Durham v Derbyshire day 3

Durham 480-9

Derbyshire 164 and 305-6 (Reece 106, Slater 57, Madsen 48, Hughes 39)

Derbyshire trail by 11 runs.

Better today from Derbyshire, at least taking the game into the final day, although with no real expectation, after yesterday's capitulation, of avoiding defeat.

The stand out performance today was that of Luis Reece, who once again confirmed his talent and the success that he has been this summer. He will have been disappointed to have gone, soon after reaching his century, but one cannot be critical of a man who has got to that stage.

Ben Slater, Wayne Madsen and Alex Hughes all made decent scores, but each will have been frustrated at the failure to go on to a match-defining score such as that of Reece. In the case of Ben and Alex, capitalising on those good starts will be key to them becoming major, rather than bit part players for us in future years.

Meanwhile it is strange to be at this stage of the summer and see Wayne averaging mid-twenties in the four-day game, with a season-highest of 70. His stellar T20 work will redeem his summer, but the pressures of a Testimonial year, not forgetting a new baby in the house, must be a major change to his life that he will undoubtedly come back from another year.

Billy Godleman is in a bit of a trough of form at present. He had a couple of good T20 innings but then went off the boil and has failed twice here. Personally, I would prefer to see him open, where he does his best work. As captain he leads by example and I think him a far better player at the very top of the order. Hopefully he will return there for the next game, leaving either Luis Reece or Ben Slater to go first wicket down.

A better effort then, though not making up for yesterday's poor effort that will undoubtedly cost this game. Yet it suggested professional pride and a willingness to fight, which was good to see. I don't expect us to make anywhere close to the runs to make the home side panic in the final innings, but I will always appreciate and acknowledge a side that gives it their all.

As they did today.

Durham v Derbyshire day 2

Durham 480-9 declared (Collingwood 177, Viljoen 5-130)

Derbyshire 164

Derbyshire trail by 316 runs

There's something about Henry Longfellow's poem 'There Was a Little Girl' that reminds me of Derbyshire.

It contains the lines 'when she was good, she was very, very good and when she was bad, she was horrid'. There, in two lines, you have our cricket team neatly encapsulated. It is hard to understand that a team that can play with the intensity of some of our best T20 displays this summer can then produce an effort like this, one of worrying ineptitude.

Alex Hughes said last night that we had bowled badly and that it wasn't a '480' wicket. That is probably fair comment for the ground, but nor, I suspect, is it quite the minefield that our batting made it look yesterday. Let's not forget that we chose to bowl first.

Hughes and Ben Slater excepted, the rest made a pretty poor fist of things, granted against a decent seam attack on their own turf. It was a day that made it hard to think otherwise than we are hopeless at four-day cricket. Finding positives from the first two days would challenge anyone, with the only redeeming features the perennial grit of Hughes and the pace of Viljoen. Yet even the latter was dreadfully expensive and the feeling of the average supporter must be that of an end of season game, some distance before the year's final delivery.

There is a very real danger that we will pick up the wooden spoon this summer with such displays, awful when one considers two sides in the division started with negative points.

I don't fault the rationale behind the players running the show on the field, but in doing so they are wholly responsible for poor performance, such as this. There is no coach to blame, only themselves and there is a need for greater resolve and commitment being shown. Much as they deserve credit when it goes well, they have to handle the criticism when it doesn't.

There is a talented group of players at the club, but this match has been dreadful.

Durham v Derbyshire day 1

Durham 376-7 (Collingwood 127 not, Steel 72, Coughlin 68, Viljoen 4-100)

v Derbyshire

It has become de rigeur for visiting sides to opt to bowl in all but high summer, so was no real surprise when Derbyshire did exactly that today against Durham at The Riverside.

By the close of play, however, it is fair to say that we will not have thought it especially successful, with Durham batting solidly en route to what looks a total in excess of 400. We would have hoped to bowl them out by the close, so are already up against it in this match, needing to put together a similarly dogged batting display ourselves.

Paul Collingwood again held their innings together, a top knock by the former England man who has never been properly replaced in the national side. At 40 he remains a player of high quality, just like Kent's Darren Stevens, who took seven wickets today. On that basis, Tony Palladino has a long and glittering career ahead of him...

It was a good day for Hardus Viljoen, who ended it with a four-wicket haul after starting the day with one from the game's first ball, but less memorable for debutant Harry Podmore, who bowled twenty overs without reward.

Nor were there any wickets for Imran Tahir, although the first day at Durham is unlikely to be top of the 'grounds to bowl on before you retire' list of any leg-spinner.

A brisk end to the home innings is needed tomorrow and then a similarly disciplined innings from our lads.

I'll see you then.

Durham v Derbyshire preview

The best four-day game of the summer so far was that between these two sides at Chesterfield, a few short weeks ago. Though it seems an eternity, with all the razzmatazz of the T20 in between times.

Derbyshire travel up to the Riverside for this game with a side that is heavily focused on youth and opportunity. A thirteen-man squad has been announced, which reads:

Godleman
Reece
Slater
Madsen
Hughes
Critchley
Hosein
Palladino
Milnes
Viljoen
Podmore
Davis
Tahir

There's no Gary Wilson, who is ill, so Godleman and Madsen are the experienced, guiding hands in an otherwise youthful batting line-up.

There is opportunity for both Ben Slater and Harvey Hosein, two players of unquestionable talent, to make a case for a regular place in the side for another year. Luis Reece and Matt Critchley have fought their way into the side and done well, so the challenge for Ben and Harvey is to produce the figures required to do the same.

It is good to see Hardus Viljoen and Imran Tahir in the same four-day attack for the first time, and surely we will take a belated opportunity to unleash Hardus and Will Davis together? Logic suggests that Harry Podmore will play too, as there seems little point in taking a lad on loan, simply to carry drinks. Let's get him out there in support of the two quicks, with Tahir ready to be unleashed at the other end and see how it goes.

For me, it is as exciting a side as we have fielded this summer, but the challenge is now for those involved to make it exciting when the action starts.

Our hosts have named a strong squad that has won two and drawn three of its last five games in the county championship. Skippered by county legend Paul Collingwood, they will be a stern test and enter the match with this squad:

Paul Collingwood (c), Keaton Jennings, Tom Latham, Cameron Steel, Jack Burnham, Graham Clark, Michael Richardson (wk), Ryan Pringle, Paul Coughlin, James Weighell, Matthew Potts, Chris Rushworth, Graham Onions.

With the first three days set to be cloudy, the seam bowlers may well fancy their chances and I wouldn't expect a game of high scores.

We'll see soon enough.

Give it a good go, lads.

Weekend roundup - why Barnett must stay and county sign Podmore

Early morning on a Saturday and a chance to catch up on all things Derbyshire cricket, after the hectic start to the week that was the T20 quarter final.

I read a piece online earlier in the week, which said how Billy Godleman hopes that Kim Barnett will extend his role of Director of Cricket past September. With five county championship games to go, I hope that the club moves quickly to sort this, for everyone's sake.

Irrespective of a disappointing four-day summer, this has been one of the more encouraging in recent history. We played some excellent cricket in both of the one-day competitions and have looked a side slowly moving in the right direction.

Part of this, of course, has been down to improved recruitment, which can be laid squarely at the door of Barnett. There were a number of new players over the winter and each has contributed positively this summer.

Gary Wilson has added belligerence to the county middle order and generally skippered the side well in T20, while Daryn Smit has proved an outstanding wicket-keeper, even if short of runs by our expectations. Luis Reece has made an excellent fist of both forms of the game and both leg-spin recruits, Jeevan Mendis and Imran Tahir, have made positive contributions.

Even the ones brought in on trial or loan, Conor McKerr and Gurjit Sandhu, have done well. Indeed, the only one that was not Barnett's decision, Matt Henry, is the one where there would be debate.

Each will, assuming they are here next summer, want to kick on, but the portents are good. As was the case in his playing days, Barnett can spot a player and his mentoring of Godleman the captain will have been less obvious but equally valuable.

For a county that won silverware in 2012, we have changed direction too often for comfort since. A third administration in five years is too many and to move now to a fourth would be counter-productive, or crazy as it might be better put. Each new 'broom' wants to put their own stamp on things and justify the role and in my opinion, we need tweaking, not wholesale change now.

