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
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.
Peakfan I’ve followed Derbyshire as was born in Darley Abbey although I live in Stockport I went to the first day on Thursday so watched 16 balls before the initial rain. Like you say our batting today was woeful no batter wants to play it out so disappointing but their bowling attack is world class! My highlight was staying over at the Leonardo so had breakfast with Ben Stokes and the Durham team!
ReplyDeleteWhoever sanctioned The Mickey Arthur contract extension needs sacking ASAP. Simon
ReplyDeleteWell quite. I'm not sure I agree with PF's comment about the quality of the players--mainly because there are other counties managing to make much more of a competitive team out of similar county journeyers.
DeleteAre we saying that the Derbyshire players are THAT much worse than (to take a few examples of players in smaller-club teams challenging for promotion or already in division 1) Ian Holland, Zain ul-Hassan, Sean Hunt, Sheridon Gumbs, George Bartlett or Matt Quinn? I can't help feeling that if any of them were silly enough to move to Derbyshire, they'd magically become 20% of the player they were at their previous club--and that's because MA doesn't seem able to get the best out of the players he has in the way that other smaller-club coaches do manage. Likewise, I find it difficult to imagine Lehmann, Farbrace or Dawson making as little of this squad as MA seems to.
The depressing corollary of that is that it is irrelevant who the club signs (not that Arthur's recruitment has generally looked very astute anyway!) because they would be dragged down to the same level as the current lot--who I'm not at all convinced are anywhere near as bad as they've seemed to be recently.
So it's wait until 2029, 2031, 2035 or whenever the board finally decide that MA isn't worth the money they're paying him...:-)
Dave
Thanks for your report
ReplyDeleteAnderson has been a good signing, and Aitchison has had a very good season.
Madsen is getting older but has still got a decent amount of runs.
Haydon looks promising and hopefully will come through.
I know Jewell has not had the best of years, but I think he has enough credit in the bank to deserve at least another year.
Other than that, there doesn’t appear to be much in the locker. Yes, things are looking grim at the moment.
Dre.
Surely we can improve on Jewell Dre?
DeleteNo argument with the first 4, Dre, though Rory didn't play here, of course.
DeleteJewell averages 22, less than Ben Aitchison. Can't live on last season's figures and this side NEEDS much more from an overseas player. All about opinions of course!
I remember Alan Hill having a terrible run of form. But eventually, he came through it and went on to get some huge scores.
DeleteI acknowledge Jewell’s form has taken a dip, but I just think the club needs to show a bit of confidence and give him a little bit more time. Maybe he can do what Hill did.
Generally speaking, MA’s overseas signings have not been a success. I'm not sure whether this is down to finances or poor selection/availability.
Thing is, Dre, you can afford to give a young domestic player time. You can't do that with an overseas player. It's a tough gig and only the strong survive. But an overseas specialist batter HAS to average 40 as a minimum. I would be astonished if he was here next year
DeleteIf DCCC don't get rid of MA at the end of this season then I will presume that the cricketing committee do not give a f... about cricket and are only interested in balancing the books. Pathetic !!
ReplyDeleteI'll be amazed if that happens. He won't resign and I can't see the club admitting they made an error. Two more years of this I'm afraid. Unless of course he gets another extension
DeleteAgreed
ReplyDeleteLook, we were never going to win, they have an international bowling attack and a strong tktal but not to take it to a 4th day when we only needed bat 25 overs ish was an insult to be honest. I don't mind not winning, of course we aren't going to win every game and Durham are an extremely strong side but the matter in which we lost was truly dreadful
Facet
I think even if we had the best coach in the world, the outcome would probably have been the same. Our best chance before the ball was bowled was probably the rain saving us.
ReplyDeleteI do think—and have said this for quite a while—that there is a mentality issue within the team. It has been evident for some time. There are players in this team who get picked week in, week out who, in my opinion, probably wouldn’t get into other teams because they simply don’t perform consistently enough. That lack of competition for places is a concern.
That leads me to question Mickey Arthur. He has been here for five years and, if we are being honest, how much progress have we really made? If you look at individual players and ask whether they have gone backwards or forwards, you can certainly argue that players such as Atkinson, Donald, Anderson, Potts and Hayden are moving in the right direction. But there are others who arguably need much more competition for their places.
I also think the budget plays a part. Realistically, there are only three or four counties operating with smaller budgets than us. The club itself is run incredibly well, and that is down to Ryan Duckett and his team. I personally believe they see the value in potentially paying a big salary for a head coach. It could help us retain players, particularly through the opportunities around franchise cricket and Mickey’s connections.
But that raises another question: are supporter expectations realistic?
Should Mickey change his youth policy and bring it more in line with what other counties are doing? For me, that is one of the bigger issues. The alignment simply isn’t there.
