Derbyshire v Northamptonshire preview

There's a first for me tonight, even after all this time. I haven't written a blog about Derbyshire while sitting looking out at the ground from my hotel room! I paid a little extra for the privilege, but consider it money well spent. 

That comes after a journey down that was much less fun and took me six hours, with roadworks and closures a-plenty. I have made a mental note to do next month's Chesterfield trip by train, which takes just four hours and should leave me less tired at the end of it.

Anyway, Mickey Arthur has named a squad of fifteen for the game that starts tomorrow against Northamptonshire. Mitch Wagstaff is in there, but there is no place for second team century makers Amrit Basra and Yusuf Bin Naeem. I honestly can't call a final eleven here, but I assume Nick Potts is in to encourage additional efforts after a good display at Belper. I find it hard to believe Nye Donald will play either, since he has been water and helmet carrier for the last two matches and hasn't had much time in the middle himself.

Squad: 

Wayne Madsen, Harry Came, Martin Andersson, Luis Reece, Nye Donald, Shoaib Bashir, Ben Aitchison, Jack Morley, Matthew Montgomery,

Mitch Wagstaff, Caleb Jewell, Nick Potts, Brooke Guest, Zak Chappell, Rory Haydon

So my best guess is that the side will be largely unchanged. I would like to think Mitch Wagstaff might get an opportunity, but he might have preferred a lesser challenge than Ben Sanderson, a very canny bowler and Harry Conway, who has run in hard for them this summer.  He never gets easy opportunities, does Mitch, but I hope he gets it tomorrow and even more so I hope he takes it.

The visitors are currently second in the table, after the demolition job that they did on Worcestershire. Sanderson took 7-31 in that one and it will be interesting to see if the Derbyshire batting lineup has had its confidence restored, because they will be tested here.

Their squad:

Luke Procter (c), George Bartlett, Justin Broad, Harry Conway, Calvin Harrison, Louis Kimber, Lewis McManus (wk), Nathan McSweeney, James Sales, Ben Sanderson, George Scrimshaw, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Saif Zaib

The forecast is decent for the game, although rain is likely both tomorrow and Saturday afternoons. It depends which way the wind blows and we can only hope that Derbyshire show at least a return to form after three straight losses.

I can't forecast a win, because it's at Derby and you can't, in our current run of form. 

I just hope the next three days sees good players performing at their best and if it isn't enough, so be it.

Book Review - Catching The Light: A New Anthology of Cricket Poetry

I have always enjoyed poetry - GOOD poetry - since my high school days. Studying the poets of The Great War, the Romantic poets and the Metaphysical has stuck with me to this day. Moving forward, I have appreciated the works of such diverse writers as Matt Mcginn, Pam Ayres  and Brian Bilston.

So to a great extent, receiving this book in the post was very much a case of preaching to the converted. Throw in the greatest of my sporting loves, cricket and it was sure to have something to appeal. 

There are some very good poems in this volume, which admirably collects together some of the finest of recent years. I have to admit to most enjoying a poem with an obvious rhythm and ideally rhyme, which some may consider the words of a philistine, but I am old enough now to know what I like and, indeed, like what I know. 

I especially liked The Game That's Never Done by Eleanor and Herbert Farjeon, while Luck Of The Toss - Rustic Cricket in Derbyshire by Alfred Cochrane was always going to appeal - and did.

But there is plenty here to capture the imagination, make you think and make you smile. 

I have to applaud the publishers of this volume, Fairfield Books. This may or may not be a big seller, but it is important that these poems are out there and gathered into one place. 

The format is excellent, the book compact and it is a very enjoyable read

Catching the Light: A New Anthology of Cricket Poetry is edited by Nicholas Hogg and Tim Beard and published by Fairfield Books 

Seconds lose at Belper

Despite a century from Yusuf Bin Naeem, following that of Amrit Basra yesterday, the second eleven lost to Leicestershire by 48 runs at Belper today.

After Joe Hall was dismissed, following a half century stand, the tail fell away and the dismissal of Naeem saw the end of the county's hopes.

A good game of cricket though and an excellent learning curve for the young home side.

Scorecard and clips  here

Thrilling final day in prospect after Basra century

A terrific effort by the Second Eleven has given them an outside chance of a surprise win in the friendly against Leicestershire at Belper.

Matt Stewart took 5-52 and Will Rogers 2-40 as Leicestershire were bowled out for 229 today, Ben Mike top scoring with 85. 

It left Derbyshire 350 to win and they made a dreadful start, with both Wagstaff and Cliffe dismissed without scoring. Then came a wonderful partnership of 163 in 31 overs between Amrit Basra and Yusuf Bin Naeem. Basra, who looked in wonderful touch, scored exactly a hundred from just 90 deliveries, with 13 fours and 2 sixes. He was eventually caught in the deep and although Vallabhaneni was leg before after a bright cameo, captain Bin Naeem and under-18 skipper Niall McHale took their team to the close on 209-4,  the former unbeaten on an excellent and patient 67.

