Durham v Derbyshire day 1

Durham 302-7 (Clark 51, Bedingham 49, Robinson 48 Aitchison 4-57)

v Derbyshire 

It was a day of hard graft at The Riverside for Derbyshire today. When the captains tossed the coin at the start of the game I think most people would have hoped that winning it would see the successful side making quick inroads with the ball.

It didn't really work out that way. There was movement but perhaps not to the level that the green pitch suggested might be the case. There have been a few such surfaces like that this year and I suspect that had Durham won the toss they may well have gone the same way as Wayne Madsen. 

Nick Potts was preferred to Rory Haydon, presumably to reinforce his confidence after the T20, but also to offer greater depth to the batting. Rory can consider himself unlucky, but his time will come again and Mickey Arthur is fortunate to have the choices that are available to him. 

Mohammad Abbas was back and his usual metronomic self, but I just wonder if he has lost a little nip in his bowling. He will rarely give much away and he makes the batters work, but his average this summer compares unfavourably with those of previous years. Hopefully he proves me wrong tomorrow and at Chesterfield next week, but eight wickets so far at 45 runs each was not what supporters expected from an attack leader of his reputation.

All of the Durham batters got in and then were dismissed. Derbyshire will be especially pleased to have got Alex Lees and David Bedingham back in the pavilion fairly cheaply, both having good records against them. Yet when rain interrupted play in the final session, Clark and Robinson were well set and Durham looked good for around 400.

Yet the new ball removed both of them, a wicket each for Abbas and Aitchison. The latter owed much to Guest's agility behind the stumps and he had a good day, up until he put down one he would class as routine in the last ten overs. That could yet come back to bite Derbyshire, as Ben Raine, the fortunate batter, is a dangerous lower order hitter, as is Matthew Potts and both were still there at the close.

I would suggest Durham the happier of the two sides at the end of the day. If you are still batting after being asked to you cannot complain too much. Anything over 350 is a decent score on this ground and Ben Raine will hope to continue his excellent record against Derbyshire tomorrow.

Finally tonight, a word for Ben Aitchison. I don't think he has missed a day's cricket this year and throughout he has presented problems for opposition batters. His 32 red ball wickets at 23 represents bowling of the highest standard and he is as good as any on the circuit right now.. 

Add in another sharp catch at slip today - not forgetting that memorable century at Lord's - he will not want this summer to end.

A good day's cricket, then. We will get a better idea of the game's direction by this time tomorrow.

Durham v Derbyshire Championship preview

It's great to see Anuj Dal back in the Derbyshire squad for the game at The Riverside tomorrow. He hasn't played since that nasty injury in April and I am both pleased and surprised to see him back in a match day squad as soon as he is.

Mickey Arthur has announced a squad of fourteen, with Nuj, Nick Potts and Jack Morley alongside the eleven that I suggested yesterday. I don't see any reason to change that side, but the county will be well-placed should an injury substitute be required. The likely eleven again:

Came, Reece, Montgomery, Jewell, Madsen, Andersson, Guest, Aitchison, Haydon, Bashir, Abbas.

As for Durham, Ryan Campbell has named a 14-player squad, which includes two changes to the 14 who played Kent in the last round of red ball fixtures.

Emilio Gay and Ben Stokes drop out due to their England commitments for the three-match Test series against New Zealand. That will no doubt see a quizzical eyebrow or two raised in the north east, when Shoaib Bashir is free to play for Derbyshire.

Duanne Olivier is in line to make his Durham first-class debut, having joined the county for the remainder of the season, replacing Kemar Roach. He will hope to do better than in the second team last week, when Yusuf Bin Naeem dished out some serious stick to the former South African seamer.

Ben Raine sits second in the division's wicket-takers with 33 wickets, one behind Northamptonshire’s Ben Sanderson, while David Bedingham (628) is the leading run scorer in Division Two

Their squad:

Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, David Bedingham, Graham Clark, Alex Lees, Ben McKinney, James Minto, Duanne Olivier, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Ben Raine, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson, Luke Robinson

They have played some excellent red ball cricket this summer and fully lived up to expectations as favourites for promotion. 

They are twenty points clear of their nearest rivals in the division, but only ten points separate Northamptonshire in second and Derbyshire in fifth. Indeed, only fourteen points separate second and second bottom, in a very tight division.

 The forecast is pretty good for the four days, with only occasional passing showers expected. There is every possibility of a positive result and the home side will start favourites on the back of their league placing.

Much will depend on the toss, but I would like to think that Derbyshire will give a good account of themselves. They have played some good cricket this year and have approached it in a manner that supporters have enjoyed.

If they can do the same over the next four days there will be few complaints.

A good news day!

Derbyshire will be announcing their squad tomorrow, for the visit to The Riverside to play Durham in a four-day red ball game.

The squad will be reinforced by the return from international duty of Mohammad Abbas, while Shoaib Bashir has been cleared to play by the ECB. Having not bowled in the Test match at Lord's, it would have made no sense for the off spinner to go into the second Test having not bowled in a match for almost a month.

