Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day one

Derbyshire 434-5 (Lamb 186*, Guest 95, Donald 67, Webster 3-82, de Lange 2-80)

v Gloucestershire

Like a 10,000 metre champion lapping the rest of the field, Derbyshire's performance on day one at Bristol outstripped every other day of cricket that they have produced this season. By a country mile.

Interviewed by North Derbyshire Radio's Matt Rhodes this morning, I said that I didn't think we would win a 4-day game this season. Despite a terrific effort today, I still don't think we will win this one, as Sunday looks a fairly unpleasant affair and form up until today has hardly been a strong indicator of success.

Yet we could not have done more to turn things around and at the very least go into the Vitality Blast in better fettle.

We won the toss and decided to bat, but lost three wickets in the first session. To be fair, they at least tried to get us onto the front foot in the game. We were scoring at four runs an over from the outset and once Brooke Guest and Matt Lamb got going, the scoring rate climbed. 

I would regard Guest as having the best technique in the side and I always feel greater reassurance when he gets going than anyone else. Both he and Lamb led charmed lives early in their innings, but they got through the morning session and then past tea with some glorious stroke play. 

While Guest is by nature more orthodox, Lamb survived drops and began to unfurl a wide range of shots. He is particularly strong through the offside and the power of some of those strokes was quite remarkable. His celebration on reaching a century was touching and good to see, the only shame being that Guest just missed out on his after a partnership of over 227 for the fourth wicket. 

It was a career-best for Lamb and his first century for Derbyshire. After a difficult first season with injury, this was clear evidence that he can be a magnificent bat when he gets going. 

Lamb was then joined by Donald, who like everyone else led a charmed existence early, but raced to a run a ball fifty. Four boundaries in an over from Dale Singh suggested he might be on for a century himself before the close, but he frustratingly gave it away, chipping a catch to mid-wicket from a leading edge. Like Guest, I suspect he was kicking himself in the pavilion, because a century was there for the taking, having done all the hard work of 'getting in' . 

Gloucestershire did themselves no favours with catching of variable quality. There have been times this season when the first time a ball went off the floor from a Derbyshire player it was caught, but today they enjoyed the rub of the green and to give them every credit, they made the most of the opportunity. 

I thought Marchant de Lange bowled admirably for the home side, giving everything and on several occasions ending up on his knees with the strain. His final figures bore no relationship to the way in which he went about his work today and it was an excellent effort by the tall South African.

Lamb saw it through to the close, accompanied by a once again circumspect Dal. With 186 to his name, he was seeing it like the proverbial football by that stage and it was a very special innings to watch today. 

More of the same tomorrow, would do just dandy.

Well done Derbyshire. Credit where it's due, I have been quick to criticise this year, but that was a very good effort today. From 69-3 to 434-5 was quite a remarkable effort.