Ultimately, I don’t see the answer as simply being about whether we should get rid of Mickey Arthur. I think the responsibility sits with Ryan Duckett and the committee to decide what the club wants to be, how it wants to develop players and what its long-term strategy is.
That, to me, is the real issue. It’s not necessarily about the opportunity to go after Mickey Arthur. It’s about whether the overall direction of the club is right—and whether we are getting the best out of the resources and opportunities we have.
Their's just no fight in this Derbyshire team.They can't handle the pressure and that's down to weak captaincy.Ben Stokes would whip these players into shape that's for sure!Players need strong leadership to get the best out of them and Harry Came for all his endeavour isn't that man.Topspinner
ReplyDeleteHarry isn’t captain in the CC
DeleteCame isn't the captain in this format. Madsen is...
DeleteDave
It's time for MA to fall on his sword. Otherwise he should be hearing et tu (any, or every, member of the board).
ReplyDeleteHang your heads in shame Derbyshire, gutless doesn't even come into it. Players who are unmotivated under MA's woeful tenure and it will only get worse, shameful day today when tools were downed from 11 am. Another loan signing who will prove to add nothing, what a mess, a complete mess
ReplyDeleteDonald should have been in this team early season. We can't keep picking players on what they did 3 or 4 years ago, no names mentioned. Kris.
ReplyDeleteA huge disappointment today. I went expecting a loss, and to get a look at some top cricketers but we looked beaten before the day had really got started.
ReplyDeleteI refuse to believe that a good coach couldn't get more from the players and squad than is happening right now. We were woeful and I don't see how this season doesn't create a hard re think by those at the top.
I've seen some poor performances before but none that have had our own supporters laughing at us, as was the case in the last session today. Mr Arthur can't spin that , however he tries.
Smaller point but a cafe that only had a handful of overdone sausage rolls and three vegan cornish pasties at lunchtime really isn't trying very hard to be a cafe either.
No sandwiches or choice at all on site. I'm afraid we're not all over pleased with a wide range of beers. A poor effort that just further emphasises half an effort by the club.
Gary, great point made! I've said before that we don't really know what we want to be and how to get there, and both on and off the field that was clear today.
Ryan Duckett, the chair and board have work to do. The evidence is there. The only question remains, do they want to see it and take the necessary actions to resolve the problem?
Really, really disappointed and hoping for, but not expecting, better next season.
Andy
Aside from cricket issues, that's a fair point regarding the food offer, Andy.
DeleteWhen I was down earlier in the season, there was where on the ground to buy a sandwich. I would have been quite happy to have picked one up to take back to my hotel overlooking the ground on the nights I was there, but as you say it was just sausage rolls and pasties.
I think that needs looked at. Even just some pre-packed sandwiches would be welcome
I agree with your summary, Steve, and with Gary's conclusion that we aren't good enough. Mickey has talked a lot about our players having the right skills, but, all too often, this doesn't seem to be the case. The batting in the Durham game is a case I n point. If Mickey believes we are good enough to complete with the best of them, then the players have to show this. Our batsmen have to be able to play Anderson, Potts, Carse, and others of similar talent.. When we batted for a second time today, I never sensed that we would do any better than we did in the first innings. We allowed Potts, Carse and Stokes to dominate, when we should have been more confident.
ReplyDeleteDown the wicket
I went to my first game on 1978 and have seen a lot of poor Derbyshire sides, but never one that got worse year-on-year for half a decade. It's actually quite an achievement. Dave.
ReplyDeleteMAL BAR ITS the lack of fight that I find unforgivable. For the first time I feel we are going nowhere .its worse than we were pre Barlow. I don. t know where we go from here ! ASan accountant i approve the balancesd books but we are supposed to be a cricket team. Other counties are blase about making a profit .It's a sport not a trading company !
ReplyDeleteAn excellent summary Peakfan. We are simply not good enough to compete at the level required. Why? Because in my opinion, despite what the Head of Cricket says in his interviews, we don’t have the players overall within the squad with the necessary ability to compete consistently at this level. All the “claptrap” that we have talent in the dressing room I’m afraid in my humble opinion is incorrect. We haven’t!! I don’t know what the numbers are in terms of budget but take a look at Northants. We would love a season like theirs. Perhaps they have a superior Head Coach. The supporters here at Derbyshire are now sick and tired of continual failure. As you state Peakfan, it’s embarrassing!!!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest disappointment for me is the fact that we have not been competitive in some matches. To quote Tom Poynton there have been ‘ capitulations’ the first being at Old Trafford and the latest here against Durham. It is embarrassing and any talk of promotion looks entirely delusional. When considering what progress has been made during MAs time , unfortunately, the conclusion is there hasn’t been any. Ollie
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough today would have been a rare opportunity for me to use my membership and go down to the County Ground. The way things are going it'll likely not get used again this season and there won't be one in 2027.
ReplyDelete