Barnett has put in place a new way of working, giving the players greater responsibility. Similarly, he has set up a coaching system, with Mal Loye at its head, that now needs time to bear fruit. The advent of Hamidullah Qadri is the first of these, but there is exciting, precocious talent among that age group, not yet ready for the first team, but not too far away and with good people overseeing their development. They will, I suspect, be better-equipped for the first-class game from being picked out early and coached properly, with greater emphasis on the challenges they will face as they move towards the professional game. Mentoring plays a big part in this and Barnett's recruits have been well chosen from that perspective, good professionals as well as good players.

As much as we need improved performances in these closing fixtures to send us into the winter in good heart, we also need an indication that Barnett will stay, giving the club the stability it so badly needs to thrive.

Yesterday came news of another recruit, Middlesex's Harry Podmore, on an 'initial' 28-day loan. The key word is in parentheses for me, as one assumes it is a chance for each party to look at the other and, if it goes to plan, make it official at the end of the summer. The tall seamer has been on loan to Glamorgan and Durham in 2017 and is at a stage of his career where first-class cricket is essential.

23-years old, he gets in close to the stumps and seems of similar pace to Mike Hendrick in his pomp. A first-class record of the mid-twenties for his wickets is good in a young bowler and he has a chance to build on that and impress a potential new employer in the final month of the season.

It is, I suspect, where the focus of our winter recruitment lies. While there are a number of talented young seamers in the club, I suspect that two or three will not make it at this level. While the next generation come through, we need better players to make us competitive in all formats next year.

My gut feeling is that South Africa may well be a hunting ground. While resources are limited, perhaps there is greater merit in bringing in a talented Kolpak for the summer in all formats, than a T20 specialist who may or may not succeed when finances are tight. In an ideal world you would have both, but we need to be realistic.

As it stands at present, our seam attack for 2018 is based around two talented bowlers who have been rarely fit in 2017, an aging war horse who will be 35 next year, an all-rounder with a question mark on his future and a clutch of young bowlers who may, or may not make it.

I don't think that anyone would predict success on those grounds, so something quite obviously needs to be done

Just need a few more concerts at the 3aaa County Ground and a successful Christmas period in the hospitality areas. Maybe a monthly summer concert at Derby and playing more at Chesterfield might make a lot of people happy...

I'll be back soon with news of the squad for the Durham game.

The T20 season review

Thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed to the blog comments over the past day or two, as well as those who made the four thousand visits to the blog yesterday. They have made for fascinating reading and we appear to be in general agreement over the season's T20 as a whole.

There is a saying, in sport and entertainment, that you are only as good as your last appearance. If that were genuinely true, it would overlook a summer in which, for the first time in over a decade, we looked like we could play the short game. To 'escape' from a strong northern group is no mean feat, and as much as 2017 will go down as the year in which we were hammered by 'Boom Boom' it will also, more importantly, be the one in which we reached the knockouts, beating the reigning champions en route, as well as doing the double over Yorkshire. They didn't like that...

There were games in which we batted well, games in which we bowled well. There were not that many where we managed both disciplines equally, which suggests that if we could string that together another year we might be quite special indeed.

Imran Tahir did pretty much all we could have expected from an overseas bowler, taking wickets and bowling tightly more often than not. You have to hide him in the field, but that has always been the case and he would be top of my list for retention another year. He remains box office and his wicket celebration is always an over the top thrill.

The jury is probably out on Matt Henry, a lovely bloke, useful batsman, excellent fielder but too expensive as a bowler to be considered a success. I think he would be worthy of consideration for early season, four-day cricket and the RLODC, but he hasn't yet got the control that we needed from that pivotal overseas seam bowling role. It is a tough gig and there is a limited market, but the second overseas role needs thought for another year.

Indeed, some would argue that a gun bat at the top of the order might have been better for the side's balance, although that was slightly skewed when Shiv Thakor was ruled out of the tournament. My preference would still have been a batsman who can bowl a few overs, in a similar way to Colin Ingram, who has done so well for Glamorgan.

Billy Godleman played a couple of excellent knocks, but struggled either side of them and is far from a natural at the format, while Matt Critchley came in late as a pinch-hitter and did an excellent job. His bowling was under-used, but I expect much in the years to come from a player of real talent. So too Luis Reece, who enjoyed an excellent T20 tournament and played some brilliant, free flowing knocks. His bowling could come more into it for the future, but he has proved a very shrewd and successful signing.

Wayne Madsen was simply magnificent. His batting was remarkably consistent and his bowling, until last night, showed the virtues of line and length. He didn't bowl badly last night, and perhaps should have been brought back, but Afridi was in mercurial form and the rest is history. Time and again Wayne came in, consolidated, accelerated and looked a million dollars. We are lucky to have him and should enjoy him while we can.

Gary Wilson did a good job as skipper, though the form of the top order meant he had little chance to play a big innings. He steered us home in several matches though, showing the merit of experience and a calm head. Meanwhile Alex Hughes played some nice cameos, turned his arm over to good effect here and there and fielded brilliantly in the key positions. He is becoming a very solid, valuable cricketer and is still some time from his peak.

Daryn Smit kept wicket splendidly throughout, quick-handed and sure, while playing a couple of key innings that helped to beat Yorkshire at Chesterfield and Lancashire at Derby. He also managed the captaincy well for three matches, demanding as covering those two roles is for any player.

Ben Cotton came into the side in mid-tournament and bowled as well as anyone, this format, perhaps more than any other, suiting his height and ability to find the wide yorker lengths that are so important.

Finally, there was Hardus Viljoen. Early in the tournament he wasn't fit and looked it. He struggled for pace and rhythm and throughout his line was often erratic. But by the closing stages of the competition he was bowling some seriously quick balls and showing what we could have done with from the start of the summer. For another year, fit and firing, he will be an asset, but we need to get better value from an obviously talented bowler than we have thus far.

Overall? Plenty of reasons to be cheerful. John Wright came in with fresh ideas and a load of ideas that the players responded to. If we could get him for one more season, in any capacity, it would be to our advantage. Perhaps he doesn't need another year, after a career in which he must have fulfilled most of his ambitions, but perhaps the lure of a finals day appearance might make another summer worthy of his attention.

Kim Barnett did a fine job in enticing John to the club and getting Dominic Cork involved. Together with Steve Stubbings and the fitness team they did a fine job in keeping a good team spirit going and the players fit.

The challenge now is to build on this. 2017 was a year of encouragement, but should not stand like an oasis in a desert of T20 under-fulfilment. It should be, as both Wayne Madsen and Gary Wilson said today, a building block for the future. Not the pinnacle of our T20 cricket, but the genesis of a Derbyshire side that plays the game as well as most.

With shrewd recruitment for another year, there's no reason why it can't be.

In short? Aside from last night, be proud of your efforts, lads. You have given long-suffering supporters something to cheer and reason to believe.

Where it goes from here is down to you.

Derbyshire v Hampshire T20

Hampshire 249-8 (Afridi 101, Vince 55, Critchley 3-32)

Derbyshire 148 (Cotton 30, Dawson 3-27)

Hampshire won by 101 runs

On a ground that used to be a racecourse, Derbyshire, sadly, were not even at the races tonight.

You have to give credit to Hampshire, who outplayed, out thought and out fought us, but it was tough to watch for Derbyshire fans near and far. The bottom line is that our favourites never got going. We played the occasion, not the opposition and were so far in second place it was, quite frankly, embarrassing.

From the first ball we were outflanked. Hampshire sent in 'Boom Boom' Afridi to hit Wayne Madsen out of the attack, which he did with four boundaries in the first over. At that moment it seemed that our game plan had gone and, with hardly anyone else finding a consistent line and length, or being allowed to, the Pakistan veteran simply slaughtered us.

The frustration was, from someone who has watched him bat for 20 years, that we never tried to tuck him up, dig it in at his ribs, make him think. He hits through the ball well, a fine, clean striker of a ball, but he has never been a strong puller. He never needed to tonight, as we pitched it into his arc and he kept hitting it further and further down the ground. If I know that, even from watching him play for us in the distant past, surely we should have known it as a team?

