Derbyshire v Northamptonshire T20

I didn't see any of today's game as I am at my Mum's doing stuff for her, but it didn't seem like one in which we were at any point in control.

The total that we posted never looked likely to be enough and the result is another disappointment in a season that is having too many.

I'm happy to leave it there on this occasion and hope that you will post your comments and observations below.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire preview T20

Apologies for the late arrival of this blog, but it is been one of those days. 

There is one change to the Derbyshire squad for tomorrow's game at the Incora County Ground against Northamptonshire Steelbacks, with wicketkeeper Brooke Guest returning after a groin strain. Nye Donald has returned to Hampshire.

I am pleased to see the effervescent Guest back in the squad, as he has become a big player for Derbyshire. I would expect Tom Wood to come into the side, either as opener or at number five. With Peter Moores having highlighted Derbyshire's limitations of hitting, outside the top four, it is an area where Wood can help. As I wrote the other day, I would open with him and have Ali at five against an older ball.

Our visitors have endured a difficult start and big hitting Australian, Chris Lynne has yet to fire for them. Both sides will be anxious for a win to kickstart their campaigns in this competition.

I'm going for Derbyshire to come out on the right side of this one, this being my side:

Wood, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Ali, Guest, McKiernan, Chappell, Watt, Scrimshaw, Khan

The visitors squad:

Willey, Cobb, Zaib, Lynn, Heldreich, Gay, Keogh, McManus, Russell, Sanderson, Sales, Tye, Taylor, Vasconcelos

What do you think?

Final thoughts on last night

There have been many comments today regarding last night's defeat. To be honest, we should be used to this after over a decade of defeats in this format at Trent Bridge. Even when Reece and Madsen what going well last night and we were scoring in excess of ten an over, I was waiting for the implosion, which duly came. 

I am not a fatalist, more a realist. I disagree with some comments that certain named players are not good enough. I think we have a core of around it dozen players who can compete at this level, but all of them will have days when they succeed, others when they flop. It is the way of professional sport, no one succeeds all the time.

Mark Watt got hammered last night, much as Mattie McKiernan did at Taunton last year. Yet I have seen that happen to better bowlers than both of them. One night doesn't make them bad. bowlers, any more than a five wicket haul would make them world beaters. For that kind of status, sustained performance is essential.

I think we are light in batting with the eleven that has taken the field, but also, as I have written before and said on radio, need to factor in that we have played the two best teams in the group in our opening fixtures.

For what it is worth, I would like to see an extra batter accommodated, when we have bowling options elsewhere in the eleven that are not being utilised. I don't think Haider Ali is an opening bat and would prefer to see him come in down the order, where his ability to clear the boundary would be an asset.

Likewise, I disagree that George Scrimshaw has become a bad bowler. At his pace, any variant on line and length will be punished, while even good balls that take the edge are likely to go for four. You don't get selection for England Lions without talent, but last night was the antithesis of his performance at Taunton, a small ground where he got it right.

For what it is worth, I would be inclined to go with this side in the next game:

Wood/Came

Reece

Madsen

du Plooy

Ali

Donald

Dal (if fit to bowl)

Chappell

Watt

Scrimshaw

Khan

If Dal is fit to bowl, he could share the fifth bowler duties with Reece and Madsen. If he isn't, then McKiernan should play. But for me that is the strongest side for this format that we have at the moment.

Ali and Donald are powerful players who can clear the boundaries and have proven track records to show this. Logically, you would want them coming in when the fielders are out. When the field is in, during the opening overs, both Wood and Came can fulfil requirements.

But outside of this group there aren't many options. You could leave out Ali and play Lakmal, but that lengthens a tail that is already too long and also leaves the field less athletic.

There is no need to panic. I would agree with the comment that outside of the two teams we have played so far, Durham and Birmingham look the strongest in the group. Our games against them, besides the necessity of winning against perceived weaker sides, will determine whether we progress from the group stage.

For me, this is still a squad in transition. I suspect we will see a number of departures at the end of the season, because after the euphoria of last year and the impact of his personality and coaching nous on a new staff, Mickey Arthur will now see that several players have reached the ceiling of their ability.

For all of them, the rest of the competition - indeed the rest of the season - is an opportunity to show that they can go further.

Otherwise, the close season will see considerable change and 2024 will be when supporters can give the Roman-style thumbs up or thumbs down to progress.

Nottinghamshire v. Derbyshire Vitality Blast

In scoring only 60 runs from the 9 overs remaining when Wayne Madsen was dismissed, Derbyshire effectively condemned themselves to a second defeat in the Vitality Blast at Nottingham tonight.

Madsen and Luis Reece both batted very well, but one of them needed to continue on and bat through most of the innings. When they were dismissed in quick succession, quickly followed by Leus du Plooy and Anuj Dal, it left Nye Donald to bat with the tail, which simply couldn't score quick enough.

It was a poor effort after a scintillating stand between Reece and Madsen, which gave genuine hopes of a score north of 200. 118-1 in eleven overs became 131-4 in 14, impetus lost and never recovered.  As I wrote last night, 180 is only par these days and not good enough against a team with such depth in batting.

Good bowling was essential, but Scrimshaw and Watt bowled six overs between them for 92 runs. There is no way back from such figures, though I was surprised that Luis Reece wasn't asked to bowl in the circumstances. Clarke took Derbyshire apart and batted beautifully, as later did Montgomery. 

It isn't helping that Haider Ali is batting in binary at present. It is all very well being aggressive, but  there is a fine line between that and reckless. Tonight's shot to get out was careless and unnecessary. Overseas player or not, supporters will rightly ask whether the needs of the team might be better served with either Harry Came or Tom Wood at the top of the innings. They cannot do worse.

Ali, Chappell and McKiernan bowled steadily, but there were simply not enough runs to play with, the others having haemorrhaged runs.

I wrote last week that we could easily play well in our first two games and lose them both. We didn't play badly against Lancashire, but tonight too many players froze on the big occasion.

Maybe some of them are simply not good enough to go to the level of our expectations.

The next few matches will shed more light on that.

Nottinghamshire v. Derbyshire preview

Mickey Arthur has announced a squad of 14 for tomorrow's Vitality Blast game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

For me, it looks like the final place will be between Tom Wood and Mattie McKiernan, with Ben Aitchison and Alex Thomson missing out.

It would leave the following side:

Ali, Reece, Madsen, du Plooy, Dal, Donald, Wood/McKiernan, Chappell, Watt, Scrimshaw, Khan

There are least seven bowlers in that side, which should cover most eventualities. The wicket will as always determine the final selection.

