Derbyshire v Worcestershire Vitality Blast

Worcestershire 174-6 (Roderick 71, Brookes 43, Dwarshuis 33*, Chappell 3-26)

Derbyshire 162-6 (Madsen 77*)

Worcestershire won by 12 runs

If you needed the reason for Derbyshire's disappointing Blast campaign encapsulated, it happened tonight.

It isn't easy to lose a game when you had the opposition 10-4 in the third over, but Worcestershire recovered well through the excellent Gareth Roderick and Ethan Brookes, while late impetus from Ben Dwarshuis took the visitors to what earlier had appeared an unlikely 174-6.

They were aided by some average bowling, with Pat Brown off colour tonight, especially in his final spell. Ghazanfar again bowled tidily, while Zak Chappell was back to his best, but much as Ravi Bopara did at the start of the tournament here, Roderick assessed the situation, worked out the pitch, utilised the short, straight boundaries and steered his team to a total that was always going to be challenging. Especially when Derbyshire are so brittle with the bat.

It was always likely that Nye Donald would follow his 13-ball fifty at Chesterfield with a low score here, but strangled down the leg side first ball was an extreme script. When Harry Came chopped on after an extra cover six and Caleb Jewell got into a tangle after two sixes, things were not looking good. 

Neither Patel nor Whiteley suggested permanence and I could have copied and pasted 'Patel was caught pulling' a few times this summer. 

A partnership of 38 between Andersson and Madsen kept Derbyshire in the game, but I never felt we were in the box seat against excellent bowling, especially at the death by Ben Dwarshuis and Khurram Shahzad. 

Madsen was yet again - more copy and paste material - excellent, but he had little in the way of support tonight, no one else reaching 20.

A night that promised much ended like a damp squib.

Rather like our mathematical interest in the competition. 

Although that had long gone for yours truly.

Vitality Blast Preview - Worcestershire and Northamptonshire

Mickey Arthur has named a 14-man squad for the games over the next two nights against Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. 

The weather tomorrow looks to be scorchio, so no doubt the Sky cameras will enjoy a bit of Derbados. 

I suspect that the Head of Cricket will not attempt to fix anything that isn't broken, after the excellent win over Yorkshire at Chesterfield. So my prediction is the following (same) side:

Jewell, Donald, Madsen, Patel, Whiteley, Andersson, Came, Chappell, Thomson, Ghazanfar, Brown (Aitchison, Guest, Wagstaff in the squad)

Guest's century in 33 balls today may cause a second thought, but I think they like splitting the fifth bowler between Andersson and AN Other, even though I think the former could handle all four overs. 

Worcestershire are only four points better off than Derbyshire and haven't yet announced their squad. Last time out they fielded this side as they eased past Northamptonshire:

Mohammad, D'Oliveira, Roderick, Kashif, Brookes, Cullen, Dwarshuis, Taylor, Singh, Finch, Shahzad

I think by now we all know that Derbyshire are capable of beating most teams, on their day. It is just a case of whether they turn up as an eleven.

As for Northamptonshire on Friday, away from home, they fielded the following side last time out: 

Robinson, Vasconcelos, Broad, Willey, Bopara, Zaib, McManus, Bartlett, Sanderson, Pope, Scrimshaw

For those who didn't see it, Tim Robinson, a New Zealander, has replaced Matt Breetzke for two championship and four Blast matches, before the South African returns for the end of the Blast.

They should be two good games. 

Derbyshire are capable of moving up the table with good performances in both.

We will see what happens and I will report back after both games 

Seconds lose at Repton

The second team lost their shoot out with Nottinghamshire at Repton today and just missed out on qualification for the T20 semi finals.

Batting first, Nottinghamshire amassed 249-8 in their 20 overs. Sammy King made 123 from 52 balls and Dane Schadendorf 70 from just 25 deliveries, against a young Derbyshire attack in which Rory Haydon took 2-48 and Jack Morley was the only bowler of experience.

