Weekend thoughts

Continuing the good vibes of yesterday's win over Kent, Nye Donald hit an eight-ball 31 for England Lions as they strolled to a win over their Sri Lankan counterparts last night. They chased down a modest target of 118 to win in less than eight overs - a one-sided game following on from the series of the England senior side against Pakistan. 

I hope that there is more of that from Nye when the full series starts - and more, because we all know how destructive he can be in his best form.

But enough of international cricket - there are plenty of places writing about that. I am sure that we all awoke today, happy with the memory of an excellent 4-day win over Kent at Derby. It was another great advert for the red ball game and it remains my favourite form of cricket. Nothing matches the ebb and flow of the long form and while it can happen in shorter formats, there is so much to enjoy in 4-day cricket, as there was in 3-day, when it was played.

It again reinforced that for all of their inconsistency, Derbyshire are not too far from having a good side. They need better luck with injuries and any chance of improved fortunes in 2027 depends on having a full complement of bowlers to work with. We have been remarkably fortunate this year that Ben Aitchison has been able to bowl all summer, but no player can expect that every year. Injuries are a part of professional sport, especially among seam bowlers. I doubt there are many of them play through the season without aches, pains and niggles, because the whole mechanical process of bowling doesn't sit well with how bodies are supposed to move. I somehow doubt that cavemen threw their spears 120 times a day and certainly not off a long run up...

Moving on, I had a look at the averages this morning. Brett Randell, Rory Haydon and Ben all have their wickets under 23 runs each, while Martin Andersson has 21 at 28, as well as a batting average of 45. These are good statistics and each can be proud of their summers. 

For next season, as a bare minimum, Derbyshire need a top overseas bat. I said so in my latest interview with James Sadler of North Derbyshire Radio last night and strengthening the middle order is crucial. At least for next year, any two from three of Reece, Came and Naeem should serve us well at the top, but it depends on who becomes available. There is also the matter of replacing Wayne Madsen, almost certainly for 2028, but if someone came onto the market now then it would make sense to act.

In my lengthy bag of correspondence, I have been asked if I would take back Shan Masood, should he be available. Yes, although at 37 he perhaps isn't now at his prime. He has struggled in the series against England, but that attack is considerably stronger than anything he would face in division two next year. The relegation battle in division one is very tight, but none of the likely sides to drop carries remotely the threat that Durham did this year. 

The other issue, as we have seen with Mohammad Abbas this year, is the Pakistan penchant for short notice tours. Masood is currently their captain and it is important that whoever comes in is available for most of the summer. There may be wholesale changes after this awful tour that they have endured, but I'm sure that those at Derby will be carefully monitoring the situation, as they will be of several other options.

Another player who will doubtless interest counties for 2027 will be Leus du Plooy. He has decided to play for his native South Africa and has left his role at Middlesex. While I'm sure they would have him back as an overseas player, it may be that the debacle regarding the failure to register him to play in that role for the remainder of the summer is a disincentive. They don't seem awfully well organised down there, but I am sure that Leus will not lack suitors for 2027, given his record in the county game. 

Would he consider Derbyshire? Why not, although as we know money talks and the number of proven quality overseas players diminishes by the year. Like Masood, Leus may find himself involved in South Africa tours at full or A level and it prevents his playing in England next year, or for many seasons in the future. 

I am sure that Mickey Arthur and the cricket committee are working already on options for 2027. It must be difficult, because you can make all the plans and then find a later-organised tour throws them into disarray, much as happened with Mohammad Abbas. You can't wait and see, either, because otherwise you are searching in an even more limited marketplace.

Picking up a player who goes under the radar is very satisfying, however. Brett Randell is a case in point and at 31 he perhaps didn't expect another opportunity in county cricket, after a short stint previously at Somerset. Yet opportunity knocked, as Hughie Green used to say and he has snatched that opportunity with both hands. 

I will be honest, I only really knew him from the five wickets in five balls last winter, but he has impressed me, not just with his excellent bowling, but his overall attitude. He dives around in the field, contributes with the bat and looks the kind of bloke you are glad to have on your side. 

The acid test for any overseas player is the simple question - would you have him back? Most certainly, in the case of Brett, the answer is yes. But we must hope for an uninterrupted season of Abbas at his best in 2027. If he showed anything like his form in the Test matches, he should dominate the division.

One thing that has come out of the recent fixtures, however, is that it is unrealistic, given how the county schedule runs at present, to play two specialist spinners on a regular basis.

Historically, spin bowlers came into their own in July and August. The sun shone on used pitches, dried them out and the strength in that sun made the twirlers stride out with a spring in their step, their fingers twitching to get going. It is when they took the bulk of their wickets and earned their contract for the following year.

Dampness is coming back into September pitches and the sun isn't strong enough to dry it out. While it is always preferable to have a spinner in the side, two is a luxury that few can afford, unless one is also handy with the bat. 

If you have someone like Liam Dawson, James Coles or Matt Critchley in your side it is fine, as you know, they will contribute their weight of runs. But even someone as talented as Simon Harmer has only 34 wickets at 34 this year and Rehan Ahmed, oft-cited as Bashir's likely England replacement, has 18 wickets at 40.

Coles has 25 wickets at 29 but averages 35 with the bat, while Dawson has just 7 wickets at 53 and has struggled with the bat for once. Meanwhile Critchley has 19 wickets at 30, but also averages 50 with the bat, which isn't the worst of seasons.

Jack Morley can handle a bat as he has shown, but nor is he by some distance a genuine all-rounder. I am sure that Derbyshire will be hoping Shoaib Bashir retains his England central contract, because otherwise one of them will be sitting on the sidelines a lot. Besides which, the county would need to pick up the cost of his contract, which would certainly affect any ability to improve the squad this winter. 

Anyway, Mohammad Abbas, according to Mickey Arthur, is available for the next game, against Northamptonshire, starting on Tuesday. Logically two spinners WILL play there, because the pitches at Wantage Road always encourage spin. I remember Edwin Smith telling me the story of arriving at Northampton in the 1950s to find what looked like a very unusual green top. On closer inspection it turned out to be grass cuttings, laid on top of the traditional dry, sandy pitch! 

Yuzi Chahal will be waiting for his opportunity this week, as will Calvin Harrison. With Abbas, Morley and Bashir likely to be at 9-11, we must only hope that Ben Aitchison channels his inner Sobers at eight..

It may be that the final game, at Worcester, sees both Abbas and Brett Randell play, alongside Aitchison. While it will be the last game of the summer, that is a mouth-watering prospect...

Anyway, enjoy your weekend. Eight days of cricket to go before the long and pesky winter...hopefully they give us plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

Derbyshire v Kent day 4

Derbyshire 300 and 352-8 

Kent 219 and 252 (Stewart 65, Singh 59, Foreman 38, Aitchison 5-44, Randell 3-39)

Derbyshire won by 181 runs

Despite a magnificent opening burst by Ben Aitchison, which reduced Kent to 38-5 in the morning, all the huffing and puffing thereafter looked like failing to blow down the remaining Kent houses.

Stoic resistance from Ekansh Singh, Grant Stewart and Bertie Foreman took the game into the last hour, then into the last three overs before the admirable Brett Randell tucked up Mahmud with a short ball that he could only spoon into the air and Brooke Guest ran in gleefully for the catch, shortly afterwards to be engulfed in his teammates.

Full credit to Foreman, who for the second time in the match defied the Derbyshire attack with a stoic and broad defence. He batted for 148 deliveries and looked like seeing his side to the draw until Bashir got one to straighten and trapped him in front of the stumps. Earlier Stewart had again been a thorn in Derbyshire sides before Andersson trapped him in front.

The Kent lower order all batted well and it spoke volumes for the team spirit engendered by Adam Hollioake. But equally good to see were the efforts of Derbyshire, again beating a side above them to claim their fourth red ball win of the summer. Had they only produced this focus on the last day in Manchester, or in the two games against Gloucestershire, they might have been in the promotion shake up.

Therein lies the Derbyshire dichotomy. If they could bottle the battle in this game, there would be no stopping them. In their wins this summer they have played some terrific cricket, but when they have fallen short, they have done so spectacularly. Narrowing the gap between best and worst will be the focus of the winter, but we know the talent is there. Over sixty summers I have seen sides where it wasn't so obvious, but the right winter additions *might* take the county on to the next level. And at least Durham won't be around next year...

Aitchison was magnificent, once again, but once the early movement had passed there was little in this fourth day pitch. The odd ball turned, an occasional one beat the bat and a couple of tough chances were spilled. But Derbyshire will be pleased to reverse the fortunes of recent games, overcoming the loss of overs after tea last night and the bad light at times today limiting what Wayne Madsen could do with his bowlers.

Top marks go again to Brett Randell, who has been an excellent signing. He runs in hard and consistently finds the dangerous areas, not especially quick but not wasting the ball either. 

Bashir also did a fine job for his side, keeping one end tight throughout and enabling the seamers to rotate at the other. There will be those who say he should have taken more wickets on the last day, but I saw little sign of excessive help for any of the spinners and it was important that they retained their discipline. 

The last day of county cricket at Derby this summer saw a home win and a wonderful finish.

Could you really ask for more? 