I saw someone on social media earlier suggesting that McKiernan should bat at three as a pinch hitter. I have to say that baffled me, as I cannot think he will score faster than Madsen or du Plooy, nor Tom Wood for that matter. I am a strong subscriber to the view that you need your best bats at the crease for as long as possible in T20, so the order above makes the most sense to me.

I am not unduly worried about the loss in the first game. Had it not been for Luke Wells, the result could have been different and Derbyshire clawed the game back pretty well. Having watched the red rose county thrash Leicestershire today, it was easier to see how well we did in that game. 

I cannot see past Lancashire for this year's competition, so it was a good benchmark. I also watched Worcestershire beat Northamptonshire last night and wasn't over impressed by either side. The game effectively turned on the former's new Pakistan spinner, Usama Mir, who was made to look like Abdul Qadir by the opposition, who looked to be baffled by him, despite a relatively modest first class record.

Nottinghamshire have yet to announce their squad for tomorrow, but will welcome new overseas recruits Colin Munro and Shaheen Afridi to their ranks. They have also signed on short-term loans Conor McKerr from Surrey and Jack Brooks from Somerset, so I am not sure how much of a local derby this will actually be. I accept that they have a few injuries, but their social media channels are forever crowing about highly talented young seam bowlers like Pettman, Hayes and Loten. When do they get an opportunity?

It should make for good watching. Removing Duckett and Hales early will be a key to success, but with Slater, Clarke and Munro to follow, our bowlers will need to be disciplined, or we could be chasing well over 200.

If they can do that, there is enough firepower in the Derbyshire side to win this one, something we haven't done often enough on this ground.

Maybe tomorrow...

Postcript: The Nottinghamshire squad is:

Afridi, Brooks, Carter, Clarke, Hales, Hameed, Harrison, James, McKerr, Montgomery, Moores, Mullaney, Munro, Patel

Seconds win again

There was another good win for the second team yesterday, again beating Leicestershire, this time by 8 runs.

To be honest, it didn't look likely when the visitors needed only 19 from the last two overs. First team skipper Lewis Hill was batting beautifully and they had seven wickets in hand, at 161-3. 

But a direct hit from Harry Came ran him out and Pakistan quick bowler Zaman Khan conceded only five runs from the penultimate over. He bowled beautifully, not fully reflected in his four overs, taking two wickets for twenty runs.

That over left George Scrimshaw 14 to play with in the last, but when he bowled Scott Steel with his first ball, the game was pretty much up. He conceded only three from the bat in that last over and the two quicks bowled well in unison.

Earlier, Harry Came and Tom Wood made up the bulk of Derbyshire's 179-8, the former making 70 and the latter an unbeaten 66.

Yet the start was too slow, only thirty runs from the first five overs. Came only made three from his first dozen deliveries and while he accelerated well later, a failure to do so loses a match. At senior level that would be punished.

Likewise, the end of the innings was poor, with only 22 runs scored in the final three overs for the loss of five wickets. Common sense dictated each new batter got off strike and gave it to Wood, who was largely left helpless at the other end.

Little things, but in the context of winning matches at the next level, they mean a lot.

Who'd be a bowler?

The words above flitted across my mind as I watched yesterday's second team game between Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

They are equally pertinent to any twenty over game, because rather like the policeman in Pirates of Penzance, a bowler's lot is not a happy one.

Back in the day when I started watching limited over cricket, which was 1969 and the start of the John Player League, bowlers could easily, by maintaining good line and length, get through their allocation with little more damage to their figures than if it was a three-day game. I clearly recall when Brian Langford of Somerset managed to bowl his eight overs without conceding a run.

Today it is crazy. Batters can score runs through 360°, off the middle or off the edge. Or as one former professional of my acquaintance called them, sides, as bats are so much thicker these days. A bowler can put down a perfectly respectable delivery and see it disappear into the middle distance for six.

So it was yesterday, as Leicestershire hosted Derbyshire in the first of two nominally second team fixtures this week (the other at the Incora County Ground tomorrow). Both sides were fairly close to first choice selections and it was magnificent entertainment, as long as you weren't one of the bowlers.

For Derbyshire, Haider Ali went off like a train and hit Wiaan Mulder, a fellow international, for three successive sixes before playing on from an attempted cover drive, to his obvious annoyance.

Yet the obvious relief of the home side quickly dissipated as Wayne Madsen and Leus du Plooy, both in imperious form, took them apart. They added 105 runs in nine overs of mayhem before the latter was dismissed, before Anuj Dal helped Madsen add 52 in just over four overs. 

There were thirteen sixes in the Derbyshire innings (note I didn't say the 'm' word...) which is a feature of the season so far. Wayne Madsen, a wonderful player but not, historically, a big hitter of sixes, has four in each of his last two innings, while du Plooy looks imperious. Even Anuj Dal, a player with many assets but not regarded as a pepperer of crowds, has been doing so this year and yesterday got off the mark with an exquisite cover driven six.

And yet, having scored 231-6 in their twenty overs, Derbyshire came close to losing, with Colin Ackerman scoring a century from just 49 balls. When he was dismissed, from the final ball of the 17th over, the home side 'only' needed 38 from the last three overs. Again, there was a time when such a target would have been written off, but today, as long as you have batters who are set, it is eminently doable. By dint of canny death bowling from Ben Aitchison and George Scrimshaw, it was too much for the home side.

Which is why Mickey Arthur signed Zaman Khan, of course. He was over-excited in his first spell against Lancashire, but came back very well in his second. It was clear that despite his youth and relative inexperience, he is very skilled in the crucial bookend periods of an innings. Fast balls, slow balls, ones that threaten the nose and toes alike, the off cutter for good measure and an action that could be hard to pick up for lesser mortals.

Watching Derbyshire in this format is fun. We might not always win and supporters need to realise that on a given day someone on the opposition may just be too good, as Wells was on Saturday and Ackermann nearly was yesterday.

On Friday night we will likely have to contend with Alex Hales when Nottinghamshire bat and Shaheen Afridi when they bowl. It won't be easy.

But for entertainment, it should take some beating.

Derbyshire v. Lancashire T20

It was a tale of two power plays at Edgbaston today. Lancashire managed 30 more in theirs than we did and in doing so, pretty much sealed the victory in six powerful overs of batting.

Derbyshire batted ok, Ali very unlucky to be given out leg before to what looked a poor decision, but the Lancashire bowlers varied their pace and we never really looked like setting a target that would challenge a strong batting lineup.

Madsen was again the pick of the batters, although du Plooy gave good support, as did Dal and Donald. 179 was above par for the ground, but I never really felt comfortable.

