Middlesex v Derbyshire day 1

Middlesex 177 (Robson 31, Bosch 29, Aitchison 5-47, Haydon 2-60)

Derbyshire 106-4 (Jewell 24, Montgomery 23, Reece 21, Potts 17* Higgins 2-28)

Derbyshire trail by 71 runs

A superb spell of seam bowling from Ben Aitchison put Derbyshire in early control of the game against Middlesex at Lord's today. 

The ball moved around all day, both in the air and off the seam and the tall Derbyshire seamer took full advantage in excellent spells to take 5-47 in 20 overs of quality, probing bowling. He is the first Derbyshire seamer to take five wickets in an innings at Lord's since Andrew Harris in 1999 (courtesy David Griffin). He looks a bowler of the very highest class now, his confidence in his body restored. His dismissal of the dangerous and prolific Leus du Plooy, soon after lunch, was the catalyst for the collapse and he can be very proud of his efforts today.

He was well supported by Rory Haydon, who until Eathan Bosch decided the late long handle approach was more likely to be effective, had excellent figures and still finished with 2-60. 

It cannot just be me who notices the Derbyshire attack is bowing with greater control this year. Before lunch, Middlesex scored only four boundaries as Sam Robson dug in, but the post-lunch bowling from the opening pair was as good as you would wish to see. The over that Haydon bowled to Higgins, a very good cricketer was quite something, the player walking even before the umpire's finger went up for the routine catch behind by Guest, almost waving a figurative white flag as he went on his way. 

The discipline of most of the day dissipated a little at the end of the innings, when first Aitchison and then Guest spilled catches they would hold nine times in ten. It was not unduly costly, as Montgomery held a sharp chance from Bashir's fifth delivery and the home side was all out for 177.

It was also good to see Nick Potts bowl steadily today and take a wicket with a BIG outswinger. None of us know what the future holds, but the young man has taken a first-class wicket at the home of the game, something most of us can only dream about. He deserved it today and I hope he does equally well, if not better, in the second innings. His place in the side came about because of a groin injury for Zak Chappell, perhaps rested as a precaution ahead of the Blast.

Of course, the expectation was that the experienced Middlesex opening pair of Roland-Jones and Higgins would be every bit as dangerous when their turn came. In much the same fashion as in the home innings, the movement began as the effects of the roller wore off.

Came and Reece started well, but then Came again pushed at one when his front foot was not quite there and was caught behind by Harry Duke, on loan from Yorkshire. Time was when such cooperation between north and south was as likely as finding snowdrops in the Kalahari, but such is the modern game.

When Reece was squared up by Bosch and edged to slip, the signs were ominous for Derbyshire. Any expectation that a change of bowling might lessen the intensity came to naught and I was especially impressed by young Middlesex seamer Navyaan Sharma. Montgomery played a delightful stroke through the covers for four, but otherwise struggled with his timing, while Jewell, after his fine innings in the last match, was quickly into his stride with two trademark strokes through the covers. 

Bosch confirmed his reputation as a whole-hearted cricketer with some good balls that deserved better luck, but the third wicket pair batted with good sense until Montgomery, after some lovely off side shots, missed one playing across the line and was leg before. Worse was to follow as Jewell, who had looked in little trouble, went across too far to Higgins and was bowled behind his legs and off his thigh. 86-2 had become 90-4 and Derbyshire had two night watchmen, Potts and Aitchison, at the crease.

They survived to the close, Potts showing good technique and playing some nice shots, as befits someone who has opened for the second team. In doing so they kept back Madsen, Andersson and Guest and took their side to the end of the day at 106-4, trailing by 71 runs.

This was a good day of county cricket. A day, in fact, that confirmed that regardless of what the England selectors might believe, there are some very fine bowlers in the county game, bowling below express pace but challenging the techniques of very good players. 

The game advanced well and the weather remarkably allowed a full day. 

There should be a positive result here. 

At this stage, your guess is as good as mine as to which way it goes. 

Middlesex v Derbyshire preview

I don't expect any changes to the Derbyshire side that beat Northamptonshire this week, as they make the trip down to Lord's and a red ball fixture against Middlesex, starting tomorrow. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That old adage is pertinent here and in the likely continued absence of Luis Reece from the bowling ranks, I also expect the batting order to remain the same. 

So Derbyshire should lineup:

Reece, Came, Montgomery, Jewell, Madsen, Andersson, Guest, Chappell, Aitchison, Haydon, Bashir (Morley and Wagstaff also in squad).

