Graham Wagg

The departure of Graham Wagg to Glamorgan has been one of the major talking points on message boards in recent weeks and there may well be some who will go to their grave insisting he should have been retained.


I’m not one of them.

Don’t get me wrong, I am as grateful for what Wagg brought to Derbyshire cricket as the next man and it was a lot. A hard hitting batsman who could change a game in half an hour, a demanding left-arm seamer who could be devastating in the right conditions, as well as a part-time spinner of some potential. All topped off by brilliance in the field and a willingness to play through all but the most serious injury, which cost him most of his final season. When Wagg was in the groove, we were a better team for it.

Yet figures suggest a man who is not yet the finished article. A batting/bowling average of 24/32 is the wrong way round for me. Had it been the other way round, John Morris may have thought harder about the decision, but his hands were tied by the club finances. I don’t know how Glamorgan are affording what they are paying him, but it is a different ball park to our budget and they must hope that he translates all that natural talent into consistent results to get value for money.

It may be that he never gets those averages turned around, but either way, as much as we can be grateful to Graham Wagg for his whole-hearted efforts over the past few seasons, the player can also be grateful to the club for their faith in him. After what happened at Warwickshire there were few sides prepared to give him another chance. It is to the player’s immense credit that he turned things around and to the club’s for helping him to do that.

No one can blame anyone for attempting to get the best deal for themselves. A professional sports career is short and players must capitalise while they can. While the heart says that loyalty should be shown, the head accepts that this phenomenon is increasingly rare. No one would turn down the deal that he was offered, in any walk of life and few could realistically expect their current employer to match it.

In my humble opinion, no one need have any regrets over Graham Wagg’s move to Wales. He gave good, loyal service in his time at the County Ground, but the fact is that economics took over and his demands outstripped our supply. I’m just pleased that we’re not daft enough to go down the Kent route and pay anything. It will at least ensure that the county should be around for the long haul.

Final words? Good luck Waggy and thanks – but the hunt for the replacement is on.