Wells led off in fine style and took the attack apart. The disappointment was that we didn't appear to have learnt anything from when Lancashire bowled. There was little attempt to mix it up and the game was pretty much over as a contest before the halfway stage.

We pulled it back well, once Wells was dismissed. The three seam bowlers came back for better second spells and there was a greater versatility in the type of ball being bowled. Khan looked much better after perhaps being over excited in his first spell, but the win was more convincing than the school book shows.

You cannot legislate for someone playing well on the other side and Wells was the difference between the two sides on this occasion.

But there are plenty of reasons for encouragement. We go again next week and will hopefully focus on the things that we can do better in between times.

And in the words of the old song, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Derbyshire v Lancashire Lightning preview

Derbyshire won a record nine matches in last season's Vitality Blast, but it was obvious where the issues were.

We hadn't got a hitter who could put us on the right road in the powerplay, turning a par score of fifty into a seventy that lays the foundations for something special. Nor did we have a bowler for the powerplay and death overs, a Langeveldt or Rampaul if you will, who could bowl tight and keep taking important wickets to slow the score.

To be fair to Mickey Arthur, he has addressed both of those issues, at least potentially, in the signing of two of Pakistan's brightest young talents. Haider Ali, if he strikes his best form, is capable of brilliance with the bat, while Zaman Khan will threaten toes and nose with the ball.

Zak Chappell adds additional quality with the ball and the side appears, on paper, to be stronger than last year. Always assuming, of course, that everyone finds their form quickly.

With our first two games against Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, it is possible we could still do that and lose. But it is about maintaining form against everyone, not just raising the game against perceived stronger sides, that will determine Derbyshire's fortunes.

You could stand Reece, Ali, Madsen and du Plooy up against most top fours and lose little. Perhaps the key will be in those middle overs, maintaining an early impetus and pushing totals north of the psychologically damaging 200 mark. Then it is down to the bowlers, setting the right fields and bowling to them. If we do all of that, progression from an admittedly strong group is possible once more.

Zaman Khan has arrived and will come straight into the side tomorrow for the first Blast Off game. Fourteen are in the squad but I would expect Thomson and Aitchison to miss out and leave this side:

Ali

Reece

Madsen

du Plooy

Donald

Wood/Dal

McKiernan

Chappell

Watt

Scrimshaw

Khan

There are eight genuine bowling options, nine including the captain. It should be a good fielding unit and they have the potential to do well.

There is no Buttler, Salt and Livingstone for our opponents, nor Jennings and Gleeson, but still a very strong fourteen, including Kiwis Daryn Mitchell and Colin de Grandhomme:

Vilas, Wells, Bohannon, Mitchell, de Grandhomme, Croft, Bell, Bailey, Jones, Lamb, Mahmood, Parkinson, Wood, Hartley.

It promises to be a good game and I hope that Derbyshire give a large crowd and television audience a better show than they managed at Taunton last year. It was awful and we froze that night, individually and collectively.

Yet they have proven in the past that the talent to win these matches is there. If the game play is right, the skipper handles the match ups well and the players keep cooler heads than their opponents, they can win this.

What do you think?

Dad

'We needed eight off the last ball and I were battin' wi' skipper.

He looked at me and said  'Looks like we've had it now, Levi'. I just winked and told him to leave it with me.

Bowler ran in and I hit it miles in the air. Six we ran, and as it came down, the fielder broke 2 fingers trying to catch it. We ran two while they were tending to him, game won, easy as that'. 

Forgive the apocryphal nature of the tale, but this was one I grew up with, told on a regular basis by my Dad, Levi. 

He passed away yesterday aged 95. Old age wasn't kind to him, he saw off several bouts of pneumonia, handled increasing deafness badly and departed eyesight even worse, before cancer finally proved too hard a battle, even for one as tough as him. He was the last of a large and well-known Church Gresley family.

But the brain was active to the end, a political animal par excellence, an intelligent, feisty battler who suffered fools unwillingly but loved his family more than life itself. Especially Mum. The woman he took to watch Gresley Rovers for twelve months when they started dating, until she told him she didn't really like football. It grew on her though and later they would watch it together, especially if it was Derby or England playing.

He was a collier for most of his working life, often taking the worst, most dangerous work, which paid more. His lungs in later life testified to that and he often came home with skin torn and body battered. A bad day for him was carrying a mate out badly injured, or dead. It gave me a sense of perspective when I began working, as my bad days simply bore no comparison. 

He loved big bands and dancing, he and Mum regulars at the local dance halls until the last twenty years. They were good dancers too, admired as such by their friends, loving the music and everything about the recreation that they gave up while my late sister and I were growing up. Holidays in Blackpool saw evenings in the Tower Ballroom and I can still close my eyes and see them gliding in their finery across the sprung floor.

He was always awful with names. 'I saw your friend on telly last night' he would say. I would rhyme off twenty likely names before he would offer any help. Usually something cryptic like 'he was in that film with her that had the funny nose and that bloke with the wonky eye..' No friend of mine, of course, merely someone I had once mentioned to him. It was often so, it was part of who he was, is, always will be.

From Mum, thankfully still with us, I learned tolerance, patience and the merits of good manners. From Dad, a dislike of unfairness, an intolerance of idiots and a love of music, politics and sport. Most types of music, all kinds of sport 'but never bettin', lad. Mugs game', he told me often.

He took me to see Derby County for the first time in September 1966, after the World Cup win of that year. I chose playing Batman over seeing the trophy presentation, but it mattered not. For years we went to the Baseball Ground, saw the glory days, then stopped, when I went away to university then moved up to Scotland. I would later take him to the odd game, but the 'enjoyment' of cold stands and the climb into them had gone, for him at least. 

But every Saturday evening, the end of the game prompted the phone ringing and a dissection of it, as heard on BBC Radio Derby. Sometimes, it seemed, he enjoyed it even more when he could moan about them losing, and many managers were deemed 'soft as greasepot', his favoured term. But he loved a good win and would have enjoyed seeing how Derby fare under Paul Warne, of who he was a big fan.

He started me playing cricket in the back garden, which became the beach, or a field. He would lob me a few to hit, then try to get me out. He usually did. Then, in true competitive Dad style, he would encourage me to bowl different styles to get him out. I became the backyard Sobers, getting the ball to lift spitefully off the raised corner of a flagstone, even if I never did get him lbw... 

He was a good cricketer, a lively right arm bowler and big hitting left-hand bat. For a few years he starred in the inter-face colliery matches, where you retired at 25 runs and bowled two overs each. It was rare that he didn't walk back with his 25 inside a couple of overs, or that he didn't take two or three wickets. He stopped playing club cricket because he loved his family too much and turned down promotions at work that would have necessitated travel and time away from us kids and my Mum. Seventy years they were married, in any context impressive. To the end they were soul mates and doubtless will be again. 

