Borrington has suffered from being introduced to county cricket at 17 when he was marginally wider across the shoulders than a garden cane and with roughly the same strength. He got a chance because we were a poor side and there was simply no one else. Gradually he has filled out and this season has been desperately unlucky to miss out on first team chances after an early season injury. Compare him, if you will, with Ben Slater, another batsman of talent who could get a first team chance in the next couple of years at 21/22. Five years older, without a burden of expectation to weigh him down, physically stronger and emotionally ready. Eight centuries in the Premier League, a new record, suggest that Borrington is scoring more quickly these days. Less Paul the Prodder than the Ticknall Tornado, Bozza the Blaster. He'll probably never be mistaken for Gordon Greenidge, but you take my point. Only time will tell if he can translate a very sound technique and increasing power to the county game, but if he does so it HAS to be at Derbyshire. We should never have released Wayne White and he continues to thrive at Leicester - it would be galling if he had done the same elsewhere.
Now we will see what he can do at Derbyshire. Next season could be for him what this year has been for Redfern, Whiteley and Knight. I'm delighted for the lad and remain confident that he can be a good county cricketer, a key component of a Derbyshire side that is effectively Academy-reared.
Funnily enough, last night I went into the garden and enjoyed half an hour after the game on a garden bench with Mrs P. We enjoyed hearing a lone blackbird sing and the sight of a plant that has done relatively little for the past five years flourishing and in full bloom. It has had plenty of encouraging foliage in the past, but the flowers we expected failed to appear.
This spring we dug out a load of soil that was holding it back and replaced it with fresh stuff; compost and plenty of feed to encourage it, which seems to have given it a new lease of life. Even the small flowers and plants around its base have a new lease of life and seem to be more vibrant than we have known them before.
When you think about it, the comparisons with the County Ground and Academy are quite remarkable...
I hope you,re right peakfan. I wouldn,t have given more than a one year year deal,based on the evidence we have seen so far. However,time will no doubt tell if it was a wise decision. I genuinly look forward to being proved wrong.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it,s time to give such as him,Redfern, Lineker etc a run in the CB40 team. Last night,s defeat once again highlighted the lack of consistency in our batting.
Look at these stats in this competition.
Khawaja- 20,20,89,9,17.
One score in five innings.
Madsen- 75,48,66,21,40,20,1,20.
Decent start but fading badly.
Hughes- 1,30,11,42,10,0,33,7.
Hasn,t done it at all with the
bat,poor 20/20 aswell.
Durston- 64,70,95,6,85,24,0,45.
Significant contributions here
and decent 20/20 aswell.
Smith- 4,15,30,14,16,12,68,16.
The stats of a tail ender,im
afraid.
Park- 5,12,12,38,25.
Nothing much to shout about,but
in fairness,has batted well down
the order.
Here is clear evidence that our major batsmen have not scored enough runs,or been anything like consistent. Durston along with an early season Madsen are the only exceptions. Smith and Hughes have both been very disappointing with the bat. Maybe now it,s time for some changes.