The team should be bubbling with confidence after their win, together with Shoaib Bashir's selection in the England squad for the first Test of the summer. It is a reward for his performance and attitude so far and while the county would miss both, I'm sure everyone would like to see him included in the final eleven for the national side.

Middlesex have also named thirteen for the game and they currently sit second in the table. So tight are things in the division, however, that only 15 points separate that position with second bottom, where Derbyshire currently sit. There is much to play for and this should be a very good game. 

Both teams have only one overseas player - South African Eathan Bosch having arrived to play for Middlesex. Their success so far has been down to the batting of Leus du Plooy and the excellence with the new ball of Ryan Higgins and Toby Roland-Jones. The former is one of the best all-round cricketers in the country and has been for a few years now, while the latter, at 38, is still producing figures worthy of a man in his prime. Which he could well be, if following in the footsteps of Tim Murtagh...

Interestingly, they recalled Tom Helm from his loan spell with Leicestershire this week, yet he hasn't made the squad for this game. Perhaps they are covering the bases in case one of the first choice seamers breaks down mid-match.

Young bowlers Naavya Sharma and Seb Morgan have made encouraging starts in the county game and the home attack, especially in conditions that often favour them, will be a challenge. 

The Middlesex squad: 

Du Plooy, Bosch, Duke, Falconer, Geddes, Gohar, Higgins, Holden, Hollman, Morgan, Robson, Roland-Jones, Sharma.

The weather forecast for the four days is not good at this stage and it is hard to predict anything other than a draw, unless conditions favour the bowling lineups sufficiently for the game to be completed in what looks more likely to be three days of cricket at best.

Tomorrow certainly looks set to be truncated and we will have a better idea of prospects for the remainder of the game at that stage.

What do you think

Postscript: from conversations around the ground earlier in the week, I know that several Derbyshire supporters are making the trip for this weekend game. 

I hope that you all enjoy it! 

Moqim out as Javed comes in

Sufyan Moqim is the latest to join the fairly lengthy 'signed but never played' list of overseas players for Derbyshire, after the Pakistan Board revoked his No Objection Certificate.

The player is needed for the forthcoming white ball series against Australia and so will not travel to England to take up his contract with Derbyshire for the T20 Blast.

It is the latest blow for Mickey Arthur, in a season that has not been short of them so far. 

The county has moved with admirable speed to secure instead the services of 25-year old left arm seamer Akif Javed. While Arthur is on record with his preference for a mystery spinner in 20-over cricket, the second best thing is probably a left arm seam bowler who offers a variation in angle. 

Javed has played three one-day internationals for Pakistan and has taken seven wickets, while he has most recently played for the Multan Sultans in the PSL. He also played for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League, where his coach was the Derbyshire Head of Cricket, so he clearly knows his capabilities. He goes for around eight an over in T20, which if maintained would be an improvement for the county on last year. 

Disappointed? Of course, when we had the leading wicket taker in the PSL ready to go. Yet again, it highlights the challenges in securing an overseas player these days. It is akin to VAR in football - just as you cannot celebrate a goal until they have finished their checks, you really can't get overly excited at an overseas player, until he walks onto the pitch for his first game. 

I am old enough to remember Denis Lillee, who was lined up then got a stress fracture, as well as the likes of Jacques Rudolph and Saeed Anwar. None of them appeared after being lined up in what were high profile deals at the time, but these days it must be a nightmare for county clubs. There are so many short notice tours and franchise tournaments which reduce the available worthwhile options.

Again though, it highlights the merits of Mickey Arthur keeping his finger on the pulse with winter coaching gigs. Such a 'networking' has highlighted the talents of Javed, who will make for interesting viewing.

As for Moqim, the club have clearly established a connection and it may happen another year, depending on his commitments.

Anyway, welcome to Derbyshire, Akif. I wish you well, as we all do and you can make yourself a local hero in the next few weeks

Here is a clip of him in action in this year's PSL

Thoughts on the imminent T20

 I have been giving some thought to the likely first choice Blast side, after being asked my opinion around the ground last week and in all honesty it could go in one of several ways. 

The crux to it all will be in the suggestion by Mickey Arthur in a recent interview that he may go with two overseas spinners. The original idea was that Sufyan Moqim would play the first half of the competition until the arrival of Mohammad Ghazanfar, but I assume the latter may now arrive early, after Mumbai Indians wretched IPL competition.

The first question is who opens with Nye Donald. I had assumed it would be Caleb Jewell, but after his success in the middle order against Northamptonshire, perhaps he stays there to knock it around when the time comes - IF he plays. One alternative could be Martin Andersson at the top, where I think he could do considerable damage with his ability to knock bowlers off a length. He did that with success at Middlesex in his last season there. 