The return of Abbas will be extremely welcome, though a potential selection dilemma is avoided, for now, by Zak Chappell being unavailable for this match, though a possibility for the Lancashire game at Chesterfield.

That should mean that Rory Haydon continues the excellent start to his county career. We are a day away from the announcement of the Derbyshire squad, but I would assume it will not be far away from this side that lines up at The Riverside:

Reece, Came, Montgomery, Jewell, Madsen, Andersson, Guest, Aitchison, Haydon, Bashir, Abbas.

Anuj Dal is currently playing in the second team fixture against Sussex at Denby, but his chances of an immediate recall after injury would appear slim, since they have managed only fifteen overs in three days. In that time Derbyshire managed 71-2, with Came and Wagstaff the men out. 

I suspect Mickey Arthur would want Nuj to have some match practice before returning to serious first team consideration. It would also be hard to fit him into a side that, lest we forget, has won its last two red ball matches before the start of The Blast. A look at the side above should confirm that particular challenge...

Moving on, thanks to Dean for sending me a link to a piece by Richard Gibson of The Mail, in which he said that Derbyshire and Leicestershire were both chasing the services of Fynn Hudson-Prentice. While this would presumably be from next season, the article suggested that Sussex might be amenable to letting go early any of Fynn, Danny Lamb, Tom Alsop and Tom Clark, as they have to shave half a million from their cricket budget.

It could just be newspaper talk, of course and there may be others chasing his services. Unless they pass in the revolving doors of promotion/relegation this September, the likelihood is that those two sides will be in division two next year. The chances of Derbyshire going up, at this stage however, appear better than those of Leicestershire staying there after a fairly wretched season so far.

I don't think anyone would be disappointed were Fynn to return, though there's a lot of seam bowling competition around these parts, especially with the Lazarus-like improvement in Nick Potts. I suspect that Derbyshire were set to release him at the end of this summer, but he appears to have found something extra under the tutelage of Chris Wright and has done very well in The Blast. He seems to have been around for years, but is still only 23, so time is very much on his side. 

It also highlights the merits of patience, because there were plenty writing him off after a couple of injury-hit summers. The words of Mickey Arthur in his latest interview on the club site suggest that he has played himself into a new deal, which is terrific. 

in fact seam bowling in Derbyshire appears to be alive and well under Wright, a canny operator over many years himself. Matthew Stewart, at 19, has been awash with wickets in the second team this year, having seemingly made the leap from the Academy set up with ease. I would expect him to be on the staff next year, while behind him are other top prospects.

Oldest among these is Jake Green, 18, who has just been selected for an England Invitational XI that will play against England Young Lions and South Africa Under-19s on June 26 and 27. I have seen him bowl a few times and he is another with plenty of potential, not just with the ball. His younger brother Lucas is also making a name for himself and was involved in The Bunbury Festival last summer. 

He is likely to be again, along with several other Pathway youngsters. This serves to highlight the excellent work being done by Daryn Smit and his staff and it would be great to see the decades-old Derbyshire tradition of seam bowling restored to its former glories.

It's fair to say we won't be whistling down any pits for them these days, but the modern route appears to have all the signs of bearing considerable fruit.

All that and there's also Harry Moore, who can hopefully return in 2027 and pick up his career where he left off. Harry might become a batter who bowls a bit, or could still emerge as a genuine all rounder, given greater luck with injury.

But like I said in the title, a good news day!

Monday musings

The North Group of the Vitality Blast is very odd, this year. 

Derbyshire currently sit fourth, ahead of Durham (who beat them) and Lancashire (who they have yet to play but have lost four from five).

Ahead are Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, both of who were beaten easily, with Yorkshire on top of the pile having done a smash and grab at Headingley, in a game where Derbyshire had done all the hard work.

A few observations from me to stimulate discussion...

First - I don't think Nye Donald as skipper works. He is a lovely bloke, articulate, intelligent and a good 'face' for the media. But skippering as wicket keeper is really tough and there's no evidence that in the field any one player is in charge. Madsen, Whiteley and Montgomery all seem to be doing bits, but you cannot captain by committee. There needs to be ONE hand on the tiller or it dissolves into a rabble. I don't think it helps his keeping either, which looks ragged at times.

Second - and staying with Nye, he has to be told that he isn't just what used to be called a pinch hitter. He can hit a ball a long way and is blessed with both strength and timing, but it appears he considers his job done at the end of the sixth over. His shot yesterday was silly and unnecessary, with thirty on the board in three overs. The top franchise players would accept that and wait for the next ball in their arc, not try to make something from a position where feet, head and hands were all in the wrong place. He was only going to get a single from the shot, so why go through with it? He would have probably got a wide had he left it.

Third - what is really to be gained with risky shots in the last over of the Powerplay? Derbyshire were 54-2 from five, scoring at eleven an over, when chasing nine. 130 to win from fifteen overs, around 8/8.5 an over. Then they were 58-4 after six, all the form players gone, three of them through self-inflicted wounds. It would be nice to see them take a leaf from the top franchise sides and players - score a boundary early, then knock it around. Then when Basra was out they needed 67 from seven and most teams would fancy that these days. One boundary an over and knock it around, without the need for anything excessive.