Matt Critchley was the only bowler I would absolve from criticism tonight. He at least mixed up line and length and was rewarded by three late wickets, but the rest were poor. They were made to look worse than they were by a Hampshire side that never let their foot off the accelerator, the late wickets we took making it look more of a contest than it ever was. Vince was classy, Bailey briefly brutal, but after Afridi's explosive knock, they could have batted Richard and Judy. Or Punch and Judy, for that matter. Credit where due though, to far superior opponents.

The likelihood of our chasing 250 to win was wafer thin and it soon evaporated. Godleman tried to slog sweep everything, without any use of feet, and soon holed out, Critchley did the same and Luis Reece, after a few good shots, was caught behind.

Then came...Viljoen. On a night of disappointments, why we thought Viljoen a better bet than Madsen at four was beyond me, especially when he proceeded to play 'like a batsman'. It smacked of Alan Ward going in early against Yorkshire at Lord's in 1969. A move of desperation and, for me, sending out panic signals a mile high. Hardus is no mug with a bat, but to put him in ahead of Wayne, our star batsman, or the skipper himself, made no sense.

Neither succeeded and although Alex Hughes played a few nice shots, Daryn Smit improvised and there was a merry last wicket stand between Cotton and Tahir, it was way too little, too late.

It was, in short, hugely disappointing. Those who have seen us perform with skill, aplomb and discipline through an encouraging campaign will have found the lack of bowling discipline tonight a real frustration. Daryn Smit had his work cut out with some horribly wide balls outside leg and off stump, while we didn't field well. One or two good catches were held, two or three more were put down and when the usually reliable Madsen drops a straightforward  catch from Afridi, you know it isn't going to be your night. There was some sloppy ground fielding too, none of it helping our cause.

We have done well to get to this stage, very well.

But to play like that, on a big occasion, in front of the television cameras was really sad to see.

Still, well played Hampshire.

Go well on finals day. You were way too good for us tonight.

Derbyshire v Hampshire T20 Quarter Final

You know, I have been doing this blog for ten years and never once had the opportunity to write that. Derbyshire, in a quarter final. Oops, I did it again, said he in his best Britney Spears voice...

I started the blog in 2008 and it was three years prior to that when we were beaten in the competition's quarter final by Lancashire, at Old Trafford. Seventeen runs was the margin, but we never really looked like winning the game at any point.

Will 2017 be different?

It is division two versus division one. A county that struggles to make ends meet versus one that seems to have limitless pots of cash, liberally spent. Realistically and logically, it should be a one-sided contest.

And yet...

We have turned the 3aaa County Ground into a mini fortress this summer, losing only one of our games and that narrowly. We have played some excellent cricket, as you have to do to get out of a very tough section, beating the reigning champions along the way and Yorkshire twice. To be fair, there have been occasions when the standard has dropped and we have bowled poorly, batted with less nous and fielded erratically. Yet every side does that and it now comes down to a knock out stage and who holds their nerve.

The game has big occasion players on each side and  on such occasions you hope, as a supporter, that your heroes are the ones who produce their best and come out on top. Perhaps tomorrow one of our experienced players will produce a special performance. Then again, maybe a younger player will announce himself to the wider cricketing world, when the eyes of the county game are upon us, as being something special.

Can we win? Yes, most definitely. If we bowl as we did on Friday night and bat as we have on occasion in this competition, we can beat anyone. But we have to have eleven men on top of their game, because this is serious stuff. Proper, knock-out, winner takes all cricket. To the victor, the spoils. To the loser...a lower profile sequence of four-day cricket until Autumn ends it all for another year.

We welcome back Gary Wilson as skipper and middle order 'finisher' tomorrow and for me he will take his place in this team:

Godleman
Critchley
Reece
Madsen
Wilson
Hughes
Smit
Henry
Viljoen
Cotton
Tahir

Callum Brodrick has done well in his appearances, especially in the field, but that's the eleven I expect to take the field tomorrow.

As for the visitors, they welcome back Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams in a strong squad that reads:

Carberry
Adams
Vince
Bailey
Alsop
Wheal
Ervine
Afridi
Berg
Wood
Crane
Dawson
Abbott
Dickinson

Plenty of international experience there and the visitors will start favourites, despite our home advantage. With seven internationals that is understandable, but we know that we can hold our own and have to go in there and mix it with them.

Five summers ago, on a late summer afternoon, Derbyshire chased down a moderate total to beat Hampshire and clinch the division two title, amid scenes of great euphoria. There were grown men weeping that day, for the best of reasons, as a young side had defied critics and expectations to gain promotion.

There will be more tears tomorrow if they can pull off a similar heist. Not just in Derby, but everywhere the club's supporters live, the length and breadth of the country, across Europe, throughout the Americas and in both Australia and New Zealand. I know this, as I get regular messages from them. Their circumstances may not allow regular, or even infrequent attendance, but their interest and support is undiminished.

Make us proud lads. Go out, give it everything and let's make it a season to rank along the very best.

Go well, Derbyshire.

And good luck.

Correspondence catch up

I thought I would use a lazy Sunday morning to catch up on correspondence over the past week. Some of the questions suggested that the answers may be of more general interest, so I will put the answers in here.

I remain happy to give my thoughts on a range of Derbyshire cricket-related topics. I don't expect you to agree with all (any?) of them, but they are out there for the world to see!

Do you think that the quarter-final will be a sell-out?

It should be. It deserves to be. It would be a reward for the efforts of the Derbyshire side, which has been quite special this summer in this competition. The side is a work in progress and will continue to be for some time, but it has 'clicked' in this competition. Most of the time...

How come we once had eighteen thousand at Derby as a capacity, but now have much less than that?

Because health and safety legislation has changed, as has the ground. When that number attended the first day of the game against the Australians of 1948, the ground was a large open space, a racecourse. I have no idea how many of the crowd saw much of the match, but it is now an enclosed stadium and the capacity is set at 4999, above which different health and safety criteria come into play.

It is the same at Chesterfield. I was there for the Gillette Cup semi-final of 1969, when the crowd was reportedly 11,000 and packed like sardines. You simply cannot do that today.

Isn't our qualification in the T20 devalued because of 'all the Kolpaks'?

My parentheses. Point of reference: we have ONE Kolpak, Hardus Viljoen. Daryn Smit plays here on an ancestral visa, Wayne Madsen is English-qualified. We have the two permitted overseas players and six English players, four of them coming up through our academy and/or second team.

Personally I think that a good mix.

Wouldn't you sooner have seen an eleven of local Derbyshire-reared players?

In an ideal world, yes, but that is some time off. The days when we could do that (1936) are long gone and we need to catch players early, teach them the right habits and support them as they develop.

I think it will be the 'Qadri generation' where we get closer to that. Their fruition is some time off and, in the mean time, we are doing the right thing in being competitive. While the less knowledgeable will come out with the 'Kolpaks' slur, there is an even greater danger, at a time when the county game is changing, in being the perceived, expendable, weakest link.

How would you strengthen next season?

Wherever we can find players who are better than we have! I think most will accept that we need one seamer of quality at the very least and number three in the batting order has never been filled to satisfaction. Maybe someone will make that their own before the season ends, but they haven't as yet.
As I said before the season, if Davis and Viljoen stayed fit, we'd have a serious attack. They haven't, Tony Palladino isn't getting any younger and none of the others have staked a claim for a regular berth in the side.

With more South Africans reportedly considering a Kolpak deal before the end of the year (when the window is likely to close), would you consider another one?

In a heartbeat. I am plucking names out of the air here, but if one from Morne Morkel, JP Duminy, Chris Morris, Hashim Amla and one or two other rumoured names were desperate to join up with guys they know from back home and live in God's Own County, why would you say no?

As I have said before, good young players will still come through and will thrive in a competitive environment IF THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH. There are no free meal tickets in life and to get to the standards set by the likes of Madsen, Tahir, Viljoen and Smit you have to work very, very hard.

To eventually replace them, you need to watch them and work with them, listen to their advice and try the things that they advise.  Eventually, if you are good enough, your time will come. Some won't make it and the county history is littered with good cricketers who dominated at club and second team level, but couldn't make that final step to first-class. It is the way of things, just as we are not all cut out to be managing director or chief executive of the company.