He took great pride in my achievements and latterly introduced me to people as 'my lad, he's written books you know. Have you heard of blogging? He does one...' I still don't think some ever got my name. He wore a baseball cap everywhere that our children got for him, on holiday in Spain. It said 'Peakfan's Dad'.

He was equally proud of my time working at the Scottish Parliament, remaining impartial, no trace of my mining town background showing. But so too of his grandchildren, upon who he doted and of my wife. 'You married a damn good 'un' he told me often. Always a good judge, he was.

When I played cricket he expected a call to recount the game, revelled in the good ones, merely asked after defeats 'but did you enjoy it, lad?' He retained his sight just long enough to read my two books with magnifying sheets and always wanted me to read him blog posts. 'Bloody grand, son' was his regular response.  He also loved listening to my radio interviews and recorded a few of them on his trusty radio cassette player.

He knew what he liked and liked what he knew.  Traditional English food, nothing too fancy, though five years ago he called me to say he had tried 'one of them new-fangled things and it were lovely'. It was pizza. Later he ventured into lasagne territory and proclaimed it 'all right', no faint praise for a man who would see adverts on TV and claim 'I wouldn't give that belly room'.

We went to so many cricket matches together, many of them in his first car, a trusty Ford Anglia, but he didn't enjoy T20. We only went to one, and he wanted to leave before the end of the first innings. 'If they have to play music, why not Glenn Miller?' said the man who maintained music died in the late 1950s. Even though he later admitted he would have walked out to bat to Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum, a hit from 1967.

Now he has gone, and a light has gone from all of our lives. But not from our hearts, nor our minds. As a family we have so many memories of a man who would never back down and commanded respect in so many ways. 

I still recall arriving at a colliery match one evening with him. The first thing he said to the gathered players was 'Gentlemen, I've got my lad with me tonight. I want no swearing'. There wasn't, as they risked 'the look' had they done otherwise. 

Then there was the time when my wife partnered him at Pictionary against my Mum and I. Drawing 'Bognor Regis' was a challenge too far for my wife, much to Dad's indignance. 

Ignoring her assertions that she had no idea who he was, he suggested she 'could have drawn a toilet, then crossed it out and then a drawing of the West Bromwich Albion footballer Cyrille Regis, then a football'. All in sixty seconds..

We laughed last night about the Lonnie Donegan story. Dad ignoring our protestations that he was called 'The King of Skiffle' and insisting 'he were a rock 'n' roller'. It went on for some time, before he told us he would settle it, as he had a book with a chapter on him. After ten minutes of hunting he found it and turned to the relevant chapter.

A chapter headed, to our great mirth, 'Lonnie Donegan - King of Skiffle'

I only saw him tongue-tied once, when he and I met Les Jackson at Derby. He was Dad's hero and he just stood grinning before accepting the proffered hand and saying 'Les Jackson', in the style of Family Guy's Peter Griffin. For twenty minutes he was in his element, as two old miners swapped tales of cricket, collieries and mutual friends. 

No doubt he and his family, six brothers and two sisters who passed before him, will be catching up right now. 

But knowing Dad, it won't be long before he is asking Cliff Gladwin and Les Jackson why they dispensed with third slip so early at Chesterfield in 1956. And telling them that they were wrong.

Rest in Peace, Dad. By crikey, you were loved. You were always there for us, always a sage sounding board, a willing pair of hands, our most staunch defender when it was needed. And great fun too.

You gave it all back, and then some. We had 64 years together and I will always be grateful for that.

Thank you for everything. From me and from all of us.

** Please excuse the self indulgence of this piece. But writing it has been cathartic, and I wanted my thoughts on this remarkable man and wonderful Dad out there.

Thoughts on the Old Trafford double header for the twos..

Won one and lost one for Derbyshire at Old Trafford today, as both sides tinkered with the squads ahead of the Vitality Blast opener on Saturday at Edgbaston.

There were good runs for fringe players. Tom Wood was the standout in the first game and may now be under consideration for the weekend. His 66 from 41 deliveries gave great initial impetus and with Madsen and du Plooy making brisk 30s, it was left to Anuj Dal to play a sparkling unbeaten 45 from just 22 deliveries to take Derbyshire past 200.

Lancashire didn't really get close, the best bowler being Ben Aitchison, with 3-34. Chappell, Thomson and McKiernan all bowled economically, but worryingly Suranga Lakmal's four overs went for 54.

In the second game, Luke Wells' 120 took the home side to 227-4, with Nick Potts the best bowler, taking 3-29. Both Mark Watt and George Scrimshaw went around the park, though neither were perhaps, like the Lancashire counterparts, putting everything into it.

Our reply was solid, posting a. Respectable 204-6. Again it was fringe players, Came and McKiernan, who top scored, though Reece and Ali again led off well.

Which leaves me somewhat unsure of the best side on Saturday. Wood may come in for Lamb, especially if the latter's back is still a concern. Then again, Came could do so. 

In the bowling, I would be reluctant to omit Chappell and a brave call would be the exclusion of Lakmal, who looked far from impressive today. I suspect that will not happen, but the side for Saturday will make for intriguing reading.

My best guess would be:

Ali

Reece

Madsen

du Plooy

Donald

Wood/Came/Lamb

McKiernan

Chappell

Watt

Scrimshaw

Lakmal/Aitchison

As always, I am more than happy to see your thoughts. The batting appears to be pretty much on point, but the bowling has got to keep our opposition within range. 

The arrival of Zaman Khan cannot come soon enough.

Aneurin Donald signs on short term loan

Even for someone as fit as he is, there was a certain inevitability that at some point Brooke Guest would sustain an injury. The thinking money was perhaps on a finger injury, but a groin strain now rules him out for an as yet unspecified period of time.

But as I said pre season, there are plenty of good wicket keepers around the county circuit, not able to force their way into their county's first eleven.

So it is that Mickey Arthur has moved quickly and been able to acquire the services of Hampshire wicketkeeper bat Aneurin Donald.

I saw him a few years back playing for Glamorgan second eleven against Derbyshire at Belper and he looked a player of Incredible talent. He scored a century that day and the ball disappeared to all parts. It was the equal best century I have seen in a county second team game, matched only by one scored by Ian Blackwell against Yorkshire at Chesterfield, going back way too many years to count!

He has produced some powerful hitting over the years. People always reference the double century he made against us in 2016, but there have been others of equal power. 173 from 144 balls for Hampshire in the Royal London Cup of 2019 was special, so too 76 from just 36 balls against Yorkshire the same year.

