At a time when sports clubs are flirting with the dangers of administration, there is a lot to be said for Derby being the epicentre of those that are well run.
Derby County are probably one of the best organised in football circles, with Tom Glick having done an impressive job there. Having said that, the real accolades deserve to go to Chris Grant, Keith Loring and the rest of the commercial team at Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
A year ago we were in something of a mess. The committee had split into factions and Don Amott had announced his resignation as chairman. The internet was awash with indignant comment and the club was revealing losses of £180,000. Despite recording modest profits for each of the previous four years, the loss generated more interest in the media than those four combined. It was another argument for "getting rid" of small counties, those who don't produce England players, bring in all the Kolpaks and lose money, despite the ECB handouts.
The loss should not in any way be laid at the door of the admirable Keith Loring, one of the best Chief Executives in the county game. There were mitigating circumstances, but despite the best efforts of Loring and his excellent team, Derbyshire recorded a level of loss that was unsettling for fans.
After all of this, the club suddenly had a new chairman, a man who had only recently joined the commitee and was as surprised as the rest of us at his premature elevation to the reins. Chris Grant was known for having been an extremely successful businessman in London and for helping transform the fortunes of his local club at Swarkestone. There was a natural wariness from supporters when he took over - after all, he was succeeding a man, in Don Amott, who was a local boy made good - one of us. Everyone knew Don, liked him and respected him.
What few realised at that time was that Mr Grant was one of us too, a fan who wanted to put something back. Within weeks of taking charge he had gone through the cost headings of the club with Keith Loring and knew what we were spending in all of them - essential if things were to be turned around. They realised where savings could be made and where additional income could help to ease the burden. The season started encouragingly, but then there was the additional turmoil of the "Morris Affair". This is old ground now and while the facts have never been made public, one could only respect the speed and decisiveness with which the chairman acted - even if, at the time, it seemed extraordinary to lose the head of cricket mid-match.
Within weeks we had Karl Krikken at the helm and a new blueprint for the future, one in which young players were, for the first time, paid the going rate for their age and talents. The better ones were given the long-term security of contracts at an appropriate rate, contracts that saw them required to give back to the club with coaching of younger players, but given the opportunity to work towards coaching badges and future careers. The staff was trimmed, but those remaining, the key personnel of an exciting squad, were rewarded with enhanced deals from the savings and tied up on deals that were good for them and certainly for the club.
A development fund was set up, one that has enabled Ross Whiteley to play in Australia this winter and six players to hone their skills in India recently. Meanwhile Karl Krikken had the money to bring in specialist coaches where he saw fit, some of which will see world-renowned batting coach David Houghton return to the club this summer.
The club is, in short, professional from top to bottom. That professionalism deserves to come to the wider attention of the media as Derbyshire will not be seen as makeweights from now on. A young and talented group of players has been augmented with three exciting overseas imports; others are emerging from the Academy and locally-reared talent is beginning to form the nucleus of the first team squad.
Off the field the club's facilities are being recognised and utilised by local people, groups and organisations and innovative marketing campaigns are being rewarded, the club winning awards for their efforts. It is a far cry from the somewhat shambolic past, where despite the best efforts of well-intentioned individuals, the club rather lurched from year to year.
Rome wasn't built in a day and you don't build a cricket club in a year. But rock solid foundations have been laid over the last twelve months, foundations that could well see Derbyshire emerge as a genuine role model for cricket clubs, on and off the pitch, over the next ten years. For that we can be grateful to a small but very talented group of people working tirelessly behind the scenes and to Keith Loring, an outstanding Chief Executive.
Most of all, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Chris Grant. In just under twelve months he has accomplished a remarkable amount and has worked long hours without taking a penny from the club. He had some early flak from misguided quarters but is an extraordinary asset to Derbyshire cricket.
We are extremely fortunate to have him and as a fan I thank him and the behind the scenes team at the County Ground for their outstanding efforts.
