On your marks...

I've received a couple of e mails over the past few days that are worth a mention.

One suggested that Robin Peterson is not a massive spinner of the ball and therefore we should not expect him to take too many wickets this season. Never having faced Peterson, I couldn't say and I've not seen enough of him to pass judgement. What I would say is that there are very few bowlers out there who I would deem a "massive" spinner of the ball, with Muralidaran probably the biggest, albeit as something of a freak.

Nor would I think, at that level, that substantial spin will get you a lot of wickets. At average club level, anyone who can make a ball deviate from straight acquires a somewhat mystic quality, with the bats of many being drawn towards it as if attached by string.

Yet in the words of perhaps the greatest ever left arm spinner, Wilfred Rhodes, you only need to turn the ball enough to miss the middle of the bat and find the edge. Balls spinning massively might look impressive on the TV replay but will not get good players out as often as one that perhaps beats them in the flight and then finds an edge. The great Wilfred also said that "if the batsman thinks it's spinning, it's spinning." Another sage comment, as Rhodes took as many wickets with flight as he did with the turning ball. It is, after all, as likely that you could get a batsman out by bowling a consistent line and length and making him take risks as by other methods.

While the jury will be out on Peterson until we see how he bowls (and bats) in English conditions, I find it hard to believe that anyone would not see his signing as a step in the right direction. He has taken wickets at a good domestic level in his own country and in international cricket, as well as scoring a respectable amount of runs. I can safely say at this stage that he'll do me and I look forward to his contributions as the season unfolds.

Another contributor to an article below suggested that we should be concerned that we have no reserve batsmen apart from John Sadler. That supposes that we will go into every game with six (which we may not) and ignores the claims of Chesney Hughes, who may be deemed ready for a first team game at some point in the season. Of course, Hughes might see us incur a penalty in our funding from the ECB as he is not qualified for England yet, but we may have to bite the bullet on that one if a rash of injuries occurred, or his precocious talent merited promotion to the senior side.

John Morris may wish to have an extra bowler in some matches, which is most likely to see Dan Redfern and Paul Borrington competing for one place with Peterson and Goddard at six and seven. I don't anticipate a problem, but it should also be considered that we could bring in an emergency loan from another county if we had injuries among the top order. We did this with success last season (Steffan Jones) and I'm sure could do so again if required.

As for tomorrow, the squad has been announced and is essentially the twelve I named last night plus Hughes. Today's Derby Telegraph suggests that final choice will be down to the captain as to whether he wants an extra bowler or batsman. Rogers will have more control of affairs this season and the relationship between he and Morris is refreshing to see.

As for our hosts, they have named the following twelve:

Rory Hamilton-Brown (Captain)
Arun Harinath
Matthew Spriegel
Mark Ramprakash
Usman Afzaal
Steven Davies (Wicket Keeper)
Gareth Batty
Stuart Meaker
Jade Dernbach
Andre Nel
Tim Linley
Chris Schofield

It is an impressive looking side with a new skipper (albeit one with a lot to prove) and wicket keeper in Davies. With Batty also making his debut and Derbyshire fielding likely debutants in Peterson and Footitt, there will be a lot of people hoping to make an early impression.

In closing, I would urge all Derbyshire fans to get behind John Morris and the side throughout this long season. I will always express my opinion on this blog (why do it otherwise?) but am one hundred per cent behind Morris, the players and the club. Whether we win silverware, come close, or have one of those years that doesn't go to plan, I will always be a Derbyshire fan.

This season marks my 43rd following the county and there have been many more bad ones than good in that time. I just hope that by the time September comes around, my conviction that we are a side on the up has been vindicated. Reading the pre-season comments in the newspapers and websites has made a refreshing change, with most of them now seeing Derbyshire as a side to be reckoned with.

That is an achievement in itself. It is now down to an exciting young team to take things on from there.

Go to it boys...