Derbyshire v Kent day 3

Derbyshire 300 and 352-8 (Guest 75*, Reece 53, Came 51, Andersson 50, Mahmud 3-52)

Kent 219 and 3-0

Kent require 431 runs to win

There was another impressive performance by Derbyshire at Derby today, as they set Kent an unlikely total of 434 runs to win in the final innings of the game.

Batting remained challenging, but fifties from Martin Andersson, Luis Reece, Harry Came and Brooke Guest saw them to 352-8 before the declaration came.

All batted well, but it was especially nice to see Guest return to form, in a typically busy innings full of wristy strokes. Ben Aitchison lent some bucolic late support and I suspect Mickey Arthur would have declared earlier,  had the light not meant they would have had to open the bowling with spinners.

As it turned out they did, but only briefly, before bad light and rain took them off for the day.

Andersson went past 1600 runs for the summer in all formats, again highlighting his importance to the side. His development since his arrival from Middlesex has been quite remarkable and I am surprised that there hasn't yet been a call up for either The Hundred or England Lions. Maybe he is seen as too old for the latter, but the selection of Nye Donald for the Lions this weekend and subsequently the full side should encourage him to keep going. The ability is certainly there and I always enjoy watching him.

So Kent will go into tomorrow needing a further 431 runs to secure the win that would boost their promotion hopes. 

I don't think they will get there and if Derbyshire play as they have throughout this game, the win points that they fully deserve will be theirs.

It would be the fourth of the summer, all but one of them against teams higher in the table. As I said in my latest interview with James Sadler of North Derbyshire Radio today, the losses to Gloucestershire and Lancashire have been the season-breakers.

Had they produced anything like their best form in those matches, a genuine promotion challenge would have been possible.

Until the gap between their best and worst narrows, it remains a pipe dream.

But there's always next year, eh? 😉

PS I will post a link to that interview, where we discuss the latest results, individual players and winter planning, when it is available tomorrow

Derbyshire v Kent day 2

Derbyshire 300 and 100-1 (Montgomery 42*, Came 34*)

Kent 219 (Foreman 49, Stewart 48, Aitchison 4-58, Randell 3-36, Andersson 3-39)

Derbyshire lead by 181 runs

Much better from Derbyshire today, who followed yesterday's outstanding century from Martin Andersson with an excellent seam bowling display.

Of course Ben Aitchison led from the front, taking four wickets and in the process passing fifty victims for the season. Testimony to his quality is my struggle to think of anyone on the county circuit that I would prefer to him in the side. On his form this summer, there isn't anyone. 

Besides his bowling, he has safe hands at slip and can handle a bat. There is much to like in such a player and his success is well deserved.

He was well backed up by Brett Randell, who has come in to replace Mohammad Abbas and done better than his predecessor. Eleven wickets at 21 each confirm the job he has done and today he was probing and accurate, never letting the batters settle and the ideal foil for Aitchison on this surface. Following on from his important support with the bat yesterday, he has had a fine match so far.

Then there was Andersson, perhaps now ready to take on the mantle of true all rounder, as opposed to the bowler who batted a bit who played at Middlesex, and the batter who bowled a bit when he came to Derbyshire. Three wickets to follow his century confirmed his talent and what a signing he has been.

Credit to Mickey Arthur, as I believe in being even-handed. The signing of Andersson has definitely earned brownie points, so too that of Randell, who has fitted in so well. 

Montgomery and Came did a fine job for their side in the evening session, playing straight and concentrating on occupying the crease. It is key to the result of this match that both press on tomorrow.

The pitch is far from easy and mention should also be made of Brooke Guest, who I thought kept quite brilliantly today. He has had his struggles with the bat this year, but when at his best he is quite excellent with the gloves. One single-handed take above his head - standing up, mind - from a ball bowled by Randell that exploded from a length was ridiculously good and his footwork and hands worked well together today. The seven extras conceded by Derbyshire compared very favourably with the 47 given away by Kent, the day before. 

There were signs of variable bounce, especially from the City End, but Derbyshire will hope to push on tomorrow and set Kent in excess of 350 in the final innings. 181 runs ahead, they are in a good position to do so, but they have squandered positions of strength before and must not do so again.

The visitors need to win, so realistically will chase most targets set. There hasn't yet been much sign of turn, but hopefully Morley and Bashir come into their own on the final day. Kent will hope for more from the names in their top order, though Foreman was resolute for them today and Stewart so often lends value with the tail.

Anyway, this was a good day's cricket. Fair play to all involved.

Let's push on tomorrow, lads! 

Edwin Smith book

I have had a few enquiries since the sad passing of Edwin Smith about copies of the book that I wrote on his life. 

You can get a copy of this in ebook form, by going on to Google Play and searching for either Steve Dolman or Edwin Smith under 'books'. It costs £5.

Alternately, I have come across one spare copy of the book in hard copy and pristine, which I can sell for £10 plus postage. This will be very much first come, first served.

To my great amusement, you can buy the same book on Amazon - their last one - for £167.27. Hmm...

If interested, please drop an email to peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

PS On Google Play you can also download my post-war history of the club, 'In Their Own Words' for £9.99. Sadly, I don't see the royalties now, but such is life. 

Amazon are also selling it on a promotion in hard copy for the same price. 

Postscript: the book is now sold!

Derbyshire v Kent day 1

It looks like a good recovery after a dreadful start...

Fair play to Martin Andersson for an excellent ton that kept his side afloat, but 47 extras...that helped!

Good to see Ben get a wicket before the close..

So what are your thoughts...with Derbyshire playing two spinners and the ball expected to turn later, is 300 a decent score? 1

Derbyshire v Kent preview

Eighty two comments on a blog post..

While not scanning quite so well as 'Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest', it reveals a depth of feeling about the current situation at Derbyshire. The natives are restless and with good reason, there's no denying that. 

It has been a hugely disappointing season. Perhaps all the more so because of the anticipation that surrounded the arrival of Mohammad Abbas. Perhaps the only positive that has come from that signing, at this stage, is that the club hasn't had to pay much from the rumoured £400 a wicket incentive that made the cricket press...

Anyway, we reach the final home game of the season and I will miss the first day, since I'm meeting up with old friends in Manchester tomorrow. As usual in such situations, I will create a page for your comments and normal service will be resumed in time for the second day. 

Kent are the opponents and they have been on a fine run since Derbyshire played them into form at Canterbury, back in May. It was another of those games that have littered the season... remember that we had them 55-5 in their second innings, just 103 runs ahead, then they made 335 and won? Mickey Arthur's men have squandered so many strong positions this summer, it is a surprise that they haven't registered for charitable status...

Luis Reece is back and he has been a huge miss this summer. In 2025 he took fifty wickets, whereas this year he has just one. Maybe, if his body had played ball, an opening attack with him alongside Ben Aitchison would have made a difference, but he will need better form and fortune in the final year of his current deal, next year. There have been off field challenges too, of course and we must hope that he returns to the form of his best days in 2027. 

Nye Donald is with England Lions for their two T20 matches against Sri Lanka, while Zak Chappell is missing, still building himself up from injury. Anuj Dal is also absent and I have a feeling we may have seen the last of him in Derbyshire colours, with his contract up this year, although that is a hunch, not based on any inside information.

I expect this to be the side, assuming Reece is fit to both bat and bowl:

Came, Naeem, Montgomery, Madsen, Andersson, Basra, Guest, Reece, Aitchison, Randell, Morley 

Potts and Rogers also in the squad. 

For me there is more to be gained by giving experience to Basra and having both he and Naeem as additional seam options, than in playing Nick Potts in this one. 

Kent currently set second in the table, 15 points clear of third place Northamptonshire. Adam Hollioake has done a good job with them this year and they must be favourites to go up with Durham, who hammered Darren Lehmann's side in the last match.

Kent will be aggressive and will go for the win, even though rain looks set to take some time out of the game on Thursday. They arrive with the following squad, which includes overseas bowlers Keith Dudgeon, Hasan Mahmud & Khaled Ahmed:

Bell-Drummond, Benjamin, Compton, Crawley, Dudgeon, Foreman, Mahmud, Khaled, Muyeye, Northeast, Parkinson, Quinn, Singh, Stewart

Given their most recent form, I cannot predict a Derbyshire win here. 

Time will tell if they can find the fight to make a game of it, which they singularly failed to do last time out. The main interest revolves around Ben Aitchison, who needs two more wickets to reach fifty in a splendid personal season.

I'm sure that he will get there and I am delighted that he has managed to recover from injuries to become a genuine force in the county game. 

Hopefully Zak Chappell, Pat Brown, Harry Moore and Rory Haydon can do the same next season. 

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 4

Gloucestershire 237 and 359-5 (Hammond 118, Bracey 104* Andersson 2-43)

Derbyshire 278 and 105 (Andersson 35, Kishore 5-20)

Gloucestershire won by 213 runs

Just when you think Derbyshire's season has reached new depths of ineptitude, along comes a performance that screams out 'HOLD MY BEER'.

The latest debacle was against a Gloucestershire side that was so far adrift at the bottom of the table that life belts would have been no use. Nine defeats in ten matches, although worryingly, their one win was against... well, you know who...