Or there is the more wild card option of Yusuf Bin Naeem, which is why I am so interested in the current Second XI T20. At 19 he is a real talent, thankfully recovered from an injury-hit 2025 and he has been in sparkling form this year. 

In yesterday's game at Leicester, he outscored Donald, which is no mean feat. They added 72 from the first five overs against Trevaskis, Wood and Mike, experienced bowlers all, as he made 47 from 21 balls. In playing him, you are offering opportunity at the right time - when he is in form - while youth in the field is never a bad thing. 

So the team could go:

Donald, Naeem, Montgomery, Madsen, Basra, Andersson, Whiteley, Chappell, Aitchison, Ghazanfar, Moqim.

It was interesting to see Ross Whiteley bowling a couple of overs yesterday, as he could share fifth bowler duties with Andersson and Montgomery. Basra is another option and he will surely play, partly because of his dynamism and also because he was the poster boy for the T20 kit. So it would be silly were he then not in the side...

I have left out Rory Haydon, as he has made such a fine start to his red ball career and I would hate to see his confidence knocked by being smeared around. Having said that, he wouldn't let you down if needed.

If Jewell plays, I would open with Andersson and while the batting is then long, the bowling might be more of a concern:

Donald, Naeem, Montgomery, Madsen, Jewell, Basra, Andersson, Whiteley, Chappell, Aitchison, Ghazanfar/Moqim

With this side, you need eight overs from a combination of Andersson, Whiteley, Montgomery and perhaps Basra.

What we don't know is when or if Pat Brown might be available. At his best he comes into the side as a specialist, but he needs cricket AND the confidence that his twice-operated shoulder is right. As an excellent fielder, he strengthens that department too, but there has to be a question mark, at this stage. 

Mickey Arthur could still play two spinners, with the inclusion of either Shoaib Bashir or Jack Morley, but I think that a less likely scenario when he potentially has two overseas spinners available. Unless we go full on India, circa early 1970s, of course...

One final option, with a nod to the second team, might see Matt Stewart given a game or two. It would depend on performance, but he is another young man doing very well this year and if Chappell or Aitchison needed a break (or heaven forbid, were injured) then his height and regular ability to take wickets could be useful. 

Stewart can be loose at times, which is not uncommon in young bowlers, but he is coming up hard on the rails, in horse racing parlance. His inclusion is less likely at this stage, but not impossible. 

Hopefully you can see from all of that the selection dilemmas faced by Mickey Arthur. He needs to get it right, because we can ill-afford to make a slow start and spend the rest of the competition either playing catch up or simply making up the numbers. 

Finally, if we are playing two spinners, we need to support them with the pitches at home. Because you can bet the contents of your piggy bank on the fact that we won't turn up at away grounds with Ghazanfar and Moqim, to find pitches worthy of Multan and Rawalpindi.

It would be nice though, eh? 

Prospects? I am less confident than I was about the red ball season, because of injuries. Last year we batted pretty well, but seemed to be chasing 200-plus all the time, which is simply not feasible. There were reasons for this, not least Samit Patel's insistence on batting high in the order, which wasn't always effective and certainly killed the running between the wickets. 

Someone has to prove they can limit damage in the Powerplays too, where we at times haemorrhaged runs last year. I thought Patel, with his experience would do that, but he opted for the middle overs, by which time we were considering a white flag.

If Nye Donald can reproduce his sparkling form AND go on once he has reached fifty, there are few in the country can outscore him. There is considerable power in the batting, with the arrival of Basra a major plus. 

For me, it comes down to the bowling unit being more thrifty than in 2025. If they can do that, we will be competitive. I won't offer anything more bullish at this stage.

It won't be long until we find out.

As always, I welcome your thoughts on all of the above! 

Seconds start T20 in style!

There were some telling individual performances today, as the county second team easily beat Leicestershire at Uptonsteel Grace Road, in the first game of the Second XI T20 competition 

Nye Donald won the toss and asked the home team to bat first. After a brief rain interruption, the game was restricted to 19 overs per side and after removing Scottish international Jamie Dunk, Jack Morley returned the excellent figures of 2-17 in his four overs. Matt Stewart also had fine figures of 1-11 in his three overs, while Trodd, Whiteley and Hawkins took a wicket each, as the home side was restricted to 138-7, Maddy top-scoring with an unbeaten 41.

The result was never in doubt after Donald and Yusuf Bin Naeem brought up the fifty in just 20 deliveries!  When the latter, who has been in fine form this summer, was out in the fifth over, Derbyshire were on 72 and he had made 47 from 21 balls, with 5 fours and 4 sixes. Food for thought for Mickey Arthur, ahead of The Blast, perhaps?

