Glamorgan 518 and 200-6 (Madsen 2-24)
Derbyshire 177 and 536 (Godleman 106, Critchley 70 not)
Glamorgan won by four wickets
To be fair, which is something I try to be, Derbyshire put up a terrific fight on the last two days of this game.
Another sixty runs would have been a challenge but Jacques Rudolph played the decisive innings for the Welsh side and Derbyshire's fight lasted into the final session. That seemed unlikely after a first innings of some ineptitude and full credit is due to those who battled on.
Today, Billy Godleman recorded another century and set a captain's example, while Matt Critchley confirmed his potential with an unbeaten seventy. The under-use of his leg spin in the game has raised some comment, though the other side of things is why you might expose him to stick when Donald was hitting the ball into the nearest town on the first day.
The beauty of the game was fully exposed today, when Aneurin Donald was out fifth ball after his first innings double century, but Rudolph did what you want your overseas hired hands to do and won them the game with a composed fifty.
Such a player is gold dust to any side, especially from that precious overseas role.
Yet what guarantee is there? I raised a Roger Moore-style quizzical eyebrow today when I saw Imran Tahir had bowled four overs for forty against Somerset for Nottinghamshire. There are few better spinners in the world game, but it is proof, as we found last year with Hashim Amla and Tillakaratne Dilshan, that there are no guarantees in this game. Everyone will have their good days and their bad, the only hope being that in that crucial role you see a lot more of the former.
Next up for Derbyshire is the final home T20 game against Worcestershire. Looking at the table tonight, it would need an unlikely sequence of events for us to qualify, even if we won the last two, but win them we must.
It keeps momentum going ahead of the RLODC game against Nottinghamshire, which is of massive importance to our season. Two wins out of four should see us qualify for the knock out stage.
As far as four-day cricket is concerned, we have a long way to go, but the efforts of the past two days confirmed that we can get there.
IF we cut out the careless efforts of day two, there is something to work on.
A good effort today. The first two days were terrible but in general John Sadler seems to have improved the mindset, and there seems more willingness to compete and not simply give up. But experienced new blood is clearly required if we are not to remain at or around the bottom of the league.
ReplyDeleteMartin
ReplyDeletemuch better in the second innings, agree with pretty much everything you have said on this entry !
There was some costly drops
ReplyDeleteOn the first couple of days.it cost us dearly indeed,
And with donalds 200 plus
Twas allways going to be hard.
Ive never known a season where we come up against a team..it seems almost every team that has an individual that scores collossal amount of runs!. Just one each match.it keeps happening.i know you make youre own luck.but you must admit its quite uncanny.also 2/3 matches(in other format)
Lost by 1 or 2 runs!,
Ive succumbed and agree with
Spitalfire? Re mssrs rutherford..and especially neil broom..its time to bring in slater
And hughes.
The 2 kiwis are proven quality batsmen..but in this camlaign
Its not really happening for them
Especially neil.
Were suffering big time
Through lack of consistency.
I recall billy g & ben
Being a very competant
Opening pair.
Let them play the season out together. The glass is allways half full imho
Broom has to be rested for the next four day match. With Slater's current form not selecting him is tantamount to negligence and continuing to pick Broom ahead of him would be a clear case of a kolpak hindering the progress and development of a young(ish) English player.
ReplyDeleteI would still be confident that Broom will hit form at some point.
Ps last couple of days.was very encouraging for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe lads did indeed
Mount a very spirited reguard action.
As peakfan said.. a fine captains innings from godleman..averaging in the 50s. & madsen // hughes both in the 60s,(rutherford/broom bith in 20s), also quick word for
Critchley & davis ..all played there part.
We just cant seem to get over the line!.
All of you missing the point Im afraid
ReplyDeleteTrawl through old posts and see how many times Derbyshire play well when all is lost. Everybody puts it down to fight, teamwork, playing for each other etc etc
Well its because we cant play pressure Cricket, when we really need to perform, to take the inititive we cant do it, we capitulate and lose.
Does anybody realise for example how many 20/20 games we have lost over the last few seasons when we should have won ! Enough for us to probaly make it through to the quarter final stage at lesst.
We are proffesional losers at Derbyshire you only have to look at the County Championship Table to confirm it
The mentality and leadership has to change and quick. We need players who are winners not has beens or cast offs.
I would make Thakor Captain next season a nd build a team around him, go back to basics and build build build.
We need a proper coach, a winner , a leader and some players who if they get in a winning postion will not bottle it.
Perhaps we should have invested in that instead of a New media centre
John
I agree with you Jasper, that Slater has to come into the side for Broom. He's not a Kolpak but for the sake of accuracy is playing on a UK passport - Kolpaks are only from Zimbabwe, West Indies and South Africa. But I take your point.
ReplyDeleteDaisypod - I agree with you whole heartedly!
John - I think the point is being missed by you...
Yes, we have lost close finishes, but a year or two back weren't getting there. The next step is to get over the line, which will come with experience.
Then answer me these questions...
1 Who are the has beens and cast offs? You suggest many?
2 Aren't we back to basics and building now?
3 So who, as coach?
4 And likewise as players - remember the budget and contractual availability!
5 Media Centre - financed on ECB money and local investment, neither of which could be used for players.
So...?
Disagree big time john.youve missed the point.imho
ReplyDeleteBuild captaincy around thakor?
Wheres that come from!,
Stick with billy g
Assisted by maddo.
Have to agree to disagree.