Fair play important

One of Derbyshire's old boys is in the news today, with Luke Sutton rounding on his critics at Lancashire after a century yesterday against Durham. A number of the Red Rose county's fans on 606 (there's a surprise) would prefer Gareth Cross behind the stumps and have made fairly pointed comments about Sutton. Peter Moores normally plays him in the four-day game and Cross in one-day cricket and he is lucky to have two such competent players. More to the point, he is lucky that one of them doesn't want to move, as either would be capable of a full-time slot elsewhere.

Sutton was a good player for Derbyshire and I always thought him one of the best I'd seen at running between the wickets, together with Dean Jones. I'd have to say that they have both been usurped by Garry Park, who is astonishingly quick. I would reckon that Park, with no disrespect intended to anyone, could outsprint most players on the staff wearing pads, even if they were free of protective gear. His running against Gloucestershire was extraordinary - maybe next year we should sign Usain Bolt for the T20 to partner him..

Jones combined superb placement with speed and so often turned ones into twos, but Sutton was no slouch in his prime. Both highlighted the fact that you didn't need to be hitting fours and sixes all the time to keep a scoreboard moving and Jones remains the single best pacer of an innings I have seen, just ahead of Michael Bevan at his best.

At 33 Luke Sutton has plenty of time on his side, but his irritation is indicative of a nasty side of "support" that all too often crosses the line between fair and abusive, often verging on litigation-worthy. On this blog I will say what I think, as there's no point doing it otherwise, but I always bear in mind that players and relatives of them will read it from time to time. I know they do as I've had e mails on occasion and I try to put myself in their shoes and think of how I would feel if I read something about me, or perhaps my son. Criticism, one player told me, goes with the territory and if it is justified then no one has any complaints.

I can't and won't write that Derbyshire did well if they didn't, or that so-and-so did well if they had a nightmare, but I will draw short of character assassination and insinuations of "not trying" or "don't care."

A lot of the stuff on 606 (thankfully to a lesser extent on IMWT) borders on libel, with a regular contributor on Northamptonshire's site sailing very close to the wind. How the moderators allow a comment on resigning county captains being linked to match fixing is beyond me, but presumably (and wrongly) the perpetrators assume they are anonymous at their PC. Similarly comments about a local footballer and the wife of an England player made it on to the boards. Last night saw "Who will replace John Morris?" which surprised me, as I didn't know he'd gone anywhere. Complete and utter nonsense, but change the page and replace John Morris with Nigel Clough and you get more of the same.

Contributors should realise that players are not failing on purpose, they do care and there are, will be and always have been times when their best simply isn't good enough. Some days they will come up against individuals in prime form, on others they will be in the ascendancy. I'm sure you'll recognise that from your own job, when there's days you think you can tackle anything thrown at you and others when you could just do with a quiet time. But just imagine how you'd feel to open your staff newsletter and read conjecture about who will be taking your place because you're not very good...

John Morris has got a good set of players together, but some days their collective best may not be good enough. Sometimes their inexperience will cost them, on others luck will go against them and there will be times when, no matter how hard they try, they will be outplayed.

Try and remember that the next time you post. Whatever else, they're still our lads.

Finally, credit to Mark Footitt, who I didn't mention last night, for a sustained spell of accurate bowling yesterday. Tim Groenewald credits him in today's Derby Telegraph and it is good to see him bowling better lines with sustained hostility. At 24 he has years of cricket in him and I think he's done fairly well this year, certainly maintaining fitness better than in the past. If he can lock that radar in place he will be a very good asset to us and perhaps form, with Atif Sheikh, a pretty lively new ball pairing for the future.

Footitt, Groenewald and Sheikh. Next year's attack, anyone?