Showing posts with label Chris Grant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Grant. Show all posts
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Random stuff
There was an interesting day at Belper today for the Second XI, with Wayne Madsen, Matt Lineker and Paul Borrington in the Derbyshire line up, all vying for a place in the side against Gloucestershire on Friday.
As it turned out, Lineker top scored between the three with thirty-odd, while Ben Slater grafted hard on an awkward pitch for 47. Had that been Michael, his ex-Aussie Test namesake, he'd have slogged 20 in three overs, then hit one up in the air...
There's a couple of interesting articles 'out there' today, one on Peter Burgoyne, which you can see (and hear) at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/14392215.stm
The other is on a lad I know little about, but who sounds quite promising, Johnny Marsden of Buxton CC.
http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/sport/cricket/s/1454483_kings-paceman-picked-for-county
Good to see young men attracting media attention from the club, as well as the club's net continuing to be cast far and wide.
On to more serious matters and I have to say that I am introducing a name only policy for comments/posts on the blog. If a post doesn't have a name on it - used consistently from that IP address - I will have to delete it.
Why? Because I am increasingly concerned about the comments from what appears to be two people billing themselves as 'Anon' with regard to John Morris and Andrew Brown, but especially with regard to Derbyshire's chairman, Chris Grant. Not to mention anything to do with the club that doesn't result in a win.
The former is old hat and, unless anything newsworthy arises from that quarter, the issue will not be mentioned again on here. It is yesterday's news, pure and simple.
The latter is of more concern to me. I don't know if Derbyshire's chairman ever reads this blog - I doubt it, to be honest - but if he did he would, I'm sure, be disappointed with some of the comments of people who seem to be either jealous of his success, petty, or both.
I had the pleasure - I use the word advisedly - of twenty minutes with Mr Grant earlier in the season and what struck me was his passion for the game, and for Derbyshire cricket in particular, as well as his enthusiasm and desire to turn things around. It needed little of that time to convince me that he was exactly the right man to take charge of the club and that he would work tirelessly - and well - on our behalf.
He could, of course, have carried on doing what he did in the city, making a lot of money. I asked him that day what exactly he did, and essentially he transformed the fortunes of businesses (my words, not his) with his business acumen and made them successful after a roots and branches overhaul. That is exactly the sort of work he has started to do at Derbyshire, without, it has to be stressed, taking a penny from the club in return. He also did substantial contractual work with young traders and business analysts in the city, something that must have stood him in good stead in recent weeks. Surely it would be remiss of the club not to use the skills of a man with such expertise?
Make no mistake, we are very lucky to have someone with his ability, someone with the club's interests at heart and with the financial know how to ensure that we stay on the right path. I know no more than anyone else what happened with John Morris, but Mr Grant acted with commendable speed to avert what appeared to be an issue. Similarly, the facts about Greg Smith will no doubt come out in due course, when we find out where he is going.
Paul Collingwood? The word from the north east is that the player had little intention in coming to Derbyshire and simply used our interest to better an existing deal at his home county. The figure mentioned, £150,000, also emanated from that area and I have serious doubts that we would offer that kind of money. Again, Mr Grant is a shrewd businessman and I simply cannot see him authorising such a spend on a player of Collingwood's age with our limited budget. It doesn't add up with paying people fair salaries without breaking the bank, which is what he's doing with everyone else.
If we didn't have Chris Grant, a man, don't forget, elected as chairman by a committee itself elected by members, we would be in a difficult situation. He has generously helped the club out on several occasions and no doubt will do so again when it is appropriate to do so, while he has a network of friends and business associates to call on too. Given that the worthy Don Amott is happy to take a back seat now, there are no viable alternatives out there, nor should we want one. As Rod Bransgrove has done for Hampshire, so could our chairman, given time and support, do for us, though following a far more sensible business model.
As the person responsible for this blog, I would hate for it to have any part in him deciding, at some point, that the backbiting was too much. So please, keep your comments on cricket matters and avoid personal ones. Constructive criticism, like many regulars is fine, but perennial moaners do no one any favours.