A question of my own to finish - do you think we would now be looking forward to a quarter-final without that quartet named above?

A little rhetorical, perhaps...

As always, your thoughts are most welcome.

Dare we dream?

One of the things that I really enjoyed last night, in the post-match glow of a Derbyshire triumph, was an excellent collection of photographs by David Griffin, which appositely recorded the evening and the end of a group stage that offered varied but ultimately successful cricket.

There was a pumped-up Hardus Viljoen, screaming to the heavens, having beaten Brett D'Oliveira for pace and rearranged his stumps. Then a montage of Imran Tahir, celebrating his wickets with the enthusiasm of a teenager and becoming the highest wicket-taker in a T20 season by a Derbyshire bowler. Tahir again, leading the team off at the end, smiles as wide as the Mississippi on all of them. Then John Wright and Kim Barnett, smiling and doubtless acknowledging a job well done, one fashioned in the depths of a cold Derbyshire winter.

It was a magical evening and will be a similar weekend for Derbyshire fans. Some will not have known such a feeling, being new to supporting a county better known for its lows than highs. Others have supported them longer, but can still count such nights as out of the ordinary. I regard myself as lucky to have followed the club through fifty summers that, relatively speaking, count as our golden years. We've won trophies in that period and many supporters prior to that watched us play for decades without doing so.

It is easy to dismiss the 'hired hands' as simply that, but the excitement, passion and commitment shown by Hardus Viljoen, Imran Tahir and Daryn Smit couldn't have been greater had they just won a trophy with their native South Africa. They were up for a battle and, in the pressure cooker environment in which you hope they would stand their ground, they delivered.

So too did the younger players. For the likes of Matt Critchley, Alex Hughes, Ben Cotton and Callum Brodrick, this was a taste of a big occasion that they will want to repeat. For Wayne Madsen, who has been stellar in this season's competition, it was vindication for staying with the county that gave him opportunity, when many others would have moved elsewhere. Coming in his testimonial year, the timing is perfect, just as his has been with the bat. Having scored 500 runs, taken key wickets and bowled economically, as well as holding at times blinding catches, this was his, as much as Derbyshire's triumph.

Yet the job is not yet done and we must not look at this as the summit of our ambitions. Our quarter-final opponents are Hampshire, a side with talented players but now missing South African Rilee Rossouw for the summer after hand surgery.

Their key man is captain and opening bat James Vince, a batsman of class and poise who can quickly take a game away from you, while former Australian one-day skipper George Bailey has struggled this summer but is a big occasion player. South African Kyle Abbott leads the attack, which also features our one-time overseas player, Shahid Afridi.

It will be a terrific game and with Afridi and Mason Crane on their side, as well as Liam Dawson, their will be spinners a-plenty on view. Hampshire will be dangerous opponents and some of their supporters last night were crowing on Twitter about the 'plum draw' that they had secured after being thrashed by Somerset in their final game.

For all that our players have attracted criticism - rightly so, at the time - there will be the more discerning among their supporters who will see this as a banana skin. They will see a Derbyshire side that bats deep and offers plenty of bowling options. One that has three international bowlers in the attack and has already beaten Yorkshire twice and the reigning champions, as well as taking the tournament favourites, Nottinghamshire, very close twice. A side that came second in a strong group to one that has far greater resources.

When the big games come, the big names thrive. They are star men for a reason, to get you to big occasions and to deliver when you get there. After fourteen matches that offered more ups and downs than a theme park, Tuesday will be a night to savour. There will be finger nails chewed, balls watched through fingers and digits crossed. We need eleven men to step up to the mark and say 'we can do this' and show the cricketing world just that.

We made it and plenty of so-called bigger teams didn't. With Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire in the quarter-finals, the East Midlands is the power base of T20 in the north of England. Ironic, when the chances of two of those sides hosting an eleven in the ill-fated city-based competition are slightly lower than the chance of me being seen as the new Usain Bolt.

With Lancashire and Yorkshire out, together with Middlesex and Glamorgan and Somerset joining the Foxes and us in the knock out stage, it's not been a good competition for those who want to marginalise the smaller counties, has it?

Be proud folks.

Because our team has done us proud and may yet do even more.

Derbyshire v Worcestershire report by Huw Lloyd of Deep Extra Cover

Derbyshire set out this evening with their destiny in their own hands, knowing a victory would hand them a home quarter final. By the end of the evening it was still in their hands and they were celebrating a first ever home quarter final in the Natwest T20 Blast and their first since 2005, winning by 48 runs with 4.2 overs to spare. 

The celebrations had started in the crowd long before the final wicket fell, as the Worcestershire innings fell away in the face of a dominant Derbyshire bowling attack. It left Derbyshire on 17 points, one behind table toppers Nottinghamshire and ahead of Birmingham and Leicestershire on net run rate.

Daryn Smit, standing in for Gary Wilson, who was again away on international duty, lost his third consecutive toss and with the threat of rain about it was no surprise when Rapids captain Joe Leach invited his hosts to bat first. At the end of the third over, when Derbyshire had only managed ten runs for the loss of Billy Godleman, it looked an excellent decision. Three overs later, when they had only added 33 more and lost the wickets of Reece and Critchley, it still looked that way. 

On a pitch that always offered assistance to the bowlers, Derbyshire made steady progress throughout the innings, kept in check by the young pace attack of Worcestershire and the experienced overseas player Mitchell Santner. Derbyshire found boundaries hard to come by and from the ninth to the 15^th over failed to cross the rope, but kept a steady scoring rate batting sensibly, looking for gaps and running hard for singles and twos. The innings was marshaled beautifully by the exceptional Wayne Madsen who became the second Derbyshire batsmen this season to score four fifties in a T20 season and took his season total past 500, the first time a batsmen has achieved this feat.

As Derbyshire moved towards a score which looked to be under par, strangled by some excellent bowling from D’Oliveira and Hepburn, it took an injection of impetus in the 18^th over by Madsen and Matt Henry who both cleared the rope for six and pushed Derbyshire towards what looked like a defendable total. The last two overs reverted to type and saw singles and twos, but the damage was done and the total of 147 on a tricky pitch looked a reasonable total if not an imposing one.

If Joe Leach was happy with his decision to bowl first at the half way stage, six overs later, as his side finished the powerplay on 39 for 4 with Leach, Clarke, Cox and D’Oliveira all back in the changing rooms he may have begun to doubt his decision. A clearly fired-up Falcons bowling attack came out and blew away the top order, with Hardus Viljoen bowling fast and accurately and Wayne Madsen being his usual nagging self. It only got worse for Leach and his team as their batting order capitulated.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals realistically putting the game beyond them, as Imran Tahir did exactly what he was brought into the club to do, destroying the Rapids middle order, taking four wickets for just seventeen runs in a man of the match performance that bowled Derbyshire to victory. All the bowlers deserve praise though, as they all contributed to fine Derbyshire victory and one of the most impressive bowling displays I have seen from a Derbyshire bowling unit. 

Derbyshire now move onto their quarter final which will see Hampshire visit the 3aaa County Ground for the first time in T20 cricket.

Huw Lloyd writes for Deep Extra Cover

Derbyshire v Worcestershire T20

Derbyshire 146-8 (Madsen 55)

Worcestershire 98 (Tahir 4-17, Cotton 2-14, Viljoen 2-20)

Derbyshire won by 48 runs

Quarter finalists, for the first time since 2005.

It is apposite, on a day when one of television's great entertainers, Bruce Forsyth, passed away, to use one of his catch phrases tonight.

Didn't they do well?

In true Derbyshire style, they kept us worrying to the end of the group stage and at the half way point in this match there were a lot of barbed and premature comments flying around Twitter. Only a battling 55 from Wayne Madsen had given us any sort of total, aided in turn by Daryn Smit and Matt Henry. Yet only Wayne and Matt Critchley had managed any fluency on a wicket that appeared slow and offered turn, so perhaps the hard graft at the innings end would make the difference.

At least that's what I told myself between innings and so it transpired. Once again the magnificent Madsen took a wicket, this time the visitors skipper, Joe Leach, second ball. Yet we were all at the ground, listening to the radio or following on line and wondering if the back up bowling was going to let us down, with so few runs to play with.