How can you lose a game, when you have bowled out the opposition for 237 and are 200-2 in your first innings? How can you watch the same opponents knock the ball around to make 359-5 in their second innings, then be bowled out for 105 in less than 39 overs, as the pitch seemed to turn from benign to Hyderabad with a change of bowlers - and batters? How can 'two of the best young spinners in the country' take 2-185 in 52 overs, on the same pitch that those of the opposition bowls you out in 12 overs less? How can you not find the technique, or the mental strength to bat 45 overs and save the game? 

I can accept that the presence of Mickey Arthur at the 'top table' of English cricket is a factor in the recognition of Nye Donald and Shoaib Bashir. But the overwhelming evidence from another season of woe is that as a coach, as a manager of men, he is a busted flush.

Consider that these words are not knee jerk reaction to a defeat. They come after a night's sleep and there is no way that I can sanitise the latest performance in which a Derbyshire side showed itself to be totally inadequate for the first-class game.

I had a brief look at social media this morning. Probably the best kind of look, to be honest, but such comments as 'sack them all' are unhelpful and ill-considered.

For one thing, the list of players who are out of contract this October shows very few who would improve our fortunes. It is a flight of fancy to look at young players establishing themselves in second team cricket and assume that their presence in a Derbyshire side is all that is needed for success. It is unrealistic to assume a player who has failed to progress at two or three counties will suddenly become a world-beater at a fourth. Especially with a head coach who, the evidence suggests, is incapable of getting the best from players.

How many Derbyshire players, when they take off their boots for the last time this summer, can reflect on a job well done? I would say Ben Aitchison, certainly, so too Martin Andersson. The rest? Then I start to struggle, apart from Rory Haydon, then Nye Donald in T20. Plenty have had occasional good performances, but sustained good form? 

At which point, in the annual review of any organisation, you have to look at the reasons why. 

I don't think these are bad players. I look around counties and can see elevens that are perhaps man for man inferior. Yet collectively they do so much better and sit higher in tables than Derbyshire. 

We all know that Mickey Arthur can talk a good game. Even if, as a former county player said to me recently, 'he is all p*** and wind'. He is seen as a dressing room autocrat and perhaps there lies the crux of the problem.

What this Derbyshire side needs, when such players are available, are strong individuals. Technically and mentally strong, players who are not afraid to speak their mind. Think back to that Dean Jones side...crikey, they were a force of nature, with some strong characters underneath an even stronger leader. I am sure there were some tough conversations, but it would have been two-way. It was the same with the fine 1950s side and as for the 1936 one - didn't John Arlott ask 'shall we see a side of such gladiatorial quality again?'

I just think that Mickey Arthur has put together a team of nice guys who will accept that what he says, goes. Even if they don't believe it. Mickey is always right, so we will do things his way - and this is a consequence of an inability to carry people with you. 

I was a manager for a very long time and I know how teams and groups work, I know how to get the best from them. It isn't happening at Derbyshire and when people of talent are unproductive you have to look at the way in which they are being managed. We have now had five 'year groups' and things haven't progressed, have they? 

There are no players available this Autumn who I could put my hand on my heart and say would really improve Derbyshire. That is different this time next year, but I have to ask if people who you would be interested in really want to be in a dressing room where it appears to be 'my way, or the highway'.

Every year we get towards the end of the season and my optimistic inner self says 'Oh well, there's always next year'. I realised this morning that optimism isn't there this time. It won't be there, until Derbyshire part ways with Mickey Arthur. I know he knows a lot of people in cricket. I know he has earned a reputation within the game at the highest level.

But five years on, aside from some county players attracting England interest, tangible progress has been nil. We can reflect on two or three good red ball wins this summer, but really, should we be satisfied with that as our lot? Can't Derbyshire match Glamorgan, Sussex, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire and punch above our weight? 

We have heard, ad nauseam, that people want to play for Mickey Arthur. But do the people who would change our fortunes want to do so? The bottom line is that something is stopping people producing their best form. If the answer is that these players are simply not good enough, then 2027 will see an exodus from the club unlike any in living memory. A lot of contracts are up and the evidence is that many should not be renewed. 

Or should Derbyshire bite the bullet at the end of this month, accept that there is little out there, domestically that will change things in the short term and accept that enough is enough? 

In the world of professional sport, five years is the length of tenure that rewards success. If you can look back at the last five years and consider them successful, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

The thought of two more years of this holds no appeal. I honestly believe there is no player in the world game who could come in right now and change the county's fortunes without change at the top. Without someone taking over who can inspire and motivate, carry people along with him. Someone whose best work is done within the confines of the dressing room and not in bullish, meaningless sound bites that count for nothing.

There are a good few Derbyshire coaches of the past who would have done no worse - and likely much better - had they been afforded the luxury of five years, with two more to come. 

I don't think it would be in any way detrimental if the coaching setup was restructured and an internal appointment made in the short term. Regardless of who is in charge, people will always be happy to sign for your club, your organisation, if they feel the ethos, the environment and the structure is in place for them to produce their best. If they feel opportunity is there to flourish.

I don't think that is there, regardless of the content in the next video that comes from the club. 

Mickey Arthur can insist until the cows come home that the players are getting better, that they are surpassing their targets and are constantly improving. That he constantly reflects and is giving 110%. I don't doubt that, but...

The evidence, in such displays as yesterday, merely confirms that it is absolute nonsense. As a friend said to me last night in a message, in most other clubs, this would be the final straw and an emergency meeting would be called for this morning. 

It is hard to disagree.

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 3

Gloucestershire, 237 and 148-3 (Phillips 64, Hammond 44*, Bashir 2-58

Derbyshire 278 (Montgomery 65, Morley 41, Price 6-41)

Gloucestershire lead by 107 runs

I don't think I can be alone in being concerned at Derbyshire's position in this game, after a strong position was thrown away this morning. 

Full marks to Jack Morley, who showed that at least one of Derbyshire's spinners can bat, while I will also excuse Wayne Madsen, who got an horrific decision from Paul Pollard. But the rest of the batters will be disappointed at getting out to shots that suggested inexperience, or naivety in playing spin. 

What should have been a three figure lead became only 41 and Gloucestershire had a lead of 102 by the close, after positive batting by Phillips and Hammond

I don't think Derbyshire will be comfortable chasing much more than 150-180 tomorrow and the first session will dictate the result of the game.

That's all from me tonight, we will see how it goes tomorrow. But Derbyshire's struggles can be clearly seen when they cannot dictate terms against a side so far adrift at the bottom of the table.

Donald selected for England T20 squad

Wonderful news today, with Nye Donald selected for the England T20 squad to play against Sri Lanka this month.

No one could argue it was undeserved. He has had two special Blast summers for Derbyshire and it is further proof that the county is back on the England radar.

I hope that he is selected and gets a chance to show a wider audience what he can do. 

As I have written before, in sixty summers supporting Derbyshire I haven't seen anyone hit a ball as cleanly as he does. Chris Wilkins and Adrian Kuiper were prodigious hitters of a ball - and with old style bats - but Nye takes it to a different level. 

I am sure you will join me in congratulating him and hoping that the next step is selection for the England XI

Well done, Nye!

Overseas thoughts

Although it has not been formally announced, I think it unlikely that Derbyshire will re-engage Caleb Jewell for 2027. 

He did well in 2025, but after a difficult winter in Australia, he wasn't the same player in 2026. The footwork was more hesitant, there was less panache in the strokes, less confidence at the crease. He dropped down the order in red ball cricket but there were only two half centuries and an average of 22 wasn't good enough for that crucial overseas role. 

He also dropped out of the side in T20, though as much due to the imbalance of the eleven and a shortage of bowlers, that meant both overseas options had to play. He offered a sound pair of hands in the field and fitted into the dressing room well, but like all players was eventually judged on the runs scored or wickets taken.

So where next for Derbyshire? In this ever more congested fixture calendar they need to find a batter who can close to guarantee a thousand red ball runs, as well as more in the white ball game. That isn't easy, because they need to find the right man, who wants to play in England for six months, is available AND affordable. 

Above that, for me, we need a competitor, a warrior. Someone who is prepared to roll his sleeves up and battle in tough conditions, a player who will get you over the line when the opposition are coming hard. A player who, with force of personality, will drag his team mates along with him. A leader, in short, if not necessarily captain.

Of course, that is easy to say, less easy to find. There have been a few references this summer to the Derbyshire squad being too 'nice' and the ideal signing for 2027 is someone who carries that X factor. Is there another Dean Jones out there, another Eddie Barlow? (plot spoiler, I doubt it...)

Jones led by example, though his abrasive style was always likely to produce dressing room challenges in the medium to long term. Barlow set the example too, but was a better man manager and got the best out of everyone. He was captain AND coach.. try putting that in a job description today..

But that is a challenge to occupy minds in the coming weeks. It isn't easy and it is not an exact science. Dean Elgar only averages 32 for Essex, Beau Webster little more for Warwickshire, though Joe Weatherall averaged 60 for Leicestershire. Cameron Bancroft averages only 30 for Gloucestershire, with no century, Marcus Harris less than 40 for Lancashire. All good names, good players, but delivering what you want from an overseas? I am not so sure.