In reply, Brooke Guest reached 50 in just 15 deliveries and went on to a remarkable century in just 33 balls, with 10 sixes and 7 fours. He was helped in a partnership of 152 in just ten overs by Pathway bat Harrison Parker (42) and at 164-1 after just 10.4 overs Derbyshire had a chance of a remarkable win. 

The dismissal of Guest triggered a collapse against a more experienced attack that included Olly Stone, Connor McKerr, James Hayes and Freddie McCann. Thereafter only Rohan Vallabhaneni, with 28, was able to mount a challenge and the home side was all out for 216, losing by 33 runs.

I suppose the game highlights the difference between a more affluent county and ourselves. Technically the Nottinghamshire players are largely second teamers, but they are considerably more experienced than the Derbyshire one, which had only Mitch Wagstaff and Yusaf bin Naeem with any first team experience, aside from Guest and Morley.

Mind you, after our winning the competition a few seasons back with Leus du Plooy as captain, I don't think we can take the moral high ground.. 

Scorecard and video clips can be seen here

Another win for Second XI

There was another excellent T20 win for the second team today. 

Playing Leicestershire at Repton, skipper Brooke Guest won the toss and asked the visitors to bat. They were then restricted to 163-5, with Lewis Hill making 67. Rory Haydon took 2-24 and Jack Morley 2-28, with the fifth wicket going to Pathway bowler, Matt Stewart.

In reply, Derbyshire coasted home and won by nine wickets and with more than five overs to spare. Luis Reece, happily returned to the side, led off with 33 from 16 balls, before Harry Came (73*) and Mitch Wagstaff (54*) hit six sixes between them, against an attack featuring Salisbury, Walker and Wood. 

Scorecard and video clips can be seen here

Derbyshire v Yorkshire Vitality Blast

Yorkshire 200-6 (Thompson 37*, Wharton 33, Bairstow 29, Ghazanfar 2-21, Brown 2-37)

Derbyshire 201-3 (Donald 85, Madsen 38*, Jewell 31, Whiteley 29* Sutherland 1-16)

Derbyshire won by 7 wickets 

The problem with watching Derbyshire in this competition has been their inability to produce a complete bowling or batting performance. To produce both has been problematic all summer.

Today we started well, but haemorrhaged runs towards the end, as Jordan Thompson, who moves to Warwickshire next summer, opened his shoulders.

Everyone got going for Yorkshire and 12 sixes were hit in their twenty overs, but Thompson's eleven-ball salvo for 37 unbeaten runs was the highest of the innings. Three perished to boundary catches by Harry Came, restored to the side in place of Brooke Guest, with Nye Donald keeping wicket. Will Sutherland did too, courtesy of a blinder by Ross Whiteley, who has held his share of those throughout his career. 

Regardless of it being a small ground, 200 takes some chasing in twenty overs.  Or could have, had it not been for another of those Nye Donald innings. 

Nye can thrill and frustrate with equal alacrity, but today he hit an astonishing 85 from just 30 balls, with 8 sixes and 7 fours. Everything found the middle of his bat, until he top-edged Chohan and was caught at mid wicket. His 13-ball fifty was the joint fastest In the history of T20 in this country (shared with Marcus Trescothick) and the only disappointment was that he could have claimed the fastest century in the club's history. Yet one cannot be churlish after witnessing such an astonishing display of hitting. 

Jewell lent good support in an opening stand of 115 in less than nine overs, without timing the ball quite so well, with the exception of one huge six over long leg. They scored 90 in the Powerplay, which sets an impressive benchmark.

It was an indication of how well Donald batted that for once Wayne Madsen was but a sideshow to the main event. Yet he played calmly and professionally to steer his side home, in the company of Whiteley, at last elevated in the order to play himself in and influence the game properly. They took Derbyshire to a fully deserved win with sixteen balls to spare, only the second time that the county has chased 200 to win a game in this format. 