To quote that great cricketing sage, Billy Ocean, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and this was a night when the South African influence was strong. Hardus Viljoen bowled fast and accurately, not always words used in the same sentence this summer, and key to the win was his removal of D'Oliveira and Cox in a four over spell in which three of those overs were consecutive. Maybe this is what he needed, a chance to get his rhythm and crank it up, rather than four spells of an over each.

Then came Imran Tahir (pictured), who once again bowled with superb control and followed his four overs for just thirteen at Leicester with four overs for only seventeen and four wickets tonight. I get the impression from many years of Tahir watching that there are days when the muse is with him and he is irresistible. There is a greater spring in his run up on such days, greater purpose in the run up and better returns as a result.

This was such a night and he blew the visitors middle order away. Once Ross Whiteley had been caught (much to his annoyance) the rest folded as befitted a side that has had a poor T20 summer. Due credit to the 'locally reared' wicket of the dangerous Joe Clarke, who was going like a train before being caught by Callum Brodrick from the bowling of Ben Cotton.

Ben later finished things when George Rhodes was caught by Matt Henry and Derbyshire could celebrate their first quarter-final since 2005 and only our second since the advent of the competition.

It is fair to mention the captaincy of Daryn Smit, who mixed things up well and saw his bowlers concede only three leg byes in the innings. Such discipline is key in this format, when you cannot afford to give free hits and extra balls to the opposition.

More than anything tonight I am pleased for John Wright and Kim Barnett. Kim had the foresight to bring in a man of proven international pedigree as coach and the quarter final berth is just reward for a summer where we have played some purposeful and entertaining cricket.

Wright has brought his international nous and IPL pedigree with him, been well assisted by Dominic Cork and has seen the players respond to his management style. Nor should Steve Stubbings be overlooked, batting coach at Northamptonshire last season, when they won the competition, now in the quarter-finals with his own county.

It hasn't been perfect, of course, as we all know, but there's time to discuss where we can improve before our now guaranteed home quarter final against Hampshire, next Tuesday. Gary Wilson will be back for that and, such is this Derbyshire side, we could either fall flat on our faces or reach the promised land of finals day.

Tonight, and all weekend, we can celebrate though.

Quarter-finalists. We got there, but the reigning champions didn't. Nor did Lancashire, nor Yorkshire. We won eight of our games in a very strong group and only played the worst side, Durham, once.

By heck, we'll take that, won't we?

At least for now...

Derbyshire v Worcestershire preview by Huw Lloyd

Worcestershire arrive in Derby on Friday for the last round of Natwest T20 Blast matches knowing no matter what the outcome, they will finish in eighth place in the North Group and cap off what will have been a disappointing season for them in the shortest format of the game.

Derbyshire however find themselves in unusual territory, they know that a win will guarantee them a quarter final place for the first time since 2005 and unless Birmingham (it never feels right calling them that) or Leicestershire win by a massive margin, a home one at that. Should they draw or be rained a point may also be enough for Derbyshire, however this will then leave them looking at other results around the grounds to see if sides or the weather have done them favours.

Both sides are coming off the back of losses and will want to finish the group stages on a high, Worcestershire for pride and Derbyshire to secure a place in the knockout stages. Derbyshire losing last night to the Leicestershire Foxes in a low scoring game and the Falcons will be hoping their batting line up can fire against the Rapids. Worcestershire lost last time to Lancashire again in a low scoring game they never looked like winning and will be looking to be far more competitive when visiting Derby. Derby have only lost once at home this season and will be hoping to keep that record intact.

The bookies make Derbyshire favourites and it’s easy to see why, they have an excellent record and Worcestershire do not, however all the pressure on Derbyshire and none is on their visitors and pressure can do funny things in cricket. I would imagine most of the Derbyshire fans will be watching this game through their fingers, but only when they aren’t biting their nails. It may though however all be academic as the weather may be the ultimate winner if the forecast is to be believed.

Key Men

Derbyshire Falcons: If you have more strings to your bow in modern day cricket then you are a very attractive player in the coach’s eyes, and in Matt Critchley That is exactly what Derbyshire have. Elevated this season to open the batting due to his ability to strike the ball cleanly and clear the ropes, he has been a success. Throw in his ability to bowl leg spin effectively, having spent time learning from Shane Warne, Jeevan Mendis and lastly Imran Tahir, his bowling has come on leaps and bounds and he can keep it tight whilst taking wickets. Finally add his superb fielding, it is clear to see why Critchley’s success is key to Derbyshire’s.

Worcestershire Rapids: Who doesn’t love a six being hit? Well apart from the bowler, and in T20 cricket the Rapids have one of the best in Ross Whiteley, as when Whiteley fires they show themselves to be a side who can score big runs. The pinnacle of Whiteley’s powers were shown earlier in the campaign when he achieved the dream of six sixes in an over off Karl Karver against Yorkshire. If he can do something similar against his old side then their chances of upsetting the Falcons will be greatly enhanced.

Team News

Derbyshire will again will again be without T20 skipper Gary Wilson who is away on international duty with Ireland, so Daryn Smit will again take on the role of understudy. Derbyshire are yet to announce their squad, however I would anticipate an unchanged squad and side from the one which played vs Leicestershire and throughout the majority of campaign.

Worcestershire are also yet to announce their squad, but suffered no injuries in their previous game, so I envisage the squad being very similar to last time out. Now qualification is beyond them they have chosen to play their youngsters and if you are down at the game, keep an eye out for young paceman Josh Tongue, he has genuine pace and a great future in the game.

Derbyshire Falcons squad: TBA
Worcestershire Rapids squad: TBA

Form

Derbyshire Falcons: LWLWWA

Worcestershire Rapids: LLLLWW

Weather and conditions

The current forecast for Derby on Friday night shows rain for the duration of the match, so if they do get any cricket then Duckworth and Lewis may well be required. The last game at Derby produced a low scoring match, prior to this though Derby has seen high scoring games and batsmen really enjoying themselves. With there having been better weather around in the area in the last few days, the groundsman will have had more preparation time and hopefully if the precipitation stays away we will see a return to pitches more akin to runscoring.

Date: 18^th August 2017

Time: 19:30pm

Ground: 3aaa County Ground, Derby

Umpires: TBC and TBC

Odds (SkyBet): Derbyshire Falcons 4/6 Worcestershire Rapids 6/5
  Co
Huw Lloyd writes for Deep Extra Cover

Leicestershire v Derbyshire T20

Derbyshire 139-7 (Critchley 72 not)

Leicestershire 143-6 (Cosgrove 57 not, Critchley 2-28)

Leicestershire won by 4 wickets

A magnificent all round performance by Matt Critchley was not enough to prevent a battling Derbyshire side go down to defeat in their penultimate group match of this T20 campaign.

Whether tomorrow's game is our last, and we again fall short at the final hurdle only time will tell, but we at least still control our own destiny.

After Yorkshire's astonishing win against Northamptonshire tonight. largely down to an astonishing tour de force by Adam Lyth, they move to second in the table, with us third due to net run rate.

Tomorrow looks like a battle to get on the pitch around the country, with Nottinghamshire v Durham looking likely to fall the same way as our game to the weather. So too does Lancashire's game against Birmingham, while Northamptonshire look set for the best conditions, against Durham.

On that basis, we may yet still qualify, but not for a home tie and will need to play better than we did tonight, by all accounts.

The batting never got going, with the exception of Critchley, who showed the nous to stick in there and bat the overs. The others perished one by one on a pitch that was never easy and for us to win with 139, we needed early wickets and tight bowling.

We got wickets, thanks to a stunning catch by Wayne Madsen and good bowling by the spinners, but frustratingly 3.3 overs from Henry and Viljoen went for 40. It is hard to point the finger, but in matches where runs are tough to come by, ten an over from your main seamers simply isn't good enough. Slower bowlers got the most success and Madsen, Tahir and Critchley all did well, but on the night it wasn't enough. There were a couple of opportunities, but we needed to get Cosgrove and the perennial thorn in our side did his stuff once again.

