Best wishes for 2013

As we enter 2012, I'm sure I speak for all fans by wishing all connected with Derbyshire CCC a Happy New Year. May 2012 be the year of the Falcons - and the year that you all keep checking in for news and thoughts on Derbyshire cricket, of course!

So I wrote at the end of last year on this blog. It turned out pretty well, didn't it?

Even optimistic old me didn't expect that the year would be quite as special as it transpired, even though I confidently predicted pre-season a promotion challenge. Realistically, I expected a third, maybe fourth place, but the eventual promotion - as champions, mind - was breathtaking, exhilarating and utterly memorable.

2013? Well, it will need a massive effort by all concerned to compete against the very best, but I am firmly of the conviction that this group of players could acquit themselves well in the top flight. We have two good additions in Billy Godleman and Richard Johnson, neither of them just squad players but ones with top flight experience and every possibility of getting better over the next few summers.

We will need our key players to stay fit, especially the seamers, while we will need a repeat of the marvelous team spirit that was a powerful  extra player for us last summer.

We'll also need a top overseas player, a role I hope to see filled in the next few weeks.

Finally we will need the cricketing public of Derbyshire to get behind an excellent group of players and stay behind them. They will lose games, as all sides do, but it will not be for the want of trying. With everyone's support, we might win our fair share too.

Never write off those Falcons.

And to each and every one of you, sincere best wishes for 2013.