He then missed two years of cricket after a freak accident and surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament. At 26, this move works well for player and clubs. He has a year remaining on his Hampshire contract and an opportunity to show what he can do, with or without the gloves, is not one to turn down.

In the short term, he offers Derbyshire additional power in the middle order and he looks likely to play in the second team double header against Lancashire today, before doing so against the same opposition on Saturday.

Like everyone else, I look forward to seeing what he brings to Derbyshire and thank him for coming to God's own county for a little while.

Here he is in action last season

https://youtu.be/naAdSBlPkJw

Thoughts on the second team games

I thought that the Derbyshire batting lineup looked good in the first of today's second team double header against Nottinghamshire at the Incora County Ground.

Ali, Reece and du Plooy all recorded sparkling half centuries, while both Madsen and Guest played lively cameos. Teams don't tend to lose too many matches when they post 200 and Derbyshire won in a canter. The Nottinghamshire side wasn't as strong, but Patel and Carter are T20 regulars for them, Harrison flitting around the side and Pettman is a good bowler. So the performance was good and the innings by Ali, in particular, showed how destructive he can be. If he can lead off in that style when the serious stuff starts, our chances of success are considerably heightened. Seventy off the Powerplay is a terrific base to work from and he and Reece looked a good pairing today.

The bowling? Aitchison was steady, Chappell very good and Watt his usual tricky self, from 22 yards or 24. Scrimshaw looked very quick and he and Zaman Khan should be a potent combo on the right wickets.

The second game, with a more conventional second eleven, showed limitations. Lakmal bowled well and will logically take the place of Aitchison on Saturday, but the latter bowled better today than Conners, whose tendency to under or over pitch a couple of times an over is costly in this format.

Dal played a nice innings, but Wood failed twice, Thomson and McKiernan once and the batting was a mess. Even Matt Lamb gave it away early. When you don't use 25% of your allotted overs you will always struggle. McKiernan may get the nod this weekend if we go with two spinners, but has bowled better than here.

I thought reserve wicket- keeper Vikai Kelly did well and dual passport Aussie Callum Stow, a left arm Chinaman bowler who is playing with Alvaston and Boulton this summer, was tidy enough.

But batters are in form and the bowlers earlier did a good, professional job. Confidence will be high ahead of the Lancashire game on Saturday, but the standard of opposition will be cranked up a notch for that one. 

Hopefully our performance does the same.

So is this the first choice side?

While it looks unlikely that he will arrive in time for the tournament opener on Saturday, the signing of Zaman Khan is very much a 'horses for courses' one. Young, but already with a reputation, yet with one to build.

So does this now look to be our first choice side?

Haider Ali

Luis Reece

Wayne Madsen

Leus du Plooy

Matt Lamb

Brooke Guest

Mattie McKiernan

Zak Chappell

Mark Watt

Zaman Khan

George Scrimshaw

You could lengthen the batting by including Came or Wood, but if that top six doesn't score the required runs we are in big trouble.

Anuj Dal would be another option, but he didn't play last season in the competition so is unlikely, with his current injury concerns, to be an automatic pick this time.

As always, happy to hear your thoughts!

Zaman Khan signs for Derbyshire

While the signing, announced today, of Zaman Khan isn't the all rounder I suggested we needed, it should certainly serve the purpose of putting the proverbial 'bums on seats' at the Incora County Ground.

If you haven't watched any of the Pakistan Super League you might not know too much about this lad. It is my preferred overseas tournament, to be honest, so I've watched him a few times and liked what I have seen.

At 21 he is far from the finished article, but he is also a prodigious talent, the latest on a lengthy production line of fast bowlers in a country that has produced more than its share over the years.

He is quick, whippy and slingy. It isn't a classical high action, more a semi round fast arm like Lasith Malinga, or 'Slinger Malinga' as he was known. The type where you are never quite sure where the point of delivery is, before it spears into your toes or at your chest. It is always nice to have a 'mystery' bowler and relatively few on the county circuit will have faced his mixture of quicker and slower deliveries. 

He has played a major part in his side's success in recent years, when Lahore Qalanders have won the PSL in 2022 and 2023. He was also a winner of silverware in the Sri Lankan T20, while he has made the introduction to international cricket with success.

He will arrive before the end of the month and will be a great asset to the squad. While logically he will take the place of Suranga Lakmal, Mickey Arthur can choose any two from his three overseas players. You could thus see the two of them in the same attack, alongside George Scrimshaw, which might be one of the more lively on the circuit..

Yes, I am pleased with this. It is a good indicator of the draw of having the Pakistan Head of Cricket in a dual role.

From the footage that can be seen online, there might be a few batters googling 'cricket shoes with reinforced toecaps' sometime today...

Welcome to Derbyshire, Zaman.

Hopefully we keep up your successful collection of silverware.

Here he is in action

https://youtu.be/Zn3bwG8-GTU

And defending thirteen in the final over of this year's competition

https://youtu.be/Xd2iyNBs-iI

The reasons why?

It is fair to say that there has been considerable disappointment among the Derbyshire faithful, with regard to the start made to this season.

Last year was largely sunshine and light. Mickey Arthur came in and almost immediately galvanised a squad that had previously flattered to deceive. There was improvement in both 4-day and T20 cricket, with only performances in the Royal London Cup being a disappointment.

This season, it is fair to say that performances have not met with expectation.

So why is that?

My own thoughts are clear, but it is not down to just one thing.

Firstly, we need to understand that the Derbyshire squad is one of relative inexperience. There are plenty of players within it who have played far less than a season of first-class cricket in the days when it was plentiful. Even our winter recruits, Zak Chappell and Matt Lamb, two of the more shining lights this summer, have only 30 or 40 first class games under their belt, rarely as regulars in a side.

In the grand scheme of things, Ben Aitchison and Sam Conners are relative novices at this game. It is perhaps unfair to expect them to maintain a sustained level of high performance with only 25 and 36 first class games behind them, respectively. 

Last year, Ben missed half of the season through serious injury, while Sam was thrown in at the deep end in T20, having never played the format at the club. With Nick Potts even more inexperienced, the onus lay on our overseas quick bowler, Suranga Lakmal, to lead by example and impart knowledge to these youngsters. Sadly, his body has failed to handle the demands of first class cricket in England and he has rarely been on the pitch with them. This has left them exposed.

Luis Reece has tried to fill the gap and is now returning to his best bowling form, but he only returned from surgery to his knee and shoulder after a lengthy layoff last year. Anuj Dal has a side strain, which can take some time to repair, so the side hasn't had any senior input, certainly has lacked the senior professional on whom the captain can depend.