So on to Derby, where the weather, rather than any individual performance, may decide the ending of a fascinating, absorbing and entertaining group competition.

Will it be ultimately successful?

We'll find out tomorrow.

No bigger game than this: Leicestershire v Derbyshire T20 preview

Depending on results, Derbyshire may already have done enough to qualify for the T20 knockout stage. Yet professional pride and a desire for a home quarter-final should make them strive for at least one more win in the remaining two games.

Leicestershire, who we play tomorrow, have handed us some heavy and embarrassing defeats over the years. Hands up who still remembers a last ball 'catch' from Brad Hodge, or an inept batting effort that saw us rolled over by Josh Cobb when chasing only a modest victory target.

This year's model has been stronger, better organised, more resilient, more disciplined. Yes, there are still frailties and it is both ironic and impressive that the stand out performances have not come from the overseas roles. Imran Tahir has been tidy, but has not yet run through a side, while Matt Henry has bowled a couple of good spells yet been horribly expensive in others.

And yet, the whole is considerably more impressive than its constituent parts.The success has been the result of three of the top four being prolific, the fourth dynamic in the Power play. Then the middle order has come in and kicked on, chasing targets especially with a degree of composure (last night notwithstanding) that has rarely been the preserve of Derbyshire elevens in T20 cricket.

Can we qualify? I think so, from here, though this is no time for resting on laurels. Can we make finals day? I think we could, because I think the northern group the stronger of the two. As I have written before, if someone produces something special on a given night, anyone can beat anyone. Luis Reece did that last night, Billy Godleman at Worcester, Wayne Madsen's brilliance nearly beat Nottinghamshire, a team effort beat Yorkshire - twice.

If we keep that discipline, retain focus and - crucially - keep people fit, then we will be celebrating this weekend.

Tomorrow will be tough, with Cosgrove, Ronchi, Ackermann and company a far better side than they looked at Derby. Clint Mckay remains a key man with the ball and we will need to be at our best, or near it, once more.

I think we can do it, while wary of a side that has historically been strong in the format.

What about you?

Derbyshire v Durham T20 - match report by Huw Lloyd

Derbyshire set out tonight looking for a win that would all but guarantee them a place in the top four of the North group and a quarter final berth for the first time since 2005. Durham set out to add more respectability to their points total which has been blighted by the deduction of four points for financial issues last season. By the end of the night the hosts needed to look no more, winning and moving them to 15 points and second place in the Northern Group of the T20 Blast and edging them closer to that precious quarter final berth.

With the quarter final qualification left in the hands of stand in captain Daryn Smit, he would have wanted a good start and despite losing the toss in his first game in charge, that’s exactly what he got. His bowlers and fielders restricting Durham to 42 for 4 in the powerplay, which included two run outs, one by Critchley in the first over, dispatching outgoing England opener Keaton Jennings with a superb direct hit and the second with Hardus Viljoen running out Michael Richardson without scoring in his follow through using fancy footwork, not his hands. 

The other two wickets fell to the excellent Wayne Madsen and overseas player Matt Henry, Madsen really put the breaks on the Jets, with his tight nagging off spin limiting the scoring options for the Jets batsmen. Henry saw the back of danger man Tom Latham off the last ball of the Power play, when he picked out Alex Hughes on the deep mid wicket boundary for a well made 28 of 23 balls.

Smit’s spinners continued to give him control with the ball in the middle overs, restricting the flow of boundaries, with the Jets failing to find the boundary for a period of five overs and at that point it looked like Durham were going to struggle to post a really competitive total, not helped by the loss of two further wickets with Coughlin and Burnham both departing. This brought Poynter to the crease and this gave Durham the impetus the innings needed, scoring a magnificent 61 not out off 40 balls. 

Durham still looked to be well short of a competitive total, but 35 off the final two overs with Cotton and Henry both losing their control of length, allowing the Jets to post 161 for 7 and setting the Falcons 162 for victory.

That chase got off to a steady start with Critchley and Godleman nudging singles and finding the boundary once anover, until Godleman was caught off what looked to be a no ball but the third umpire saw some part of Weighell’s boot behind the line and he had to go. The Falcons reached the end of the powerplay with 44 runs to their name and the further loss of Critchley. 

Madsen and Reece then set about building an innings and moving Derbyshire towards their victory total. When Madsen fell in the 11^th over they had moved the score to 76 for 3 and looked relatively comfortable, although not guaranteed that win. The man who took them there was Luis Reece, who scored a beautifully crafted 66 of 49 balls, including five 4s and two 6s and in the process became the first Derbyshire batsman to make four scores of 50 or more in a T20 season. 

It could have been very different however had Paul Coughlin held on to a relatively simple catch offered to him on the deep mid-wicket boundary when he was just on 21. This was a running theme for the Jets fielders throughout the innings, with mis-fields and dropped catches the norm and when they did hold a catch it was off a no ball.

While Reece quite rightly named man of the match a special mention must go to Matt Henry, who came in and scored a quick fire 20 off 10 balls and allowed Derbyshire to have a stuttering finish, before captain Smit hit the winning runs with three balls and three wickets to spare.

On the victory Smit said “I’d have taken 161 at half time, I thought it was below par looking at the batting side and If you’d told me at 15 overs we would’ve won with three balls to spare I’d have taken that, we were under pressure at one stage, before Luis Reece and Matt Henry changed the momentum of the innings.” 

Derbyshire now move on to play Leicestershire on Thursday knowing a win will guarantee them a place in the quarter finals and, barring a set of results which would challenge even the loftiest of maths professors, a home one to boot. Durham however move on to Northampton on Friday certain of finishing bottom of the group.

Huw Lloyd writes for Deep Extra Cover

Derbyshire v Durham T20

Durham 161-7 (Poynter 61 not, Henry 3-42)

Derbyshire 164-7  (Reece 66)

Derbyshire won by 3 wickets

My evening was spent on a delightful coastal walk in Berwick-on-Tweed, after a lovely meal at the local golf club. We finished, as Derbyshire rather stumbled across the line, as the only people (and dog!) on an otherwise deserted beach.

Every 'beep' of my phone saw it eagerly checked for a score update, the signal remarkably good for a remote area, though there were way too many irrelevant ones - in other words, on a night such as this, from the football updates at Pride Park.

Yet we got there, crossing the line with a fine cover drive from the skipper (thanks Twitter) after three wickets went down in ten balls. Once again Luis Reece played a key innings after Billy Godleman was given out to what looked like, from the pictures I was sent, a no ball. There were contributions down the line, none more valuable than that of Matt Henry, after the equation came down to fifty from five overs.

More than that I cannot really comment, so I do hope you all come on later tonight or tomorrow to share your thoughts on things.

Thank you to those who kept me updated as the evening went on, which was really appreciated.

The commentators still appear to know as much about Derbyshire as I do about Peruvian pottery dynasties. Rob Key apparently referring to Wayne Madsen's 'leg spin' and Nick Knight referring to our having 'found a good one in Luis Reece'. Yes we did, at Old Trafford...

Still, second in the league, two games to go and we have won more this season than in any previous T20 campaign.

The sea air, a Derbyshire win  - and one for the Rams, because I do care really - means I will sleep well tonight.

Great stuff lads - and well done to Daryn Smit on his captaincy debut.

It's within touching distance now...

Polite request

Regulars will know that I am in Northumberland right now, with Mrs P, our daughter and Wallace.

That being the case, I cannot watch the Sky coverage tonight, but if anyone is able to record the highlights for me from Sky late tonight, I'd be very grateful.

More than happy to pay for a disk and postage, if anyone can get in touch to the usual address.

Mind you, if we have a nightmare, I might revise that...

I will, of course, look forward to all of your comments, on a day that has already broken the blog record for most visits in 24 hours.

That's before we play, and shows the level of interest in this match.

Go well, boys!

Match preview: Derbyshire v Durham by Huw Lloyd

Derbyshire Falcons vs Durham Jets

Durham and the Sky TV Cameras are visiting the 3aaa County Ground tonight with Derbyshire looking for a victory which will push them towards the precipice of the quarter finals for the first time since 2005. The match for Durham however is a dead rubber, with them sitting bottom of the North Group on 2 points following their points deduction at the start of the season for the financial matters last season, meaning they are playing for nothing but pride. Conversely Derbyshire though find themselves in fifth on 13 points, but with two games in hand over the sides above them and a victory will see them climb to second in the table and virtually guaranteed a quarter final place.

