Derbyshire v Yorkshire

So a T20 campaign that burst into life with a display of brilliance at Headingley fizzled out like a damp squib at Derby this afternoon against the same opposition.

Actually, it wasn't as the team we hammered at the start of the competition was much stronger than the one to which we lost today and that is the inherent frustration in supporting Derbyshire. When we least expect it we can be a match for anyone, then, having done all the hard work, end up little further forward.

Today we were missing Loots Bosman ("flown home" was what I heard, though I don't know why) and the batting, with the exception of Wes Durston never really got going. For what it is worth, we got what I expected with Bosman, a bloke who can hit a ball a long way given the width to do so, but who struggled to score regularly when he was cramped for room. Word soon got around about him and he never really threatened to match his Headingley brilliance afterwards. There were twenties and thirties, but insufficient innings of substance to make a real difference. Having said that, he still did better than the other big gun Dave Warner at Middlesex, who didn't make any score higher than 43 in 13 innings and must have been a major disappointment.

With five bowlers under eight an over we improved on that front, with Langeveldt again the most economical, just pipping Robin Peterson. There were consistent performances from Tim Groenewald too, though Wes Durston was, for me, under-utilised.

The main problem is still that we struggle to bat and bowl well in the same game. Several losses came after the batting had struggled and there's an element of irony in that last year we got the batting pretty much right and this year the bowling improved. Maybe next year we'll get them both right...

I don't understand why Jon Clare was selected ahead of Dan Redfern as a batsman though. Clare the all rounder is a fine player, but he's not in Redfern's league as a batter. We also missed John Sadler latterly in the middle order and Greg Smith struggled with the bat, a highest score of 38 telling its own tale.

For me though, the competition was way too long. Irrespective of the fact that it let us see Bosman and Langeveldt, it lasted longer than some people's marriage and there is little wonder that crowds stopped attending. The weather was rarely conducive to cricket watching and there were too many "nothing" games. Derbyshire's best chance of beating a big team is in a one off match and at present we're likely to be found out over a longer haul.

My verdict? We're improving and there were some good performances, but we still have a long way to go and fans will have to wait for some time before we're genuinely able to mix it with the better sides on a regular basis.