Book Review: Cricket Changed My Life: Eleven Personal Journeys by Annie Chave

Despite a lifetime spent following cricket as part of a family totally immersed in the game, Annie Chave has only fairly recently become known to The wider cricketing audience. 

Her sterling work as the editor of County Cricket Matters, a quarterly magazine that celebrates the county game, is laudable and she is a regular contributor to The Cricket Paper. She has also, among other things, been part of the commentary team for Guerilla Cricket and a third voice for the BBC commentary team at Somerset. 

This is her first book and will almost certainly not be the last. The premise is simple.. eleven people, men and women, whose lives have been changed by their involvement with the greatest of sports. Not all of them are well known to a wider audience, but their inclusion makes it a better read and helps to strengthen the argument  - cricket DOES change lives. 

I look back at nearly fifty years of playing the game and over twenty writing about it and the greatest 'buzz' has been the people it has allowed me to meet. Forget the runs and wickets, it is lifelong friendships, funny stories, the encounters with heroes who turned out to be every bit as nice as you hoped for. 

I especially enjoyed the chapters on Fred Rumsey and Enid Bakewell  because of their local interest. Also because Fred convinced the young me, when he played for Derbyshire, that you didn't need the build of an athlete and 20/20 vision to play the game and Enid, as the first female cricketer I ever saw, that women could be rather good at it too. 

The chapter on Callum Flynn, who had bone cancer as a child and yet recovered to play disability cricket is awe-inspiring. So too that on Waleed Khan, in a coma for several days after being shot several times in an horrific school shooting in Pakistan that saw 153 killed, 132 of them children.

The author's style is engaging and one suspects by the end of it that you would enjoy time spent in her company. The subjects, including Roland Butcher, Georgie Heath, Sue Redfern and David Lloyd are well-chosen and it makes for an enjoyable - make that refreshingly different - read.

Recommended - and another excellent title from Fairfield Books

Cricket Changed My Life : Eleven Personal Journeys is written by Annie Chave and published by Fairfield Books

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day four

And the expected rain came along and it ended in the expected draw.

I didn't miss much today, did I? 

Please add any comments you wish to make  below

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day three

Derbyshire 307 and 202-3 (Jewell 71, Madsen 62*, Leech 2-54)

Northamptonshire 500-8 declared (Procter 150, Zaib 105)

Derbyshire lead by 9 runs

Looking at the forecast for tomorrow, the weather should save Derbyshire from defeat in this game. You can never discount possibilities, of course, but there should be harsh words if they don't get draw points from this fixture, with a 50% chance of rain pretty much throughout the day likely to reduce the number of overs.

Northamptonshire progressed serenely to 500 before declaring, not really encountering any demons other than the desire to overstretch themselves. None of the Derbyshire bowlers looked especially dangerous, which suggested a draw should be within their compass when the time came to bat. 

Luke Procter took his innings to an admirable 150 before being well caught by Andersson from the bowling of Tickner. He looked very nervous early in the morning, before reaching his century and the leg before appeal from Reece when he was on 98 looked very, very close. Zaib also recorded a century, his at faster than a run a ball, in another fine display.

David Lloyd again, as is his wont, set off like a train but was derailed before his innings became anything other than useful. His 23 was a season highest, but it is worrying for an opening bat to be so short of runs. 

Harry Came got going but was another to fail to kick on, his dogged innings ending leg before to the impressive Leech, after a stand of 63 with Jewell.

The Australian again looked imperious and his stand with Madsen offered some of the best in batting. He registered his fifth half century in six innings, which is an impressive return, but again, he failed to turn his score into a big one. I am currently getting Lawrence Rowe vibes, another player delightful to watch but who, for all his charm at the crease, failed to register the BIG scores his side needed. 

I am hopeful that Jewell will do so before the summer is out, because the Australian selectors will not be overly impressed with a succession of fifties, no matter how breezily and classily they are made. His dismissal today, a slash at a ball he didn't need to play, was careless and unnecessary, given the match situation.

As the shadows lengthened, Northamptonshire pressed for another wicket, Harrison bowling an impressively accurate spell of leg spin from the City End and Guthrie bowling quickly at his old school friend, Guest, at the other. It was good, tense, PROPER cricket, the two most technically correct players in our side, against two contrasting bowling styles. 

At the other end was Madsen, of course. I am running out of superlatives for him, seemingly on a quest to be in the middle for most of his year as captain. He was unbeaten on 62 at the close, taking his season average to 96.5 in six innings. He is playing so straight, so late at times, an object lesson for anyone. His footwork is sure and he just looks on a different plane.

Eight runs ahead at the close with seven wickets in hand. I would hope we can see this one out amid the promised rainfall. 

After all, where there's Wayne, there's hope.

Anyway, we are off tomorrow on one of our three breaks this summer to delightful Berwick upon Tweed. I won't see much of the final day, but will post the final score for your comments.

Hopefully we are all of sound mind by then! 

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day two

Derbyshire 307 (Guest 91, Madsen 89, Reece 36, Broad 4-60, Procter 3-61, Guthrie 3-74)

Northamptonshire 236-3 (Procter 97*, Vasconcelos 82) 

Derbyshire lead by 71 runs

By the end of day two of this match, Derbyshire had experienced their first 'average' day of the season.