Last time out Derbyshire lost to the table toppers Nottinghamshire and will be looking to put that behind them and get back to winning ways and move back into the quarter final spots. Before that they beat Leicestershire comfortably and they will be hoping for a repeat of that tonight. Durham also lost last time out and won the time before that and will be hoping to get back to winning ways, although with nothing to play for Derbyshire’s desire for victory should be higher.

The bookies make Derbyshire clear favourites and it is clear to see why, the weather looks set fair and Derbyshire have only lost once at home this season they will be looking to keep that record intact.

Key Men

Derbyshire Falcons: When Derbyshire started this campaign not many would’ve put four day skipper Billy Godleman in their starting eleven, with a reputation for steady and safe scoring, however in this competition Billy the sensible has become “Billy the Basher” and given the side real impetus at the top of the order, impetus that every side needs. If Godleman can fire as he has done throughout the campaign then Derbyshire’s chances of victory will be greatly enhanced. With Wilson away as well Godleman’s captaincy experience will be invaluable to stand in skipper Smit.

Durham Jets:

Durham started the campaign poorly to say the least, but this was without overseas star Tom Latham, since Latham has come into the side the Jets’ fortunes have improved having only lost one of the games he has played. When Latham scored runs for the Jets, they have won, scoring 62 in the victory over Worcestershire. If Latham can repeat this tonight then Durham’s chances will improve no end.

Team News

Derbyshire will be without their regular T20 captain Gary Wilson, who is away on international duty with Ireland, so Daryn Smit takes over the reigns and will also continue to keep wicket. The Falcons do however have Matt Crictchley back, who has had an enforced absence since being struck on the helmet against Leicestershire and his clean hitting at the top of the order will be welcomed

Durham are yet to announce their squad for the game, however they will be hoping for consistency in selection to enable their recent improvement in form in this competition having Won and Drawn one of their last three matches. They will be looking for Tom Latham and the evergreen Paul Collingwood as the experience and quality in their squad to push for victory.

Derbyshire Falcons squad: D Smit (c, wk), C Brodrick, G Cork, B Cotton, M Critchley, B Godleman, M Henry, A Hughes, W Madsen, T Milnes, L Reece, I Tahir, H Viljoen, T Wood

Durham Jets squad:

TBA

Form

Derbyshire Falcons: LWWAWL

Durham Jets: LWDLWL

Weather and conditions

The forecast is good for Derby this evening, with Sunshine predicted for the entirety of the game. The pitches at Derby so far this year have provided runs and have played true and provided entertaining cricket. The game last week at the 3aaa County Ground against the West Indies also provided plenty of runs and I would imagine this will continue this evening.

Date: 15^th August 2017

Time: 18:30

Ground: 3aaa County Ground, Derby

Umpires: Peter Hartley and Martin Saggers

Odds (SkyBet): Derbyshire Falcons 4/7 Leicestershire Foxes 11/8

Huw Lloyd writes for Deep Extra Cover

Derbyshire v Durham T20 preview

Finding myself with a far better WiFi signal than last year, together with a little early morning time while my family are getting ready, I have an opportunity to preview tonight's big game at the 3aaa County Ground against Durham.

On paper and on form it is a game we should win. Yet we all know that such things often count for nothing in the game, especially if the favourites go into it with a blase attitude. This is a decent Derbyshire side, yet we can only aspire to such status if everyone is fit and available, then delivers the 100% commitment that is necessary.

Gary Wilson will be missing from the next three matches on international duty and the loss of the captain and 'finisher' is a big one for us. The former will be replaced by the appointment of Daryn Smit to the role, a man who captained the Dolphins for a number of years in South Africa. His experience doubtless trumped the claims of Alex Hughes, even if it means that his matches will be hectic. Smit has a shrewd cricket brain and others have alluded already to how Wilson and Billy Godleman seek his counsel in matches.

The 'finisher' role is one for which someone must stick up their hand. The likeliest scenario, from the announced squad, is that Matt Critchley returns and slots into that position, leaving Tom Wood at the top of the order where he is used to batting. There's no point in tinkering at this stage, as most people, I think, know our best eleven.

For me, in this game, it reads:

Godleman
Wood
Reece
Madsen
Hughes
Critchley
Smit
Henry
Viljoen
Cotton
Tahir

That would leave Callum Brodrick, Greg Cork and Tom Milnes on the sidelines, with Brodrick for Wood the most likely alternative, if one was required.

As for our visitors, we cannot underestimate them. Keaton Jennings returns from England duty with a point to prove, while Paul Collingwood is as dangerous as ever. Michael Richardson and Ryan Pringle are also good cricketers and Paul Coughlin has shown ability with bat and ball. With Kiwi Tom Latham at the top of the order, they have the firepower, even if results have largely eluded them.

It is a game we can win and need to win. By general consensus, we need two wins from the last three games and the knock-out stages lie tantalisingly within reach, but only if we deliver a performance, in front of what I hope is a good crowd.

We have a good, well-balanced side, with four local lads among the international stars.

If they all fire, we will win it. If they don't, we won't.

Simple as that really, and in a format where one stand out performance on either side can nick it, these are matches where you need your big names to stand up.

Here's hoping.

Good luck lads.

Derbyshire v West Indies day 3

West Indies 427-3 and 327-6 (Powell 100 retired, Chase 60 not, Sonczak 2-56, Macdonell 2-57)

Derbyshire 181 and 51-0 

Match drawn

Three days of practice - you couldn't really call it a match  - for the West Indies ended in a somewhat predictable draw today.

Declaring at tea, or is it supper, they left us 574 to win in a session, which was as unlikely as it gets. Perhaps they could have declared and pushed for a morale-boosting win, since we hadn't got an especially strong batting line-up out there.

Instead they opted for batting practice, which saw Powell make a century before retiring and Roston Chase make his fourth score over fifty in four innings. I look forward to watching Chase against better bowling, having watched him making centuries in a couple of online videos. One of them, against Pakistan, reminded me of a young Carl Hooper in his languid style. That he bowls off spin makes it an especially apposite comparison and I suspect that there will be a county looking closely at him for an overseas role in some capacity next year.

The problem, of course, is the Caribbean Premier League and the amount of time that it takes out of our season. While their players will improve more by gaining experience on wickets around the world, the temptation to stay home and make money for less effort and disruption to their life will be strong.

Matt Sonczak will remember his debut with fondness, having bowled decently in both innings, while Charlie Macdonell also took two wickets and steered us to calm waters at the close, sharing in an unbeaten first wicket stand of 51 with Ben Slater.

I've not yet heard from anyone who was there, but it didn't strike me as the kind of game that would have one rushing for the computer to comment.

A very young Derbyshire side at least got a taste of senior cricket. For some, there was almost certainly the realisation that they have a lot of work to do. For others, perhaps, the understanding that, good players as they are, this is a level too high for them.

On the evidence of the three days, we have a decent enough first eleven, but are not yet blessed with anything like strength in depth, nor competition for places.

Food for thought come September, no doubt.

And now for a big week of T20.

I will flit in and out as time permits, but holidays beckon.

Derbyshire v West Indies day 2

West Indies 427-3 and 60-1

Derbyshire 181 (Brodrick 52, Slater 39)

West Indies lead by 306

It was a better day for Derbyshire off the field than on it yesterday.

Yorkshire's defeat at the hands of Leicestershire in the T20 Blast left them in grave danger of elimination, while keeping our opponents in the final game of this week in the mix. Crucially, at this stage we are firmly in control of our destiny and our next two matches are against the bottom two sides of the division. Two wins from three should see us through, so the portents are good.

Of course we could lose them. Neither Worcestershire or Durham are bad sides and Leicestershire are better than they looked at Derby. They have to be, to beat a side like Yorkshire, but the undeniable fact is that if we don't make the knock-out stage this year, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Having beaten two of the three sides above us (we have a game in hand), no one can say that we aren't good enough. It will come down to attitude and holding our nerve.

