Glamorgan v Derbyshire day 2

Glamorgan 550-5

Derbyshire 140-5 (Dal 40*, Came 18*, Reece 58)

Derbyshire trail by 410 runs

After due consideration, over several hours of work in our daughters new house and a dog walk this evening, I feel I can say with a degree of confidence that this has been the two most disappointing days of the summer for me.

I will confess to seeing little of today's play, as domestic circumstances took precedence. But it seems to have followed a pattern all too familiar to Derbyshire supporters, one which we hoped had been consigned to the dump bin of history.

Yet how could it be? This is after all effectively the same personnel with which Dave Houghton struggled, although to Mickey Arthur's credit, he has managed to get more from them this summer than his predecessor ever did. Yet as we reach the fag end of the season the pressure on a small squad is clear.

We haven't bowled nor batted well here. The figures of Alex Thomson don't look particularly good and the Welsh side's counterparts seem far more effective. Then again they have been bowling at a batting lineup that always looked stronger when it was headed by our departed overseas player.

That six players have now gone past one thousand runs for the summer in all formats is laudable. Anuj Dal was the latest today, but the reality remains that our captain has had an awful summer. Too often for comfort. Brooke Guest has effectively been an opening batsman and we simply cannot carry a player at this level.

Dal and Harry Came restored a little pride later today, as it looked like we would be following on well before the close. Luis Reece resisted for a while, but we have been outclassed in this game. I get that to some extent against a team like Nottinghamshire, but there really shouldn't be the gulf between these two sides that we have seen here.

It emphasises that for all the good work he has done this season, the biggest task for Mickey Arthur lies ahead. I don't know if there is money for winter recruitment, but I remain convinced that a good overseas and another opening batsman are needed for 2023.

Disappointed? You bet.