Contract talk...

It is the time of year when counties across the land are trying to sort out who they wish to retain for next year and who they will release to raise money for proposed additions to the staff.

Derbyshire are certainly at the forefront of this. We have already seen Ross Whiteley, Tom Poynton, Tom Knight and Tim Groenewald sign new contracts and I think they will be the first of many. Having scrutinised the clubs finances, Chris Grant will have a very good idea of what we can afford and will, as a very canny and successful businessman, ensure that we pay the going rate for a talented player within our budget.

Of course, the order in which signings are announced bears little significance to the importance of the player, nor the order in which the contracts were offered. Young players are less likely to have an agent, so contractual discussions with them are likely to be relatively short. They may run the offer by parents, but they are likely to sign a decent offer quickly, as we saw with the lads named above. When agents are involved such discussions are likely to be more protracted, but we should hopefully hear more good news from the club on this front in the next couple of weeks.

For young players, the key date in the calendar is April 1, the qualifying date for ECB payments. A young player of talent aged 23 (or less), free of university commitments, would be a sensible investment for a county on a three-year deal, as he would earn them money on each and every appearance. That being the case, I fully expect to see both Dan Redfern and Paul Borrington sign new contracts in the near future. Others, like Ben Slater and Hamza Siddique, may well do so in the future if they continue to progress, but the university commitments of both at this stage mean that summer contracts are more likely for them over the next couple of years.

Something I discovered today was that the ECB payments continue for the county that develops a player for as long as they play the county game. I recently mentioned Michael Thorneley as a potential player for a county and several people suggested he would be worthwhile for Derbyshire. If we did so, Thorneley at 23 would earn us £1600 a match at this year's rates, but HALF of that money would go to Sussex, even though they released him. Similarly, Somerset get half the money for Wes Durston, Essex for Tony Palladino and so on.

By the same token, every time that Wayne White plays for Leicestershire, or Ian Blackwell for Durham, half of the appearance money they earn as an English-qualified player comes to us. Now here's where it gets interesting...

If Derbyshire were to offer a contract for next year to Matt Lineker (which I hope they will), he would earn £800 a match (at this year's rates) as an English-qualified player discovered by Derbyshire - exactly what we'd get from the younger Thorneley when Sussex took their half of the cash. That being the case, I'd be inclined to give the opportunity to the local man.

I hope that Lineker, who could be seen on the Lords balcony this evening on the TV coverage, makes his debut for the county tomorrow. On the basis that players in form should be picked, he thoroughly deserves an opportunity. At the end of the day, we'll never know if he's good enough until he's given a chance at county level.

Of course, it is not and should not be all about money, but in the current economic climate all counties will need to consider such things. Our current ripening crop of young players might transform both our playing fortunes and finances in the years ahead.


By the same token, if Greg Smith doesn't sign a new deal in the near future I would now omit him for the remainder of the season, especially in the CB40, in which our interest effectively ended tonight. Dan Redfern will be fit soon and could be given more bowling to add to his increasingly impressive batting. I have always thought he could be used more, as a bowler who flights and turns the ball pretty well.

This season he's done less bowling than me.

And when I bowled my first overs last night that's rather a shame...