Donald was out three balls later for 25 from just ten deliveries, but any home thoughts of getting back into the game were dispelled by Amrit Basra, who made an unbeaten 32 from 21 deliveries, with 2 sixes and 2 fours. 

Ross Whiteley made 27 from 15, including 3 fours and a six, as Derbyshire eased over the line with 40 deliveries to spare, to win by 5 wickets.

Basra scored the winning runs with a straight six from the bowling of Trevaskis. 

The two sides were well-matched in experience, with Trevaskis, Wood and Mike in the home ranks, all of them receiving fierce punishment.

Attention now turns to the Central Co-op County Ground tomorrow, when Derbyshire 

entertain Yorkshire, starting at 1pm.

Hopefully, there might be a fixed camera stream of that one! 

Well done guys, let the good times keep rolling..

Scorecard and video clips here

Sympathy for the devil

There's an old joke about a cricket match between heaven and hell, with God and Lucifer discussing the prospects 

'We're bound to win' said God. 'I've got a team for the ages. Trumper, Hobbs, Bradman, Ranji, Woolley..such a strong squad'.

The Devil smiled

'That may well be' he said. 'But I have all the umpires...'

I have no intention of offending any of the worthy men that used to wear long white coats and are now more snazzily attired, nor am I suggesting that this was the rationale behind the Rolling Stones track of the same title as this article.

But as the years pass, I have more sympathy for umpires and especially at county level, where they don't have the benefit of replays yet are under increasing pressure. Not least from too many players for who an erstwhile quizzical 'Howzat' is now replaced by an insistent and often unbecoming street party, akin to those at the end of World Wars.  

Old George could have done with replays years ago, when he gave me out caught down the leg side in the first over, when I had barely moved from my stance. It was a red hot day and I fancied a few runs on a lovely pitch. It was down the leg side, a clear wide and only the bowler appealed, perhaps attempting to inject a little humour into proceedings. He looked embarrassed when the finger went up, though I wasn't recalled.

Later I asked George how he came to his decision. 

'I thought I heard something'

'But did you see I had barely moved and it should in fact have been a wide?'

'To be honest, I wasn't looking, I was checking for the ball counter in me pocket...can I buy you a beer?'

Cheers, George. Anyway, the reason for this piece is that there have been a few contentious decisions in recent games. Loud shouts for caught behind, insistence from bowlers and fielders alike on lbws (including those at square leg and we all know they have the best view..) I have seen a few given and a few not given. Some have been right, some have been wrong. 

But the only way you can confirm what's what is if quality replays and Hawkeye were introduced to the county game. Would we really want that and the delays that it brings? I am no fan of VAR in football and firmly believe that if they cannot disprove a goal in the ten seconds from when it goes in, it should stand. It kills the game and ruins celebration of goals at club level. If someone is clearly offside it will show up, but if it is the hem of a shirt, it makes a mockery of the sport.

Umpiring is a really tough gig and I applaud those who do it at county standard and above, as they really are the creme de la creme. Yet they are human and as humans they are fallible. It takes a lot of courage to say 'no' when eleven people are screaming 'yes', the bowler already at short third man in his 'celebrappeal' (which I hate, by the way). Not having a go at anyone, but what if the umpire had thought differently when George Scrimshaw finally missed one yesterday? You see it countless times and on most occasions it makes an unedifying spectacle. 

It is a thing that irks me with the modern game. How can square leg and point seriously appeal for lbw? You genuinely have no idea, but it applies pressure. I recall asking an opposition skipper if he wanted guard from behind the stumps or mid on, where he had spent our innings appealing for anything that travelled 22 yards and didn't hit the bat. It was one of those games, perhaps a little petty, but it offended my sense of fair play in the sport.

It is easy to watch the slowed down replays on streams and say that he/she got that one wrong. Yet viewing a ball bowled at maybe 80/90mph and gauging the point of impact with the naked eye, while all the time considering the nuances of the laws of the game can never be an exact science.

I tend to take the view that things normally even out over the course of the season. Maybe the umpire realises later that he made a mistake and he gives you the benefit the next time. Or perhaps he just has an off day in an otherwise flawless summer. Maybe, as Bill Bestwick did with the young Denis Compton, he gave him out because he was in urgent need of the toilet...

Anyway, they deserve credit and respect for a tough job done to the best of their ability. It is easy to call foul on seeing the replay and realise it pitched outside the line, or was sliding down leg. You will perhaps lose a game on a bad decision, but you will almost certainly win them too. When you have watched and played it for sixty years, you might have a sizeable file of examples.

