Derbyshire v India and QUALIFICATION!

Apologies for the late arrival of the blog, but on a day when we got back from our holidays, our son was going away on his and there were parental needs to attend to, the day ran away yesterday.

India beat Derbyshire, as you would have expected, but the big news was that regardless of the result against Durham on Sunday, Derbyshire has made the quarter finals of the Vitality Blast for the third time in five years

There we will play either Surrey, Somerset, Essex or Hampshire. All good teams and the final game becomes one of ensuring a home quarter final, but this side should be afraid of no one. We have beaten good teams already, home and away and the magnitude of this achievement should not be underestimated.

In his first season, the one where I had effectively given us a 'free hit', Mickey Arthur has made us harder to beat in four day cricket, a good side in the short form. The bowling isn't quite there as a unit, but the batting is long and has proved capable of setting and chasing big totals. Like the best Derbyshire sides of the past, regardless of shortcomings that some are quicker to point out than others, we have found a way to win, regularly.

Having beaten Lancashire, Yorkshire and Birmingham, there isnt a team in the other group to fear. Of course, they have good players, which is why they qualified, but we won't come up against our dear neighbours because well, they didn't. We did it the hard way too, only once each playing the two weakest sides in the group, Worcestershire and Durham. 

The team will be prepared well and I hope that we win on Sunday to end the group in style.

There was a bumper crowd last night which will swell the coffers quite nicely, but I had no expectations of a win against strong opponents. We didn't post a score to challenge, despite a pleasing debut from Hilton Cartwright and battling knocks from Madsen, Guest and Hughes. It was great to see Ben Aitchison back, albeit looking a little ring rusty and we acquitted ourselves well.

There were some lovely players in the visiting ranks and it is such a shame that the IPL 'exclusivity' doesn't allow them to play here more often. The players would benefit, their competition would get publicity and the Indian national side would become stronger still. With good pace bowlers, quality spinners and attractive batsmen on show, it was an evening for the connoisseur, in many ways a throwback to when games against touring sides were your only chance to see big international names.

Anyway. I have a garden to attend to and a Durham preview to write later, so I will catch you then. 

Well done, Derbyshire! You are doing us proud.