Because in just eleven days we can all wake up in the morning and think to ourselves 'cricket is back next month'.
I always love this time of year, full of expectation and anticipation around the country, everyone starting with high hopes of a successful summer. For some there is the quick reality check, for others, the year becomes something special, on either an individual or team basis.
As I have written before, this will be my 60th summer as a supporter of the county. There have been more downs than ups in that time, but the sense of hope and expectation continues unabated.
I have already booked hotels and have just to firm up on the travel for three trips in the early summer. I will be at Old Trafford in April, Derby in May then Chesterfield in June. If things go to plan, I might fit in another trip later in the summer, but with five separate weeks away with my wife and the dogs to look forward to, it is a challenge fitting everything in!
Derbyshire will head to Zimbabwe in early March, to prepare for the red ball season and hopefully get some sun on their backs.
On returning to the UK, they will travel to Uptonsteel Grace Road from 25-27 March to face Leicestershire, before taking on Leeds/Bradford UCCE at The Central Co-op County Ground from 28-30 March. The season proper starts at Derby on April 3, against Worcestershire.
The second team fixtures were also announced today, with matches taking place at The Central Co-op County Ground, as well as matches in the county at Belper, Duffield, Repton School and Quarndon.
I always enjoyed watching the second team fixtures when I was better able to travel and my parents were alive. The logistics and cost largely rules it out these days, but there is much to commend watching our stars of the future on a pleasant ground. I have enjoyed numerous chats with people at such fixtures and if you haven't had the opportunity it is well worth considering.
Anyway, hopefully that acts as a midweek winter warmer. It did its best for me this afternoon on dog walks, when it was certainly not cricket weather!
And T20 overseas signing news by the end of this week, according to Tom Poynton....Kris
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ReplyDeleteI’ve just been reading about Sussex’s financial situation apparently it may lead to a points deduction, what happened to the huge windfall that the counties were going to receive this winter? Several other counties were supposedly using some of this money to clear some or all of their longtime debts a few years ago both Kent and Leicestershire were close to financial collapse and were saved with loans from the ECB which brings on to Derbyshire back in 1993 the club was in trouble the bank had called in the overdraft it was seriously in danger of going out of existence, it was untimely saved by a legacy from a local farmer who wasn’t even a member and the recently appointed chairman and vice chairman, the chairman spoke to the TCCB at Lords and explained that the club had basically ran out of money and could not pay its bills including wages and asked if it was possible for the club to receive its quarterly payment from the TCCB a month early so that the club could continue to the shock of the chairman the TCCB refused knowing full well the potential consequences, fortunately the chairman and vice chairman stepped in and with the fortuitous legacy saved the club. The point to this rambling is that the ECB were prepared to step in to save other counties but back in 1993 they were apparently prepared to allow Derbyshire to go out of existence
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