Keep on the sunny side of life...

It was good to read in this morning's Derby Telegraph that officials at Derbyshire are as mystified and angry at the proposals to change the first class set up yet again as I am.

I wrote my thoughts the other day and simply cannot see the need to constantly tinker with the structure of the first class game. Keep four day cricket as it is and reduce the twenty over season and they'll not be far away from a decent formula, but at the moment we seem to be changing the structure of the first class game with the frequency of underwear...

One thing that does need to be looked at is the days on which cricket is played. I can't see the rationale in holding a Championship match from Tuesday to Friday, thus ruling out anyone who works from attending anything but part of an evening session. I know that the grand scheme is to avoid players haring off across country on a Saturday night after a long day's cricket for a Sunday fixture, but one would hope that a little more planning could go into it than appears to be the case at present.

Those who played from the 1960s through to 1980s have their tales to tell about nightmare journeys across country for the next day's fixture, but perhaps more teams travel by coach these days, meaning that the players can at least get a sleep or a rest en route.

I've had a couple of e mails from people about the absence of Dan Redfern from the Derbyshire side. I'd not presume to tell John Morris how to do his job (as I wouldn't expect him to tell me how to do mine!) and Redfern has not got into his stride this season. For the likes of Redfern, Paul Borrington and Chesney Hughes, the intensity of the county game must take some getting used to and they will have plenty of days when the runs just won't come until they adjust. It makes a mockery of the requirement to play so many youngsters, of course. Should Morris continue to play a young lad who is out of form and risk destroying his confidence, or pull him out and incur a financial penalty in so doing?

It is a dilemma, but what Redfern must do is rediscover his form in the Seconds and stake a claim for a return. In his favour is the fact that John Sadler has not yet made the weight of runs to cement the place in the side, allied to the fact that he offers another useful bowling option. One only has to look at how long Greg Smith has been billed a "promising youngster" before delivering his potential to see that a cricket apprenticeship can be a long road. Redfern is only just starting out on his journey (that sounds like an X Factor cliché…) and needs to serve it in a way that will benefit both himself and the club in the long term. I have little doubt that he will be back before long and look forward to his development as a Derbyshire star of the future.

Another who burst onto the county scene like a meteor and has struggled since is Jon Clare. When he made his debut in 2008 there was an agreement that a player of genuine talent had arrived, one who could score good runs and take wickets. It was similar to the way that Dominic Cork first burst onto the scene, but since then Clare has struggled. A perceived weakness against the short ball and a succession of injuries reduced his effectiveness, but Clare's talent was rewarded by John Morris with a contract until the end of 2012. He is still a young man with much to offer and when the physical and psychological scars of his injuries are healed we will surely see him emerge as a player of rich talent once more.

It is players like Clare, Redfern, Borrington, Hughes and Whiteley who offer genuine grounds for optimism over the future. With the likes of Smith, Wagg, Park and Madsen all in their mid-twenties, we have a clutch of young players, the likes of which have rarely emerged in our history. It is no coincidence, of course, with the Academy under Karl Krikken starting to bear fruit.

The only thing missing are out and out seam bowlers, historically the richest pickings in the Derbyshire orchard. With Steffan Jones, Tom Lungley and Ian Hunter the wrong side of thirty, there will soon be places up for grabs. Mark Footitt has shown he has the ability (and hopefully now the fitness) to play first class cricket, but we raided our less discerning neighbours for his skills. It is frustrating that Wayne White is starting to suggest we made a mistake in releasing him at Leicester, but sometimes players need a change of scene to flourish. Just ask Warwickshire and if you do, remember to thank them for Graeme Welch, Graham Wagg and Tim Groenewald...

If we can find a couple of Derbyshire-style seamers through the academy, the future will be so bright we'll all need shades. Jake Needham is still young enough to become the long term answer to our spin needs and there are encouraging noises about some youngsters in the current academy.

It's coming together. Slowly but surely, we're moving in the right direction.