As is often the case at Derby, wickets fell in the first session, too many of them for home comfort. Guest added only four runs to his overnight score before being bowled and while Reece, not in his best touch, battled hard, it was left to Tickner, with a few lusty and at times unorthodox strokes, to take his team to a second batting bonus point. Broad bowled well and got considerable swing, but the engine room wasn't running at its peak capacity today.

Morley was out on the stroke of lunch, which meant the visitors batted in the afternoon. They got through to tea unscathed, after a somewhat insipid home bowling performance. Vasconcelos and Procter batted well, but there were enough loose deliveries to prevent pressure being built and they could have been made to work harder for the runs. 

The partnership had reached 143 when Tickner removed the former for an excellent 82, but the admirable Procter, fresh from 21 overs and three wickets, held an end down with gritty determination, judicious leaves and an occasional stroke of flamboyance. He is a good player and they are lucky to have him, the sort of professional, no-nonsense bloke that makes the county game.

Chappell got Bartlett, like Broad formerly a target for Derbyshire, to nick behind and Reece bowled Sales after an underwhelming stay that never suggested permanence. 

Yet by the close the game seemed to hang on tomorrow's first, often bowler-friendly session. Derbyshire must make better use of conditions than they did today, or could face a deficit of 100-200 runs, maybe more. For all the fight being shown so far this summer, I would suggest that might not end well. 

Having said that, the forecast for Monday suggests they will be on and off all day, so it is important that we keep the visitors in check - and ourselves battling - tomorrow.

Finally tonight, thank you to all who got in touch to congratulate me on the blog award. Your kind words are very much appreciated, as is your continued support and interest.

Latest radio interview

My latest interview with Matt Rhodes of North Derbyshire Radio was on air tonight.

We discussed the Leicestershire game, thoughts on the one that started today and on Wayne Madsen's contract renewal

You can hear it here

I am on around 14.20, but it is a great show, well worth a listen to the whole thing!

Seconds win thriller at Repton

Ben Aitchison completed an excellent comeback match for the second eleven, by winning the match and sealing an excellent run chase at Repton this afternoon.

Chasing 311 to win a terrific game of cricket, Mitch Wagstaff made 73 and Will Tarrant 53, before a slump reduced Derbyshire to 207-6, despite 39 from Yusaf Bin Naeem. 

Then a crucial stand of 85 between Nick Potts (55) and 18-year old Joe Hawkins (24) turned the game, before both were dismissed with 15 still needed.

Enter Aitchison and with a delicious 'flip' off his toes for six and a flashing stroke through the covers for four,  the game was won.

Friendly or not, this was a cracking game on an excellent pitch, with Charlie Barnard hardly deserving to be on the losing side with figures of 6-108.

Terrific stuff, guys. And great to see you back, Ben! 

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day one

Derbyshire 216-4 (Madsen 89, Guest 87*)

v Northamptonshire 

The fighting spirit that served Derbyshire well at Leicester once again came to their rescue against Northamptonshire today. 

Having won the toss and inserted the home side, the visitors were vindicated when they reduced Derbyshire to 29-3 inside the first ten overs. 

Yet by the close the score had reached 216-4, thanks to a record fourth wicket stand for the fourth wicket against this opponent at Derby, knocking Levi Wright and Bertie Lawton from a record set 118 summers ago (thanks to David Griffin, X).

Of course Wayne Madsen was part of a new record stand of 169, yet again coming to the rescue after Luke Procter and Liam Guthrie found early movement. The maestro is rekindling memories of his last stint as skipper, when the runs flowed from his bat like the finest of wine.  Just like wine, Madsen is maturing, as Levi Wright did before him, after the age of forty. He looks solid in defence, is playing delightfully straight, yet showing the timing and placement of his salad days.

A prolific bat in the game's 'Golden Age',  Wright played until he was 47. We would take that from Wayne, I think...

With him was Brooke Guest, who remained at the close after the skipper was caught behind. He is thirteen runs away from his eighth first class century for the county, a record only exceeded as Derbyshire wicket-keeper by another hero of the Golden Age, Bill Storer. He made fifteen centuries for the county, a round dozen of them while also keeping in the match (he also bowled handy leg breaks).

It was a good day's work against a keen attack and although rain sadly truncated the day, they will be well satisfied at the close. 

If they can push on towards 350-400 tomorrow (assuming the rain relents) then the foundations have been set for another good display.

A winning one? The weather will dictate that, but we have done ourselves no harm with today's efforts.

Chapeau, gentlemen...

Proud Day!

I was delighted today to hear that the blog is, according to Feedspot, in the top ten ranked cricket blogs in the UK, ranked at four with some heavy hitters around me, including The Cricket Paper.

I am very proud of this but just keep writing what I hope people will enjoy. Readership continues to increase after all thos time and thank you so much to everyone who regularly checks in to read what I have to say. 

I am grateful to all of you, especially those who contribute their own thoughts on a regular basis. It is especially gratifying to have so many supporters of other counties getting involved too.

Thank you

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire preview

Mickey Arthur has named a 14-man squad for the game against Northamptonshire, that starts at the County Ground tomorrow.

To the eleven that played at Leicester are added Alex Thomson, Pat Brown and Mitch Wagstaff. The latter enjoyed a fine game in the well-balanced second team game against Lancashire, making 69 and 73 in his two innings, while Thomson did the same, making 87 in his only innings and taking six wickets in the match. It is heartening that everyone is making a strong case for inclusion in the first eleven at present and it can only be good for the team. Nye Donald is working with fitness staff to be fit for the T20, so looks likely to miss out until then.

