashire 367 (Green 121, Jennings 106, Chappell 4-73)

v Derbyshire

On the basis that you never know how a pitch is playing until both sides have batted on it, I would say honours are even, at the end of day one. But Lancashire will probably be the happier of the two sides, having recovered from 44-4 this morning. 

They did so thanks to contrasting centuries by Keaton Jennings (who I think criminally overlooked by England in recent years) and by Chris Green, who made his maiden first class century and a very fine one indeed.

The score ticked over quickly in the afternoon, as it always does at Chesterfield when the outfield is dry. The boundaries are short and a brisk scoring rate is commonplace. I didn't think Derbyshire bowled badly, but the centurions turned the tide in the afternoon and evening sessions.

It will be Derbyshire's turn to bat tomorrow and no doubt Jimmy Anderson with the new ball will be a test. 

We will see how Derbyshire handle that in due course. But Tickner and Aitchison bowled admirably in the morning and Chappell chipped away throughout the day.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable day of cricket. We will see tomorrow if Derbyshire can keep their promotion challenge on course.

Five million views!

I am just playing catch up on the site admin and I am delighted to say that last week, when we were in Berwick upon Tweed, the blog went past five million views!

I continue to be astonished and humbled by the level of interest, not just from within Derbyshire but from around the world. This year the usage statistics have gone on to another level and there have been almost 180 thousand visits in June alone.

For those who like their statistics, I have written 4783 posts since the blog started and there have been nearly twenty thousand comments.

Thank you all for your continued engagement. Let's hope I can celebrate later by reporting on a good day for Derbyshire at Chesterfield!

Book Review: Breaking Barriers: Barbados to England and Back by Roland Butcher with Dr Sasha Sutherland

I cannot recall a book with so many forewords as this one, but they are all worthy preludes to an interesting read. When they are supplied by the likes of Sir Clive Lloyd, Lord Ian Botham, Dr Desmond Haynes and Mike Brearley, you realise early on the standing of the subject in the game. 

I saw Roland Butcher throughout his career and he was a powerful middle order bat, as well as being a very fine fielder in any position. Perhaps his greatest claim to fame was being the first black player to be selected for England, in 1981, as well as scoring the fastest half century on debut by an England player, a record that stood until fairly recently. 

His childhood began in the Caribbean, living with his grandmother, before he and his sister moved to the UK to join their parents. It is interesting to read that he experienced more issues in the Caribbean than in this country, though it may have helped that he played in an outstanding Middlesex side with five regular black players and a club where ethnic and social backgrounds were not so much a barrier to inclusion as elsewhere.

What I hadn't realised before reading this book is that he has played a considerable role in football, as a coach first with Arsenal, then Reading. He has also been involved in the governance of sport, as well as talent identification and high performance training. 

It is a highly enjoyable read, covering the issues of racism within the game and with a statistical section that puts other books to shame. There are scorecards of major matches in which he was involved, career statistics and testimonials. It serves as a worthy reminder that he was a very good player over the best part of two decades.

It is, in short, an excellent read, worthy of the player and of a man who has lived a good and fulfilling life.

Breaking Barriers: Barbados to England.. and Back is written by Roland Butcher with Dr Sasha Sutherland and distributed by Fairfield Books 

Derbyshire v Lancashire preview

Ah Chesterfield, my Chesterfield...

Scene of my first match supporting Derbyshire, The 1969 Gillette Cup semi-final, Rhodes and Ward, Hendo v Boycott, Wilkins dropping them in the boating lake, Azharuddin's double ton, Bishop v Tendulkar... and the decision to bat first last year, against Yorkshire...

We must hope that the next four days brings a return to happier memories than last year, when we were over 200 behind after the first day. In our favour is the visit of a Lancashire side that hasn't won a game all season in red ball cricket and, for all its talents, isn't as strong as the white ball equivalent. To my knowledge, none of them will have played at Queen's Park before, so there is a decided 'Advantage Derbyshire' before the start of the game.

Jimmy Anderson will captain the side again, after criticism of his leadership in the game against Kent at Blackpool last weekend. Many felt he should have bowled more overs, especially when only three wickets were required after tea. He will be keen to make amends and also make the most of what is likely to be his only appearance at this wonderful, historic ground. 