Compare that with Glamorgan and Durham. Two sides doing very well, the former with Van Der Gugten, Neser and Harris in their attack, the latter with Carse, Raine and Potts. Sussex are doing well too, their attack led by England's Ollie Robinson and Aussie Nathan McAndrew, with good support from Derbyshire alumni Fynn Hudson-Prentice. There is no comparison in the respective bowling strengths and what Mickey Arthur will need to address in the winter is finding a bowler or bowlers who can take off some of the pressure from the younger players.

The other issue, for me, is that our Head of Cricket overestimated the development potential in some of the players on the staff. Perhaps he too was swept away in the euphoria of 2022, but the reality is that some players have reached the plateau of their talent.

Of course they are good players. As I have said before, to play at first class level you have to be in the top 0.1% of cricketers in the country. But all of us, most considerably lower in talent, reach a peak past which we cannot go. I think we have too many of those on the staff and again, this needs to be addressed in the winter. They are good enough to have their occasional day in the sun, but to do it on a regular basis is the challenge. It happens in any walk of life and I have worked with plenty of people over the years who were promoted above their comfort zone and above their ability.

I would like to see the club back Mickey Arthur this winter, which I think they will. We are on a sound financial footing and with a number of players coming to the end of their current deals, there is an opportunity to overhaul the staff.

For example, this season offers an opportunity for Thomson, McKiernan or Watt to become our number one spinner, preferably in all formats. If they don't, for whatever reason, a move for Callum Parkinson of Leicestershire would make a lot of sense. He is a very good player and would be a major improvement in my book, one for all formats.

The other issue is the overseas recruits. Haider Ali averages under 20 with the bat, Suranga Lakmal 46 with the ball at this stage. While acknowledging that both can turn it around, the expectation is for a reversal of those figures for an overseas player.

It is not an easy gig, at club or first-class level and the weight of expectation is not for the faint hearted. It is one thing contributing to a side's success, something entirely different in being expected to do so on a regular basis.

A major benefit of the dual role Mickey Arthur has with the Pakistan national side should be that we can attract two excellent overseas players. He is in a situation where he can tell them 'come to England, show me what you can do, force me to pick you for the national side'. 

Ali had played only eleven first-class games in Pakistan before coming to Derbyshire, all of them on very different wickets. Conversely, perhaps Lakmal was too old, but likewise probably had never been expected to play so much cricket in such a short period of time.

It is not too late for either player to turn around the current impression of supporters. Ali could have a stellar Vitality Blast and see us shouting his name from the rooftops. Lakmal might do what Ravi Rampaul and Charl Langeveldt did in their time, offering four tight overs and putting pressure on batters to score elsewhere.

The onus is on them to do so.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 4

Derbyshire 251-9d and 166-5 (du Plooy 61*)

Gloucestershire 383 (Reece 3-47, Lakmal 3-77)

Match drawn

After the loss of the first days play, this game ended in the predictable draw today, although not before Derbyshire did their best to play themselves into a losing position.

There were no demons in the wicket when the visitors continued their innings today, and only undue aggression got them into trouble. Lakmal bowled his best spell of the summer, but the bowling was largely disappointing.

Gloucestershire had a lead of 132 and it should have been a formality for Derbyshire to simply bat out time. Yet three good wickets were gone in the blink of an eye and it needed a partnership between du Plooy and Guest to get us through to tea without further mishap.

Guest gave his wicket away pulling soon afterwards, but Wagstaff stuck in, although not without alarms. At 19, he appeared a little overawed by things in this game, twice surviving big appeals by the visitors. Bracey, the Gloucestershire wicket keeper, will be very lucky to avoid being mentioned in despatches for dissent, after an appeal for a catch at short leg was turned down. It was uncalled for and unnecessary.

After that, Luis Reece came in and steered us safely to the draw in company with his captain, who batted beautifully for an unbeaten 61.

Not great, but a chance to make an impression with a change of format next.

Vitality Blast thoughts

The Vitality Blast is back this Saturday, with Derbyshire taking part in a ground-breaking double header at Edgbaston against Lancashire, starting at 2pm.

There will no doubt be practice matches in the week ahead and what is likely to be close to the Derbyshire side will doubtless play for the second team this week.

I won't judge our prospects on the first game, because with their resources, Lancashire should be among the tournament favourites for every competition they play. But we will get an idea of the game plan and Derbyshire's approach this year.

I still have a feeling that Mickey Arthur might bring in a T20 specialist from Pakistan this week. I am unconvinced that Suranga Lakmal's fragile body will get through this competition and he will not be an asset in the field. There are a number of fine players in that country who would offer better balance to the Derbyshire side in an all round capacity. Imad Wasim and Mohammad Wasim Junior would be two very different but high quality all round cricketers who can win games with bat and ball.

It would be a statement of intent to make such an announcement, especially after the disappointment of the season's early weeks.

So what is your likely team as it stands? Here's mine:

Ali

Reece

Madsen

du Plooy

Lamb

Came

Guest

Chappell

Watt

Scrimshaw

Lakmal

It would be nice to get an extra spinner in, with McKiernan the most likely option after a good tournament last year. But on the face of it, that would be at the expense of Chappell. Mickey Arthur could opt to leave out Harry Came and play both, but that appears to leave the batting a little short.

A wild card pick could see Tom Wood selected, which would offer some power hitting and off spin, but I don't get the impression that is likely to happen, at this stage. That Tom has opted to play his league cricket at a lower level than the Derbyshire Premier League doesn't do him any favours, so I expect the players named above to be the nucleus of most selections in this tournament.

Potential? I'm not sure, to be honest. I thought our squad would do better in the championship than they have, but sometimes a side can get on a roll in a competition, start playing well and it snowballs.

There aren't many bowling options outside of the obvious five, so we may need to find overs between Madsen and Lamb if one of the front line attack take stick. There should be runs in that side, but after our disappointing start I am loathe to make overly positive assertions as to our prospects.

Let's see what happens and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 3

Derbyshire 251-9 (Came 108)

Gloucestershire 195-5 (Charlesworth 58*, Hammond 50, Bracey 41, Reece 3-37, Lakmal 1-12

Derbyshire lead by 56 runs 

An excellent maiden first class century by Harry Came, hopefully the first of many, was the highlight of a somewhat slow day of first class cricket at Derby.

Came batted very well and was the most impressive bat on his side, by some distance. Good support came today from Luis Reece and Alex Thomson, which saw Derbyshire reach 250 and a batting bonus point, before declaring with nine wickets down.