Having said that, I would be surprised if there were any change to the eleven that played at Leicester, so I expect Derbyshire to line up as follows: 

Jewell, Lloyd, Came, Madsen, Guest, Reece, Dal, Andersson, Chappell, Tickner, Morley

Northamptonshire have named a 12-man, unchanged squad from the game against Lancashire, which they dominated but narrowly failed to win. They are currently missing Ben Sanderson, a very fine bowler, but Nottinghamshire spinner Calvin Harrison enjoyed an excellent debut on loan and Australian Liam Guthrie has made a positive impression with the new ball, since arriving on a 3-year deal and UK passport. Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus are in good batting touch, while Rob Keogh so often turns into Jim Laker against Derbyshire.

It will be a good game, but if the weather stays out of it, Derbyshire are capable of getting a second win on the board. The toss will again be important and hopefully Wayne Madsen can continue his fine form with bat and coin into this game. 

In hoping for a decent forecast, I'm going for a Derbyshire win here.

What do you think?

In closing, I will be on the North Derbyshire Radio sports programme again tomorrow evening, discussing the Leicestershire game, this one and my thoughts on Wayne Madsen's new contract with Matt Rhodes.

I hope you tune in. For those who can't, I will post a link to hear it on playback, later tomorrow evening.

Madsen signs one-year contract extension!

It is fair to say that there will be no dissenting voices at the news that Wayne Madsen has signed a one-year contract extension, taking him to the end of 2026. Indeed, it is quite likely that street parties are being planned, to celebrate the news...

For the past few seasons, I have watched closely to see any signs of deterioration in eye, technique or commitment. Truth be told, there is hardly any. No thickening of the waistline, no reduction in the output of runs, no lessening in the safety of the hands at second slip. The hair may be a little grey at the temples (speaking as one who would love hair at my temples..) but Wayne, like a fine wine, gets better with age. 

His three innings so far this season have brought 236 runs, with a century and 96 among them. He still looks imperious at the crease and so far his feet, hands and eyes seem to be in perfect coordination. He remains the most prized wicket in the side and the man most feared by opponents. That has been the case pretty much since he first joined the county in 2009. 

What a servant he has been! With the way the modern game is going, it is fair to say that we are unlikely to see his like again. 

I am just thrilled that we have at least two more seasons to enjoy his contributions to the team and the club. 

He remains one of the nicest blokes you could wish to meet and I am sure that sentiment is echoed by anyone who has come into contact with him. 

Fabulous, fabulous news.

Second team in control at Repton

The second eleven did very well on the first day of four against Lancashire at Repton.

Winning the toss, they elected to bowl and put the visitors out for 269. George Bell made 76 but the bowling was keen. Former Sussex left arm seamer Will Rogers took three, but the talking point was two wickets on his return to action from Ben Aitchison. He also held two very sharp catches at slip, on a return he will be delighted with. Pat Brown and Alex Thomson also took two wickets each, the latter skippering the side.

When Derbyshire went in, Mitch Wagstaff showed nice touch with his first half century of the summer. He and Yusaf Bin Naeem added an unbroken 106 runs for the second wicket, after Will Tarrant was dismissed by Blatherwick.

At the close, Derbyshire were 135-1 with Wagstaff on 69 and Bin Naeem 37.

A good day's work, consolidating a fine start to the summer all round.

Second team in action at Repton

Interesting looking second team in the game against Lancashire, starting at Repton today..

Ben Aitchison returns to action and Pat Brown is also in the side, as is Nick Potts. Former Lancashire wicket-keeper/bat George Lavelle lines up against his former team mates, in a side captained by Alex Thomson and featuring several academy players.

The Derbyshire side:

• Wagstaff, Tarrant, bin Naeem, Thomson, Lavelle, Hawkins, Potts, Aitchison, Brown, Rogers, Green

More on this, later.

Leicestershire v Derbyshire day four

Leicestershire 484 and 357-9 declared (Tickner 3-82, Morley 3-84)

Derbyshire 393 and 305-4 (Madsen 96, Jewell 73, Guest 68* Reece 38*) 

Match drawn

What could have been a fascinating final day at Leicester was ruined by the negative mindset of the home side. 

They could have declared overnight, or after three or four overs this morning, but instead opted to bat Derbyshire completely out of the game and then attempt to bowl them out in 86 overs. 

Perhaps they thought there would be a collapse, or that the pitch would suddenly misbehave. But it was a flawed idea, because for Derbyshire to go for the runs and potentially lose wickets in the process, there needed to be a carrot, or incentive. They even had boundary riders from the outset, so were not overly aggressive with field settings.

It was a case of batting out time. Perhaps briefly, when Wayne Madsen and Caleb Jewell were together, there was a brief consideration of a chase, but the dismissal of the Australian made the draw points the prize.

Jewell made his fourth half century in as many innings and again looked a very fine player. For me, his next challenge is to go on to a match defining century, because red ball cricket is rarely won by fifties, regardless of how stylish and enjoyable they are. As one old professional once said to me, when you have that many on the board you are seeing it like a football and should be 'drinking at the well' while the eye is in. There will be plenty of days when it isn't, for anyone.