For the visitors, Thompson followed his batting with a decent bowling effort and Will Sutherland bowled well for them, but the rest went around the park and the fielding disintegrated in the face of the onslaught.

They must be getting to the point that they give Derbyshire the points for this fixture. That's eight successive wins here and it just seems that the large, partisan crowd and small, intimate environment brings out the best of the Derbyshire side. Perhaps we should play more T20 matches here and play to our strengths..

It doesn't, of course, take away from the fact that we have only turned up three times in the competition. It is hard to believe that the side that beat Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire so convincingly, then played as they did today, has failed to win another game.

The ability is clearly there. Somehow, with changes in personnel, they have to find the way to produce the goods more consistently next year. It is no coincidence that the sides we have beaten are broadly similar in standard, yet we disintegrate when faced with supposed better opposition. It would help immensely if we only played Lancashire and Birmingham once each..

But today, regardless of earlier shortcomings, they hammered Yorkshire in a display that will live long in the memory.

Most of the crowd will have been very happy, as they made their way home, at the end of another successful Chesterfield Festival. 

As long as they didn't have white roses on their hats...

Book Review: The Cricket Captains of England 1877-1979 by Alan Gibson

Alan Gibson was a well-known radio broadcaster, who for many years commentated on Test Match Special. For almost 20 years he wrote on county cricket for The Times and here was where his strength lay.

He was a magnificent wordsmith, perhaps second only to Cardus in that regard, the prose flowing from his pen like liquid gold. There are similarities in style and in this book he quotes stories and opinions of his predecessor on a regular basis, especially regarding players he cannot have seen himself.

This is both a a strength and weakness. Time has taught us that for all of his literary talents - and they are considerable - Cardus embellished or made up stories to suit his needs. Thus the many stories of Emmott Robinson, the craggy old Yorkshire all-rounder, were largely disproved when the cricketer admitted he had never met him.

Yet this does not detract from a volume where the author analyses and critiques the lives and careers of men who captained England, between 1877 and 1979, when this book was first published. These pen pictures are delightfully written in a conversational style that one could imagine replicated if sat with the author in the pub. The earlier part is the strongest, perhaps because the characters were more worthy of investigation, but the book is a joyous read.

This reprint, with valuable notes and updates to the rear, is effectively a companion volume to the updated version by Vic Marks, which I shall soon review and covers the period from 1979 to 2025. Along with sixteen freshly chosen pages of photographs, there is also a valuable statistical section, which confirms the varying levels of ability of those tasked with leading the nation's cricket eleven onto the field. 

Some did it only once or twice, others for longer periods. There certainly seems to have been a  considerable difference between the abilities of Ray Illingworth, Mike Brearley, Douglas Jardine and others. Bob Wyatt was told by Derbyshire's Tommy Mitchell that 'he couldn't captain a box of lead soldiers' and never played for England again. Others appear to have been in the right place at the right time, or born in the correct circumstances...

Flitting through the pages are a Hollywood star, a future bishop and a man who, according to legend, was once offered the throne of Albania. CB Fry seems to have been an extraordinary, if eccentric man and he, with many others, comes to life within the pages of this book. 

My next read is the update from Vic Marks, which I am hopeful will be up to the same standard as this book. 

Because this is simply a joy from the first page to last.

The Cricket Captains of England 1877 - 1979 is written by Alan Gibson and published by Fairfield Books

Lancashire v Derbyshire Vitality Blast

Lancashire 178 -6 (Salt 44, Livingstone 35, Chappell 3-23)

Derbyshire  136-6 (Madsen 53, Chappell 34*, Wood 3-25, Green 2-16) 

Lancashire won by 42 runs

Derbyshire slipped to the expected defeat at Old Trafford today, losing to Lancashire by 42 runs.

I thought they bowled and fielded pretty well in this game. Had this standard been attained in earlier matches, I have no doubt that our position in the table would be more favourable than it currently is. 