After that, Gloucestershire batted for the rest of the day but in no great haste, suggesting that a draw is the summit of ambition for this game.

It was good to see Suranga Lakmal running in hard and bowling an excellent spell, as did Luis Reece, but only Hammond and Bracey of the visiting side showed any positive intent. 

It is hard to see where a positive result can come from tomorrow. Perhaps both sides are afraid of losing and going in to the T20 break adrift at the bottom of the table. The visitors may bat on for bonus points, but if they do off the game is dead from a positive result perspective. A bold move would have been to declare a hundred behind and allow a target to be set on the last afternoon, but I understand why both sides are unlikely to take risks at this stage.

Tomorrow looks like being a day reserved purely for the acquisition of bonus points. Anything more would surprise me.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 2

Derbyshire 130-5 (Came 59*, du Plooy 37) 

v Gloucestershire

Day 2

After day one of this game was washed out by rain that would have had Noah phoning his local B and Q for building materials, it was patently clear that whoever won the toss today was going to have a bowl. It was equally clear, at first sight of the wicket, that they might enjoy it.

And so it transpired that Gloucestershire called correctly and Derbyshire were asked to bat.

I am still not convinced at the wisdom of asking Haider Ali to open in the current English conditions. I don't think it is doing the lad any favours and there would be greater merit in him dropping down the order, to allow Luis Reece to open with Harry Came.

He didn't last long, nor did Brooke Guest, who appears a little loose this year. But then batting across the country is considerably different to last season. Yesterday I watched Yorkshire against Durham and Shan Masood was much less dominant than he appeared last season, with the ball zipping around and making stroke play an uncertain exercise. He has also gone cheaply again today, so when a player of his obvious quality is finding it harder, lesser lights are likely to do so.

Wayne Madsen got a very good ball that would have been a problem when well set, while Leus du Plooy looked good before tea, before falling soon after the resumption, much as he did in the last match.

Mitch Wagstaff came in for his championship debut and had a tough time before edging behind. He probably awoke this morning expecting to be 12th man, but Matt Lamb had a back spasm and with the Vitality Blast around the corner, Mickey Arthur erred on the side of caution. His time will come again, hopefully in conditions more conducive to batters.

Through it all, Harry Came batted solidly. I have to admit being impressed by him this season. At the end of last year he played a couple of good innings and he offers what I could best call a 'busy solidity' to the top of the innings. He is very strong off his legs and while he had his share of luck, which all batters need in such conditions, he worked very hard to offer resistance and stability, getting the county to a reasonable position by the close.

By that time, accelerated by what looked gloomy on TV and was likely worse at the ground, he had been joined by Luis Reece. Hopefully they can push the score along tomorrow and then our own seam attack can find conditions equally to their liking.

For the visitors, Taylor and Singh-Dale bowled well in helpful conditions, though de Lange, while quick, struggled with his length and line and was more heavily punished.

Fascinating cricket then. Just good to be watching some after the rains of yesterday...

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire preview

There may be a couple of changes to the Derbyshire side for the bottom of the table clash against Gloucestershire at the Incora County Ground, starting tomorrow.

Alex Thomson comes into the squad to replace Mark Watt, on the back of some impressive displays in the second team. Presumably this allows the Scot to get into T20 mode, ahead of the start of that competition next weekend.

Mitch Wagstaff is also in the 13 man squad, after doing well in the second team, but it is hard to see where he gets into the eleven, with none of the batters deserving to be dropped after the last game.

The final place looks like a question of whether Suranga Lakmal is now fit, presumably to replace either Sam Conners or Zak Chappell. The latter may also be considered for a breather, ahead of the Vitality Blast.

Likely team:

Came, Ali, Guest, Madsen, du Plooy, Lamb, Reece, Thomson, Chappell, Brookes, Conners (Lakmal and Wagstaff)

It is hard to see a way back for Billy Godleman at this stage. With the T20 around the corner, I cannot see him playing any time soon, with the all round games of Came and Tom Wood better suited to that format. Presumably the Royal London Cup, a competition in which he has been successful, might be an opportunity for him, but otherwise it is hard to see where that might come from.

Gloucestershire, who this week announced major losses of £570k, are currently the only side below Derbyshire. They have some very good players, but like us have not yet performed to the expected standard and haven't had much luck with the weather either. Their opening partnership of Australian Marcus Harris and Chris Dent is a good one, while skipper Graham van Buuren has been an excellent servant to the county. Marchant de Lange continues to be a fast and awkward bowler, as well as a powerful late order hitter.

Their squad:

Harris, Dent, Hammond, van Buuren, Bracey, de Lange, Taylor, Dale, Gohar, Price, Charlesworth, Taylor, Shaw

Once again, the forecast is far from favourable. It looks like tomorrow will see interruptions, as will Sunday.

With that the case, I'm going for another draw here, even though a win before we change formats would be a very welcome relief. With four full days, I would predict a win, but that looks unlikely.

What do you think? 

Derbyshire v. Leicestershire day 4

Leicestershire 122 and 281 (Hill 63, Handscomb 62, Patel 58, Wright 45* Conners 3-75 Watt, 3-35)

Derbyshire 350-7 declared and 

Match drawn

How did not been for yesterday's rain, Derbyshire would have been celebrating a first win of the season tonight.

As it is, they came close but fine batting by Patel, Hill, Handscomb and Wright enabled Leicestershire to escape with a draw. The innings of the latter, who faced over a hundred balls, was key to their survival.

I thought Derbyhire bowled fairly well, but again there is not enough devilment in the wicket to enable the win to be forced. 

Still, the performance was better and if it can be maintained at this standard then prospects for the season are better than they seemed a few days ago.

The end of the game was something of a shambles, as the umpires sought guidance on the time that was left in the game. It was both a poor reflection on the officials and on the laws of the game itself that the two sides went back out for a farcical and meaningless final over, relevant only for the visitor's attempt to improve their tardy over rate.

Supporters and players deserve better.

PS warm congratulations to Sam Conners, who took his hundredth first class wicket today. 

He is a talented lad..

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 3

Leicestershire 122

Derbyshire 350-7 declared

Derbyshire lead by 228 runs

Only limited play was possible on day 3 of the game at the Incora County Ground, sufficient for Derbyshire to advance their first innings to 350-7, thus achieving a third batting bonus point, before declaring.

Then came the rain.

In the limited play that was possible, Zak Chappell again showed that he can hit the ball, even if his final stroke was far from conventional, a top edged six over fine leg.

So it comes down to whether the ground staff can facilitate a prompt start tomorrow, to any potential showers avoiding the ground and to the bowlers taking ten wickets on the final day.