141 to win tomorrow, the lower order will need to do better than in the first innings, but it sounds like an excellent match between a young Derbyshire side and their visitors who have several more experienced players. Stewart is showing he can take wickets having moved up a level, while the senior batters in a young side are scoring good runs.

Scorecard and video clips here

Derby bound...

I will be up early tomorrow, possibly rivalling the birds and aiming to be on the road for around 6am. Probably singing, to the tune of the old Typically Tropical song from 1975,  'Woh, I'm going to Derbados'...

I look forward to having lunch with a friend (and fellow supporter) before making my way to my hotel and a rest. Assuming things have gone to plan, I have a nice room overlooking the hallowed turf at Derby, with a short walk to follow to the ground each morning. 

It will be lovely to be there again and meet up with friends old and new. Do please stop me and say hello, if you see me wandering around the ground on the first three days of the fixture. I am always happy to chat and a great deal of the enjoyment I have had from doing this blog has come from the many friends that I have made over nineteen years.

Since the passing of my parents, I don't get down there as often. But in this sixtieth year as a supporter, I wanted to mark it with a trip to Derby and to Chesterfield, where it all began on July 10 and 11 in 1967. A bit of an homage to my old Dad, who never realised what he had started, at least not then.

This week the blog went past seven million views and I wrote the five thousandth post. I wonder where that time went - and how many times over those years I have typed 'Madsen'...

Actually I tend to speak it now and let my phone microphone do the work. It saves my arthritic hands, even though the phone struggles with certain words in my accent. 'Madsen' usually comes out 'Madison', 'Aitchison' it hears as 'HSN' and 'Aneurin Donald' becomes either 'annoying' or 'a night in'. Though astonishingly it gets 'Ghazanfar' every time, I know not why..

Anyway, even after all this time, readership levels continue to grow and wherever you read it, thank you SO much for your involvement. Special thanks to those who contribute comments and a little aide memoire to PLEASE add your name to them. I will reserve the right not to publish critical comment if there is no name added. 

A few people have asked me if I will always do the blog. Honestly, there is a challenge in trying to be upbeat when the subject is more worthy of Nightmare on Elm Street at times. Perhaps twenty years, by the end of next season, is a good place to stop. I don't know, I will see how things go but it would be nice to write about another trophy before I wrap things up. Which perhaps commits me to another decade...

Anyway, hopefully see you at Derby. Drop me a message on X (@peakfanblog) or an email to peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk if you fancy a chat, a brew or whatever while I am down, before, during or after the day's play. Or just grab a seat next to me, or stroll as I get my steps in over the day. Can't have the dogs think I am slacking!

Hopefully we see an upturn in our fortunes.

And the sun shining, of course!

Seconds trail at Belper

The young and fairly inexperienced Derbyshire second team recorded a first innings deficit of 120 runs at Belper today. 

They were all out for 223, in response to Leicestershire's first innings of 343, in which Nick Potts recorded figures of 4-66.

The Derbyshire innings was built around scores by the best known batters. Mitch Wagstaff  made 55 and Yusuf Bin Naeem 41, before Amrit Basra nursed the tail and was last out for an excellent 74.

When Leicestershire went in again, Matt Stewart took three quick wickets, including first innings centurion Sheridon Gumbs, Jamie Dunk and Sol Budinger, in a spell of 3-35

Scorecard and video clips here

Honours even at Belper

There was a fairly even day at Belper, as Leicestershire made 294-8 against Derbyshire Seconds.

They were indebted to Sheridon Gumbs, who is presumably trialling from Surrey. He made 111 and played pretty much a lone hand against an accurate Derbyshire attack. 

There were three wickets for Nick Potts and two for Matt Stewart as the home side were well on top at one stage. Forcing home the advantage seemed to be a contagious condition within the club, however, as Leicestershire recovered from 185-6 to their closing total. 

Derbyshire interestingly had two trialists in the attack, both of them left arm seamers. James Trodd has played for several county second teams, while William Rogers is from Loughborough UCCE. He turned in very accurate figures of 19 overs for just 36 runs, but without taking a wicket. 

Perhaps, in the continued absence from the attack of Luis Reece, the county are looking for someone who might offer the variety and different angle in the attack. Who knows, but the attack bowled with discipline today and it is encouraging to see both Potts and Stewart continuing to be in the wickets. 

The latter appears to have filled out from last season, perhaps his winter in Australia having contributed to that. It will do his long-term prospects no harm and I will watch his continued progress with considerable interest.

Scorecard and clips here

Kent v Derbyshire day 4

Kent 352 and 335

Derbyshire 304 and 158 (Reece 67, Milne 6-12)

Kent won by 225 runs

What has gone wrong at Derbyshire?

After seven days of the summer, there was more sweetness and light than in a double bill of Shirley Temple films, followed by reruns of The Waltons. 

The county had come close to beating a relegated side, Worcestershire and were well on top against the highly-fancied Lancashire. Since then, the wheels have come off in spectacular fashion. Collapsing badly to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at Old Trafford, before playing some poor cricket against Gloucestershire. They lost almost all of their attack over the winter, yet were still more than a match for a Derbyshire side in seeming disarray. 