But Northamptonshire have done well with Nathan McSweeney (average 47 and four centuries), so too Durham with the peerless David Bedingham. So the players are out there, it is a case of finding the right one, with the right mentality and then providing an environment in which they can flourish.

I have to admit to a soft spot for Australians and South Africans. Who wouldn't have, with the rich history of talent from those shores in our colours over the years? Di Venuto, Jones, Rogers, Katich, North - or Barlow, Kirsten, Wilkins, Langeveldt, Kuiper? You would gladly welcome back any of them, in their prime. You could count on these fellas and their averages were testimony to their mental toughness.

Plenty would also welcome a return for Shan Masood, assuming he was interested. Given the volatility of cricket in that part of the world, he might no longer be involved with the Pakistan side by next year. Then again, he could be chairman of selectors, who knows? 

But he might not want another year in England either. I am not sure he is a dominating international player and a Test average of 30 suggests that, but he is a proven run scorer at county level who would likely not lack suitors, were he available.

Other ideas? You have as many as me, probably. We must hope for better returns next year from Mohammad Abbas, assuming he returns for his second year and isn't wrapped in cotton wool by Pakistan. I would welcome hearing them, but so many players base their careers around franchise cricket now, that it is difficult to gauge the feasibility of many names. 

I thought about someone like Matt Renshaw, a good left-hander of sound temperament, but he is back in the Australian fold for their One-Day series against South Africa. Mind you, so too is Billy Stanlake, perhaps less fondly remembered for an ultra-short stint over here.

An all rounder for T20 is essential, to go with a top-drawer batter for all formats. Both Akif Javed and Sufyan Moqim had their moments, but the side needed better balance. Watching a player like Shadab Khan for Lancashire, as he took three wickets and scored a bucolic fifty against us at Derby, highlighted the role we needed fulfilled. Had Wanindu Hasaranga, Mickey Arthur's first choice, been available this summer it would have made a difference, but such players will always be in high demand and command top salaries. That's why someone like Jimmy Neesham has had such a long and rewarding career, so too Mitchell Santner. They are players capable of winning a game with bat and ball, the same as Kieron Pollard, not one of the all-time West Indian greats but a star player for years in the short form of the game.

Much will depend on the international fixture list. I would welcome a player like Cooper Connolly with open arms, but again, the agents of such players know their worth and it would take a lot of work to get such a player to Derbyshire.

Unless anyone knows one with a granny in Codnor, of course. Ideally working on a book on the Peak District in their spare time...

As always, I appreciate your comments and your suggestions.

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 2

Gloucestershire 237 (Bracey 113, Williams 42, Randell 5-41)

Derbyshire 162-2 (Naeem 71, Came 43, Montgomery 40*)

Derbyshire trail by 75 runs

Although Gloucestershire recovered from their  overnight 62-5 to reach 237 at Bristol today, there were reasons for Derbyshire fans to feel satisfied by the close.

They were held up today by an excellent century by one of the underrated cricketers on the county circuit. James Bracey registered his third century against Derbyshire and ticks along with an average in the high thirties, as well as being a wicket keeper of very high quality. He is always the wicket I like to see taken  and that has to be the highest praise for any player. 

He received good support from Will Williams (so good they named him twice..) who must want to carry the Derbyshire attack around in his kit bag. His 42 today followed a 90 at the Our Co-op County Ground in early season and he gives good value to Gloucestershire. He later took the wicket of Harry Came in a tidy spell and can be pleased with his day's work.

For Derbyshire Brett Randell became the first New Zealander to take five wickets in an innings for Derbyshire and fully deserved his figures of 5-41. He is actually the bowler we hoped Mohammad Abbas would be, bowling wicket to wicket and constantly keeping the batters on their toes. I have liked what I have seen so far and Mickey Arthur deserves credit for this signing.

When Derbyshire's turn came to bat, it was good to see Yusuf bin Naeem given an opportunity at the top of the order and he repaid the trust handsomely. 

Although he was caught behind by Bracey just before the close, victim of an excellent delivery from Sai Kishore, Naeem suggested he has what it takes to succeed at this level. He was very composed, willing to take his time and giving himself the best chance of success by playing straight. He became more expansive once he had reached 40 and two delightful sixes over extra cover were the shots of a player in both good form and high confidence. 

At 20 he has a lot of learning to do and there will be days when things will not go his way. But it is encouraging to see a young Derbyshire batter with the willingness to spend time in the middle and the ability to make the most of it. He is the first Derbyshire-born player to score a half century for the county on debut since Tony Borrington, 55 years ago. 

Harry Came also batted well but will be disappointed to again get out when well set, while Matthew Montgomery looked in good touch before the close.

Derbyshire need to build on this excellent start tomorrow and push ahead of the home total, perhaps getting Gloucestershire in again before the close.

We will see soon enough if they can do that, but after a frustrating spell, today carried signs of improvement. 

We will take that, at this stage.

Finally, courtesy of David Griffin, it is worthy of noting a couple of landmarks. Ben Aitchison took his 200th all-format wicket for Derbyshire yesterday, while Brooke Guest took his fiftieth victim of the summer today, the third time he has reached this landmark.

Warm congratulations to both of them, to Brett Randell and of course to Yusuf Bin Naeem.

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 1

Gloucestershire 62-5 (Bracey 25*, Randell 2-21, Bashir 2-14, Aitchison 1-23)

v Derbyshire 

In the one session of cricket that the weather allowed at Bristol, Derbyshire took the upper hand against Gloucestershire, reducing them to 62-5 until the rain returned at tea to prevent any further play.

While qualifying my comments in saying that this is not a strong home eleven, the Derbyshire bowlers worked well as a unit and maintained the pressure. 

As I had suggested last night, Nick Potts was left out of the eleven and Yusuf Bin Naeem got the nod to replace Caleb Jewell.

Good luck to Yusuf, who has had a very encouraging season for the second team and at 19 looks to have the potential to go further, if he continues to work hard at his game. 

One player who has made a good early impression is Brett Randell, happily returned from a concussion break. He was impressive in the game against Durham and today again bowled with commendable accuracy and no little skill in taking 2-11 in six overs. Ben Aitchison also took a wicket before Shoaib Bashir celebrated his selection in the England squad for the third Test match by taking 2-14 in nine overs of controlled off spin.

Bashir extracted considerable turn from a first day pitch and one assumes this will only increase as the game goes on. 

Derbyshire will hope for improved weather tomorrow and also to make early inroads into the remaining home batting. They will also need to be assertive with the bat, as rain appears likely to interfere later in the match. 

Still, it was an encouraging and enjoyable session of play and regardless of the opposition, it was nice to see Derbyshire dominating proceedings while they lasted. 

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire preview

Both Amrit Basra and Yusuf Bin Naeem have been recalled to the Derbyshire squad for the game that starts tomorrow against Gloucestershire, at Bristol. 

It's fair to say Amrit will be tired tonight, as he was playing in Birmingham today for the second eleven and scored a magnificent 170,  before heading off on a hundred-mile drive at the close of play.

My personal preference would be for both of them to play, although that seems unlikely. Nye Donald has been brought back from Rotterdam (I can guarantee never writing that sentence before) and is likely to take a place in the side, replacing Caleb Jewell, while there is no place in the squad for Anuj Dal, which creates an opportunity for one of them. I think it likely that Mickey Arthur will go for both spinners, because this is the most likely pitch on the circuit to support them. 

Both Naeem and Basra are capable of bowling a few overs if needed and Derbyshire are likely to field the following eleven tomorrow:

Came, Donald, Montgomery, Madsen, Andersson, Guest, Naeem/Basra, Aitchison, Randell, Morley, Bashir (Potts in 13)

I don't think Wayne Madsen will be rested, especially since he is captain, so my guess would be Nick Potts and either Basra or Naeem missing out. 

Gloucestershire Head Coach Mark Alleyne has made one change to his squad for the match, with Aman Rao rotated out and Will Williams returning.

There is also the prospect of a Bristol debut for Sai Kishore, with the Indian spinner included in the squad.

Cameron Bancroft (C), Daaryoush Ahmed, James Bracey, Tommy Boorman, Miles Hammond, James Hayes, Sai Kishore, Mitchell Killeen, JT Langridge, Ed Middleton, Joe Phillips, Ollie Price, Matt Taylor & Will Williams.

This is a game that Derbyshire really should win. Then again, we should have done the same at Derby, when the visitors eased to victory by 10 wickets after Williams and Brookes added 191 for the ninth wicket in their only innings. It was an early example of Derbyshire losing control of matches and there have been plenty of others to follow over the course of the summer. 

The home side, to their credit, have been offering opportunity to young players as the season has progressed. It hasn't helped their points tally, but I applaud the rationale that mighty oaks might grow from these acorns. 

The weather forecast suggests a couple of days being affected by rain. That being the case, I am going to predict a draw, which would be immensely frustrating from a Derbyshire perspective. 

We will see. What do you think?

Finally, in that second team game, Derbyshire made 411-7 on the fairly small Edgbaston Nursery Ground. 

Basra had 21 fours and 5 sixes in his 170, with good support coming from Joe Hawkins (43), Mitch Wagstaff (42) and Niall McHale, Zak Chappell and Feroze Khushi, who all registered 30s.