Yesterday's target was far from excessive, but the methodology of the chase was akin to using a pneumatic drill to crack a walnut. 

They return to red ball cricket this week and a trip to Durham, but the make up of the side needs looked at before the return to the white ball game.

For me, Mohammad Ghazanfar has to come in so there are two overseas bowlers. But he cannot play AS WELL AS Jack Morley, because 7-11 would then be Potts, Aitchison, Ghazanfar, Javed and Morley. 

Martin Andersson and Matthew Montgomery have been in terrific form, but we saw yesterday what happens when they fail. Hard as it is for me to write, there is a decline in the form of Wayne Madsen in this format, with scores of 18, 2, 22, 24, 7 and 27. Meanwhile, Caleb Jewell has 11, 20, 58*, 4, 14 and 25. Batting at three and four, one of them has to be doing better and kicking on from starts. Jewell's 132 runs have also taken 99 balls, not quick enough, while Wayne's 100 runs have taken 76 balls.

Either Matthew Montgomery needs to move up, as one of the form players, or Amrit Basra should get a crack at three. Alternatively, Yusuf Bin Naeem should get his chance, after fine form in the second team. 

My team for the remainder of the tournament would therefore be:

Donald, Andersson, Naeem, Montgomery, Basra, Whiteley, Madsen, Potts, Aitchison, Ghazanfar, Javed.

It is a shame for Jack Morley, who started the tournament really well. But unless you play two spinners at Old Trafford (likely and so give Aitchison a breather) he hasn't bowled his full allocation in recent matches anyway. 

Madsen at seven? He can rebuild if required and could nurse the tail to a score if all else fails. But you need your impact players having the maximum time at the crease. I still think Wayne has another season in him, but the short game is an unforgiving format and his role in it has to change in the best interests of the team.

I know some have called for Harry Came and Mitch Wagstaff to be given a game, but I don't look at that top seven and see how they strengthen it in this format. Both should play the 50-over competition, when the county will be missing both Nye Donald and probably Martin Andersson, surely picked up as a wildcard for the 'other competition' after his Blast displays. 

Maybe that is their competition this year, when the county could field:

Jewell, Came, Montgomery, Madsen, Naeem, Wagstaff, Guest, Chappell, Aitchison, Haydon, Morley. 

As always, I appreciate your comments. 

Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast game 6

Nottinghamshire 183-6 (Munsey 53, Haynes 50, Moores 39, Akif 2-31)

Derbyshire 173-9 (Madsen 27, Aitchison 25* Ali 3-25, Pennington 3-29)

Nottinghamshire won by ten runs

Last night I wrote:

It is a game that Derbyshire at their best are capable of winning, as they did last week. At their least focussed they are eminently capable of losing it too, so it depends which side turns up.

We all know what happened, in a game that was given away by some dreadful batting. Yet it started in the field, after Nottinghamshire were asked to bat.

The modern game of cricket is all about 'match ups' and I'm unsure as to how Jack Morley came to be bowling in the Power play to George Munsey. I have watched a lot of the Scottish international in recent years and his strength has always been in sweeping and reverse sweeping.  Jack is a good bowler but was certainly not the right choice to bowl at that time today.

Accordingly, the home side got off to a flyer, but they were pulled back by intelligent bowling from Nick Potts and Akif Javed. Both pitched the ball up well, bowled with fire and crucially, bowled to their fields. Matthew Montgomery also did well on his return to Trent Bridge and eventually got Munsey, who was starved of the strike and lost momentum. Fifty off five overs had only reached 126 by the end of the fourteenth, by which time the returning Morley had nicely pouched Haynes, like Munsey departing soon after reaching a fine fifty. Derbyshire would later wish for someone who reached that landmark.

As he did in the first game between these sides, Moores gave late impetus, aided by Javed, who had previously bowled cleverly and well, opting to bowl short at a batter strong on the pull and hook. He is far weaker on the off side and they should know this and direct the attack accordingly.

Potts eventually got him in the final over, one in which he should have had three wickets to cap an excellent spell of bowling. McCann should have been caught first by Javed, then by Madsen, but both chances were missed as the home side finished on 183-6. Thankfully Linde didn't profit from a poor decision by umpire Russell Warren, who didn't spot Aitchison's hand deflecting a Moores drive onto the stumps at the non-striker's end with the batter well out of his ground.

A target of 184 seemed well within the compass of a Derbyshire side that has been batting well in this tournament, but the loss of the prolific Martin Andersson in the first over was not in the script. Nor was the dreadful shot played by Donald in the third, from a ball that would otherwise have been a wide. We all know what a destructive player the Derbyshire captain is, but I just wish that he would realise that if he stays in, we will usually win. He doesn't need to hit absolutely everything, because no one can. He doesn't need to limit his involvement to the Power play and just keep slogging thereafter. 