Madsen again led from the front with a stylish innings, the only surprise being when he missed out on yet another century. But he can be proud of how his team battled in this game and how once again he has shown himself one of the all-time greats of the county. As well as a nigh-perennial problem for Leicestershire, averaging over sixty against them throughout his career 

It was left to Brooke Guest and Luis Reece to find batting form and steer Derbyshire to a comfortable draw. There were a couple of loud appeals against the former, though more indicative of a lack of understanding of the lbw law, as viewed from short leg, in the second instance.

In the end, both sides will be happy with the draw. Derbyshire showed that they will be prepared to graft this summer and will be very satisfied, from the position that they were in on day two. 

Leicestershire? A good side, but unless they show greater willingness to risk defeat in going for a win, I don't see enough variation in their attack to really challenge for promotion at the end of the summer. They missed Chris Wright here and cannot depend on his body holding together throughout the summer.

In closing, Derbyshire's second team are in action tomorrow and I suspect that David Lloyd might fancy a bat in that fixture. He seems to be pushing at the ball at present, never a good move as an opener. He remains the best option for us in that position, because we cannot burden Luis Reece, with greater responsibility than he already has in opening the bowling. 

I think David will come again and his importance to the balance of the Derbyshire side is clear. But Mitch Wagstaff will also aim to impress and offers a similar skill set, if required.

But a good effort. I don't think anyone can deny that.

Unbeaten, going into game three. We would have taken that in advance, I think? 

Leicestershire v Derbyshire day three

Leicestershire 484 and 291-8 (Ahmed 77, Budinger 44, Tickner 3-59, Andersson 2-32, Morley 2-54)

Derbyshire 393

Leicestershire lead by 382 runs

A fascinating but curious third day of this game set up what should be an intriguing finish at Leicester tomorrow.

Blair Tickner and Jack Morley added a plucky 47 for the last wicket, after Andersson was dismissed with no addition to his overnight century. There were a few edges but some good shots too, Morley clearly illustrating he has worked on his batting over the winter and can no longer be considered the 'Binary Jack' that his scores last season suggested. 

Budinger and Ahmed set off at a fair lick and extended the lead of 91 very quickly with a fine  stand of 132 in just 20 overs. Yet thereafter they lost wickets steadily to a Derbyshire attack that largely offered Tickner and Chappell's brimstone at one end and Morley's treacle at the other.  So much so that the next 50 overs added only 159 runs. Indeed, in the final session Green and van Beek batted as if they were trying to save the game, rather than win it. 

I can only assume that the home side doesn't see the pitch as having deteriorated so much as to leave Derbyshire a day and, say, twenty overs to get the runs, or maybe they are a bowler down. Both Ahmed and van Beek were struck on the helmet by a hostile attack and concussion protocols may or may not come into play.

 It seemed unduly negative, although perhaps they are banking on an historically accurate Derbyshire collapse tomorrow. Time will tell on that one, but when bad light brought the players off early, it seemed they had missed a trick in not getting Derbyshire in for a few overs and maybe nicking a wicket or two tonight.

Tickner in particular ran in hard, bowled aggressively and deserved his three wickets, while Andersson added to his fine match with two, but for me the best bowler was Jack Morley. The slow left armer bowled a beautifully controlled spell and clearly illustrated both why he was signed and why he has become the lead spinner at the club. He was by far the most economical bowler and maintained a nagging, probing length throughout, with a lovely loop to his bowling.

One assumes that Leicestershire will declare overnight and that Derbyshire will be set what would be a club record run chase of 383 to win. With Anuj Dal struggling and off the field with a back injury, one or two batters will need to step up, but it should be - weather permitting - an absorbing day.

Let's hope that the fighting spirit shown by Derbyshire so far extends into the final day. Record or not, with a fast outfield and not overly long boundaries it is not beyond them, if key men get in. 

There will be a few of us watching, for sure! 

Leicestershire v Derbyshire day two

Leicestershire 484 (van Beek 82*)

Derbyshire 346-8 (Andersson 101*, Jewell 83, Dal 43, Chappell 37, Tickner 13* van Beek 3-87)

Derbyshire trail by 138 runs

While accepting that the early season frailties of the Derbyshire top order are a cause for concern, I have considerable admiration for the fighting spirit that they showed at Leicester this afternoon. 

Led by a magnificent maiden first class century by Martin Andersson, with support from Nuj Dal, Zak Chappell and Blair Tickner, Derbyshire recovered from the perilous position of 66-4 and 139-6 to reach 346-8 by the close.

After Logan van Beek and Tom Scriven had added 83 for the last home wicket, before Jack Morley finished things off, Derbyshire did not start well and lost David Lloyd to a fairly ineffectual push at van Beek to be caught and bowled. Came was leg before without scoring, as was Guest soon afterwards and when Madsen went the same way, the follow on was a very distant target. 

Reece added a half century stand with Jewell, before being dismissed and without looking entirely convincing. The Tasmanian again batted beautifully, but gave two lives that came back to bite the home side. He made his way to a third successive half century before being bowled by one that kept horribly low. 

A century stand between Dal and Andersson gave Derbyshire hope, with plenty of common sense cricket being played, but the dismissal of Dal, a third wicket for van Beek who has enjoyed an excellent debut, looked like the end for the Innings. 