In this game, against the second of the three teams widely tipped to be contesting the wooden spoon, we have looked off the pace, undercooked, ill-prepared, call it as you will. I hesitate to say it, but some of the cricket has been unworthy of first-class status. That the best player has been one who was fairly recently playing Minor Counties speaks volumes.

Matt Milnes bowled very well, but the visiting batters didn't make his work overly strenuous. The lineup just doesn't look right to me. The top three shows little confidence, yet we have an experienced opening bat who is one of our best two players at six - consigned to batting with the tail - and someone whose best days for the county have been when he batted three, down at number seven. I don't know about Brooke Guest, but when I batted high in the order I had the mentality of a top order player, down the order, less so. My gut feeling is Brooke likes to be involved and not sitting waiting to bat - let's not forget he opened for Australia Under-19s.

Meanwhile, a lad who is scoring runs for fun, opening in the second team, can't get into the squad. I cannot be alone in failing to make sense of this.

Rightly or wrongly there appears to be a disconnect between the first and second team, with elevation seemingly a notional, rather than realistic idea.

I travel down to Derby on Thursday for the first of my trips this season. I said to my wife this morning that I wish I hadn't bothered, because my expectations are currently very low. How can they be otherwise after recent displays? 

Mickey Arthur has to start earning his generous salary and show that he is prepared to take tough decisions. It is all well and good having overnight sound bites that we look on the final day as 'an opportunity' and 'we stick together and keep believing' when the batting order is clearly shorn of confidence and needs an urgent overhaul, merely to compete. 

There's no point in playing Nye Donald in the next match, as he has been carrying drinks for the last two and needs time in the middle. But Mitch Wagstaff and Amrit Basra SURELY need to come into the side, while others search for form?

I know we have had injuries, bad ones, season-ending in some cases. I know our overseas strike bowler has headed off to Bangladesh unexpectedly. These are things against which you have to rail, develop a siege mentality and overcome. I have nothing but admiration for Luis Reece, who has the illness of his child in the background, yet is producing performance after performance, even with a bad ankle himself. In this match he looked like the 'ringer' brought in by a club side to give them a chance.

If a few others showed they can do the same, we switch personnel and tweak the order, maybe - just maybe - we can salvage something, anything from what until now is a car crash season.

Chappell and Aitchison battled hard in what is not their main discipline, to at least take the game into the afternoon session but it was not enough, as Kent ran out overwhelming winners by 225 runs. They played as a team, battled down the order, held some fine catches and looked in a different class. The bottom team looked in a different class. Let that sink in...

Finally, after the game I don't want to hear any complaints about the pitch on the last day. The odd one kept low, an occasional one lifted, but that is what I would expect from a fourth day pitch.

Lest we forget, we consigned ourselves to batting last on it, when we won the toss and opted to bowl...

Ugh, that was horrible to watch. 

Postscript. Anticipating a question that will surely come, what team would I go with against Northamptonshire, were I in charge?

We have to shake up the top order, because we aren't getting starts. 

I would rest Caleb Jewell and let him work with the batting coach, maybe have a hit with a league team at the weekend. Same goes for Harry Came, who could be considered unlucky, but I would want to accommodate Basra's vitality and go with this side:

Reece, Wagstaff, Guest, Madsen, Andersson, Montgomery, Basra, Chappell, Aitchison, Haydon, Bashir. 

Would it do any better? 

Could it do any worse? 

Kent v. Derbyshire day 3

Kent 352 and 335 (Benjamin 123, Evison 88, Haydon 5-81)

Derbyshire 304 and 19-1

Derbyshire need 365 to win

I haven't time for a lengthy blog this evening, as we are having a family get together. It is much more enjoyable than the cricket. 

Derbyshire did well this morning and made early inroads, but a partnership between Joey Evison and Chris Benjamin added 184 runs and took them from 122-6 to 306 and calm waters. 

Both of them batted very well, but nothing much happened with the ball in that period. Although Derbyshire bowled fairly well, the highlight was a second, five-wicket haul for Rory Haydon, giving him match figures of 10-163. He did very well, while once again Ben Aitchison beat the bat frequently without taking the edge. 

Kent set Derbyshire 384 to win and neither Harry Came nor Caleb Jewell looked comfortable in the closing session, with Dudgeon and Milne producing excellent spells.

It was no real surprise when Jewell was out in the final over and Derbyshire will face a real fight to salvage even a draw from this game.

Their hope is in surviving the first spells with the new-ish ball, because it seemed today to become much easier as the ball became older, as one might expect.

Historically, chances of a win would appear as likely as yours truly being on the next series of Strictly Come Dancing...

Kent v Derbyshire day 2

Kent 352 and 38-2 (Haydon 2-15)

Derbyshire 304 (Reece 84, Andersson 37, Madsen 35, Dudgeon 4-78, Milnes 3-87)

Kent lead by 86 runs

I stand by my assertion that this was an even game last night. Derbyshire had taken ten wickets and had the same number of their own in hand. The pitch, while offering some movement, was clearly good for batting, as the better players showed. 

