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
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!
I must agree PF that early doors we looked to be in the usual rut of at least one 4 ball an over. Brookes proved that on early season wickets line and length is the way to go. Reece bowled some really good deliveries as well and kept it tight. Haider really unlucky with one that kept unusually low for a 1st day pitch. We are in a great position to push on tomorrow but fear we'll be stymied by the weather over the weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhat a change in fortunes after what we have witnessed so far this season. Just a shame that Brookes loan is only short term but hopefully the other bowlers take note. Also good to see Reece amongst the wickets, hopefully his injuries are behind him. Equally good to see the openers batting sensibly and making serious inroads into the opposition total. Just hope the weather doesn’t stop Derbyshire obtaining a positive result.
ReplyDeleteNudger Needham
A fabulous performance by Brookes with good support from Reece, a very underrated bowler. I hope our other bowlers take note of the adherence to the principles of line and length of these two. It would be wonderful if we could go on to victory if only the weather will hold.
ReplyDeleteSo! Our highly regarded (by most) seam attack is deemed so impotent after just 3 games of the season that we sign a loanee, who is available as he is deemed not amongst the first choice 4 seamers at his parent club.
ReplyDeleteHe then proceeds to take 4 wickets in his first six overs and shows our seamers exactly what they should be doing, ending up with 6-20. Now, help me out here. Should I be happy or extremely disappointed? I'm veering towards the latter if I'm honest.
What does this say about our bowlers, or indeed our bowling coach? We have perhaps cited a little rustiness as a possible excuse, but I assume Brookes has not exactly been getting a lot of game time, hence why he's here. Didn't take him long to find his groove though.
Has today raised even more questions?
I think it has. Is there too much tinkering going on with the bowlers? That would account for a lot...
DeleteIt's what I'm thinking....
DeleteIt was a pleasure to be there today and see those spells from Henry Brookes. I’ve always rated him so I was pleased to see him come to us, even if it is only for a couple of games. I enjoyed the opening partnership between Harry Came and Haider Ali, too, which I thought showed a lot of maturity and sensibility. When the two quick wickets fell I must confess that I thought “Here we go again” but Madsen and du Plooy steadied the ship. With the weather forecast as it is I’m not sure that there is much chance of a result, but hopefully there will be much confidence to take from this game into the Gloucestershire match.
ReplyDeleteSarah
And don't forget Toby's influence as a good luck charm!
DeleteThere was much to enjoy today, Sarah
Henry Brookes was sensational, and Reece and Connors gave him great support to skittle out Leicestershire for such a low score. So, we go out to bat in such a strong position, and Ali and Came provide a solid platform to build on, and then we have a mini collapse. Mm....
Delete