Accept the rough with the smooth and the stress won't kill you and your enjoyment level will increase. 

Mind you, try as I might I don't recall Old George ever giving me the benefit.

We were never convinced he could see 22 yards, anyway.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 4

Derbyshire 604-7d

Northamptonshire 228 and 263 (Bartlett 65*, McSweeney 62, Chappell 4-53, Bashir 3-70) 

Derbyshire won by an innings and 113 runs

As I had told a few people I would do yesterday, I left Derby at 4am this morning and walked into our house exactly five hours later. My new claim to fame may be in having circumnavigated Pentagon Island without stopping. Easy, when there is nothing else on the road and the lights keep changing.

Just time for a nap before watching a final day that shredded nerves but ultimately saw Derbyshire triumph by an innings and 113 runs after an excellent bowling display that matched a team display that was impossible to fault.

I don't think I have seen Zak Chappell bowl better this season than he did in this game. He has always been a willing workhorse and the workload has perhaps sometimes got the better of him, but here there was added hostility as he ran in hard, bristled with aggression and got his just reward with four wickets.

At the other end, Shoaib Bashir again showed his international credentials. While it appears likely that he will be overlooked for the first Test of the summer (according to reports) he is benefiting from the bowling that he gets in this Derbyshire attack, while the county reaps the rewards of him being in it. You don't often see spinners who offer similar aggression to their pace counterparts, but Bashir does and it is a welcome sight in a Derbyshire side that could often be accused of being too 'nice'.

Yet this was an all-round effort. Aitchison got the first wicket of the day, while Haydon went for one run an over, always challenging. There were times when an eventual win seemed unlikely, especially when McSweeney and Bartlett battled together for 25 overs, but you couldn't fault the effort, the focus and the desire to win. 

It was hard to believe that this was the same side that lost to Kent and Gloucestershire. The visitors were second in the table before this game, having played some very good cricket. Here, they were comprehensively outplayed from a Derbyshire side that was 'on it' from start to finish. 

McSweeney played well for Northamptonshire, even if at times seeming intent to use every bat in the dressing room. After a shaky start he looked a good player, but he will have been disappointed to have been 'strangled' down the leg side for the second time in the game.

Bartlett also battled hard. He was courted by Derbyshire before he signed a three-year deal in Northampton and might have had greater opportunity had he chosen differently, but he did a wonderful job for his side here in resisting for 175 balls.

Unexpected and final resistance came from George Scrimshaw, never someone with pretensions to batting feats, but twenty overs and several bowling changes later he was still there, playing straight and using his reach to resist what was thrown at him. As the final twenty overs ticked by, shots of the crowd showed the tension, likely replicated in myriad watching living rooms around the world. Were Derbyshire, as in the Worcestershire game, to be thwarted by a rearguard action? 

Was that a sharp chance put down by Guest off Bashir? Then one just past Jewell's outstretched hand at the other end. I messaged a good friend.

Eleven overs to go. Andersson is on, runs in, goes wide on the crease and arrows it in to the front pad of Scrimshaw. Leg before after 55 balls of resistance. Fair play, George, that was a fine effort. Peakfan's prophecy, or Psychic Steve? Either way, we'll take it and credit the skipper for the right call.

A terrific game of cricket which I loved seeing in the flesh for three days. I think I was probably warmer than most who were there on the fourth AND I had two dogs lying at my feet as I watched.

The first win of the season. Let's go down to Lord's and do it again. 

Middlesex are second now. You've got previous on second-placed teams, lads...😉

I look forward to your comments tonight. Get them coming in

PS to my Essex friends who I met in Derby, your journey home tonight will be on air!

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 3

Derbyshire 604

Northamptonshire 228 (Harrison 107, McManus 47, Sales 46, Aitchison 4-55, Haydon 3-72,  Bashir 2-47, Chappell 1-17)

and 66-2

Derbyshire lead by 310 runs

It wasn't the warmest at Derby today, at least not in early morning. 

I set out from the hotel with a fleece and light jacket on, and within a dozen paces had retreated to bring out the big winter equivalent from the car. The padding may have made me look like the Michelin Man, but I was cosy, which counts for a lot on such days.

Anyway, the welcome on the ground was as warm and cordial as ever from the gate staff, while an early lap or two of the ground saw hugely enjoyable conversations with friends old and new. Could Derbyshire make early breakthroughs? That was a recurring theme and we would soon find out, once the fielding and football drills has been completed.