Chappell is much improved with the bat however and added 58 with Andersson, before an ill-advised swipe at Mike saw him caught on the square leg boundary.

With Derbyshire still 28 runs short of avoiding the follow on, Tickner came in and played with great common sense, enabling Andersson to steer his side to the target and reach his maiden first class century in doing so.

Andersson looks a very organised, composed and controlled cricketer. I don't think anyone will deny he improves the side and will be a considerable asset to it in the months and hopefully years ahead. I very much enjoyed what I saw of him today.

By the close, with Tickner refusing singles to protect Andersson, Derbyshire were still 138 runs behind but in a place that seemed unlikely earlier in the day. 

I won't get overly upset about batting failures after three first class innings and I am sure the ones struggling will soon discover their best form. 

I will, however, celebrate the fighting spirit that kept Derbyshire in this game. If that becomes a feature of the summer, we will do considerably better than those of recent past.

Leicestershire v Derbyshire day one

Leicestershire 423-9 (Budinger 81, Holland 74, Handscombe 63, van Beek 53*, Cox 49)

v Derbyshire

I have to admit, I'm not sure of the rationale in winning the toss and having a bowl this morning. 

The pitch looked pretty good after the recent dry spell and I can only assume the hope was to make early inroads into a long home batting lineup. 

It didn't work, as Sol Budinger, batting in his trademark style, played some sparkling strokes and straight away put to Derbyshire onto the back foot. 

They did well - perhaps were lucky - to dismiss him before the lunch interval, but Leicestershire were scoring at a run a minute by that stage and had built a platform for a sizeable score 

Derbyshire fought back well in the afternoon. and claimed three more wickets, but at no point did there appear any justification in the decision at the toss. The only thing you could say was that no one made a huge score and the bowlers, as a unit, stuck to their task pretty well.

Perhaps they hope to have a run chase on the last afternoon and feel that is the best chance of victory. If that is the case, there might have been mild concern that a couple of the wickets that fell went to deliveries that kept a little low. Perhaps Rehan Ahmed will come into the game as it progresses, but it was hard work for the bowlers for the greater part of the day. 

After a loose, adjusting first spell from Blair Tickner, he bowled very well after lunch. But by the end of the day, having lost the toss, I would probably say that this was Leicestershire's day. Highlighted when Logan van Beek showed batting touch he didn't do in our colours 

But of course, we never know how good a score is until both sides have batted. There should be no real demons in this pitch as it stands, for Derbyshire, sometime tomorrow 

One final point - the stream this morning was pretty awful. There is a certain irony in this, for a county that was on pay per view at the end of last summer and has a CEO whose stated aim is to take the game to new audiences.

While it is hard to complain when a service is offered free, surely constant buffering and a static camera at either end is pretty poor fare.

In my opinion, anyway.

Leicestershire v Derbyshire preview

There was good and bad news for Derbyshire supporters this morning.

Harry Moore has been ruled out for at least the next 8 weeks with a back injury, which is a blow for the young man, as well as the county. His height - and long back as a consequence - will always present challenges, of course and it is further evidence that he will need to be well managed, moving forward. 

But Blair Tickner has arrived and pronounced himself fully fit after a bicep injury and a very successful winter in New Zealand. So he goes straight into the Derbyshire squad for the game against Leicestershire tomorrow. Mitch Wagstaff is also in the squad, with Nye Donald continuing to be assessed after the shoulder injury sustained in the field against Gloucestershire.

The Derbyshire squad of 13 - my likely eleven first:

Lloyd, Jewell, Came, Madsen, Guest, Reece, Dal, Andersson, Chappell, Tickner, Morley (Brown and Wagstaff)

There is no news on the Leicestershire squad as I write, with Rishi Patel a potential doubt after injury in their ten wicket win over Glamorgan last weekend. He would be a big loss, but Logan van Beek has arrived to take his place as their second overseas player alongside Peter Handscomb and the squad is likely to be broadly the same as in that opening win:

Patel, Budinger, Holland, Hill, Handscomb, Ahmed, Cox, Green, Mike, Scriven, Wright, van Beek

The game is set to be blessed by good weather throughout and after such a dry start to the season the spinners may come into play as the game progresses. Whether that opens the door for Mitch Wagstaff's leg spin is a moot point, but Mickey Arthur will be loathe to change a winning side, especially with two good spin options already available in David Lloyd and Jack Morley.

Early days, but a top of the table local derby has a nice sound to it! The arrival of Tickner might just give Derbyshire the edge and I am going for a follow up success to the excellent win last week.

What do you think? 

Update: Both Rishi Patel (dislocated thumb) and Chris Wright (knee) miss the game for the home side who have the following thirteen:

Ahmed, Budinger, Cox, B Green, Handscomb, Hill, Holland, Kimber, Mike, Patel, Scriven, Trevaskis, van Beek, Walker.

Book Review: The Cricketers' Who's Who 2025 with a foreword by Rory Burns

Which current Derbyshire player can solve a Rubik cube in thirty seconds? And which one cites 'otter watching' as one of his interests? For that matter, who played chess at national level and who speaks fluent Spanish?

The answers are at the end, but the 46th edition of The Cricketers' Who's Who is no less compelling than its predecessors. For me, it has long been the 'go to' book for information on players and the one that you ensure is safely in the bag when heading off for a day at the cricket.