Jewell looked good for a while but was another who gave it away with an unnecessary shot in the match situation, as did Montgomery, three balls later. It was horrible, mindless cricket with fully fourteen overs to go. Derbyshire ended the Powerplay with four men back in the pavilion and the chances of a win ebbing away.

Whiteley and Madsen steadied the ship for a while, but the departure of Whiteley at the half way mark, gambling on his power to clear the long on ropes and losing, left a mountain to climb. When Basra also perished on the boundary edge, after a few nice shots but at the end of an over that had already realised eleven, we were doing that climb in free solo mode. Then blindfolded, when Madsen also perished on the boundary with sixty needed from six overs. 

Potts struck a few lusty blows, but I sat watching and thinking back to people like Peter Kirsten and Dean Jones, who didn't need to play the big shots to score quickly. Place the ball, time it, run the twos, the fours and sixes will come. This wasn't a big run chase, but it was conducted with the finesse of the Keystone Cops, with the same predictable result.

Aitchison took it closer than seemed likely by showing greater nous than most, but Nottinghamshire ended up winning by ten runs and deservedly so. The Derbyshire side has batted well this year in The Blast, but this smacked of a bunch of mates going down to the golf range and seeing who could hit it furthest. There was no finesse, no obvious thought process, no clear strategy. Just brute force and ignorance, as my old Dad was fond of saying. You won't win many matches with a top score of 27.

They may yet qualify for the knock out stages, but will need to play considerably better than this in order to do so. 

I hope they have the swear box to hand in the dressing room tonight. After such a batting display, Mickey's input would be both profitable and fully deserved.

Book Review: Writers in Whites: how a group of literary cricketers changed English culture by Ollie Randall

This is far from being a conventional cricket read. A sentence I write as a compliment, because as a book it is thoroughly enjoyable. 

It is the untold story of cricket’s role in a slice of London’s literary world, from the 1880s to the 1960s. PG Wodehouse used his cricket-playing to launch his writing career, while JM Barrie modelled the pirates in Peter Pan after his cricket teammates. Indeed, Arthur Conan Doyle named Sherlock Holmes after a cricketer he’d played against and by one count 240 of 300 characters in his Sherlock Holmes stories are named after cricketers. This is echoed in modern writing, where Martin Edwards, one of the finest of modern crime writers and regular contributor to this blog, has frequently used the names of Derbyshire players in his own books.

The literary cricketers weathered scandals and ferocious culture wars, but they also wrote numerous memoirs describing their antics on and around the cricket field, even if their talents in whites varied from 'keen but distinctly average' (JM Barrie) to 'very good' (Doyle).

Along the way, various writers of renown formed and joined teams, including Edmund Blunden, EW Swanton, Neville Cardus and Michael Morpurgo. The book also covers the rise of the cricketer-turned writer, with the likes of Learie Constantine, Douglas Jardine and Richie Benaud.

It is thoroughly engaging from cover to cover and one can only marvel at the depth of research from Ollie Randall, gathering together so many disparate strands for the first time.

One of the joys of my own life in cricket has been the friends I have made along the way. In the case of these writers, the friendships influenced their writings and helped to shape the country's culture.

This is likely to be one of the books of the year, by the time 2026 comes to an end.

Writers in Whites: How a group of literary cricketers changed English culture is written by Ollie Randall and published by Fairfield Books

Derbyshire on an England scorecard!

Thanks to Mark for sending me a photo of the team sheet from the Lord's Test and for granting permission for its use.

So nice to see Derbyshire named as the home of one of the English players. 

Shoaib Bashir hasn't had a great deal of opportunity in this match, so dominant have been the seam bowlers. But I have every confidence that he will do the necessary, if and when opportunity arises.

Many thanks, Mark. I think it is fair to say you have seen an eventful match!

Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast game 6

Mickey Arthur has named the expected 15-man squad for tomorrow's return T20 fixture against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge (3pm start)

It is unlikely that there will be a change from the side that did well in two matches before going down to Essex. Much as I and several others would like to see Yusuf Bin Naeem come into the side, it could only be at the expense of Caleb Jewell and I don't see Mickey making that call at this stage. 

So I expect Derbyshire to line up as follows: 

Donald, Andersson, Jewell, Madsen, Montgomery, Whiteley, Basra, Potts, Aitchison, Javed, Morley

Came, Wagstaff, Bin Naeem, Haydon also in the squad.

Last night I watched Nottinghamshire limp over the line against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. It was a low scoring game, where they were only chasing 140 to win, but got them for seven wickets. They also bowled twelve overs of spin with four spinners, which suggests the way that the game may go tomorrow. A left field pick would see Mitch Wagstaff come into the Derbyshire side, but it will be interesting to see the pitch chosen for the game.

There is no news on the home side as I write but I would expect them to go with this team, unchanged from last night: 

Clarke, Munsey, Haynes, McCann, Moores, Howell, McCann, Linde, Patterson-White, Pennington, Stone.

It is a game that Derbyshire at their best are capable of winning, as they did last week. At their least focussed they are eminently capable of losing it too, so it depends which side turns up.

