Durston in and Langers back - PARTY TIME!!

That Derbyshire have signed Wes Durston, formerly of Somerset, for the T20 with the possibility of an extension is good news as far as I'm concerned.

He was one of the names discussed as potential targets for the county on this blog at the end of last season and is a player I have rated for some time. It appears that many Somerset fans do too, if you look at their page on 606, where several suggest they made a mistake in releasing him and should re-sign him. Too late chaps...

While some might argue that his first class average of mid 30s is nothing special for someone who has played his career on the batting paradise at Taunton, the counter argument is that he has never been able to establish a regular place and therefore relax. On that basis, he's done pretty well.

The great thing about this signing is that he gives us balance. He is a fine batsman, as his knock against Sussex last weekend showed, but Durston is good enough to be a front line bowler with his off spin and was regarded as the best fielder at Somerset. By anyone's standards, this is a cracker of a signing.

News that Charl Langeveldt is returning to Derbyshire for the T20 campaign is the icing on the cake.

Last night I wrote that I would be happy to see a Charl Langeveldt-type player in the side. Lo and behold, we've got the man himself! Interestingly Juan Theron, another I mentioned, has now been picked up by Northamptonshire, so I'm on a roll at present. I just hope that extends to when I pick my replacement for Robin Martin-Jenkins in Telegraph Fantasy Cricket...

Langeveldt's signing means that Chris Rogers can take a well-earned break and that the side will be skippered by Greg Smith. For what it is worth, my first choice side, depending on fitness, would now be:

Bosman
Hughes
Smith
Durston
Peterson
Wagg
Madsen
Park
Goddard
Groenewald
Langeveldt

There are seven bowlers there and another couple of options, long batting and an excellent fielding side. Without a doubt this is the strongest XI we have ever fielded in T20, but only time will tell if it is enough to win more matches than in previous seasons. What I will say is that we have some batsmen to do serious damage and two bowlers of genuine quality in Peterson and Langeveldt.

The latter addresses a critical area. We now have a bowler with the nous to stop the opposition getting away to a real flyer and who can come back at the end of the innings and give them the bare minimum to hit. He may have lost a little pace, but Langeveldt is a wily cricketer who should make a very good impact on this competition.

I'm sure there will be the usual snipers about the fact that seven of this side are of South African origin, but I really couldn't care less. I simply want to watch a Derbyshire side in T20 that isn't beaten before a ball is bowled and can compete against the big boys.

Full credit to John Morris and everyone else involved in the deals. A far better quality of personnel are in place - it is up to them now.

Final thought - Carlsberg don't do days for Derbyshire fans, but if they did….