So the first hour this morning made for uncomfortable viewing. 

Caleb Jewell looks a shadow of the player of 2025 and has not suggested permanence in his displays so far. He has a more pronounced movement across his crease than last year and perhaps this is affecting his balance, but neither he, nor Derbyshire can afford continued failure. Were he not the overseas player, his place would be under threat and that status should not make any difference. The overseas batter is crucial to Derbyshire and Caleb's struggles are part of the reason for that of the side so far. 

Mitch Wagstaff has been in a rich vein of form and if he cannot get in the side when one of his rivals is clearly struggling, one has to question why he is on the staff. He is entitled to feel harshly done by.

Harry Came played some nice shots, but his tendency to 'push' at good length balls when not quite at the pitch cost him here. As for Matthew Montgomery, he played a couple of delightful on side strokes but then 'held the pose' when Milnes brought one back into him, which made the umpire's decision considerably easier than it should have been.

It is these things that frustrate as a Derbyshire fan. You take ten wickets on the first day and have advanced the game. Poor batting cost the top order - again - and any side with aspirations of improvement simply cannot hope to do so, when putting themselves behind the eight ball  with such frequency.

Since the opening day stand of 82, our first wicket has put on stands of 0, 10, 8, 9 and 30. It puts pressure on those to come and gives impetus to the opposition. When looking for small gains on the way to improvement, that's an obvious one, right there.

Yet it was a poor effort down the order. When your top nine make double figures, yet no one bar Luis Reece goes past 37, it is hugely disappointing. Kent bowled tidily, but this isn't one of the strongest attacks in the division, especially with the players they have missing. Keith Dudgeon bowled well, but before this match his wickets were costing over 40 runs each, which tells a story.

For a while, Madsen and Andersson made batting look straightforward, but enough deliveries either kept low or lifted a little to suggest that Derbyshire made the wrong call at the toss - not for the first time. It would be interesting to know if the current uncertainty around the top order was in any way a contributory factor towards this.

That Derbyshire got within fifty of the home score was down to an outstanding innings by Luis Reece. He hit five sixes in an innings that again showed his strength of character, as well as his talent. Is the county missing a trick in batting him so low in the order? You could argue that having him open with Mitch Wagstaff, as a mentor perhaps, would not weaken the batting in any way. 

Is there potential in a side that leads with Reece, Wagstaff, Came, Madsen, Montgomery, Andersson, Guest etc? I really hope Jewell comes good, but an average of 18 is worrying.

When Kent went in again, the impressive Haydon removed both openers in another excellent opening spell. Rory isn't especially quick, nor does he try to be, but he puts the ball in the right areas and nips it around. His is an excellent example of someone waiting for opportunity, then grasping it with both hands when it came.

When rain brought about an early close, Kent were 86 ahead with eight wickets in hand. Probably slight favourites now, with two days to go, as the pitch won't get any better.

The first session tomorrow will be very important and whoever comes out on top in it will likely take the win points, if the threatened rain stays away long enough for a positive result.

I'd love to be optimistic, but until Arthur's men have shown they can handle pressure, I am finding that increasingly difficult.

Kent v. Derbyshire day 1

Kent 352 (Bell-Drummond 129, Benjamin 56, Crawley 44, Haydon 5-82)

Derbyshire 24-0 (Came 16*, Jewell 8*)

Derbyshire trail by 328 runs

On a day on which Ben Aitchison took his 100th wicket in all cricket and Wayne Madsen held his 400th catch, it was a maiden five-wicket haul by Rory Haydon that ensured Derbyshire bowled Kent out for 352 today.

I didn't see the morning session, as we were travelling back from Berwick-on-Tweed after another lovely holiday. I managed to rewind the stream (fixed cameras...) and saw the wickets. 

It was pleasing to see the Kent top order removed, but when I settled down to watch in the afternoon, I said to my wife that Daniel Bell-Drummond was enjoying such luck that a century was sure to come. He was fortunate to survive a very good spell from Zak Chappell after lunch, when he nearly played on and could have been leg before. There were a number of play and misses too, but around them a number of dazzling strokes that highlighted once again what a very good cricketer he is.

He was well-supported by the lower order, especially Chris Benjamin, but the Derbyshire bowlers stuck well to their task. It is hard to tell at this stage if 352 is a good or only middling score, but Derbyshire will want to bat long and with a similar collective battling mentality as that shown by their hosts.

The ball of the day was certainly the one with which Andersson dismissed Crawley, while the catch must have been the one held by Wayne Madsen from the bowling of Haydon. It flew up to his right and he held it with the aplomb of a man plucking an apple from a tree. There doesn't appear to be an awful lot wrong with his eyes, that's for sure. 

Yet the day belonged to Rory Haydon. I have been a fan since I first saw him in action for the second team and he just looks a good bowler. He is  always there or thereabouts, was still running in with the same enthusiasm at the end of the day and fully deserved his first five-wicket haul in first class cricket. I have every confidence that it will not be the last. 