Scorecard and video clips here

Book Review: From A to Zed- a Life in Cricket by Zaheer Abbas

I played in the era that was given to me and I remain thankful for every day of it 

These are words taken from the autobiography of Zaheer Abbas and his gratitude for what life - and cricket - has given him shines through in every page of this hugely enjoyable book.

Those of a certain age will be equally grateful for having seen him at his best, a best that put him up there with the finest cricketers ever to represent Pakistan and one of the most revered overseas players in county cricket history.

It is so refreshing to read of how he loved the county game. It has so many detractors in the modern world, yet he saw it as the ultimate test. The opportunity to play against the greatest players in the world and often to come out on top.

He was a quite magnificent player at his best. Those who saw a lot of county cricket in that period would probably put Barry and Viv Richards at the very top, with Zaheer one of those bubbling in just behind them. Yet it is fair to say he enjoyed the experience more than they appeared to and his enthusiasm for the way of life and his love of England and the county game shines through every page of the book.

Zaheer was a player who loved batting and who would not give it away when he had a hundred to his name. Four times he made a double century and century in the same match and in 1976, his annus mirabilis, he scored over 2500 runs at an average of over 70. He comes over as a fine team man, easy to get on with, less volatile than some of his erstwhile national team mates. Also a man universally admired and enjoyed, which will almost certainly be the case with this book.

It is not the biggest autobiography, coming in at 142 pages plus an excellent statistical section, but I especially appreciated the font size, which together with its writing style made it an easy read. 

The Pakistan side of the 1970s positively oozed batting talent. Sadiq and Mushtaq Mohammad, Majid Khan, Asif Iqbal, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad. They would give a great deal for similar players today, but best of them all, for me, was Zaheer Abbas.

For years he graced the county and international game and it was a pleasure to watch him. 

I thoroughly enjoyed his autobiography and I'm off to find some footage of the maestro on YouTube.

To paraphrase his own words: I watched the era that was given to me and I remain ever thankful that I saw, among many others, this majestic, magical player.

From A to Zed - A Life in Cricket is written by Zaheer Abbas and published by Fairfield Books

Derbyshire v Middlesex day 3 and 4

Derbyshire 131 (Jewell 33, Sharma 4-36) and 111-3 {Montgomery 38, Madsen 32* Roland-Jones 2-24)

Middlesex forfeited 1st innings

Match drawn

There was only one way that the fourth day at Derby could produce a result. Derbyshire had to thrash a total against 'cafeteria' bowling and then Middlesex chase, after a couple of forfeits.

There simply wasn't the time to do anything else, especially with rain and bad light likely to intervene from 4pm. Such a game needs the agreement of both sides, of course and it appears that wasn't there today.

Middlesex opted to bowl Derbyshire out twice and even the home side's known fragility made that unlikely. Having said that, neither Caleb Jewell nor Brooke Guest can have been happy with early decisions that suggested either glasses or contact lenses had been left in the pavilion by the umpire. Meanwhile, Martin Andersson played probably his worst shot of the season in giving slip catching practice to slip, with Naavya Sharma ending the first fifteen minutes of play with three wickets that somewhat overstated the quality of play.

Jewell trudged off with the air of a man whose second season failed to match anyone's expectations and an average of just 22 was that of an average county bat, not the high pressure role of gun overseas. Derbyshire will hope for - will need - much more from someone next season. His second dismissal, early in the afternoon, had an air of inevitability that was almost painful.

An in-swinging yorker from Sharma was enough for Aitchison and Dal edged Helm to the safe hands of Cracknell, his fourth catch of the innings. Then Bashir padded up to an inswinger and was leg before, first ball and an overnight 79-3 had become 101-9 in just eight overs of batting. It appears nothing collapses quite like Derbyshire and supporter concerns about the direction of the club will continue with such displays and their alarming frequency.

There was greater resilience a second time but it was hard to understand the visiting game plan. With the game drifting, it was an opportunity to rest Roland-Jones and Higgins, who had recently returned from a lengthy absence, yet they both bowled lengthy spells as batting appeared to get easier. Derbyshire didn't attempt to force the pace either, so the innings forfeit proved to be only a red herring, as the game meandered slowly and inexorably to the draw.

With the cricket lacking intensity and bad light eventually bringing the game to an early close, my mind moved on to related matters.

I don't expect Anuj Dal to be at the club next year and his demeanour at the crease is a long way from that of the player who looked set to be a good county all-rounder a few years back. If he is now a bowler who bats a bit, he also needs to take more wickets than the eleven he has in an albeit truncated season. Perhaps he needs a new environment, or plans to move to the next phase of his life outside the game, but I would be surprised if he was at the club in 2027

To be fair, Brooke Guest has also declined as a batter and one has to ask why. He is a player I have always liked and he is better than a mid-twenties average, or should be, as he approaches his cricketing prime. Losing the effectiveness of two previously key players in the middle order is costing Derbyshire dearly. Let's not forget that only Bill Storer, among Derbyshire wicket-keepers, has more centuries than Brooke, so the talent and technique is there.

I feel he needs a niche in the side and, like a good few others before him, is probably less productive the longer he has to wait to bat. He opened the batting for Australia under-19s and was at his most prolific for Derbyshire when batting three. I'd move him up the order in the remaining games, shake things up a little.

If Wayne Madsen plays red ball next summer - and that is yet to be confirmed - it will almost certainly be his last year and the challenge will be to find a way to revitalise and galvanise the batting lineup. With finance an issue, the solution is not immediately obvious. 

But of course, one option has been ignored in this match. With the season effectively dead, what is the point in playing the old maestro? With Jewell now returning to Australia, surely his berth in the side, if not position in the order,  should go to Yusuf Bin Naeem? If he got a couple of innings under his belt, it would be something to hold on to, something to illustrate that the work in the Pathway and second team is valued, something to suggest that the ultimate successor might, indeed, be in the building. 

Mickey Arthur will say he wants a strong finish, of course, but to most Derbyshire fans, does it really matter if we finish fourth or eighth? Isn't this also now the opportunity to let Nye Donald follow up on his contract signing assertion?

“I want to expand my game to all formats and be a player Mickey and Wayne can rely on in red ball cricket too, because we were so close to promotion and getting to Division One would mean so much to the whole Club and especially our Members.”

Why not try it? Why not go to Bristol on Wednesday with this team, allowing for fitness? 

Came, Guest, Naeem, Montgomery, Donald, Andersson, Dal, Aitchison, Potts, Randell, Bashir/Morley

By the way, I still maintain that Matt Stewart should have got that short term deal, not Will Rogers. I will die on that particular hill. 

No disrespect to the young left-armer, but there was far greater merit in playing a 19-year old and raw 'one of our own', than a near-24 year old who isn't. If novelty value alone was the rationale, I don't get it, as the weight of wickets hasn't been there in second team cricket and I'm not convinced they would follow at a level higher.

In closing tonight, over at Lord's Mohammad Abbas finished with nine wickets in the match for Pakistan against England, just two less than he managed for Derbyshire in five appearances. 

Why is this? 

Maybe I need to reflect on it...

Postscript: Donald is in the European T20 League now, of course...

Enter Amrit Basra, under the same idea...

Derbyshire v Middlesex days 1 and 2

Derbyshire 79-3 (Jewell 32*, Montgomery 30, Higgins 2-18)

v Middlesex

There isn't much to write about on the first two days at Derby 

The hardy supporters have only had 32 overs of play in those 2 days, in which Derbyshire progressed to 79-3.

A draw looked a nailed on certainty with the weather forecast and after two days it appears even more likely. 

Neither Harry Came nor Wayne Madsen will be especially pleased with the manner of their dismissals, neither stroke being especially judicious in the prevailing conditions. But fair play to Caleb Jewell, who has endured a difficult summer and may well be playing his final innings for the county, in making a gritty, unbeaten 32.

It was going to be tough for whichever side ended up batting, but Toby Roland-Jones and Ryan Higgins are fine, experienced bowlers and they exploited the conditions well. 

It looks unlikely we will enjoy much cricket tomorrow, so the remainder of the game looks like being a battle for first innings bonus points. 

So much for summer, eh?

Book Review: The King of Lord's - The Life of Gubby Allen by Mark Peel

On many occasions over the years, my Dad would wax lyrical about the game of cricket. 

'It's the greatest game in the world' he would say, 'ruined by the buggers that run it'.

I would question him from time to time and his main grouse was George 'Gubby' Allen and before him Sir Pelham Warner. Both of them establishment, amateur, public school figures, diametrically opposed to those of us from 'oop north' and the coalfields. Indeed,  there has long been a story that Allen might have been the illegitimate son of Warner, so similar were they, so admiring was Warner of Allen's mother. This excellent and well-researched book dispels that story, but doesn't shy from portraying its subject, warts and all.

I tried to go into it with an open mind but it was quickly evident that from an early age Allen was an inveterate snob, who had little time for professional cricketers. The comments about Larwood and Voce on the 'Bodyline' tour being  'swollen-headed, gutless, uneducated miners' do him no favours and there are numerous examples within these covers and in his surviving private correspondence that show him as having little time for those whose company he would not normally choose to keep.