It is possible. The lead of 228 gives them something to work with and after being under covers all day today, the wicket may offer useful movement tomorrow.

The visitors just need to defend, but know that once their total gets past 228, the odds on a Derbyshire win reduce dramatically.

Much will depend on a prompt start. A full day offers hope, any reduction in overs reduces that substantially.

A win would kick start our season, but the level of performance here has been far in advance of anything seen before. Either way, this has been a most encouraging display.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 2

Leicestershire 122

Derbyshire 326-7 (du Plooy 94, Madsen 67, Mulder 5-55)

Despite stoppages for rain, Derbyshire made good progress at the incora County Ground today.

There may have been a temptation to try and push it along more than they did, with the forecast for tomorrow being far from encouraging. However, there was more play today than was suggested by the Met Office and the skies above, and tomorrow may not be as bad as currently projected, for all we know.

Either way, by the close of play Derbyshire had reached a lead of 204 and should no cricket be possible tomorrow, they will be able to declare early on Sunday, in the hope of bowling out the visitors in the final innings.

Today they were indebted to Wayne Madsen and Leus du Plooy, who shared a partnership of common sense and sound judgement. They kept pace with one another well, until Madsen was dismissed after his 111th score of 50 or more for the county, an astonishing record.

du Plooy looked set for a century, but was dismissed for 94 soon after another restart. Lamb never really got going, but enabled the lead to grow, while Leicestershire were able to keep their senior bowlers on for longer than might otherwise have been the case, by the rain stoppages. They were not helped by some poor catching, a couple of relatively easy ones at this level being put down that would have made a difference.

Mulder bowled very well for them and is an excellent cricketer, just the sort you want as an overseas professional.

Derbyshire will have been encouraged by the ball continuing to move around all day, especially in the final session, when Mulder bowled very well. Similar assistance would be appreciated on the final day and if Derbyshire bowl as well as the South African did, a win is not yet out of the question in this match.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire day 1

Leicestershire 122 all out (Budinger 31, Brookes 6-20, Reece 2-13, Conners 2-53)

Derbyshire 144-3 (Ali 54, Came 49)

Derbyshire lead by 22 runs

It's a funny game, isn't it?

These two sides came into the game on opposite sides of the confidence spectrum, yet in a complete reversal of recent form, it was Derbyshire who dominated the first two sessions.

They were led by a stunning performance by the debutant, Henry Brookes, who in a performance in the greatest county tradition registered figures of 6-20, the best on debut by a county player at Derby.

He did it by bowling straight, something we had failed to do this season before today. I feared the worst when I saw the visitors had reached 30-odd without loss, all this while I was in at the hospital. 

Yet I had no longer settled in my armchair than Brookes came on to commence the first of two spells that changed the game. Nipping it about beautifully, he was well supported in the field and showed what a talent he is. 

I can understand why he isn't getting a game at Warwickshire, when they had Woakes, Rushworth, Hannon-Dalby and Barnard in their attack today. But he is simply too good to be languishing in second team cricket and he showed his talent here, bowling with aggression, purpose and skill.

He was well supported by Luis Reece, who kept the pressure on at the other end and produced perhaps the best two balls of the day to dismiss Patel and Handscomb. It was so nice to see two bowlers working together and to see confidence seeping back into the Derbyshire players.

122 all out after lunch and a job well done. Backed up nicely by Harry Came and Haider Ali, who showed common sense and good running to be closing in on a century stand by tea. One day Ali will go big and it will be special, as he is certainly worth watching. He seems to have a couple of shots for most balls, even if he doesn't always take the best option to the one coming at him.

He went to his fifty after the interval, but was dismissed as Mulder, who has been unable to bowl thus far, bent his back and showed his international credentials, albeit with one that kept horribly low in this instance. Guest didn't last long and got a fine ball from the same bowler, and after a solid innings that deserved a fifty, Came played across the line and was leg before.

Madsen and du Plooy saw it to the close, which came prematurely because of bad light. But Derbyshire have worked themselves a good position here.

It was good to see a little more life in the Derby wicket. Good players could still score runs, but the game has to be an even battle between bat and ball and it was today.

And as for you, Monsieur Brookes...chapeau!

Derbyshire v Leicestershire preview

It is good to see Derbyshire being proactive in the loan market, ahead of tomorrow's game at Derby against Leicestershire.

Henry Brookes, a very talented and highly skilled young quick bowler from Warwickshire, has arrived ahead of the game and will be available for the next two County Championship fixtures.

He will bolster an attack that has struggled thus far, but with Brookes at one end and Chappell at the other it takes a little pressure from Sam Conners and Ben Aitchison, one of who is likely to drop out of the 13 named tomorrow.

Suranga Lakmal is in the squad, but it has already been said that he is building his fitness so logically he will be the other to miss out.

There had to be a change at the top of the order, because Haider Ali and Billy Godleman lasted nine balls between them in the match at Durham. After a good innings for the second team at Repton, Harry Came earned the right to play at the top of the order.

Likely team:

Came, Ali, Guest, Madsen, du Plooy, Lamb, Reece, Chappell, Brookes, Watt, Conners/Aitchison (Lakmal)

They will face an in form Leicestershire side, who have four of the top six highest scoring batters in division two. A struggling Derbyshire bowling side might not find it easy to work its way through such an order, but the visitors attack isn't as strong as their batting.

On a Derby wicket that will likely favour batters, I am going for a draw here, especially with a fair amount of rain in the forecast.

What do you think?

Seconds going well

It was heartening today to see Derbyshire's second team do what the first eleven has so far failed to do this summer and dominate a day's cricket.

Playing at the delightful Repton School, the visitors, Worcestershire, were bowled out for just 150 by mid afternoon. Edavalath anchored the innings, scoring 41 in nearly three and a half hours of batting, while Ben Cox scored a breezy 34.

Nick Potts was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 for 32, while Ben Parker took two wickets against his old county, as did George Scrimshaw and sixteen year old Harry Moore, from Repton School. He is the son of Simon Moore, a very fine Premier League bowler over many years and one to perhaps keep an eye on.

Wicket keeper Vikai Kelley, formerly on the staff at Edgbaston, who played for Leicestershire second eleven last year, held five catches, two of them excellent.

In reply, as I write Derbyshire are 110-1, with skipper Harry Came unbeaten on 66 and Tyler McGladdery, a left-hander who plays his cricket for Rainhill Cricket Club on Merseyside, unbeaten on 41. McGladdery has scored a thousand runs in three separate seasons for his club, so is obviously a player of talent.

More on that game, which is supposed to last 4 days, tomorrow.

Match highlights can be seen here