Pat Brown and Zak Chappell were almost back to their T20 best, Patel was canny and removed Buttler with his first ball, Ghazanfar needed watched and Martin Andersson was again under-utilised. Having watched him this summer, I feel he could do a similar job for us in the future to that done by Steven Mullaney and Dan Christian for Nottinghamshire in the past. Why he hasn't bowled more this summer is one of those mysteries, as he has rarely been collared.

Only Ben Aitchison was off his best, but he probably wasn't lined up to play too much in this format and likely needs to hone his skills over the winter.

In the field, Ross Whiteley was excellent, as was Pat Brown. Lancashire were never allowed to get away and the eventual target was certainly within range, if we batted well. Yet when big-hitting international players struggled for timing, I feared the worst.

And we didn't bat well. Caleb Jewell drove, leaden-footed, at Luke Wood and edged to slip, while Andersson got a yorker that was nigh-unplayable, first ball. Two down after two balls and Donald was almost run out in identical fashion to this week's second team game, backing up too far. It was hard to get away from the fact that Wood and Mahmood, international bowlers both, were too good for our top order. The feeling was reinforced when Donald played an unnecessary shot at Wood, just as he and Madsen were getting the innings back on track, and lobbed a simple catch to short fine leg.

Guest and Madsen got the innings back on track but Brooke struggled with his timing and it was no surprise when he holed out to long on. Patel didn't last long either and after a good fifty, Madsen was caught at cover, which was pretty much the end, bar for some sparky strokes from Chappell.

It was reminiscent of the defeat at Birmingham and again I ask why we opted to bat second, on a ground where the pitches often start slow and get slower. Also why, in a competition when so few batters have shown form, Ross Whiteley is kept back until we need 94 from six overs.

All very puzzling.

And hugely disappointing, like most of this tournament has been.

Mailbag question

Another question to come in my mail bag this week was who I would potentially target to strengthen the squad next season. 

It is very difficult to answer such a question, without knowing the available budget and the salary demands of particular players.

But someone who is out of contract and who I think would flourish, given greater opportunity, is Matt Montgomery at Nottinghamshire.

He has only had one first class innings this season and made 75, while in T20 he has found himself coming in at number eight, far too low for a player of his ability. 

Lest we forget, he captained South Africa under-19s and although he seems to have been around for a long time, is still only 25.

It is hard to see how he gets more cricket at Trent Bridge, but I think he would prove a good asset to Derbyshire, an all-format player who bowls useful off spin in T20. Averages of 32 in red and 42 in white ball cricket can go upwards and I think he would be the sort of player to bolster the middle order, batting five in all formats and *maybe* replace Wayne Madsen at four in due course.

I would sooner sign someone like Montgomery, who I think has a high ceiling, than an older player who has gone as far as he can.

I think staying at Nottinghamshire would show a lack of ambition, because he has to be playing regular first team cricket at this stage of his career. 

Were I his agent, that is what I would be telling him, anyway. 

The Second Golden Age of cricket

I was asked recently if I thought that the standard of county cricket today was the best that I had seen.

My answer is an unequivocal no. 

I firmly believe that from 1970 to the mid-1990's I was fortunate to see the new Golden Age of county cricket. Whatever the merits of the original, I find it hard to believe it could have been better than I saw in the formative years of my life and cricket watching. 

Quite simply, the greatest players in the world could be seen all summer long in England. The best batsmen, as we called them then, the best bowlers and effectively some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. 

You knew that every time you went to a match you were going to see world-class cricketers. Most sides had a couple from elsewhere in the world (not Yorkshire, of course..) and the standard was so high. 

I recall sitting down in front of the TV on Sunday afternoons, if Derbyshire were playing away from home. Just before 2pm the Sunday League coverage would start on BBC 2 and as soon as the teams came up, I would think quickly who was going to be involved that afternoon. 