I'm going for a repeat of last week, because I have been impressed on the whole with the way that the county has approached this tournament. 

With an impressively positive net run rate, they are in a good position in the competition, if they leave Trent Bridge with the points tomorrow. Mohammad Ghazanfar will be here soon and that can surely only boost prospects.

The forecast is set fair. It would do the mood no harm at all should Northamptonshire take the points from Durham tonight. 

Here's hoping for successive, positive events. 

What do you think? 

Easy win for first eleven in friendly

There was a good run out and easy win for Derbyshire tonight, in the NCCA Showcase friendly against Bedfordshire at Dunstable.

The home side won the toss and elected to bowl, but Nye Donald and Martin Andersson put on 57 in the first four overs before the skipper was caught for 23.

Andersson top-scored with 74 from just 30 deliveries before retiring, while Caleb Jewell made 40 in a score of 205-7 from 20 overs.

The home side never got going, their final total of 130-9 largely built around 42 from Yusuf Bin Naeem, who guested for them. The wickets were shared around the attack, with Ben Aitchison taking 2-27 and Rory Haydon 2-18. Ross Whiteley took 1-12 in his three overs.

A win by 75 runs then, ahead of Sunday's big game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Another wash out at Hartlepool

Another rain ruined draw for the second team against Durham at Hartlepool today.

Harry Came again lost the toss and the home side opted to bat. They had reached 53-2 in the sixth over before the rains came, both wickets falling to Matt Stewart, who has been in fine form this summer. 

The only other point of interest was that the sixth over was bowled by Luis Reece. Hopefully the start of a welcome bowling come back in time for the resumption of red ball cricket

Scorecard and video clips here

Seconds settle for share of points at Hartlepool

Derbyshire's second team had to settle for a share of the points, as rain ran out the winner at Hartlepool today.

Batting first after Durham won the toss, Derbyshire amassed 180-6 in their 20 overs. Yusuf Bin Naeem hit Duane Olivier for 4 sixes on his way to 33 from 18 deliveries, while Harry Came made 25 and Luis Reece 37. 

Brooke Guest marshalled the lower order in making an unbeaten 40, before the innings came to a close. Olivier finished with 1-40 in his three overs...

When Durham went in, they were quickly in trouble and were 11-2 in the third over before rain ended proceedings. Both Matt Stewart and Rory Haydon took a wicket and Derbyshire will have fancied their chances at that stage.

The two teams meet again on the same ground tomorrow, weather permitting.

Scorecard and clips here

Essex v Derbyshire Vitality Blast game 5

Derbyshire 173 (Montgomery 50, Potts 35) 

Essex 179-5 (19.4 overs - Allison 67*, Walter 41, Critchley 37, Potts 1-23)

Essex won by five wickets

Derbyshire were not quite on it today, in all departments of the game and the result thereafter came as no surprise. 

The somewhat erratic bounce did for some of the players. Certainly Martin Andersson and Wayne Madsen were both victims of this, while Amrit Basra struggled with his timing on a ground that few of them will have played on before. 

Matthew Montgomery played a fine innings, while Nick Potts showed why he has opened in the second team, but the overriding feeling was that 174 would be difficult to defend on a small ground.

It didn't help that catches went down. Both Allison and Walter should have gone early, to catches that needed to be taken. The giant Walter must be a challenge to bowl to and was taking heavy toll of the Derbyshire attack when he was overly ambitious against Morley and skied to the safe hands of Jewell.

When Benkenstein overestimated his powers of acceleration and was brilliantly run out by a throw from Montgomery to Andersson, Essex threatened to wobble and even the reassuring sight of the experienced Wiaan Mulder coming in failed to steady the ship. He looked strangely edgy and after a couple of wild swings hit Andersson to Montgomery at long on.

64 were needed from the last seven and the pace variations of Andersson caused uncertainty, but Allison reached a crucial half century and some lusty blows from Matt Critchley took the home side to a win. Perhaps Andersson shouldn't have bowled three straight overs, which allowed them to line him up for the last, but it is easy to be clever in hindsight.

Akif again bowled very well today and special mention should be made of Nick Potts. The lad has had his critics, but in recent matches and especially here he has shown an aptitude for the format. His innings gave Derbyshire a chance and he bowled intelligently, mixing up line and length to good effect, taking the game to within two balls of its natural conclusion.

It was an odd day. Yorkshire lost heavily to Gloucestershire and Durham went down to Nottinghamshire, who earned their first win. With Derbyshire taking the game to the last over, there has been little negative impact on their Net Run Rate and theirs is now the best in the section.

Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned today. In striving for 200-plus again on an unfamiliar ground, I think we made a mistake. 185 would have been very interesting and fewer attempted pyrotechnics might have got us there. 

Anyway, we move on. Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, this time next week.

Hopefully a chance to get back to winning ways.

The morning after the night before...

There were a lot of children at the cricket last night and it struck me, as I watched with everyone else, how exciting it must have been for them. 