There is no news as yet of the Lancashire squad, but it is likely they will field a side close to the one that should have beaten Kent. Both T20 overseas players, Ashton Turner and Chris Green played, so one assumes they are likely to do again. 

Likely side: 

Wells, Jennings, Bohannon, Turner, Hurst, Jones, Green, Balderson, Bailey, Stanley, Anderson.

Luke Wells will likely go to his bed tonight cuddling his bat and dreaming of more runs against us, but Derbyshire can win this game, if they win the toss, make the right decision and pick the right side. 

It is likely that there will be turn, as there so often is at Chesterfield, so Mitch Wagstaff is likely to play, replacing the injured David Lloyd and offering a spin option. Mickey Arthur may also consider Alex Thomson and supporters will hope that Blair Tickner is fit to take his place in the side once again. 

Likely Derbyshire side: 

Jewell, Wagstaff, Came, Madsen, Guest, Dal, Andersson, Thomson/Aitchison, Chappell, Tickner, Morley

Donald and Brown also in the squad.

The weather looks set fair, although predicted showers on the final afternoon could be a challenge. It is hard to predict a result on an outground, without prior knowledge of the pitch, but Derbyshire will again aim to acquit themselves well. 

I hope they do and that the game is blessed by good weather and large crowds.

Postscript: thanks to Simon for alerting me to a piece in the England/India Test match programme, in which it suggests Amrit Basra has signed a contract for Derbyshire, that will allow him to play in the Metro Bank One Day Cup. 

Until it is announced by the club, I guess we need to hold fire on excitement, but he has reeled off a number of fine innings for SACA and also for Derbyshire Seconds and is certainly worthy of greater opportunity. 

He seems a little further on in his development than Yousaf bin Naeem at this stage, so it makes sense to see if he can cut it at a higher level. With Madsen, Donald, Moore and Brown engaged elsewhere, Derbyshire will be short on numbers. 

Let's hope that Rory Haydon, another who has returned good figures in the second team, gets a short-term contract to show what he can do. 

As I have said with Mitch Wagstaff, we are only going to appreciate their potential ceiling when they have an opportunity to build an extension...

Fine finish in store for the second team

There is an enthralling finish in store for the second team in their game against Surrey 

Derbyshire were all out for 214, with Basra making 93. Majid took five wickets and Cameron Steel three, before Surrey made 268 in their second innings. Sykes top scored with 58, while Majid made 47. 

Mitch Wagstaff followed his own first innings of 58 with the excellent figures of 5-87. Will Tarrant took 2-20, with the home side leaving Derbyshire 238 to win in two days.

By the close they were 42-0, with Tarrant on 24 and Wagstaff 18. 

Good days for those two lads and a fine finish set for tomorrow! 

Logically, Wagstaff should get a game at Chesterfield against Lancashire if David Lloyd is injured. 

I hope so, the lad deserves it.

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day four

Please put your comments here

Not seen it, but shouldn't we have won, after the excellent start from Jewell and Came? 

I'd regard that as an opportunity missed, at this distance...

Another good effort by Seconds against Surrey

There was another good effort by the second team today, on the first day of the 4-day match against Surrey at New Malden.

Surrey opted to bat but were bowled out for 183 by a young Derbyshire attack. Nick Potts was the senior member and he took four wickets, while there were two each for Academy players Stewart and Karim, while Staffordshire player Rory Haydon made the early breakthrough and also took two.

Will Tarrant went for a duck in the Derbyshire reply but Mitch Wagstaff (58) and Amrit Basra (75*) added 113 for the second wicket. Once Wagstaff was dismissed, both Bin Naeem and skipper Nye Donald went quickly, before Stewart saw it to the close with the score 161-4.

I have to say Basra, from SACA, has impressed me a good few times this season and looks a player who really should get an opportunity at first class level. He seems to see the ball early and has both a full range of shots and wonderful timing. 

I hope he can push on tomorrow. 

You can see the scorecard and video clips here

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day three

Please put your comments here.