Derbyshire had a tricky five overs to face before the close and they reached 24-0 without too many alarms. I would love to see a good partnership between Jewell and Came tomorrow, as a prelude to a long and enjoyable and enjoyable - from a Derbyshire perspective - innings!

Probably honours even at this stage, but tomorrow will probably be very important for both sides.

(Stats from David Griffin X feed)

Kent v Derbyshire County Championship previe

Despite his recent form, there is no Mitch Wagstaff in the Derbyshire squad of thirteen for tomorrow's red ball four-day game against Kent at Canterbury

So I wouldn't expect much of a change from the side that I otherwise suggested the other night. With Muhammad Abbas away with Pakistan, Anuj Dal injured and Harry Moore out for the season, it basically picks itself. 

Rory Haydon (or as Mickey Arthur referred to him the other day, The Stoke Abbas) will likely come in to this side:

Came, Jewell, Montgomery, Madsen, Guest, Andersson, Reece, Chappell, Aitchison, Haydon, Bashir - plus Donald and Morley

Meanwhile Adam Hollioake has also named a squad of thirteen for Kent.

Daniel Bell-Drummond leads the side, with Zak Crawley also available for this match.

Jaydn Denly returns to the squad after good form for the Second XI, whilst fellow young homegrown Kent talent Ben Dawkins, Ekansh Singh & Jas Singh are also selected.

Ben Compton suffered from a compound dislocation of his finger in the field last time out away at Worcestershire, and has undergone surgery. Grant Stewart & Matt Quinn remain out due to injuries sustained in training, as is former Derbyshire player Mikey Cohen

Their squad:

Bell-Drummond, Benjamin, Crawley, Dawkins, Denly, Dudgeon, Evison, Milnes, Muyeye, Northeast, Parkinson, Singh, Singh

There is a bit of rain around, but both sides will be desperate for a win here and I expect a positive result.

At this stage, I couldn't honestly say which way it will go, but I hope that Derbyshire can rise from recent travails and kick start their season.

What do you think?

Random observations from afar

I didn't see any of today's cricket, as I explained a couple of nights back. But I had no real expectation of Derbyshire battling for a draw and it is just frustrating that a team who competed so well against very good sides, in Worcestershire and Lancashire, totally capitulated against one who most would say were not as strong.

Mickey Arthur compared the visitors to 'a pack of starving dogs'. So why weren't we? We hadn't won a game this season, either. Did the players become collectively blase about what they needed to do? They should know, as I do, that unless everyone goes in with 100% commitment, we won't win. 

I commented about the visitors field placings, the wicket keeper standing up, fighting for everything in the field. I didn't see that from Derbyshire and that is worrying. Mickey can sign all the players he wants, but unless he gets the best out of them, it won't mean a thing. 

A question for Chris Wright to solve is this - why do we do often struggle to get through nine, ten, jack, when we have worked hard to dismiss the rest? This isn't a new phenomenon, but in the list of things that annoy you about Derbyshire cricket, it is very near the top of mine.

Those who have mentioned the 'sack' word regarding Mickey should save their breath. He is contracted until the end of 2028 and unless the county is prepared to take a sizeable financial hit (I don't think that likely) then the die is cast.

We have lost Abbas for the next three matches, Dal probably for much longer, Moore for the season and Reece can't bowl as things stand. I understand Pat Brown's recovery from shoulder surgery is taking longer than expected too, so three games in, our strength in depth isn't deep any more.  

If Bashir is called up for England, most of the first choice attack is gone. I don't know about Abbas being on £400 a wicket, they might need to incentivise Chappell and Aitchison to keep getting out of bed, as they look like playing a lot of cricket between now and September. 

Of course it offers opportunity. Rory Haydon is an obvious beneficiary and I look forward to seeing how his wicket to wicket approach goes at this level. Mitch Wagstaff is another who surely now has a chance to show what he can do. It is important that he takes it. 

As others have pointed out, there is no Academy player in the Derbyshire side. There will be, and a good few of them in the next few years, because the Pathway talent is incredibly exciting and they are doing tremendous things under Daryn Smit.  But that is a few years off and it would be great if either Wagstaff, Naeem or Potts could make the jump to this level.

I have seen calls for dropping Brooke Guest. Yes, he could do with some runs (although he batted well in the first innings at Old Trafford) but his glove work is considerably better than that of  Nye Donald. Besides, the way our season is going, the latter would keep wicket, break a finger and miss the T20. While Brooke could use runs, Nye hasn't scored close to enough at second team level to apply pressure.

The players have probably looked good in the nets, but there continues to be a worryingly soft underside. Once you have aggressive fielders, excessive appealing, people chirping in their ear and tense situations, we are found wanting. I know a lot of hard work will go into getting players prepared for this level, but a lot of poor decisions were made with the bat in the last game. That has to be down to individuals and with a few exceptions Derbyshire were found sadly wanting, just as they were at Old Trafford on the last day.