Gloucestershire v Hampshire? So Mike Procter and Zaheer Abbas against Barry Richards and Gordon Greenidge. Yes please, that's even before you consider other fine players on display. If it was Essex I would marvel at the athleticism and all-round ability of Keith Boyce, or it might be Glamorgan, with the languid stroke play of Majid Khan and the pyrotechnics of Roy Fredericks. Sussex? Only Imran Khan and Garth Le Roux, serious pace from both ends. Or maybe Warwickshire? Rohan Kanhai and Alvin Kallicharran..Dad and I were as happy as pigs in the proverbial..

How could a young man, getting interested in a sport, fail to be excited at such opportunity? When Derbyshire signed Eddie Barlow (about five years after my Dad told me they should, during the England v Rest of the World series in 1970) I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Derbyshire against Nottinghamshire was not just a local derby, it was Barlow v Sobers, or later Wright and Kirsten v Hadlee and Rice.  

As a bespectacled youngster, I wanted to be Eddie Barlow, modelled my run up on his and mopped my brow with my forearm as he did. When I read Gerald Mortimer saying that 'he fixed opponents with a Basilisk stare' I even cultivated that same look, though mine may have been confused with myopia...

How can anything compare to that? Nor were these stars here for 2 or 3 weeks then gone. Injuries permitting, they were contracted for the full season. It was literally, for a young boy, like being in the company of deities for a few hours. 

Standards were very high. I accept that today the fielding standards are generally better, but I still haven't seen a better cover point than Clive Lloyd and Phil Sharpe caught swallows at slip. The best wicket keeper in the world played for Derbyshire and we had three England players! There was no great financial disparity between counties, as there is today and you played all of the others, every season. 

I appreciate that new strokes like the ramp and reverse sweep have changed the game - they certainly weren't in the MCC coaching manual then - but in those pre-helmet days you wouldn't have tried them against Sylvester Clarke, Wayne Daniel and the many seriously quick bowlers that kept on coming. Nor was there the protective equipment, so there would be sleepless nights before facing those pace merchants.

Not always on a main ground, like today, either. Facing some of these fellas on a less well prepared out ground might have made a check of life insurance and critical illness policies de rigeur, while there were also wily spinners like Lance Gibbs, Intikhab Alam and our own Venkat to enjoy. 

Those pitches were levellers. In 1977, Derbyshire played most of their matches at Ilkeston and Chesterfield and Middlesex didn't like it too much when they racked up at Ilkeston from the home comfort of Lord's, with seven international players in the side. No central contracts, then..

54 all out they were, to Tunnicliffe and Hendrick, itself a recovery from 21-7, before Alan Hill made 70 to beat them on his own and we won by an innings and 177 runs in two days. Proper cricket, none of these anodyne pitches and Kookaburra balls. They don't like it up 'em, Captain Mainwaring...

There were less sixes, but bats had edges, not sides like today and boundaries were not brought in to encourage them. A six was a special event in a day, the cherry on the icing of the cake in which that icing was impeccable timing, balance and footwork. Much as I enjoy some of it still, nothing in the past five years has compared to watching Barry and Viv Richards in their pomp, nor watching Andy Roberts and Mike Procter hurl down thunderbolts. From the boundary we wondered how the batsmen saw it. From 22 yards away they likely thought the same thing...

Watching Michael Holding in his pomp was the eighth wonder of the world. 'Whispering Death', playing for DERBYSHIRE. Later Ian Bishop too, pace unlike anything I had seen before and certainly haven't since. It was magnificent, gladiatorial, a spectacle non pareil. Yet we also enjoyed Chris Wilkins and Adrian Kuiper. Goodness knows how far they would have hit it with a modern bat, when Wilkins dropped it in the boating lake at Chesterfield a time or two.

Barnett, Bowler, Adams, Morris - a snapshot in time, but what a quartet to lead your batting and how they entertained. It showed how strong the county game was that we didn't win more trophies, with such players in the county eleven.