Plenty of boundaries, lots going on, a glorious evening and a Derbyshire win. It was the sort of event that captures the imagination of the young and I cast my mind back to when I was that age and how impressionable I was. 

I also smiled when I read today's comment from Chris in Shropshire. Like him, I applaud the way that this Derbyshire is going about their cricket. We know there are weaknesses in the attack and we are well aware of why - it is impossible to sustain a standard with so many injuries. 

Yet the game is a simple one. Score more runs than your opponents and in the past two matches they have done just that. It is unrealistic to expect your team to score more than eleven an over and roll over the opposition for a hundred. But if the collective comes out on top, eleven people have fulfilled their roles. 

There are plenty of smiles in the camp and they are clearly enjoying their cricket in both red and white ball forms. There are obvious heroes, such as Martin Andersson - who will surely be picked up for the other competition this year and therefore miss the 50-over tournament. Yet someone like Amrit Basra is equally important.

Fleet-footed, he patrols the boundary like a cheetah and has saved many runs already. He has also held his share of catches in the deep and there is a reassurance in seeing he and Ross Whiteley in key positions, fine fielders both.

Ross is another. At the start of the season I thought this would be his swansong, but his form so far - bar for that over in the first game - has been excellent. 117 runs from just 61 deliveries and giving immense power to the death period of the innings. He was out first ball at Leicester, but otherwise he has been impressive, restored to the form of his best years.

I feel for Caleb Jewell. He is partly the victim of the success of the opening pair, because he has to kick on without really taking time to get in. Yet his rate is noticeably slower than others, with 93 runs from 70 balls and with the arrival of Ghazanfar he will likely be rested, in favour of Came, Bin Naeem, maybe even Reece. An attack of Aitchison, Javed, Morley, Ghazanfar, Montgomery and Andersson looks stronger, on current form. Let's not forget that Zak Chappell may be back, so too Pat Brown, but he will need to test that shoulder before he is considered.

It is an odd and tough section. Leicestershire looked ordinary against Derbyshire, yet last night beat Lancashire, while Durham slipped to heavy defeat against a Yorkshire side we largely outplayed. 

Only one team in the country has currently got a better NRR than Derbyshire, so qualification is definitely there for the taking. If they continue to play as a team, fight to win every ball and bat with the freedom of expression that makes watching them a joy, it can happen. 

Tomorrow they will face an Essex side from a different section, who have won one and lost two so far. It will be a good opportunity to see where they are as a side and it is a game that should make for fascinating viewing. In their current form, batting as they do, Derbyshire should fear no one 

Just going back to those children that I mentioned at the start, last night, when Donald and Andersson were swashbuckling their merry way at the start of the innings, I allowed myself a contented smile.

Still Jewell to come in, then the incomparable Madsen. Oh, then there's Montgomery, all class, placement and timing. Crikey, then there's Whiteley to hit it to all parts. And of course, Basra, who we know can be very destructive and is quickly into his stride.

These are days to enjoy, days that as you grow older you will look back on with a wistful nostalgia, the 'privilege' of those who have experienced the less rewarding days.

Credit to Mickey Arthur and his coaches for the brand of cricket that is making us enjoy the game again, or for the first time.

Summer evenings, for a sports fan, don't get much better than last night. Win tomorrow at Chelmsford and we will go into the week's fixture break with smiles as wide as an ocean.

Then it is time for Nottinghamshire again...

Postscript: THREE Derbyshire players in the fastest scoring T20 players so far this season. Nye Donald top of the pile 

When you think that Madsen and Andersson aren't in there...

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire Vitality Blast game 4

Derbyshire 234-4 (Donald 84, Andersson 69* Whiteley 33, Linde 2-52)

Nottinghamshire 211-6 (Moires 75, Haynes 45, Aitchison 2-44, Potts 2-47)

Derbyshire won by 23 runs

Another other terrific batting display by Derbyshire gave them a second Vitality Blast win of the summer, this time over near neighbours Nottinghamshire.

The margin was 23 runs, but in reality it was much greater, as the visitors never threatened a Derbyshire total that effectively put the game out of their reach. 

Their 234-4 was their highest total in T20 cricket and was led by captain Nye Donald, who hammered 84 from just 31 deliveries, hitting eight sixes and equalling the county record in doing so. 

He was again well supported by Martin Andersson, who finished unbeaten on 69 at the end of the innings, yet faced only 43 deliveries. With late impetus from Ross Whiteley, Wayne Madsen and Matthew Montgomery, the total set looked to be a challenge for any side, even on a very good pitch.

Nottinghamshire never got going against a keen attack and had only reached 42 in the seventh over. Morley again bowled well, but puzzlingly only bowled two overs, the same as Montgomery but much more economical. Meanwhile Akif was terrific, very quick and hard to get away. This was his best display in a Derbyshire shirt and augurs well for the rest of the competition.

Haynes batted well for a while, but it was only when Moores came in that the scoring rate rose. He hit seven sixes, on a night that saw more than any previous Derbyshire T20 game, but the home bowlers held their nerve 

Credit to Moores for continuing after receiving a fearful blow from Akif, which looked very nasty indeed for a while. Yet in the end his side were well beaten by a Derbyshire side that looks increasingly impressive.