That said, on the evidence of yesterday, should we have any injuries there aren't many people banging on the door for a place. It is harsh, but true, to say that all the runs in second team cricket count for nothing if the form isn't translated into the occasional first team opportunity. Luck plays a big role in anyone's career, and not just in sport, but the key to success is in grasping opportunity when it is offered.

Our batting may have misfired at times this summer, probably too many times for comfort, but on this evidence there is no one better waiting in the wings.  It is hard to be overly critical of a side that, if one takes out Tony Palladino, has an average age of 21, but opportunities for most appear to be some way down the line.

Only Ben Slater and Callum Brodrick scored any runs yesterday. Ben will be disappointed to have got in and then out when he'd done the hard work. I am a big fan of the lad, but after a fine start in the RLODC, his season has been too inconsistent for comfort. He's never had the security of a role in the side guaranteed, but that is the way with professional sport and the pressure to maintain performance levels is acute.

That's why the recent move of Dominic Sibley from Surrey to Warwickshire astonished me. Apparently the latter 'guaranteed' him a role in the top three, which you simply cannot do in professional sport. His form since his move barely suggests him worthy of such an assurance and it is one that is likely to end in tears, because form is always a transient thing.

Maybe the escape clause is 'we never specified in which team'...

Back to Derbyshire and the man who came out of yesterday with claims enhanced was 19-year old Callum Brodrick. We have seen this slight young man in the T20 and his fleet-footed ability in the field stood out. Yesterday he showed that my glimpse of his talent at Belper a few weeks back was a true reflection, as he scored a maiden half century on first-class debut. In doing so, he made the highest score by a Derbyshire player on debut against the West Indies.

Callum has been through a lot in his young life and has come through the devastating effects of Crohn's disease. In April last year he was in a critical care ward in Derby Royal Infirmary after major surgery, so to get back to this standard, so quickly, is a massive tribute to a young man of unquestionable talent and commitment.

Like Darren Fletcher, he had a long haul to fitness, but has got there. On the evidence of yesterday, he is the likely first man in line should there be a batting vacancy and he can be proud of his efforts, as I am sure his family were.

Let's hope that a few others at least jostle for that position today.

PS Worthy of mentioning a debut wicket for sixteen-year old James Taylor, younger brother of Tom. It has been quite a summer for players of that age and while he has a long way to go, James will have slept well last night having got his wicket tally underway.

Derbyshire v West Indies day 1

West Indies 340-3 (K Hope 105, Powell 92, S Hope 69 not, Chase 62 not)

v Derbyshire

I am not sure how much their exposure to a Derbyshire Seconds and Academy attack will have helped the West Indies prepare for Anderson, Broad, Ali et al, but they pretty much all enjoyed lengthy time in the middle yesterday.

The score ticked over at four an over and by all accounts were largely untroubled, as you might expect. There will be better times to judge their true value, but the potential of Shai Hope, the younger of two brothers, appears good, even if he can't claim the gloves in this game. Seems like we aren't the only side with a surfeit of keepers...

The most interesting player, for me, appears to be Roston Chase, who at 25 looks to be the best bet for the big time among their batsmen. He followed scores of 81 and 50 not out against Essex with n unbeaten 62 here, confirming why a career average of 45 and Test average of 48 doesn't flatter. With five centuries and 18 fifties in just eighty first-class innings, he would appear to have talent and eighty wickets with his off spin makes him the sort of player most teams would like to have in their ranks.

Derbyshire? Well , we had James Taylor, at 16, joining his older brother Tom in the side and shading him in terms of economy, while Matt Sonczak, who I have seen described as an off spinner and slow left arm, confirmed himself very much the latter and took a maiden first-class wicket in bowling Kyle Hope.

Otherwise it was a tough old day for the bowlers. There was an early wicket for Tom Milnes and one for Tony Palladino, but senior cricket is tough and our youngsters will have got a clear indicator of that yesterday.

We'll see how they go later today, pink ball and all.

Sincere thanks to Huw Lloyd

I am very grateful to Huw Lloyd of Deep Extra Cover, who is going to send me previews and reports on the first two T20 matches of the coming week.

I will contribute as I can, but am unsure of the time I will have available and found our wifi last year to be very erratic.

Sincere thanks to Huw, and to anyone else who gets involved.

Your comments are always appreciated, so please keep them coming!

Derbyshire v West Indies

There was a time, back in the day, when the tourists match against your county was special. A chance to see names that you had only previously read about in newspapers, to watch them bat and bowl and maybe get close enough for an autograph or two.

Nowadays, most of those players are on Sky TV all the time and the thrill isn't quite the same. Added to that, most counties field second elevens, using the game as an opportunity to see who might, just might have what it takes at senior level.

While the West Indies of today are a pale shadow of the great teams of yesteryear, the game that starts tomorrow offers a chance to see a few players who are less well known and who can use this tour as a springboard for something special.

It is now unusual for West Indian players to be signed as overseas professionals. The bigger names can earn so much as T20 'guns for hire' that they don't need the county grind. Most don't even play full T20 stints here, so the Caribbean players are less well-known than most. The rest simply don't get the opportunity to hone their techniques on different wickets and the search for the next Richards, Lara and Chanderpaul goes on.

So the next three days offers dual possibilities for Derbyshire. We might see one or two of a very young side make a statement, while there might be someone among the tourists who catches the eye as an option for another summer.

Academy seamer James Taylor makes his debut, while off spinner Matt Sonczak does the same, the youngest members of an inexperienced side, led by Tony Palladino. With Harvey Hosein behind the stumps, the side is:

Ben Slater
Charlie Macdonell
Tom Wood
Callum Brodrick
Harvey Hosein
Tom Milnes
Greg Cork
Tom Taylor
James Taylor
Matt Sonczak
Tony Palladino

It is a big game for several players whose contracts are either up this year or were for this summer only; an opportunity to earn a deal for others.

I look forward to following the game and seeing who impresses - and look forward to the comments of those who manage along for the game.

And the rest of you, of course.

Postscript - unaware of the impressive fist we would make of the T20 this summer, I booked a week away with Mrs P, our daughter and Wallace for next week, when we will once again enjoy the scenic splendours of Berwick-on-Tweed and the Northumberland coast.

I will be back home for the Friday evening game, which may well be crucial, but may or may not have time to blog on the two matches earlier in the week.

I'd love to hear from anyone who would like to do a preview, or a post-match analysis, which I would be happy to post.

More than happy to comment as I can, but this one is for my wife, for reasons that will be obvious to all regular readers.

See you tomorrow.

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire day 4

Derbyshire 220 and 227 (Godleman 47, Slater 44)

Nottinghamshire 508-9

Nottinghamshire win by an innings and 61 runs

A visit from my god friend and best man when Mrs P and I got married 31 years ago prevented any blogging last night. Iain now lives in New York and we see him twice a year on average, so a visit in our anniversary week was both timely and enjoyed.

It also gave me an evening to reflect on Derbyshire's performance, before putting my thoughts down.

Having done so, they can be encapsulated in one word.

Shocking.

I know Nottinghamshire are a good side, we ran into Alex Hales in prime form and they had Mark Footitt back, keen to make a point. I know we had a few players missing, ahead of the T20 finale next week. I know Wayne Madsen was poorly yesterday.

But that was dreadful. We batted badly, bowled without control and, from the messages that have come my way, showed a lack of commitment and willingness to battle that was hugely disappointing. With nine wickets and seventy-five overs to survive, granted on a wicket that had been under covers for over 24 hours, we lasted just 63.

Like most supporters of the club, I can take losing, as long as there is a fight - heaven knows we are used to it by now. But after the partnership between Ben Slater and Billy Godleman was broken, there was little evidence of this until Tom Taylor and Tony Palladino got together. When 'extras' is second top score, you have a major problem.

Good bowling? Yes, to a point, but you don't need to pull out all the stops when the opposition shows the resilience of a poppadom. Over the three days of cricket, we were so far second in this game that it would have been laughable, were it not deeply frustrating for those who care about the club.

Billy Godleman was right in his assertion that we have played better cricket this season, more so in saying that we did badly here. 

In a fixture where the bragging rights are important but too often go to Nottingham, we simply didn't turn up.