Has there not been so much movement/spin today or did the Gloucestershire batters just do a very good job? 

With the forecast, a draw looking the most likely result now? 

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire Day Two

Nice to see another good day of cricket by the county.

Obviously superb batting by Madsen and Came, was the decline pitch/bowling induced or maybe a lack of application? 

Fingers crossed the weather holds and, if we can make early inroads, a win would be very important, putting distance between us and the chasing pack. Especially with Glamorgan currently under the cosh against Leicestershire.

Under 18s thrash Yorkshire

Whisper it quietly, but there is some serious talent coming through the Derbyshire pathway. 

Today the under 18s thrashed their Yorkshire counterparts in a T20 match at York, winning by 108 runs.

Choosing to bat after winning the toss, Rohan Vallabhaneni blasted 50 from just 21 balls, ending up with 61 from 28, before he was caught. He hit seven fours and four sixes and appears a player of astonishing talent. Hall gave late impetus with 43 from 25 balls and the final total of 196-9 would have been challenging at any level.

Yorkshire never got going and a keen Derbyshire seam attack saw, Green, Stewart and Charles take two wickets each. The tall Karim started the ball rolling with the first wicket, while Abrar, a powerful bat and left arm spinner, took the last two.

They all look talented lads and to so convincingly beat a traditionally strong county like Yorkshire was some effort.

Matt Stewart, who has impressed me with an unusually good command of line and length, also found time to effect a 'Les Jackson style' run out in his follow through. The former county great regularly ran out batters attempting to steal a run from his bowling and it put the seal on an outstanding display.

A fine day on all levels, I am sure you will agree. 

You can see video clips and scorecard here

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 1

Gloucestershire 187 (Bancroft 58, Bracey 47, Morley 6-55, Thomson 2-20, Chappell 2-44)

Derbyshire 116-2 (Lloyd 35, Jewell 32, Came 29*, Madsen 18*)

Derbyshire trail by 71 runs

A magnificent, career-best 6-55 by Jack Morley put Derbyshire in the driving seat in the game at Bristol today. 

I don't think anyone will have seen an all-out first innings total of 187, when Bancroft and Phillips led off with a stand of 68 runs for the first wicket. Yet once Morley was introduced to the attack, the game changed. The ball turned, but not excessively and he achieved success by bowling an accurate line and length with just enough turn to find the edge of the bat, or miss it and hit the stumps..

He looked a bowler of great quality and yet again left me thinking that Lancashire backed the wrong horse when they allowed him to leave. He outbowled Tom Hartley at Old Trafford and here could hardly have bowled a better spell. 

He was well-supported by Zak Chappell, who looked to be in better rhythm than for a while and bowled well, while Alex Thomson nicked in with two wickets of his own, crucially getting the dangerous van Buuren with one that straightened nicely. The catches were held too, Ben Aitchison taking  four of varying degrees of difficulty. The one that started the rot, a diving, one-handed effort at mid-off, set the tone for an excellent, disciplined effort in the field, where only four byes were conceded as extras. Wayne Madsen also skippered the side well, setting astute, sometimes unusual fields to support his bowlers.

For Gloucestershire, Bancroft batted patiently and was perhaps unlucky to be given out caught behind, but the rest, apart from James Bracey, seemed off the pace today. Perhaps the sad morning news of the passing of David Lawrence unsettled them, but they will have been disappointed when the innings closed for just 187.

Towards the end of the home innings, Singh Dale was struck on the arm by Chappell and I fully expected him to be running in hard when the Derbyshire innings began. He did and so did Akhter, but Jewell and Lloyd accumulated well until the former drove at Akhter and was brilliantly caught at slip by Bancroft, though it wasn't picked up by the cameras. 

Lloyd and Came then took the score on, but after looking good, as he so often does, David rather gave it away and was caught at cover. He had earlier played a delightful stroke to deposit Murphy over midwicket for six and it is such a shame he cannot convert these starts into a big score.

Came, moving his feet well and Madsen saw it through to the close against the all-spin attack of van Buuren and the Australian international, Murphy. Neither, at this stage, got as much from the wicket as Morley did earlier, but one assumes they will be the danger as the match progresses.