Wisden will always be the most collectable of cricket books, but with passing years and less acute eyesight, I find it an increasing challenge to read these days. With so much cricket around the globe to cover, it dictates font size must be small and a large print edition doesn't appear likely!

The Cricketers' Who's Who focuses on the game in which I have the most interest and it is a joyous read, always. While complete currency will always be a challenge given the nature of overseas recruitment, it does an extraordinary job of providing last year's county averages in all competitions, biographies of contracted players and responses to 'quirky' questions, as well as others about the game. The top women players are also included, in a book that is an essential purchase for the discerning cricket fan.

With a foreword by Rory Burns, the book packs so much into its 640 pages. 

There is a long summer ahead. Treat yourself to a book that will be the very best companion during the usual rain breaks.

The Cricketers' Who's Who Is published by Fairfield Books

Answers: Nick Potts is the Rubik master, Zak Chappell likes his otters, Luis Reece played national level chess and Anuj Dal is a fluent Spanish-speaker

Anniversary celebration at Buxton

Buxton Cricket Club are holding a celebration of the famous - or infamous - snow game of 1975, when Derbyshire were caught on a wet wicket after an unseasonal snow storm.

"When I went out to inspect the wicket, the snow was level with the top of my boots. I'd never seen anything like it."  - umpire, Dickie Bird. 

To celebrate the famous event, Buxton Cricket Club has invited players and officials from that game back to the ground. There'll be a buffet lunch, interviews with some of the players from 1975 and a keynote speech from Geoff Miller OBE (who played in the game).

To mark the occasion further, the club plans a ‘Cricket for All’ big club day with games for all ages and standards to watch while you enjoy the bar refreshments and cake stalls. There'll be a snow machine for the young to enjoy! 

The event is on Sunday June 1 between 1pm and 4pm and tickets can be booked here

It sounds a lot of fun and I hope that it is well supported!

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 3

Gloucestershire 222 and 259 (Charlesworth 110, Reece 4-45)

Derbyshire 391 and 93-1 (Jewell 51*, Came 27*)

Derbyshire won by nine wickets 

Derbyshire completed a thoroughly professional victory over Gloucestershire at the County Ground today, winning by nine wickets with over four sessions to spare. 

It was an outstanding performance from the start and as I wrote the other night, they have now set a standard they must endeavour to match throughout the season. 

Gloucestershire were always likely to fight on the last day, but the dismissal of Bracey and van Buuren in the morning session meant they were facing an uphill battle, despite a fine century by Ben Charlesworth, eventually dismissed by Luis Reece in what seemed a definitive moment in the game.

There were four more wickets in the innings for Luis Reece, giving him ten in the match, while David Lloyd took two with his offspin as the visitors were eventually bowled out for 259, leaving Derbyshire just 91 runs to win.

10-97 in the opening match was a magnificent return for Luis Reece. This was the Reece of old, running in hard and with the chance to have a breather when his turn comes to bat. Blair Tickner will have a fight for the new ball when he gets here, but that's not a bad thing!

Although Lloyd departed, caught by Ollie Price off the bowling of his brother Tom,  Came lent admirable support to Caleb Jewell, who completed a second highly impressive half-century on his debut.

The Tasmanian has wonderful timing and a full range of strokes, yet he shows serious power, especially through the off side.

The only shadow on the Derbyshire performance was what looked like a serious injury sustained by Aneurin Donald, landing heavily as he prevented a boundary and seemingly damaging his shoulder or elbow. No doubt we will hear about that in due course and I'm sure we all wish him a speedy recovery. 

There can be no complaints after this performance. It has been some time since Derbyshire delivered one of such total conviction and professionalism in red ball cricket. 

Wayne Madsen led the side very well and the bowlers were supported in the field in a genuine team effort. I don't think a session was lost in the game and if we can reproduce that form moving forward, a few of the so-called experts may have egg on their faces, later in the summer.

Great job, boys. Fair to say we all enjoyed that!

Shall we stop the season there?!

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 2

Gloucestershire 222 and 128-3 (Charlesworth 77*)

Derbyshire 391 (Madsen 118, Came 83, Chappell 61 de Lange 3-31)

Derbyshire lead by 41 runs 

Derbyshire ended up with pretty much the total I expected today, although the way that they did so was considerably different. 

A magnificent stand in the morning, between Wayne Madsen, who progressed to a wonderful century and Harry Came, who batted with considerable charm, took them almost to lunch, before the latter seemed to misjudge the length and was leg before to Ollie Price 

It signalled a post-lunch collapse of true Derbyshire proportions, as 271-2 became 290-7. Guest seemed unhappy to be adjudged caught behind, but others fell to a combination of insipid strokeplay and better bowling. de Lange bowled especially well and quite quickly, several times ending prone on delivery with the effort. 

Truth be told, Gloucestershire were unlucky in the morning, edges falling short or evading the slips or stumps, while on the occasions the ball carried, the catches were put down. Yet Madsen and Came batted in resolute fashion to add 177 for the third wicket, a stand that should have allowed their side to push on to a winning situation.

They still took a first innings lead of 169 thanks to some fine later order hitting by Zak Chappell, who made an excellent 61 and, in company with Madsen and Morley, ensured that one hundred runs were added for the eighth and ninth wickets. But there will be disappointment when considerably more was on the cards at lunch. 