Where do they go from here? Already, the wooden spoon appears to be between ourselves, Kent and Gloucestershire. The last four days didn't suggest we would finish above the latter, so there is a lot of pressure going into the game at Canterbury, starting on Friday. 

For what it is worth, I think we go with this side: 

Jewell, Came, Montgomery, Madsen, Guest, Andersson, Wagstaff, Chappell, Aitchison, Haydon, Bashir.

I think we need to get Luis Reece's ankle right and that might be best served by missing this one, at least. Caleb Jewell needs runs, but it would do little for his confidence to drop him from the eleven. Having said that, if Luis is only playing as a batter, opening with him would be the best use of his talents, which puts either Jewell or Harry Came under pressure. 

Both would be big calls, dropping your overseas bat or the man who was skipper (and did well) in the first two games.

But Arthur needs to turn this around - and quickly. Lose to Kent and the excitement and goodwill that led us into the season will have pretty much gone.

In closing, the Gloucestershire game at least put one theory to bed.

It IS possible to take twenty wickets at Derby, even on a hybrid pitch. 

We just need to figure out why Derbyshire can't do it. 

That should keep a few people awake at night...

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 4

Please add your comments on the final day of the game here

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 3

Gloucestershire 498

Derbyshire 281 (Madsen 65, Chappell 34, van Buuren 3-31, Bell 3-84)

and 117-3 (Montgomery 48*, Madsen 35)

Derbyshire trail by 100 runs

I saw a friend of mine in the crowd at Derby today, a man with a teaching background, even if working in another field these days.

Were he still teaching and marking this Derbyshire display, I have no doubt that it would have merited '4/10 - MUST do better'.

Almost everyone got a start, but no one got close to Wayne Madsen's 65 and only Zak Chappell got past thirty. As an effort in backs to the wall defiance it was laudable, but in the grand scheme of things, it counted for nowt. Especially after the opposition numbers nine and ten scored as they did yesterday.

Let's be honest, we are playing a side that until this game had collected three points from three matches. They have good players - and have proved it in this match - but confidence was at a low ebb and from a Derbyshire perspective, this was a game in which they should - at least - have given a decent account of themselves. 

I take nothing away from the visitors, who have played some good cricket, fielded tigerishly and have looked the better side. Both Graeme van Buuren and Gabe Bell bowled intelligently today and their side were on top throughout. Canny fields were set AND bowled to, even if some of the appeals were unnecessarily protracted. I still fail to see how mid-wicket can appeal for lbw, while van Buuren's nigh-petulance when Madsen was not given leg before detracted from his good work through the day. The ball was clearly sliding down leg and his reaction was uncalled for.

A factor in the pressure that they applied, for me, was in the excellent wicketkeeping by James Bracey, who stood up to the stumps for most of the time and prevented the Derbyshire batters from using their feet. This was particularly pertinent with Martin Andersson, who we all know likes to go a-wandering when he gets in. He couldn't do that, nor could the others. It spoke volumes for the wicketkeeping and also for the accuracy of most of the bowling. 

The writing was on the wall when Andersson played on and Madsen nearly replicated the dismissal of Bancroft for Gloucestershire on the first day. It was a tame end to a fine innings, but while everyone else fought hard, no one really suggested longevity and the ability to get on top of the visiting attack. 

Guest got a good one that turned and Chappell was first combative, then bucolic, but I would best sum up the day with a not especially literary 'meh'.

The visitors had a first innings lead of 217 and might have considered batting again, scoring quick runs and hope to bowl out Derbyshire in the fourth innings. But a follow on it was and Came, who has had a poor match here, was leg before to Bell for the second time and immediately justified the decision.

I do like an Australian quick bowler. They give value for money, tend to be fairly robust (though don't mention the name Stanlake round these parts..) and in the case of Bell, sometimes fly under the radar. He doesn't try to bowl too fast, but the occasional quicker delivery catches the unwary off guard. 

But it was Miles who took the second wicket, Jewell getting one that kept a little low. The Tasmanian's footwork isn't right at present and he was neither forward nor back, which didn't help his cause. Derbyshire were deep in trouble at 

37-2.

At which point Montgomery and Madsen came together. They took the score to a hundred, with sound defence and sensible strokes, before a perfectly pitched leg break from Middleton accounted for the Derbyshire skipper, four overs from the close. Aitchison came in as night watchman and saw it to the close at 117-3, including a not especially night watchmanly six over mid wicket. Montgomery batted well and was two away from a half century.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Derbyshire can still save this game, but they will need to bat far better as a unit than they did the first time around. There will be no weather to save them, so we will get an early indication of the mettle of this squad in adversity.

We all know that the first session at Derby each day is the most challenging. If wickets fall frequently, that is when it happens, so there should be a good indication by lunch time tomorrow as to whether this game can be saved.

Whatever happens, I won't see the final day, as we are going on the first of our summer holidays to the delights of Berwick upon Tweed. As I usually do, I will create a page for your comments tomorrow, but will not give my own observations, as it wouldn't be fair to do so. 

Let's see what unfolds...