I still think they can improve. The arrival of Mohammad Ghazanfar should see Caleb Jewell step down, as the greater need is for another bowler. The Australian scored four off nine balls today and the truth is that Harry Came and Yusuf Bin Naeem are making strong claims for inclusion.

Nick Potts could be the man to drop out for Ghazanfar. He bowled some good balls tonight and picked up a couple of wickets, but at some point the batting will be less productive and the onus will turn to the bowlers to force the result. Morley and Ghazanfar in tandem will make for a stronger, less profligate attack.

Momentum is building and we will have a better idea of prospects after Sunday's game at Chelmsford. 

But in this form, Derbyshire should fear no one.

Fine win for Seconds at Repton

There was an exciting win for the second team against Lancashire at Repton today.

The visitors 170-7 in 20 overs was almost entirely due to George Bell, who made an unbeaten 116. Only one other player made 20, as Matt Stewart continued his fine form with 4-24.

Yusuf Bin Naeem made a quick 24 in reply, with three sixes, but the innings subsided to 57-5, then 88-6, but Brooke Guest and Ollie Rayner, who has played both for and against the county this year, added 67, before Brooke was run out with 15 balls to go for an excellent 73.

Sixteen were needed from 15 deliveries, but Rayner saw Derbyshire home with five balls to spare, ending with an unbeaten 44.

An excellent result!

Scorecard and video clips here

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire Vitality Blast game 4 preview

There is no change to the Derbyshire 15 for tomorrow's East Midlands Derby against Nottinghamshire at the central co-op County Ground.

So well is the batting unit functioning that I don't see a change to the top seven. There can be no complaints about a line up that has registered 190+ in every game so far.

Which in turn has contributed to the second best net run rate in the section. So often in recent seasons we have played catch up on this after some heavy defeats, but this year has been better by a considerable margin. 

The only possible change I see for tomorrow might be Rory Haydon coming in for Nick Potts. These games are high intensity and after starting well, Nick has taken some stick in the last two games. A breather would do him no harm and hopefully allow him to come back refreshed. He could have had a wicket last night and broken the dangerous stand, had Ben Aitchison held on to a tough chance, but his time will come again.

I don't Akif Javed being dropped. He has landed in a foreign country at short notice and gone straight into matches on pitches that he is unfamiliar with. I suspect Chris Wright has chatted with him about the 'English length' and also a need for mixing up his pace a little. Martin Andersson showed last night, having watched the highlights, how dangerous the 'pace off' man can be in this form of the game. The various outfield catches came as a result of the ball not quite being 'there' and there are other counties with similar exponents of that skill set. 

Nottinghamshire thrived for years on the economical middle overs squeeze applied by the likes of Dan Christian and Steve Mullaney and a bowler who has disguised 'paces' will succeed in short form cricket, where everyone is trying to hit them into a neighbouring county.

The current Nottinghamshire side in this format doesn't compare to the vintage elevens of the past, but there are dangerous individuals within it. They have lost two from two and losing a third tomorrow will make their chances of qualification difficult, especially with a poor Net Run Rate at this stage.

Their squad of 14: 

Clarke, Ahmed, Ali, Hayes, Haynes, Howell, Linde, Martindale, McCann, Moores, Munsey, Pennington, Pocklington, Stone

They have recruited George Munsey from Scotland and, to be honest, I am surprised that at a time when overseas recruitment is proving a challenge, neither Richie Berrington nor Brandon McMullen have been picked up. At the very least, counties would save on airfares and it would promote the game north of the border. 

There are some average–looking overseas around at present and perhaps using glasses rather than binoculars might be beneficial...

Anyway, here's to tomorrow, hot weather, a good crowd and of course a Derbyshire win. 

After the victory last night, albeit against an ordinary-looking Leicestershire side, I am going for home advantage counting and a Derbyshire win. Then again, perhaps Derbyshire just made them look ordinary, in a very polished team effort.

What do you think? 

Leicestershire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast game 3

Derbyshire 230-5 (Jewell 58*, Andersson 57, Donald 49)

Leicestershire 145 (Turner53, Cox 34, Andersson 6-23, Aitchison 2-7)

Derbyshire won by 85 runs

What a great win! I'll need to not watch on a more regular basis...

An excellent batting performance, which I will let you fill in the details for, with a final total that was always going to put the other side under pressure. 

Donald and Andersson make her really impressive opening pair and that must have been quite special to watch tonight. Also good to see Caleb in the runs, while Monty was again offering a final flourish. If you discount Amrit Basra's three-ball salvo at the end, of course.

Then a great start with the ball, with three wickets in the first two overs. Jack Morley continuing to impress in this format, while Big Ben Aitchison helped in a perfect start 

Was anyone concerned when Cox and Turner got going, after recent events?

Finally, Martin Andersson, all rounder de luxe! What a performance, following his 57 with 6-23

I'm looking forward to your comments tonight. Please get them in and I will publish as soon as I am able...