Harrison and Sales, the overnight batters, proceeded serenely enough, before the latter was trapped leg before by Chappell, who had previously been unlucky in this innings and bowled well throughout. The likely tactic always appeared to be to while away with seam at one end, while Bashir kept the other quiet. He handled that admirably, in a long and accurate spell. 

He quickly removed Bartlett, smartly snaffled by Came at midwicket, but thereafter it was hard work until the advent of the second new ball.

Harrison reached an admirable century, but was bowled soon afterwards by Haydon, while Aitchison made short work of Sanderson and Scrimshaw. When Bashir removed McManus, smartly taken by Montgomery at short leg, the visitors were all out for 228 and Wayne Madsen enforced the follow on, 376 runs ahead. 

Aitchison at last got the scorebook reward for his excellent bowling this summer. He, Haydon and Chappell have bowled very well here. The question as to who drops out when Abbas returns is one to occupy minds in the next week or two.

It left Derbyshire needing ten wickets in 133 overs. In the evening sunshine, Procter and Vasconcelos took no risks and added 50 runs in almost 24 overs, before Andersson trapped the visiting captain leg before.

That seemed to be it, until the reintroduction of Bashir saw Vasconcelos undo 119 balls of attrition with a flat-footed chop onto his stumps. Bashir is always worth watching and bowled quite beautifully today, as he has since the start of the summer and his quicker ball was the undoing of the Northamptonshire man.

Madsen handled his attack well and set some innovative fields throughout, while the discipline of the home attack was evident with only five extras in 96 overs. 

It will need to continue tomorrow and Derbyshire will need to take the chances that comes their way. A hard chance to Madsen at slip and another to Bashir at backward square leg would have changed the complexion of the final day. A draw still seems the more likely result, but the home side has acquitted itself well here, in a welcome return to form. Early wickets tomorrow, with a second new ball to come - hey, you never know.

I will watch that from the comfort of my armchair at home and aim to leave tomorrow morning around 4am in order to do so. Publishing of comments may need to wait until then, just so you know.

It really has been a pleasure to catch up with so many lovely people over the past three days. 

Hopefully I will see a few more at Chesterfield, for the Lancashire match. 

Until then, stay well! 

Bill Storer

I was talking to someone today during the excellent century made by Brooke Guest, the eighth of his career with Derbyshire. I mentioned that only Bill Storer, like me a Ripley man, lay ahead of him as a wicket-keeper bat, in terms of centuries made for the county.  I promised I would look out the piece I wrote on him six years ago, so here it is

I was first drawn to the name of William Storer because he was born at Ripley, like me. As a youngster I recall my Dad taking me to see his grave, though at that stage I knew little of his reputation or talent. Nor of his nature, because William, or Bill as he was more commonly known, was another member of a late nineteenth century team that suffered fools somewhat unwillingly.

In a dressing room full of strong characters, only the strong survived. Perhaps it accounted for the later decline of the county's fortunes up to the Great War, because many a talented young local player broke into the county side but failed to realise their promise. Bill Storer was one who got into the side as a Daryn Smit-style all-rounder. He was a fine bat, good enough to become the first professional to score a hundred in each innings of a first-class match. He was a good enough wicket-keeper to play for England, while on occasion he could bowl leg breaks that turned a considerable distance. He took five wickets in an innings on four occasions, and over 200 first-class wickets confirms him as huge asset to a team, whatever role he played in it.

He was born at Butterley Hill, Ripley on January 25, 1867 and played for Butterley Cricket Club with considerable early success. He was only nineteen when he made his Derbyshire debut, though the step to the senior game proved problematic for a couple of seasons. Once he was tried behind the stumps, in 1890, he never looked back and became a key member of the side.His style behind the timbers was unusual, because he stood up to the wicket, regardless of the bowler's pace, his style perhaps similar to that of Karl Krikken in not crouching as the bowler ran in to bowl. He even stood up to Charles Kortright, reckoned the fastest of the day, and earned lavish praise in 1893 at Lord's, playing for the MCC against the Australians, when he held four catches, stumped another and didn't allow a single bye, even with the Essex man bowling.

His first great summer was 1896, when he scored over 1200 runs at an average in excess of fifty, including that two-century match against the powerful Yorkshire side of the period. When George Davidson scored his 274 against Lancashire, his own century aided in a partnership of 308 for the third wicket. He passed a thousand runs for the season in seven successive summers, making him perhaps the best wicket-keeper batsman to play for the county. He frequently headed the county batting averages and was often near the top of the national figures too, as well as maintaining a high standard behind the stumps.