When the visitors batted again, Charlesworth, who interested Derbyshire last season, anchored the innings but played some fine strokes. There was less help in the pitch  but three wickets fell by the close, with the visitors still 41 runs behind.

While Derbyshire hold the advantage, they require early wickets tomorrow, as well as more astute captaincy from the incomparable Madsen. Price flicked one to leg gulley two balls after he had set one and he couldn't have done more on his return to the 'throne'. It is still hard to imagine a Derbyshire side without this remarkable cricketer.

Finally, I must commend the quality of the stream over these two days. The angles, editing and replays are really something and those concerned deserve all the plaudits.

Nice job guys! 

Now let's see if our lads on the pitch can finish it off tomorrow.

Early cloud cover would be nice, wouldn't it? 

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day one

Gloucestershire 222 (van Buuren 67, Bracey 48, Reece 6-52, Dal 4-43)

Derbyshire 127-2 (Jewell 61, Came 29*)

Derbyshire trail by 95 runs

Hail the all rounders!

Derbyshire bowled out Gloucestershire for 222 at the County Ground today, a score that would have had the visitors' old middle order bat and later first class umpire, David Shepherd, hopping around on one leg. 

Missing three seamers who would have been in contention to play here (Tickner, Moore, Aitchison) the side bowled well as a unit but the ten wickets were shared by Luis Reece with six, the other four going to Anuj Dal 

It was superb bowling. Reece neatly topped and tailed the innings, with Dal ripping out the middle order. The greatest praise I could give Nuj is that it was like watching prime time Tony Palladino from the City End, few loose balls and testing the techniques of the opposition batters to the full

Meanwhile Reece, shorn of the responsibility of opening the batting, took the new ball and got movement both ways. He was running in more freely and bowling more quickly than I have seen for the past couple of seasons and it was great to see.

Others bowled well, yet without luck. Brown was lively, Andersson probing and although Chappell was a little out of sorts it didn't really matter.  The bowlers were backed up well in the field, especially in the slips. Jewell held two good catches, as did Madsen and we look a little more secure there at this early stage. 

I thought Wayne Madsen handled his bowlers well, after doing what all the best skippers do and winning the toss. It is clear the players are all behind him and that there is a good spirit in the camp. Long may that continue! 

The pitch is a good one. Good players can score runs, but there is something there for the seamers. That's my kind of pitch. I think Blair Tickner, wherever he is, will enjoy such pitches if they are to be the new standard.

For the visitors, Charlesworth set off with some sumptuous drives before becoming a little bogged down and getting out. Bracey and van Buuren mounted a steady rescue act, as they so often do, before Bracey was deceived by a full ball from Dal that dipped late. van Buuren threatened a big score, but top edged the first ball after tea into the safe hands of Chappell at long leg.

Derbyshire set off at a merry rate, reaching fifty in the eighth over before Lloyd was bowled by a fine ball from Price. Both he and Jewell had dished out punishment to Singh Dale and Taylor and the Australian progressed to a beautiful half century, full of fine strokes through the covers. 

His end was disappointing, as the whole-hearted de Lange, steaming in from the Racecourse End, had him hurrying against a bouncer which was sure to be repeated. Jewell took him on again and holed out to long leg, an unnecessary dismissal more in keeping with twenty-over than four day cricket. He will learn from it, I am sure, but the assertive start was reminiscent of Martin Guptill's assault on Northamptonshire in 2012, which turned out quite nicely. He will doubtless entertain this summer and his timing was quite exquisite today.

Throughout, the bowling seemed trickier from the City End and Price bowled a steady spell for the visitors before the close. But Came looked very good again, playing three sumptuous on side drives that Peter May would have been proud of. Meanwhile Madsen was circumspect, probably aware that a big innings from him could put his side into a very strong position. 

It could all go pear-shaped of course, but I liked the look of this Derbyshire side today.

Had Mickey Arthur asked Quentin Tarantino to script the opening day, it could scarce have gone better.

They have now set a standard for the summer and they must endeavour to meet it on a regular basis. 

That was an impressive day's work.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire preview

After a long winter and two useful pre-season matches, county cricket resumes once more tomorrow. 

Reading season previews from various writers,  you could be forgiven for thinking that Derbyshire might as well not bother. One well-known writer said that Division Two is very open and 'anyone apart from Derbyshire and Glamorgan' can be promoted..that's an incentive right there..

I think the division is open. Logic suggests that Lancashire should get one of the promotion places, but both Kent and Middlesex will be pushing hard. There's a lot of bravado around other shires, but for all of the bigger names playing in the division, I don't see the likes of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire nor Gloucestershire being much better than us. I would like to think we can do better in this format than last year, but as I have written and said before, injuries will play a part, as will luck.

Harry Moore misses out in the squad for this first game with a back injury. Hopefully that isn't anything more than a niggle, but as I suggested earlier in the week, the final place tomorrow looks set to be between Nick Potts and Pat Brown. Logically, the England Lions tourist should get the nod, while Nye Donald is likely to miss out if Mickey Arthur's 'the only currency is performance' mantra is adhered to. It hasn't yet clicked for him pre-season, so Nye will probably have to wait his turn. I expect to see this side:

Lloyd, Jewell, Came, Madsen, Guest, Reece, Dal, Andersson, Chappell, Morley, Brown

Visitors Gloucestershire are without Cameron Bancroft and Cameron Green, but have a lively seam attack, spearheaded by Marchant de Lange, Zaman Akhtar and Ajeet Singh Dale. James Bracey will skipper the side that battled with Derbyshire for the wooden spoon last season. Their fourteen-man squad is as follows:

Bracey, Shaw, van Buuren, Dent, Akhtar, Phillips, Taylor, Singh Dale, Price, Middleton, Charlesworth, Price, Hammond, de Lange. 