Nottinghamshire next. We all feel much better about that one now, don't we? 

Leicestershire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast game 3 preview

Harry Came and Rory Haydon are rewarded for their second team efforts this week with a place in the Derbyshire squad for the Blast game at Leicester tomorrow.

I would be surprised if Came can break into the batting line up, as Mickey Arthur will look at the top seven and feel there is little wrong with that side of the team. Only Nye Donald and Wayne Madsen have yet to get going in this competition and I can't see either of them being left out, much the same as you, I assume. He will also consider the attack from which Harry took his runs and probably keep his powder dry on a line up that has scored 190+ in the two games so far. The same goes for Yusuf Bin Naeem, but if tomorrow ends in another defeat Derbyshire would need seven wins from nine games to have a chance of qualification, which would be a very tall order.

Rory Haydon may come in, either in place of Nick Potts or Ben Aitchison, who might benefit from a breather. But I don't otherwise see a change from the side that threw the game away at Headingley on Sunday.

Leicestershire have also lost two from two, so this is a big game for both sides. They have announced the following squad: 

Green, Budinger, Cox, Davey, Eskinazi, Green, Holland, Hull, Kelly, Mike, Patel, Tattersall, Trevaskis, Turner

They also lost to Durham as well as to Worcestershire and their batting has so far struggled to get going.

Derbyshire will need to bowl much better than at the death on Sunday to win this one, or they will need to bat them out of sight. I am not overly confident of either, right now, but perhaps someone will step up and do something special.

I am otherwise engaged tomorrow, so might give observations later, or those comments may need to wait until Thursday morning. I will leave the usual place for comments so yours are all in the same place.

Seconds storm to win in T20

Food for thought for Mickey Arthur today in the first match in the Second XI T20 at Sheffield

The home side won the toss and elected to bowl, probably regretting it 20 overs later, as Derbyshire amassed 236-7 in their 20 overs.

Harry Came was star man, making a brilliant 114 from 56 deliveries, with 14 fours and 3 sixes. He was well supported by Luis Reece (40) Yusuf Bin Naeem (31) and Joe Hawkins (21*).

Yorkshire never got close in reply, although Harry Duke, back from his loan spell at Middlesex, made 76. 

He was dismissed by Rory Haydon, who took 3-36 and no one conceded more than 37 in a disciplined bowling display. Yorkshire finished on 182-5 as Derbyshire ran out winners by 54 runs.

Scorecard and video clips here

Derbyshire entertain Lancashire on Friday at Repton

Yorkshire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast game 2

Derbyshire 194-4 (Andersson 81*, Whiteley 39*, Montgomery 35)

Yorkshire 195-8 (Ali 51, Tye 32*, Hasan 31*, Lyth 31 Morley 4-44, Potts 2-44)

Yorkshire won by 2 wickets

I honestly can't believe how Derbyshire lost that game today.

After a very good batting effort, they had done all the hard work with some fine bowling and fielding and Yorkshire needed 56 from the last four overs, with only two wickets left. 

Yet they got them with three balls to spare.

They looked out of it at 102-6 and 139-8, but dangerous late order hitters Andrew Tye and Hasan Ali took advantage of some average late bowling to steal the win. Moeen Ali had earlier given them hope, with 5 sixes in his half century, but Derbyshire must have fancied their chances when the last four overs came.

Again it was down to small margins. There are two blokes swinging the bat and the smallest man on the side is at cow corner on the boundary. It was the height that did for Jack Morley on that occasion, but that should not detract from a very fine bowling performance. Anyone had him on their bingo card as our star T20 bowler this year? Me neither, but he has bowled beautifully and earlier held two fine catches.

Nick Potts also did well in his first two overs, but took punishment in his last two, while you would expect more from your overseas bowler than we got from Akif on this occasion. Matthew Montgomery also bowled a clever spell to follow a fine innings earlier, but that was very much a game that was thrown away.

Earlier, Martin Andersson batted beautifully (but we must assume is another unfit to bowl) and steered Derbyshire from 63-3 to 194-4. First with Montgomery and then Ross Whiteley, who clubbed in brutal fashion over the last quarter of the innings, he gave Derbyshire a strong total to bowl at. He looked shattered by the end, but batted through the innings in fine style.

The old failings came back today. For all that there is most of a first choice attack missing, the ones that played today delivered a fine performance until the final scene.

Sadly, that was when they fluffed their lines. 

Fair play to Tye and Hasan, both players who I have seen do that a few times. But the discipline that was a feature of the earlier Derbyshire bowling disappeared and there didn't appear anyone in real control out in the field.

It is frustrating, that's all I can say. This could be a long competition and while I accept that the side competed very well and it was another excellent game to watch, the players will be wondering how that one got away.

Just the same as us. 

Postscript: do we really need the interminable crowd shots? Between 'Oblivious cam' and all the other nonsense, deliveries were missed and the editing, for such a big club, was very poor. 

Given a choice between that and a fixed camera at either end, I would have to think long as to my preference...