It is easy to see why Les Jackson only got two Test caps, because as David Foot pointed out, Allen 'was happiest in the company of clipped accents and a background that incorporated all the social graces'. Nor did Allen approve of the low, slinging action of the Derbyshire man, despite him being one of the most prolific wicket takers in the 1950s. 

It is not difficult to see why he and Fred Trueman clashed frequently. Allen was a self-confessed believer in the outdated class system, treating professionals 'with condescension tempered with paternalism'.

Yet it is important to remember his lengthy contribution to the game. He pushed through a number of reforms, helped to introduce better coaching facilities for deprived youngsters, accepted the case for one day cricket and helped to instigate the World Cup. This as well as being the driving force for the MCC Cricket Coaching Book, hugely important then, though  considerably different to modern coaching resources.

Perhaps it is unfair to judge a man of his time by today's standards. As the book rightly says, he lived and worked in a period when Britain was governed by a privileged elite and presided over a worldwide empire. His handling of the D'Oliveira affair was poor and yet he managed to survive it as ranks, unsurprisingly, were closed.

It is a fascinating read. I got to the end of it still convinced that my Dad's assertion from long ago was correct and it is good to see the subject having a proper biography written, rather than the blatant hagiography produced by his good friend EW Swanton in 1985. 

I don't think Gubby Allen would have had much time for me, even though I respect his long service to the game, on and off the field.

I'm fairly certain that would have been reciprocated... but you should read this book and make up your own mind 

It is well worth the time and once again Mark Peel has delivered an excellent cricket book 

The King of Lord's - The Life of Gubby Allen is written by Mark Peel and published by Pitch Publishing

Derbyshire v Middlesex preview and news roundup

There is no squad announcement by Derbyshire, ahead of tomorrow's game against Middlesex at Derby. 

Social media today said the squad will be announced on Thursday 'following confirmation of player availability'. Interesting...

Someone who should be available is Yusuf Bin Naeem, whose century yesterday put the Second Eleven in a strong position against Middlesex at Belper. This was duly hammered home today, as Derbyshire achieved a first innings lead of 123 runs, before reducing the visitors to 56-6 in their second innings. Matt Stewart led the way with 4-35, including the wickets of de Caires, Falconer, Nelson and Morgan, while Jake Green took 2-21.

Play was ended early for the day, otherwise Derbyshire would have wrapped up victory in three days. Sadly, the forecast suggests there will be little play tomorrow, either.

Scorecard and video clips here

That forecast extends to Derby, of course and perhaps we should have signed Jacques Cousteau as our replacement overseas, as there appears little likelihood of play tomorrow, with the expected rain.

When they do eventually get under way is anyone's guess, but the overall forecast for the next four days suggests that they will be lucky to complete two innings in this one.

The game will mark the last appearance of Caleb Jewell, who has been called back to Tasmania for pre-season training. I hope that Naeem is the beneficiary of this, because the closing fixtures give him a chance to show what he can do. While the Head of Cricket will doubtless want to play his strongest team and finish as high as possible (I actually wrote that in his voice...) there is much to commend forward planning and Naeem should get to the end of the summer to show his mettle.

Middlesex will be skippered by Leus du Plooy and include Ryan Higgins, who missed a fair chunk of the summer. They have a good side and Toby Roland-Jones continues to take wickets as the focal point of the attack. 

Their squad:

Du Plooy, Cornwell, Cracknell, Fernandes, Geddes, Gohar, Helm, Higgins, Holden, Hollman, Robson, Roland-Jones, Sharma

In other news tonight, the under-14's lost on Duckworth Lewis to Surrey in the ECB age group final. 

Colby Edwards made 59 of the Derbyshire total of 194, but Surrey were 109-2 when the rains came and ended the day prematurely.

Nonetheless, the young side have done tremendously this summer and deserve every credit for getting so far. I will watch their progress with great interest.

And finally, the under-18s had worked their way into a strong position at Lady Bay before the scheduled last day. 

Slow left armer Oliver Woodward followed his three first innings wickets with another three, while leg spinner Umayr Hewitt took two as Nottinghamshire were reduced to 203-7 in their second innings, only 139 runs ahead. 

Earlier, Hassnain Akhtar's 115 had anchored Derbyshire's 331-8 declared, with Dalugoda making 55, Edwards 59 and McHale 44.

Scorecard and video clips here

The age groups are flourishing.

Well done lads! 

Seconds press on at Belper

Derbyshire Seconds enjoyed an excellent day at Belper today, racking up a score of 459-9 against Middlesex, taking a first innings lead, so far, of 112 runs. 

Yusuf Bin Naeem did his chances of a first team call no harm in scoring 127, while trialist Finn Gordon followed his three wickets yesterday with 93. Joe Hawkins added 65 and Feroze Khushi 52 in an exhilarating batting display, while Mitch Wagstaff scored 38. 

With two days of the game left, Derbyshire will hope to force home their advantage tomorrow, with Theo Brown and Jake Green at the crease.

Scorecard and video clips here

Entertaining day at Belper

It was a jolly old day at Belper today, as Derbyshire's second team hosted Middlesex for the first day of a four-day game.

Yusuf bin Naeem won the toss and elected to bowl, with his attack doing the necessary in bowling out the visitors for 347. They looked set for more, at one stage being 212-3 and 317-5, but the attack stuck to their task, with Jack Morley taking 4-94 and Finn Gordon 3-45. Meanwhile left-arm seamer Will Rogers, recently engaged on a short-term deal, took 3-47, including the wickets of Josh de Caires and the highly-rated Caleb Falconer, who showed why with 111. Seb Morgan made an unbeaten 67 but they never got away. Theo Brown kept wicket for the Derbyshire side and held a very good one-handed catch.

Derbyshire made it to the close on 52-0, with Mitch Wagstaff and Finn Gordon unbeaten and an exciting middle order of Khushi, Naeem and Basra to follow. 

It is good to see some young talent in the side alongside Brown, with Zak Kelly, Joe Hawkins and Matt Stewart also in the eleven.

Scorecard and video clips here

Where do I begin?

I'm not, based on that title, going to be doing my best Andy Williams impression. Like most of you, I don't really feel like singing this morning. 

Unless it is on an old fashioned 'sticky dog' pitch - and you won't get those, these days - a first class cricket team should not be bowled out in 154 balls. Of course the Durham bowling was excellent and when the four protagonists all have international experience it was always likely to be tough. But once again, in a situation where Derbyshire backs were against the wall, they crumbled. 

I should say straight away that I haven't published all of the comments I received yesterday and overnight. Some crossed a line and were omitted accordingly, some made no sense to put in a public domain with MY name on the blog that published them. Derbyshire cannot 'sack' the Chief Executive, board members AND Head of Cricket, because they would then be put under emergency measures, a club in crisis. I have no doubt the ECB would love to reduce the first-class counties and we can't give them easy targets.

On the cricket field, they are in crisis of course. It doesn't seem too long since everyone enjoyed red ball success and were looking forward to the remainder of the season. That win over Lancashire at Chesterfield, the ones over Middlesex at Lord's and Northamptonshire at Derby - they played really good cricket and reaped the rewards.

Then came white ball and disappointment. Narrow defeats, bad defeats, unexpected defeats, unbelievable defeats. Defeats. Too many of them.

I didn't expect Derbyshire to beat Durham, but I did expect them to put up a semblance of resistance. It wasn't an easy pitch for batting, but then how often have we seen batting averages artificially massaged by moribund tracks at Derby in recent years? They should have tried uncovered pitches, or facing the relentless quicks of the 70s and 80s. Facing Garth le Roux and Imran Khan at Hove was no picnic, nor was facing Malcolm Marshall or Andy Roberts anywhere.

Mickey Arthur looked drained in his post-match interview. I have no doubt that he wants success at Derbyshire and has worked very hard to put something in place that he felt would work. He is a proud man and it is that pride that I feel would stop him from going to the board and saying 'I cannot do this any more'. He referred to 'giving the players all the information' and one has to question if they are being overloaded with it, if we are building opponents into something they are not.

Certainly, when up against teams with big name players, the tendency to play the name rather than the delivery coming down is a recurring theme. Maybe there needs to be greater focus on OUR strengths rather than theirs? On what they will be worried about, on sending our guys onto the pitch feeling like the master race, rather than lesser mortals? 

I recall the story of Dave Mackay, sitting next to a visibly nervous John O'Hare on the Derby County team bus for a big game. 

'See that fella there? He just asked his mate who that was, sitting next to John O'Hare', said the Derby skipper to the youngster. Boosting his confidence in one sentence.

I don't know, I'm not privy to dressing room secrets. But one has to ask how Darren Lehmann has made Northamptonshire so good this year? How has Richard Dawson got far more than the sum of its individual parts from Glamorgan? How has Paul Farbrace got his Sussex side to ignore the off-field shenanigans and be both very competitive and entertaining? They don't have all-international attacks or all-star batting lineups, but they have eleven players who rock up, roll up their sleeves and battle. The mentality is right.

I accept that Mickey Arthur has been unlucky with injuries, but has the 'loading' off season been right, to lose so many bowling options? He hasn't had a great deal of support from his overseas choices, although I do understand why Caleb Jewell got another deal on the back of 2025 and why we signed the 'guaranteed wickets until he donned a Derbyshire shirt' Mohammad Abbas. 