The forecast is good and we look likely to get four days more cricket than we did in last season's opening fixture. I would like to think that six days playing on the square will have been beneficial and that Derbyshire will be quickly out of the traps tomorrow. There is batting depth and plenty of bowling options, never a bad thing.

I hope that they acquit themselves well. Looking down that side, the talent is clearly there and it is simply the case that it needs to be produced on a regular basis throughout a long - hopefully hot and successful - summer.

I will again be with you throughout and look forward to your involvement with plenty of comments as the season progresses.

Book Review: Sticky Dogs and Stardust: When The Legends Played The Leagues - Second Innings by Scott Oliver

Many years ago, when I first came to Scotland, I played for a few years in the then Scottish Counties cricket competition.

I played alongside a couple of professional cricketers. One of them had been a peripheral player at county level but was an excellent coach and improved my game considerably. The other was an Australian of some reputation, a wonderful player who seemed to score heavily every week, but had no idea how to explain to others what they needed to do to improve. Both were very good professionals, but experiences of other sides were varied, with their recruits lacking in one way or another, on or off the pitch.

Scott Oliver has followed his original book of the same title with another of similar quality. It is a rollicking read, choc-full of wonderful stories, players who left a lasting impression with their feats on the pitch and their 'talents' off it. Opening with Jesse Ryder, you get a very early idea of how the book is going to go and it is  hugely entertaining from cover to cover. I especially enjoyed the recounting of the Adrian Shankar tale, a player who was signed by Worcestershire on the back of his self-penned Walter Mitty-style press pieces, suggesting a player 'in the mould of Virat Kohli'..

As was the case with the first book, I was left in awe at the depth of research undertaken by the author, the number of people he has spoken to and the tales that he has unearthed. While it cannot be denied that any volume one will always contain the best subjects, this 'second innings' loses little in comparison. How could it, with the likes of Rohan Kanhai, Steve Smith, Chris Cairns, Abdul Qadir, Dennis Lillee and Joel Garner within its pages? 

I have no idea how blokes who worked in offices and factories all week prepared to face Michael Holding and Andy Roberts, or figured out the variations of Muttiah Muralidaran (as spelled here). But the stories of how they did so make this a book that should be in the bag of everyone heading to cricket matches this summer.

There will be lunch intervals and of course periods of rain. This book and its predecessor will be your best friends at that point. 

Every cricket fan needs these on their bookshelf. It is as simple as that. 

Sticky Dogs and Stardust: When The Legends Played The Leagues - Second Innings is written by Scott Oliver  and published by Fairfield Books

Derbyshire v SACA day 3

Derbyshire 406-5 and 226-5 (Andersson 67 retired, Dal 47 retired)

SACA 350 and 106-1 (Perera 56 not)

Drawn

Today's final warm-up game for the 2025 season ended in a predictable draw. However, the game was very useful - like the previous fixture - for getting people into form.

Before looking at what we learned, I think a round of applause is due for Derbyshire. Some counties declined to have a stream for their preseason. friendlies, which seemed a little lacking in forethought. You could see as the games progressed that the quality of the edits and replays improved and it was a good warmup for the excellent team behind the stream, as well as the players.

On the pitch, it was a good game of cricket and SACA are laudably showcasing some good players. Savin Perera, the opening bat, made another fifty against us, to follow the one last season and looks a very organised player. I do think it's a shame that talented young men are discarded at 20/21 when they maybe just need a little time. Like Dhariwal yesterday, I am sure Perera could do a job for someone and at 26 probably knows his game well, better than when he was on the Middlesex staff.

You could probably name nine of the side to play Gloucestershire on Friday, as I don't think the team for this game will be far away. The batting order looked in good fettle and they look likely to bat down to nine in the order with this lineup: 

Lloyd, Jewell, Came, Madsen, Guest, Reece, Dal, Andersson, Chappell...

Nye Donald is the only one who has looked to struggle pre season and today was dismissed for an unfortunate duck, playing on and dislodging a bail as he tried to knock the ball clear. He will come again, but needs to get some runs on the board to dislodge what looks a solid lineup.

Those last two places? I would assume Jack Morley will play, which means that the final place will be between Pat Brown and Nick Potts. It is too early for Ben Aitchison and Blair Tickner and I assume Harry Moore will have school. I couldn't call it, as the two available bowlers had fairly similar figures today.

Whoever gets the nod, we will go into the game with seven bowling options, including two spin bowlers and a left arm seamer. Good variety, so the trick now is to get the right men on at the right end at the right time. That's one for Wayne Madsen to handle!

Finally tonight, just an observation about the recording of scores in preseason games. In Derbyshire's first innings we were 406-5, despite only two men being dismissed. The previous day, Warwickshire used seven batters yet were 414-0 against Northamptonshire. I assume it is whether they retire 'out' or 'not out' and it doesn't really matter, at the end of the day. 

If it was me, I would retire not out, thank you very much...

I will be back soon. Let me know your teams for the first game when you can!