1936 - June

Sorry about the delay in the coverage of the 1936 season but I've had a few holidays in the past month and, since I start my new job tomorrow, I thought I'd get the June coverage of the Championship season out of the way just now.

The month began with a match on a rain-damaged track at Northampton. Mitchell and Townsend bowled out the home side for 59, with the latter returning the remarkable figures of 4-3 in ten overs. We did little better, making 93 all out, Townsend top scoring with 31. The home side did better second time around, but Copson's six wickets left Derbyshire chasing 125 to win, a total they reached for the loss of just three wickets.

Then it was back to Derby and a match against Gloucestershire, Tom Mitchell's 7-26 bowling them out for just 95. Stan Worthington's 90 was the backbone of our 200 and although Gloucestershire did better in their second innings (Alf Pope and Tom Mitchell taking four wickets each) we were left with only 90 to win, a total that Albert Alderman and Denis Smith knocked off without losing a wicket.

The wins set us up nicely for what even at this stage looked an important game at Queens Park against Yorkshire. Rain prevented any play on the Saturday and when we slipped to 18-3 on the second morning the signs were not good. Worthington and Townsend then added 154 for the fourth wicket before the innings declined to 253 all out.

With Copson missing at the Test trial, Pope and Worthington opened the bowling but Tom Mitchell's leg spin had Yorkshire in serious trouble. 48-6 at one stage, they recovered to 112 all out but Derbyshire held an important lead and enforced the follow on under the rules of the day. In the second innings the young Len Hutton held us at bay as Yorkshire easily saw out time for a draw. Derbyshire were heartened by their display against the best side in the country over previous seasons.

Then came evidence of a perennial problem for us over the years - consistency. Somerset at Ilkeston should have been easy, but our 152 all out was followed by their 190 all out. Worse was to come, as our second innings subsided to 62 all out, leaving Somerset an easy 25 to win, which they managed without loss.

Were Derbyshire flattered by their high position in the table? Not on the evidence of the next match, when a first innings of 318 (Charlie Elliott 97, Worthington 81) was enough for an innings win, Les Townsend's off spin bringing him 12 wickets in the match as Warwickshire were caught on a drying pitch.

The penultimate game of the month was back at Chesterfield and was a close affair. Worcestershire were bowled out on the first day for 233, Bill Copson taking 5-34. We edged first innings lead thanks to Les Townsend's 76, which he then followed with four wickets as Worcestershire were bowled out for 162. 149 to win was always going to be awkward on a track offering increasing help to bowlers, but Harry Storer's 62 on a rare appearance that season, coupled with an unbeaten 29 when it mattered by Albert Alderman saw us home by three wickets for a seventh win of the season.

Then it was up to another ground no longer used by the county, Buxton, for the match that always attracted a healthy crowd, Lancashire. Copson led a fine bowling display as the visitors were bowled out for 194, but our batting collapsed and we were all out for just 61. Lancashire batted again and Copson and Pope bowled them out for just 94, leaving us 228 to win, an unlikely target given what had gone on before. Nonetheless, the batsmen dug in and in 59 overs we ground our way to 92-4 and important draw points.

There were nearly four thousand paying spectators on the first day and Derbyshire did well to survive on a rain-damaged track. They ended the month in second place in the table, with Nottinghamshire top, Kent third and Yorkshire in fourth place.

The next month was likely to be crucial and contained important matches...