But WHY have they failed? What is there in the environment that isn't working? You look at the bowlers and Aitchison, Haydon, Potts, Bashir and Morley have all improved year on year, maybe on the back of a fresh voice in their ear. Although still one questions having two non-batting spinners on the staff, when they will likely play together once every couple of years, if that. A luxury that a club like Derbyshire cannot afford, especially if Bashir loses his central contract. With the budget, can the club afford players who are clearly only single-format options? We have a few of them.

The batters? I am not having a go at Ben Smith, acknowledged as a good coach, but aside from Martin Andersson and Nye Donald, who among our batters has got better? Is another new voice needed, or is the pressure exuded from the top unhelpful? 

Mickey can't help himself in interviews. Whether they are 'entertainment machines' playing 'sexy cricket', or yesterday claiming we are still in contention for promotion. Technically yes, but we had lost four matches, now five. Promotion candidates don't usually do that and both Kent and Northamptonshire should be well clear of Derbyshire by the end of today.

'We've learned what the standards are..the gulf between us and them is massive...we are still in the hunt...' 

Are we? Don't such conflicting assertions pile on pressure? Why not take it a game at a time, see how it lands? Talk promotion in September but accept the reality that we are, at best, a mid-table side right now, especially with the injuries and the overseas challenges. If I can see that, surely the players can? 

I have had a few people ask me if a club like Derbyshire needs a batting coach AND a bowling coach AND an analyst AND someone 'being strategic' and doing team talks? It does seem top heavy, an elite structure when not necessarily required. Phil Russell had no one and did pretty well. Surely there is a middle ground?

They are in a pickle, one of their own making. To reward five years of mediocrity with a two-year extension was staggering, but from this distance, unless Mickey Arthur does the honourable thing and admits he has gone as far as he can and will leave, there appears no way out. 

They can't afford to pay off those two years AND have the resources to change things. Maybe that's a bullet worth biting, because as things stand I don't see improvement in that period anyway. Maybe, just maybe, a different voice, ethos, mentality might help? Appoint from within, take out a coaching tier/role for two years and then review?

There are potentially winnable games in the remainder of the red ball season but they will play Middlesex without Brett Randell, who will miss at least the next seven days under concussion protocols. Hopefully he recovers quickly from that nasty blow yesterday, but supporters have taken a few themselves. I don't do social media, other than this and X, but I understand that even the usually more restrained are struggling.

My concern, from my ever-growing mailbag, is that in two years time the already small membership has dwindled still further. That supporters already disenchanted by the fixture scheduling will vote with their feet and find other interests. That 'doing nothing' was seen as the clearest possible acceptance of mediocrity. 

There is no easy answer here. But doing nothing is the least palatable option. I know what 'Derbyshire's Mickey Arthur' brings to the club, that he has a seat at the top table, that he has lots of contacts, that players want to play for Mickey Arthur, et cetera, et cetera.

But after FIVE seasons of mediocrity, two more of the same is not something to whet many appetites. 

A change of luck will help. Better overseas input would go a long way. He needs a gun overseas bat for 2027 and beyond, an all rounder for T20. Match winners, guys with the right mentality and the appetite for the battle.

But even positive old me, sixty years a supporter, nineteen years a blogger, struggles to see things slowly start to improve, unless there is an acceptance of the need to shake things up and start things off.

Derbyshire v Durham day 3

Durham 283 and 295-6d (McKinney 140, Stokes 66* Rhodes 52, Bashir 3-77

Derbyshire 156 and 84 (Stokes 5-17, Potts 3-22)

Durham won by 338 runs

I think it is fair to say that if Derbyshire and Mickey Arthur hold aspirations of being a division one county, we are a country mile away from being one, based on this showing. 

As I wrote last night, this Durham side has an international attack, but their batting is a less thoroughbred affair, talented as it is. Today the whole side made something of a mockery of any Derbyshire delusions of grandeur, as they first knocked the bowling around with nary a second thought, then clinically dismantled the batting order with incisive bowling. They are a fine side, though I will say I am less of a fan of the concerted appealing, which is increasingly endemic in the modern game. 

However, to call the Derbyshire batting 'anaemic' is probably an understatement. For the team to be bowled out in just 25 overs is a disgrace

Where was the willingness to graft? Where was the Alan Hill, Tony Borrington, David Smith, Steve Stubbings, Ian Hall or David Steele who would sell their wicket dearly? Aside from Martin Andersson and Brett Randell, who may now have an enforced concussion absence after the nasty blow from a Ben Stokes bouncer, there was none. 

I said on the radio last night that this Derbyshire side would not get promotion and isn't good enough for it. Even if they did, the chances of staying up would be slightly less than mine of being confused with Ben Stokes on a cricket field. 

It is a hard watch and I confess to going out with my wife for a long dog walk this afternoon. I could see the direction of travel and only needed to rewind the feed on our return to see the stops along the way. The mood of our dogs was more upbeat than that of a Derbyshire side that looked resigned to its fate from the point at which it stepped onto the field today.

For all that Mickey Arthur has had five years, for all that he has 'prioritised' red ball cricket, I remain unconvinced that we are any further forward than five years ago. I certainly don't see a team that is indidually or collectively better than the one he inherited and in some respects  - again, acknowledging the opposition in this game - it is worse. Less than half of this side seems equipped for a higher level and there's no point kidding ourselves otherwise.

I don't see any willingness or desire to change things, I don't think there are available players who could do so and we haven't the budget anyway.

It doesn't make for an easy watch and sadly, I don't see that changing any time soon.

The bottom line is that we aren't very good. Throw in all the excuses about injuries that you may wish, but this is a poor side. 

And today was frankly embarrassing. 

Derbyshire v Durham day 2

Durham 283 (Clark 64, Lees 63, Stokes 53, Aitchison 5-70)

Derbyshire 127-6 (Jewell 28, Madsen 28, Stokes 2-14, Rhodes 2-18)

Derbyshire trail by 156 runs

It was hard work for Derbyshire in the afternoon and evening sessions at Derby today. 

It was always going to be, of course. Durham has a four-man international attack and they bowled as you would expect such a lineup to do. Potts and Carse were superb with the new ball, then came Stokes and Olivier, although it was probably Rhodes who was as awkward to face as any.

Derbyshire fought hard, but this isn't an especially good batting line up and anyone hopeful of a first innings lead against such an attack and on this pitch was optimistic beyond even my capability. 

It ended up being a battle to save the follow-on, which hasn't yet been achieved but hopefully shouldn't be too far away tomorrow. Having said that, with a good weather forecast for the rest of the game, the portents are not good for Derbyshire getting anything from this game. 

Earlier Ben Aitchison took another five wickets in a season that has surpassed all expectations, probably including his own. He is a really special bowler and a huge asset to this side. I thought Randell did well at the other end and Dal chipped in as he so often does, but the sight of the ball zipping around as the day progressed didn't fill me with optimism that Derbyshire would end the day in a positive position.

There is a lot of work for them to do to get anything from this game. 

We will find out soon enough if they are capable of doing so.

Derbyshire v Durham day one

Durham 102-2 (Lees 53*)

v Derbyshire

For a long time today, it looked like Derbyshire would have been better spending their overseas money on the ghost of Gene Kelly, so there could at least have been some entertainment as the rain came down. 

The hardy souls who braved the elements and the forecast eventually got some cricket and a first sighting of Brett Randell, this after too much of Neil Godrich for the comfort of most.

Randell, like all of the seam attack, bowled well. The first rule of bowling, especially with the new ball, has to be to make the batters play and our new Kiwi wasted nary a delivery. It irks me when I see ball after ball being allowed to pass outside off stump in the early exchanges and here both Randell and Aitchison kept the Durham openers on their toes. 

Competitions, like seasons, come and go but Ben Aitchison continues to take wickets. Bionic Ben has kept going through thick and thin this summer and here, after being dismissively swatted through the legside for six by McKinney, he had him pouched behind by Guest next ball. 

It was a good toss to win for Derbyshire and Dal, with Potts, kept up the pressure as first changes. The score advanced slowly, the fifty only coming up in the 20th over, but Lees and Rhodes did a good job for their side. Hard as Derbyshire huffed and puffed, no further Durham 'houses' were blown down, until Randell, having returned and  changed ends, found the edge of Rhodes' bat and the chance was pouched by Aitchison at second slip. 

The day ended with Durham 102-2.

Seconds fight back

Derbyshire second eleven fought back well on day three of the four-day fixture at Repton against Northamptonshire.

After being 252-2 overnight, the visitors were all out for 332, with three wickets each for Matt Stewart, Jake Green and Joe Hawkins. Stewart did especially well to turn his overnight figures of 0-43 in six overs to 3-49 in nine, but it was good to see the fight in a young side.

It left Derbyshire needing 368 to win and plenty of time in which to do so. Sadly, rain intervened after only thirteen overs of their reply and play ended for the day in early afternoon, with the score on 42-1, with Wagstaff and Khushi at the crease.

326 to win tomorrow, which may become academic with the weather forecast.

But this has been a good test for a young Derbyshire eleven. 

Derbyshire v Durham preview

Derbyshire return to red ball action at The Our Co-op County Ground tomorrow, after what seems like an interminable break.

