Mark Turner

There are several things that make Derbyshire's signing of Mark Turner a shrewd one.

First, he is young enough to get better and from his comments on the club site intends to work hard and get a place in the side.

Second, all reports suggest that when he gets it right he can be a slippery bowler. With Mark Footitt likely to be even quicker after a winter with the fitness coach and Steffan Jones, we could have two lively quicks next year. Atif Sheikh should be quicker too, and with the ever reliable Tim Groenewald and Steffan Jones, not to mention Jonathan Clare, we have the makings of a good seam attack.

Then there's the fact that John Morris has reduced the age of his seam attack and brought in a player who has a whole-hearted approach to the game. Nor is he a reject, as Somerset wanted to keep him and offered him another deal.

Yes, there's a lot I like about this signing and it is now down to the player to show that he can really make a go of it at first class level. His performances thus far have suggested a player of considerable talent and I look forward to seeing how he does in our colours.

Where this leaves Ian Hunter and Tom Lungley I'm not sure. I'm assuming that Hunter will stay to see out the final year of his contract, but Lungley may not be so lucky. Time will tell.

PS Apologies to the chap on IMWT who broke the news this morning. You can never be too sure though, so I erred on the side of caution in my earlier posts. You were spot on though, so well done!