Of course it will be a stiff test. The best eight sides in the country at 20-over cricket have reached this stage, so whoever we got was going to be a tough game. Derbyshire are one of that best eight. Reflect on that a while..
We can spend all week discussing Overton, Banton, Lammonby, Rossouw, Siddle and others. But rest assured they will be talking about how to stop Madsen, du Plooy, Cartwright, Kerr and the rest of a strong side.
We are here on merit and must play without fear, as we will.
Please comment below with your thoughts on the game and your likely lineup for our side.
I will preview the fixture later in the week and add my comments when time allows.
Thanks in advance!
As a Devonshire bod. I am happy with this as it means it's easy to get to the game! Already looking at tickets for finals day.... In Mickey we trust- Facet.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a good draw ….nothing to fear …will be interesting who leads the side
ReplyDeleteDu Plooy presumably, as vice captain. We have to keep them in range, as they bat long and powerfully.
DeleteBut so do we..
Happy to have avoided Essex at Chelmsford, but Somerset at Taunton on a Saturday evening will be no place for the faint hearted!
DeleteMickey will make sure we are well prepared, I hope we can do it and should have no fear, but my head says it might be a step too far. Great to see us scrapping with the 'big boys' though
Morning Peakfan
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic season we are having. I have waited until now to write to you in any detail.
As I have said previously, a club of our size needs to get almost everything right to succeed. Off the field, coaching, recruitment both international and domestic. I believe we are doing that. Starting at the top with our Chairman, Ian Morgan, CEO, Ray Duckett are doing a fantastic job. Our coach need I say more, what a brilliant appointment. The Brian Clough of cricket!! As for the players, terrific recruitment of our overseas players and I think we have another in Hilton Cartwright. Recruitment domestically has been good, Guest, Reece, Scrimshaw, Watt etc (and a thank you there to Dave H). We have developed some excellent players ourselves, onnors and Dal in particular.
As for Wayne Madsen, world class.
A word too about Billy Godleman. We were at Lords a few days ago, and I mentioned to one of the Stewards that I was a Derbyshire member, he replied that he thought Billy G was ‘the nicest chap in English cricket, a real Gent.’
It will be very difficult against Somerset but I think we will be there on Finals day.
All in all well done, congratulations and thank you to all involved in Derbyshire cricket.
Ps And Peakfan, thanks for a great blog, it keeps me updated as I’ve lived in London for the past 30 years.
Clay Cross Mark
I meant Ryan, not Ray Duckett! Clay Cross Mark
DeleteGuest, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Cartwright, Kerr, McKiernan, Hughes Thomson, Watt, Scrimshaw.
ReplyDeleteThree spinners, as it's Taunton, two quicks and medium from Yosser.
I've gone with Guest to open as I think he has the bestt balance of aggression/ stickability for that role. Batting long and attacking.
Dal for Thomson if thought too spin- heavy.
Agree with this Phil. Guest is more the 140 rate that Masood is and will benefit from not having to tee off straight away and be the anchor. Might be tempted to included Came over Hughes or Thompson depending on the wicket.
DeleteTickets available now for hospitality (various prices) on Somerset website if you don't want to wait.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we had any choice regarding which day the Somerset game is played. Logistically it is madness to finish one game around 10pm Saturday in the south west and get to the northernmost county to start a 4 day game on the Monday morning.
ReplyDeleteJust noticed Cricinfo have shown that the winner of our game will play either Birmingham or Hampshire in the semi-finals. Surrey or Yorkshire will play either Lancashire or Essex in the other semi-final.
ReplyDeleteYes, Guest to open. Reece has an opportunity to score big after some poor T20 scores recently. On his day, he can smash it. I also think MA has seen something in Cartwright, which is why he signed him as a replacement for Masood. MA knows what he's doing. So we might see some fireworks from Cartwright.
ReplyDelete