He toured Australia in 1897-98 and in the words of commentators, only Archie MacLaren and Ranjitsinhji batted better than him. He did himself no favours, however, by running out the Australian batsman Charlie McLeod, who was deaf, and walked off after being yorked by Tom Richardson and failing to hear the no ball call. Storer shouted for the ball, which had gone down to third man, to be thrown in and removed a stump, the batter declining MacLaren's offer of reinstatement. In the final Test he told the umpire 'You're a cheat and you know it', which resulted in censure by the MCC. They needed no further reason not to pick him.

At county level he could be hot-headed too. In a game against Essex at Leyton in 1895, he refused to play when his brother, Harry was omitted from the team. When play began he had still not left the team hotel, but eventually arrived and took his place. His protest continued, pulling his hands away to allow byes, and kicking balls for overthrows. Eventually the captain, Sydney Evershed asked Levi Wright what he should do, being told to send him off. Evershed, who appears to have been a considerate man, replied 'But what of his future'? and likely had a quiet word. Storer cooled down and subsequently kept wicket brilliantly, holding five catches.

Ill-health caused him to retire prematurely, in 1900, at the early age of 33. Having lost George Davidson the previous year, the detrimental impact on the county can be imagined. The club awarded him the Yorkshire fixture at Chesterfield in 1902 as a benefit, but life was thereafter a struggle for William, his wife and their five children.

He suffered from dropsy, or oedema as it is now known, usually a sign of congestive heart failure, liver or kidney problems. Poor diet can also be a contributory factor and his declining health eventually saw surgery to relieve the build up of fluid in the legs and ankles as the disease took hold. Fluid build up in the abdominal cavity often sees the patient 'tapped' to remove the pressure on internal organs, but Bill Storer must have been in considerable pain in his last years.

He died in Derby on February 28, 1912, not too long after his 45th birthday. He was buried at Ripley Cemetery on March 2, in a grave next to his brother Harry, who had pre-deceased him by four years and had only reached the age of 37. His county cricket career was limited to five matches, but he played football as goalkeeper for both Arsenal and Liverpool.

Harry's son of the same name became a gritty and long-time opener for Derbyshire, as well as a footballer and football manager worthy of a book in his own right. He was one of  small handful of men to represent both Derbyshire at cricket and Derby County at football, going on to manage the Rams for a long time too.

Both clubs sent wreaths to the funeral, which was attended by William Chatterton, Walter Sugg, Joe Humphries and the club secretary, Will Taylor, among many others. It was another sad and premature end to a cricket life and career that made a large contribution to the county side.

It would be some time before someone of comparable talent was to appear in the county colours.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 2

Derbyshire 604-7d (Guest 141, Andersson 106,  Jewell 94, Madsen 59, Conway 3-102)

Northamptonshire 98-4 (Harrison 42*, Sales 33* Haydon 2-29, Aitchison 2-31)

Derbyshire lead by 506 runs

I saw the sun rise over the Central Co-op County Ground this morning and it stayed high in the sky and offered pleasant warmth for the rest of the day. One of those when you are glad there is cricket to enjoy and friends to enjoy it with.

Derbyshire had high hopes that their overnight pairing might progress their innings to centuries, but both were undone by Harry Conway, who once plied his trade in these parts for Ticknall, in his salad days. He has impressed me in this match, running in hard, uber-aggressive and appealing in stentorian style, like Brian Blessed at the football. He is a good bowler too, an advert for the merits of picking up a robust, time-served, grizzled Aussie quick as an overseas player.

He first trapped Wayne Madsen leg before, then Caleb Jewell edged behind just six short of his century. The landmark may have been missed but the value to both team and player should not be overlooked. 

It brought two new men to the crease, but Andersson and Guest followed on from the top order and were quickly into their stride. The occasional ball was keeping a little lower, but Andersson was, with keeper back, into his Chris Wilkins-style sashay down the pitch mode. For me, he would be a good call for opening in the fast-approaching Blast, a role he did well for Middlesex latterly. 

Derbyshire reached lunch at 447-5, with the lowest score of the top seven being 39.

In the afternoon session, Guest and Andersson took their partnership to 241, with a combination of good running and powerful strokes. It was perhaps a case of doing unto others as they have done to you, but the visitors wilted in proportion to the advancing score. Both reached fine centuries, Andersson dismissed soon after reaching his, while Guest finally went after an ungainly reverse hoik, diametrically opposed to the poise of his innings, for a superb 141. 

Derbyshire declared at that point on 604-7, with most around the ground feeling that the visitors would themselves commence a runfest in the remaining play.