They will face Durham, easily the best side in the division and likely to be reinforced by the appearance of Ben Stokes, the former England captain. They will also have Brydon Carse playing, after he was released from England duty to play, as has Shoaib Bashir.

It will be a stiff task for Derbyshire, although the forecast for tomorrow suggests the game is likely to be one of closer to three days than four.

Mickey Arthur has named a squad of twelve, which is basically everyone left when the extensive injury list is taken out of the equation. The final place would appear to be between Jack Morley and Nick Potts, with the latter more likely to get the nod, while the opening partner for Harry Came is likely to be between Caleb Jewell and Martin Andersson, who did so well in the white ball format.

Brett Randell is set to make his county debut and will open the bowling with Ben Aitchison in what looks likely to be this side:

Came, Andersson, Montgomery, Madsen, Jewell, Guest, Dal, Potts, Aitchison, Randell, Bashir (Morley 12th man)

Carse is set to make his first county Championship appearance of the summer for Durham, but Ben Raine is unavailable for selection due to the expected arrival of he and his wife’s second child.

Their squad:

Colin Ackermann, Kasey Aldridge, David Bedingham, Brydon Carse, Graham Clark, Alex Lees, Ben McKinney, Duanne Olivier, Callum Parkinson, Matthew Potts, Will Rhodes, Luke Robinson, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes.

It is hard to see a Derbyshire win in this game, but the forecast suggests that a draw might be possible and I don't think there will be great disappointment if they achieve that at the end of this fixture. Durham will go up this year as champions and deservedly so. 

I think Derbyshire are a better side in this format than with the white ball, so I'm happy to predict a draw here 

What do you think? 

Reality check for seconds at Repton

If nothing else, the second team game at Repton is emphasising the gulf between age group, second team and first team cricket at county level.

There are some good players in the Derbyshire side, ones who have scored heavily and taken wickets in good standard league cricket and across the age groups. 

But today brought a reality check, as they slipped from their overnight 112-2 to 156 all out. Harry Conway ripped out the middle order of Khushi, Khunti and Naeem this morning, as he has to several county sides this summer, with good support from Weatherall, Louw and Kimber - good, experienced cricketers all. 

Then Ricardo Vasconcelos got stuck into Matt Stewart and Will Rogers, as Northamptonshire reached 252-2 by the close.

It is unrealistic to expect young players to continue to dominate as they move through the age groups into county cricket, of course. Some, the REAL elite can do so, but for most it is a slow and gradual process. There are those who will fall by the wayside, but the cream will always, in time, rise to the top.

One who continues to shine is Theo Brown, who as Daryn Smit highlighted in his excellent interview yesterday, has had a fine season. In contrast to his peers, who are themselves talented players, Brown is scoring runs and winning matches in the tough Derbyshire Premier League, as well as taking under-18 cricket in his stride, at just 15 years of age.

Today he top scored with 75 as the Midlands were beaten by the North in the ECB Super Fours. To put the innings in context, the next highest score in his side was ten, in a total of 135 (although there were 23 extras)

I suspect he will be the first of the 'next generation' to break through, if he continues on his current trajectory. Obviously schooling takes precedence right now, as it does for most of his age, but I am sure his progress will be well-watched and carefully monitored.

For the rest - as well as Theo - the hard work to establish themselves as contenders, then as first team cricketers, goes on.

Seconds in control at Repton

The county second eleven had an excellent day against Northamptonshire at Repton 

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, Vasconcelos quickly into his stride and severe on any aberration in line or length from Stewart and Rogers. 

He reached fifty at a run a ball but was dismissed soon afterwards by Jake Green, who went on to the splendid figures of 5-50. Stewart and skipper Yusuf bin Naeem pitched in with a couple of wickets each, with the other going to Rogers as Northamptonshire subsided from 112-2 to 191 all out. 

When Derbyshire replied, Wagstaff didn't last long but trialist Finn Gordon, previously playing with Worcestershire and Hampshire this season, went on to a fine 34 before being dismissed by Weatherall. 

Harry Conway was leading the visiting attack, which also featured Richard Keogh, but Derbyshire reached the close at 103-2, 88 runs behind. Naeem was unbeaten on 23, while at the other end Feroze Khushi, previously on the Essex staff and more recently playing for SACA, was unbeaten on 28, which included some pleasant strokes.

Scorecard and video clips can be seen here

Under 14s reach County Cup Final!

A superb win by Derbyshire under 14s over Nottinghamshire saw them through to the final of the ECB National County Cup competition at Quarndon.

Ethan Wilde's 64 took them to 223 all out in their 45 overs, with Charlie Hall's 33 lending good support in a crucial stand of 89 for the sixth wicket, after a usually strong batting line up had slipped to 80-5

It proved the highest score of the game, as Nottinghamshire were all out for 191, Abdullah Zahoor taking 3-40.

Well done lads! 

Scorecard here

Finally tonight, Theo Brown top-scored with 70 for the Midlands in the ECB Super Fours as they lost to South and West Under 18s. 

Considering he is still under-15, that is quite something. 

Postscript: the under 14 final will be against Surrey on August 26, at Attenborough Cricket Club, Beeston

Book Review: Patsy Hendren: A Different Kind of English Hero by Jeremy Lonsdale

Jeremy Lonsdale is one of the finest modern cricket writers and his output, certainly in quality, stands alongside many others. His book on Bill Bowes was a classic and here he turns his attention to another of the great inter-war cricket characters, 'Patsy' Hendren.

I have to admit that this was a book that I eagerly anticipated, the subject being one of my favourite characters in the game from when I first read its literature, somewhat voraciously, from childhood. 

Hendren seemed to be a man of the people, the kind of person that people wanted to know and in whose successes they shared.

There were many such successes for Hendren, both as a footballer and cricketer. I'd never realised quite what a footballer he was, perhaps focusing too much on the somewhat rotund cricketer whose photograph appeared in many magazines and newspapers. He was good enough to make 435 appearances, mainly for Brentford and played once for England. The book gives good detail of his football exploits, although cricket is the main thrust, as it was in his life. 

Nor had I realised how great was the debate on his merits in England colours, yet he finished with a Test average of just under 48 and seven centuries. He was rarely sure of his place and there were those who considered him short of a big match temperament, but the figures suggest a player, who although unorthodox in style, was highly effective.

 There were 170 centuries in the first-class game, second only to Jack Hobbs, over a career that spanned three decades. He finished with an average of 50, extraordinary by any standards. Perhaps not as universally appreciated for his style as Frank Woolley, but maybe the one you would prefer in a tight situation. 

Everyone loved Patsy and he appeared on stage, in film, in print, on radio and was in demand for advertising a range of products. He was a noted wit - although some of his attempts at humour seem less funny at distance - as well as a talented mimic and fine singer. He was also unfailingly generous and was willing to give to good causes and to provide prizes and memorabilia for auctions and raffles. 

This quite superb read is a worthy record of a life well-lived and largely enjoyed. He kept remarkably busy and was a popular speaker in his playing days and in retirement, when he became a much-loved coach and subsequently scorer for Middlesex. 

The author has been short-listed and long-listed for awards before and I have no doubt that this title will achieve similar recognition.

I have enjoyed a lot of books this year, but for the depth of research, as well as its readability, this one currently sits astride them all.

Sincere congratulations to the author and to Pitch Publishing for another outstanding work.

Patsy Hendren: A Different Kind of English Hero is written by Jeremy Lonsdale and published by Pitch Publishing

Thoughts on contracts

I thought it would be worth looking at the current Derbyshire staff and where they are in contractual terms as we get to the business end of the season. 

I last looked at contracts around the country in July last year and to be honest there aren't many who are available this year and would be a huge enhancement on our squad. I will try and find, or put together a list for 2027, which may be a year when squad overhauls look more feasible.

The current Derbyshire situation is as follows:

Expiring 2026            2027                      

Wayne Madsen.          Harry Came.       

Yusuf Bin Naeem       Luis Reece

Caleb Jewell.               Amrit Basra

Mitch Wagstaff.          Shoaib Bashir

Ross Whiteley.            Ben Aitchison

Joe Hawkins.              Harry Moore

Anuj Dal.                      Mo Abbas

Pat Brown                    Brooke Guest

2028

Matthew Montgomery 

Martin Andersson

Zak Chappell

Jack Morley

Nick Potts 

Nye Donald 

Rory Haydon 

Everyone will have different opinions on the retentions for next year. I expect Caleb Jewell to go, while the Cricketer recently reported that Pat Brown has signed a new one--year deal, though yet to be announced by the club. Madsen, Whiteley and Dal will likely have been offered an extra year each, but their being around in 2027 will depend on how realistic their agents are with salary demands and I would be surprised if any were at the club in 2028.

Being honest, I wouldn't retain Ross and only a lack of alternatives may save him. I would also question Nuj, unless he has a good end of season, while 2027 will probably see the end of Wayne Madsen, unless the lure of joining his family in South Africa sees him go sooner.

As for the young players, I would be surprised if Naeem wasn't offered new terms, after a good summer in the second team, but I could see both Hawkins and Wagstaff go either way, based on a more challenging year and lack of opportunity respectively. 

What do you think? 

One thing is for sure - 2027 is a BIG season for a lot of players...