Under 18s storm to win over Yorkshire

A young Derbyshire under 18 side beat their Yorkshire counterparts with ease at Cutthorpe Cricket Club today.

Featuring a number of players who were in last year's under-16s, they had to field first after Yorkshire opted to bat. White made 74, but no one else got going against some canny bowling, once again led by the very talented Rubaiyat Abrar, who returned the excellent figures of 4-39 in his ten overs. 

He was well supported by fellow spinner Umayr Hewitt, formerly in the Yorkshire age groups, who took 2-17. 

The final score of 213 did not look too demanding and Derbyshire got off to a quick start, thanks to Abrar and Oscar Edwards. Although the latter and captain Niall McHale both perished with the score on 61, Zak Kelly, fresh from a good knock for Clifton yesterday and Theo Brown came together in a splendid unbroken partnership of 156 in just 20 overs. 

Yorkshire used eight bowlers in an attempt to break through, but Kelly finished unbeaten on 74 from 66 deliveries, while Brown was still there on 76 from just 59 balls. The two of them took their side to victory with eighteen overs to spare.

The game was a friendly, but it further highlights the talent coming through the club's Pathway. 

They will be worth watching in the summer ahead.

Scorecard and limited video clips here

Adieu to Samit

It has been a busy week and I haven't had the opportunity to write a few words about the retirement of Samit Patel.

He never looked an athlete, but over a 23-year career he produced many memorable moments, across the globe. He was a wonderful servant to Nottinghamshire and perhaps too early discarded by England.  A batter of great power and a cunning spinner - his type are far from common in the game and you simply can't question credentials that show twenty-five thousand runs and almost a thousand wickets across the formats.

He spent his last two summers in Derbyshire colours, which still seems a strange thing to write. He was such a Nottinghamshire man that the move seemed incredible, like when Terry Hennessey crossed the great East Midlands divide and Forest later wouldn't let Ian Storey-Moore do the same.

Nottinghamshire knew what they were doing when they didn't offer a last deal. The power was still there, but the eyes weren't as sharp when he was in the middle. He was often out pulling, a little late on the shot, but there were still signs of a player who could bat. A thrilling innings at Edgbaston, another at Derby, an attitude that still bristled with hostility towards opponents. Especially Nottinghamshire and I have rarely seen anyone more 'pumped' than Samit, when Derbyshire stormed the Trent Bridge fortress and went home with the points booty. 

His reluctance to drop himself down the order wasn't helpful at times. His power might have been better served at the death, rather than losing impetus in the middle overs with his 'running', or lack of it. By that stage he was far from mobile, but he stood at short extra and directed operations, while usually delivering four tight overs. 

Again, the team might have been better served had he bowled those overs in the Powerplay, the experience of those thousands of deliveries brought to bear in his last round up.

There never appeared any likelihood that his Derbyshire contract would be renewed, but Samit will likely still be bowling four tight overs for England Legends in ten years time. 

He will club a few too, but probably not run many twos...

Congratulations on your career Samit. You were up there with the very best, for a long time.

Plenty would be happy with that.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 2

Gloucestershire 498 (Hammond 145, Williams 98, Brookes 89, Middleton 46, Bashir 3-116)

Derbyshire 144-3 ( Madsen 62*, Jewell 28, Montgomery 28, Andersson 12*)

Derbyshire trail by 354 runs

It was another of those days that started well for Derbyshire, then petered out into something rather nondescript.

Muhammad Abbas quickly found the edge of Hammond's bat and Ben Aitchison took a one-handed blinder, low to his left. Probably ten times harder than the one he put down last night, but he is such a good slip fielder that the drop came as a surprise.

Soon afterwards, Ben bowled Middleton, who left one that came back a long way. He did a good job for his side, but how often, once a big partnership is broken, do we see both participants out? 

It happened again, 45 overs later, when Williams followed Brookes back to the pavilion, but by that stage they had added 191 for the ninth wicket, to put their side firmly in control. 

In all honesty, they didn't look troubled. Both made career-best scores and should have made centuries, before Brookes was dismissed off Bashir. Soon afterwards, Williams rather gave it away when a century was within sight, taking on the arm of Aitchison and losing after acrobatic work from Guest, who kept well over a long time in the field. Thus, an innings that at one time was 167-6 ended up 498 all out, a quite remarkable turnaround. 

Fair play to those involved, but again it owed much to the synthetic pitch, which simply doesn't deteriorate. So at least it does what it promises, but I can only say it makes for rather mundane and one-sided cricket.

I have to confess that the pleading eyes of two terriers wanting a walk won out over watching the early afternoon session, but the scorecard didn't suggest I missed much. On my return, I saw both wickets, but was keeping an eye on the game while watching the Red Roses rugby, which tells a tale, I suppose.

The Derbyshire reply quickly saw the dismissal of Harry Came, leg before after two boundaries in the first over. He will have kicked himself in the dressing room, because there was no change to the batting conditions.

Montgomery and Jewell rebuilt, before the former got one that straightened and was also lbw. He hasn't yet got going as I know he can, but I remain confident that the runs will soon come.