The assertiveness of the Derbyshire response took them within 71 of the home first innings by the close. A good day with the bat tomorrow will put them firmly in the box seat and while one can never fully legislate against a collapse, I hope the current advantage can be pressed home tomorrow. It will be a very big day of cricket that could be season-defining.

In closing, a word about the stream. I was critical about Derbyshire's on Friday, but it was still still a country mile ahead of the one at Bristol today. Of course it is appreciated, but surely something more than a fixed camera at either end should be possible at this stage in streaming development?

Regardless of that, the Derbyshire return to red ball cricket could scarcely have gone better today.

Postscript: we are going away to our favourite haunt at Berwick upon Tweed tomorrow for a few days, so I won't see much of the play live. 

I will post a space for your comments each day and add anything as I feel fit from scanning through the stream at the end of it.

Book Review: In Syd's Voice: The Extraordinary Life of Dave Lawrence by Dean Wilson

This is indeed the extraordinary recounting of an extraordinary life. 

A man whose family was part of the Windrush generation, who became a highly regarded county cricketer and might have done the same at international level. Yet the snapped kneecap sustained against New Zealand in 1992 forced his subsequent retirement from the game at the age of 29, despite three attempted comebacks.

He later ran a restaurant business and then a night club and in his forties and fifties, became involved in bodybuilding and enjoyed considerable success at that too.

All of his well-lived life is admirably documented by Dean Wilson and the book is well served by an exemplary collection of photographs. 

For those who never saw 'Syd' in his prime, he was an awesome sight, often partnering Courtney Walsh for Gloucestershire in a very fast attack. The photograph of him lying on the turf at Basin Reserve in Wellington brings back the news clips vividly and it speaks volumes for his character that he was able to even make attempts at coming back as he did. 

Yet that sadness is nothing compared to the account of his battle with motor neurone disease. It would take a hardened soul not to shed a tear at the challenges that this brave and outstanding man has faced. I wasn't strong enough, I will admit to that.

This isn't an easy read - how can it be, given the subject matter, including racism within the county game? But it is a book that will live long in the memory of those who read it.

None of us know what the future has in store and this book is testimony to that. But David Lawrence comes out of it as a man of decency, integrity and bravery.

We can surely all aspire to that.

In Syd's Voice: the Extraordinary Life of Dave Lawrence is written by Dean Wilson and published by Fairfield Books

Postscript: I had just published this piece when the news broke of David's passing.

Rest in Peace, David Lawrence. Fine cricketer, fine man

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire preview

Derbyshire return to red ball action tomorrow against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Surprisingly, there has been no announcement of a Derbyshire squad for this one, but it might be that we go in with two spinners. The game will be played with a Kookaburra ball and the complaint from players around the country - mainly bowlers - has been that it tends to go soft after around 30 overs.

Our hosts have recruited Australian off spinner Todd Murphy and both he and Cameron Bancroft will hope to get their side closer to Derbyshire in the table by the end of this game - there are currently twenty points between them.

Gloucestershire squad:

Bancroft, Murphy, van Buuren, Akhter, Syed, Phillips, Bracey, Bailey, Singh Dale, Charlesworth (B), Price, Boorman, Hammond.

In the absence of a squad, it is hard to call the Derbyshire side, but I would be surprised if Luis Reece was fit, after limping out of last week's second team game.

Likely eleven:

Lloyd, Jewell, Came, Madsen, Guest, Dal, Andersson, Thomson/Aitchison, Chappell, Tickner, Morley

I can't call this one, but the toss will be important and spin could be a decisive factor in the result. There looks likely to be rain interruptions on the last two days, so here's hoping our players are refreshed and raring to go! 

What do you think? 

Postscript - squad just announced, Pat Brown also in the thirteen-man squad

Latest Radio Interview

My latest interview with Matt Rhodes of North Derbyshire Radio is now available online.

It turned out that I was quite psychic with regard to last night's game...we also discuss the return to red ball cricket and the recognition of Devon Malcolm in the King's Birthday Honours List, as well as the two wins last weekend

You can hear the interview here

I am on just after 28.40