Uncovered pitches gave a fairer balance between bat and ball, while 100-over limitations on first innings pushed the three-day games on to a likely conclusion and the thrill of a last afternoon declaration and run chase. 

Before anyone says 'but they score quicker today', they don't. Eddie Barlow, at Ilkeston against Surrey's international attack of Jackman, Arnold, Pocock and Intikhab, scored 138 between lunch and tea, en route to a most sublime double century. Peter Kirsten, with 18 overs of the 100 (a better hundred than the current one) overs to go, went from an unbeaten 105 to 213 against Glamorgan. Alan Hill, normally a dour opening bat in the finest county tradition, scored our first Sunday League century and what an innings it was.

Without the regular, high level international input and the top domestic players on display, today's county offer has to be of a lesser standard. Enjoyable, yes, but not comparable.

Finally, you also need to factor into the equation that they often had to do this and provide such fine spectacle when they were shattered. Fixture organisation made no sense and both play and travel were constant. It was a miracle that car accidents were not common, even more so that the entertainment level was so good.

I asked Tony Borrington about this during our long chat for my second book. It didn't make the finished interview, as I had to meet a word limit, but I went back to the recording today and this is what he said: 

In 1976, we had a 3-day game against Northamptonshire at Ilkeston then, when it ended, the next day started a game against the West Indies at Chesterfield. 

I was run out by Alan Hill without facing a ball and we were bowled out that day. That evening, a Saturday night, we had to drive down to Bristol for a Sunday League game, then back to Chesterfield to resume against the West Indies the following morning. 

They scored 497 that day, with Lawrence Rowe making 152 and Larry Gomes 197. Viv Richards was out for a duck but Clive Lloyd made 98. The next day, Bud and I put on 72 for the first wicket, but we were well beaten. We then had to jump in the car and drive over to Coventry and a 3-day game against Warwickshire, again starting the following day.

Then it was back to Chesterfield for another 3-day game against Somerset, with a Sunday game at Heanor in the middle of it!

Fourteen straight days of cricket.. we then had 2 days off, before driving down to Dover to play Kent in a 3-day game, with a Sunday match in the middle of it, too...

Listen to anyone involved with modern football and it is as if it didn't exist before the Premier League. Yet it was pulsating, exciting and featured wonderful, skilled players who entertained, most of the teams with a chance of doing well as it was a fairly level financial playing field.

It was the same in cricket. I have had the pleasure of chatting to many who played in that era and they enjoyed every minute. Just as we, sitting on the boundary edge, thrilled at our heroes taking on - and often beating - a galaxy of stars from across the country. 

It was the best of times, when the stars you saw on TV could be walking down the pavilion steps near you, the following week.

Unforgettable. No one who was there will disagree.

Weekend Vitality Blast Preview: Lancashire and Yorkshire

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

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

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

Likely side:

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

Came and Wagstaff also in squad 

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

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

It won't be easy, tomorrow...

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

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

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

What do you think? 

Perception, perspective, recruitment and overseas roles..

Leicestershire (H)

Northamptonshire (A)

Middlesex (A)

Glamorgan (H)

Kent (A)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It could yet be memorable.

Derbyshire v Lancashire day four

Lancashire 367 and 406-6 declared

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

Lancashire won by 261 runs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is good news! 

Derbyshire v Lancashire day three

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

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

Derbyshire need 375 runs to win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seconds win twice against Lancashire

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

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

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

The scorecard and video clips can be seen here

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

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

Scorecard and video clips here

Derbyshire v Lancashire day two

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

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

Lancashire lead by 220 runs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here endeth the sermon...

Derbyshire v.Lancashire day one

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

v Derbyshire

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five million views!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derbyshire v Lancashire preview

Ah Chesterfield, my Chesterfield...

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

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

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

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

Likely side: 

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

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

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

Likely Derbyshire side: 

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

Donald and Brown also in the squad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fine finish in store for the second team

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope so, the lad deserves it.