How wrong we were. With clouds gathering, Aitchison and Haydon reduced them to 38-4 either side of the tea interval. It was good seam bowling in the age-old  Derbyshire tradition, good length, nipping it around and backed up by three fine catches by Guest, behind the stumps. He had enjoyed a special day and confirmed his value to the side.

it was as good as it got, as Harrison and Sales played out the rest of the day with a combination of common sense and a little luck. Tomorrow's first session will be key to whether the foot they currently have in the doorway can be followed by a headlong dive through it.

But this was a good day for Derbyshire, a restorative one after recent matches. There was a chirpiness in the field again

Maybe I should come down more often...

Once again, thanks to all those who shared some of their day with me today. It was a pleasure to see all of you, some for the first time, others once again after too long.

There is hopefully time for a few more tomorrow, before I head north and home on Monday.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 1

Derbyshire 342-3 (Jewell 91*, Came 73, Madsen 57*, Montgomery 54, Reece 39)

v Northamptonshire 

At the risk of offending any of my readers elsewhere, there is something quintessentially English about watching a cricket ground 'wake up'.

I looked out at it last night, a few of the ladies team training, perhaps after injury and closed my curtains as dusk fell. Soon afterwards, I was asleep, it had been one of those days. 

This morning I awoke and saw the covers coming off, the roller on the pitch, the grass on the square being trimmed. It is something of which I was a part at club level for many years, but I haven't seen it at first-class level so I felt almost privileged. Then the players arrived, Brooke Guest first on to the ground, as befits a bloke with a model work ethic, taking guard and visualising at either end, en route to the nets. I plan to make the most of this opportunity, as I won't get it where I stay in Chesterfield. Unless I bunk up overnight in the hothouse there...

On to the action and there was reassurance in seeing Luis Reece restored to the top of the order. Like one of these fancy fence supports you can hammer into the ground and then secure to a sagging fence post, he was brought in to do a job for which he is eminently qualified. On a pleasantly warm day, even a hint of green couldn't discourage the thought that it was a win the toss and bat day, which Wayne Madsen duly did.

There was considerable whooping and a-hollering from the visiting fielders, together with enough appeals to fill a collection bucket. Yet Came and Reece batted sensibly and soundly, playing straight, eschewing risk and reaping rewards as a consequence. It was proper cricket and all the more enjoyable because of that. Reece looked unhurried, as he so often does and at present he seems to wield a bat with no edges, only middle. Meanwhile, Came's feet were moving well, always a good sign and he reached his fifty just before the partnership registered a century stand, prior to the lunch interval. It was an encouraging morning after recent events and appeared an excellent toss to win.

Reece departed early in the afternoon, clipping to midwicket, but Montgomery came in and was quickly into his elegant stride. They took the score past 150, before the returning Sanderson got his name on the scorecard by having Came caught at slip, after a fine innings.

Worse bowlers than Sanderson have played for England and even on a good pitch he carries danger. He is too old now and the pace was never quick enough to attract the interest of national selectors, but he is a canny warrior who most opening bats on the circuit would wish to avoid. 

Jewell came in at four and the volume from the slip cordon vocal ensemble cranked up a little for a player known to be out of touch. I haven't heard so many unwarranted 'Oohs' and 'Ahs' since the era of Leonard Sachs and The Good Old Days and it was a little wearing as the day went on. When he first came in, an attempted drive that would have raced to the boards last year was missed, but three successive boundaries from Sales - a hook, a guide through the slips, then a drive through the covers - suggested confidence might return in his new niche. 

He progressed serenely to an unbeaten 44 at tea, when Montgomery had reached a composed 50 and the score was 230-2. By that stage the visitors had used eight bowlers, but at least had the second new ball to offer hope.

The breakthrough came after tea, but it was Harrison who got it, getting Montgomery leg before. He looked less than happy, but as they say, it's in the scorebook. Thereafter, Madsen and Jewell scored pretty much at will, the captain still looking a player of great class. As for Caleb, I couldn't be happier if he goes on to three figures tomorrow. The drop down the order has worked for him and fair play to Mickey Arthur and his coaches for getting the top order right and out of the trough in which they found themselves.

Of course, another benign (non-hybrid) pitch helped and it could be that this just becomes another high-scoring single innings match, as Northamptonshire bat deep. Or, the overs bowled by the visiting attack around the wicket today, at both Jewell and Reece, might just create a rough for Shoaib Bashir to exploit as the game progresses.

Time will tell. But that was a Wallace and Gromit-style grand day out and thanks to everyone who stopped to have a word during the course of the day. 

It is always a pleasure.

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...