Enter Madsen, the gladiator to the Colosseum once more. It has been a long time since that awkward fall in the World Cup that truncated his tournament, but he was underway with a cover drive as sweet as a honey-dipped Creme Egg and was quickly into his stride, business very much as usual.

Jewell hasn't really looked in touch this year and here, while no one can fault his commitment, he didn't seem himself. He batted two hours for his 28, before seeming to play on against van Buuren's spin. Perhaps his meagre winter is telling on him, but he seems to have retreated into himself and is not playing with anything approximating the freedom to which we became accustomed last year. The bowler enjoyed it, however, taking off towards the covers at a speed not seen in these parts since Imran Tahir spent a summer a-twirlin'.

Madsen progressed to a stately fifty at better than a run a ball. How often have we acknowledged a milestone for the maestro? As the shadows lengthened, the realisation dawned that post-Madsen life will seem very strange indeed. At 42, his is still the wicket most-prized in the team, his range of stroke still the best, his timing and placement still exquisite. Perhaps that shoulder injury took five years off his age - we can only hope.

Andersson, perhaps the heir-apparent, kept him company until the close, by which time Brookes had limped off for the visitors. He will probably be replaced by a 3-D printed Courtney Walsh tomorrow, the way this substitute malarkey is going.

Anyway, Derbyshire closed at 143-3, with the skipper on 62. 

A long way to go to avoid the follow on, but as we have said for the past two decades, where there's Madsen, there's hope.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 1

Gloucestershire 287-6 (Hammond 140*, Middleton 41*, Bancroft 40, Andersson 2-42, Bashir 2-51)

v Derbyshire

It was a gloriously sunny day at Derby today, diametrically opposed to the weather for most of the first two red ball games of the summer. 

Yet a lot of the talk was regarding the latest issue with the substitute trial.

Anuj Dal slipped badly in his delivery stride, just after putting down sawdust to bowl around the wicket in his fifth over. It looked nasty and is seemingly so, with the player stretchered off and looking likely to be hors de combat for some time. 

But what 'like for like' substitute could be allowed? Rory Haydon is a bowler, Nye Donald a wicket-keeper/bat. They could have summoned Mitch Wagstaff from the Seconds, but he is an opening bat/leg spinner. The closest  option always seemed to be Amrit Basra, playing at Nottingham in the seconds, unless Alex Hughes was going to be re-registered after a four-year hiatus...

Instead the replacement was Luis Reece. Supposedly missing for 'personal reasons', unable to bowl with an ankle injury and averaging 60 last year to Dal's 28. It was approved by the match referee and Gloucestershire had no say in the matter, but it is odd. Especially when his injury has seen him spend time off the field in previous matches. Confused? Me too.

It is silly, how could it not be? Tough as it would be on Derbyshire, maybe you just go back to writing it off as one of those things, field a substitute and bat with ten. 

To the action, I thought Derbyshire bowled with commendable accuracy and discipline today, which was good to see. There wasn't undue assistance for them, but they kept the ball in the right areas, beat the bat sufficiently for interest and acquitted themselves well. 

Bancroft was disciplined for the visitors, before giving his wicket away with a tame flick off the hip, while Hammond played some nice shots and kept his side afloat through a period when an hour passed between boundaries. Bracey lent good support, until a cleverly floated ball from Bashir deceived and bowled him. 

There will be dissenters out there, but Bashir is box office. He is always trying something, encouraging his team mates, chirping away. I enjoy watching him, because there is always a sense that something is going to happen. 

All the seamers bowled well, but special mention to Martin Andersson, who was commendably accurate and rewarded with two wickets, the second showing athleticism beyond some of my viewing experience.

Hammond went on to a very good unbeaten 140, but should have been caught on 99, when Aitchison put one down at second slip  that he would normally take in his sleep. It compensated for the dismissal of van Buuren, who was caught at short leg by Montgomery when he could scarce have seen the ball, seemingly well-middled by the unfortunate batter. 

Derbyshire will have thought they had broken through at that point, but Middleton lent staunch support to Hammond and the visitors reached the close at 287-6, the stand worth 120.

Honours fairly even, I would say, but the visitors will likely end the day the happier.

Seconds lose thriller at Lady Bay

Derbyshire Seconds lost a thrilling game to Nottinghamshire at Lady Bay today by one run.

The morning session saw Sam Seecharan complete his second century of the match against declaration bowling, which at least saw wicket keeper Joe Hall claim the wicket of Freddie McCann.

Derbyshire were set 300 to win in 71overs and for a long time looked like they might get there. Nick Potts made 65 and Yusuf bin Naeem 57, before Rohan Vallabhaneni (71) and Niall McHale (43) took the county to 292-5, needing just eight from the last 3.5 overs.

The departure of Vallabhaneni then saw a collapse and Croom was run out by a direct hit, attempting the run that would have brought the scores level. He had to run wide of Jack Morley or might have made it, but a fine game ended in a cliff hanger.

Even if it was the wrong result... 😁