With a man like Chris Grant at the helm, Derbyshire cricket is in safe hands. It is the obligation of everyone who purports to be a fan to ensure that the current healthy promise within the club flowers in due course.
Get behind them, through thick and thin. And thanks to the vast majority of you for your insightful and interesting comments.
As it turned out, Lineker top scored between the three with thirty-odd, while Ben Slater grafted hard on an awkward pitch for 47. Had that been Michael, his ex-Aussie Test namesake, he'd have slogged 20 in three overs, then hit one up in the air...
There's a couple of interesting articles 'out there' today, one on Peter Burgoyne, which you can see (and hear) at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/14392215.stm
The other is on a lad I know little about, but who sounds quite promising, Johnny Marsden of Buxton CC.
http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/sport/cricket/s/1454483_kings-paceman-picked-for-county
Good to see young men attracting media attention from the club, as well as the club's net continuing to be cast far and wide.
On to more serious matters and I have to say that I am introducing a name only policy for comments/posts on the blog. If a post doesn't have a name on it - used consistently from that IP address - I will have to delete it.
Why? Because I am increasingly concerned about the comments from what appears to be two people billing themselves as 'Anon' with regard to John Morris and Andrew Brown, but especially with regard to Derbyshire's chairman, Chris Grant. Not to mention anything to do with the club that doesn't result in a win.
The former is old hat and, unless anything newsworthy arises from that quarter, the issue will not be mentioned again on here. It is yesterday's news, pure and simple.
The latter is of more concern to me. I don't know if Derbyshire's chairman ever reads this blog - I doubt it, to be honest - but if he did he would, I'm sure, be disappointed with some of the comments of people who seem to be either jealous of his success, petty, or both.
I had the pleasure - I use the word advisedly - of twenty minutes with Mr Grant earlier in the season and what struck me was his passion for the game, and for Derbyshire cricket in particular, as well as his enthusiasm and desire to turn things around. It needed little of that time to convince me that he was exactly the right man to take charge of the club and that he would work tirelessly - and well - on our behalf.
He could, of course, have carried on doing what he did in the city, making a lot of money. I asked him that day what exactly he did, and essentially he transformed the fortunes of businesses (my words, not his) with his business acumen and made them successful after a roots and branches overhaul. That is exactly the sort of work he has started to do at Derbyshire, without, it has to be stressed, taking a penny from the club in return. He also did substantial contractual work with young traders and business analysts in the city, something that must have stood him in good stead in recent weeks. Surely it would be remiss of the club not to use the skills of a man with such expertise?
Make no mistake, we are very lucky to have someone with his ability, someone with the club's interests at heart and with the financial know how to ensure that we stay on the right path. I know no more than anyone else what happened with John Morris, but Mr Grant acted with commendable speed to avert what appeared to be an issue. Similarly, the facts about Greg Smith will no doubt come out in due course, when we find out where he is going.
Paul Collingwood? The word from the north east is that the player had little intention in coming to Derbyshire and simply used our interest to better an existing deal at his home county. The figure mentioned, £150,000, also emanated from that area and I have serious doubts that we would offer that kind of money. Again, Mr Grant is a shrewd businessman and I simply cannot see him authorising such a spend on a player of Collingwood's age with our limited budget. It doesn't add up with paying people fair salaries without breaking the bank, which is what he's doing with everyone else.
If we didn't have Chris Grant, a man, don't forget, elected as chairman by a committee itself elected by members, we would be in a difficult situation. He has generously helped the club out on several occasions and no doubt will do so again when it is appropriate to do so, while he has a network of friends and business associates to call on too. Given that the worthy Don Amott is happy to take a back seat now, there are no viable alternatives out there, nor should we want one. As Rod Bransgrove has done for Hampshire, so could our chairman, given time and support, do for us, though following a far more sensible business model.
As the person responsible for this blog, I would hate for it to have any part in him deciding, at some point, that the backbiting was too much. So please, keep your comments on cricket matters and avoid personal ones. Constructive criticism, like many regulars is fine, but perennial moaners do no one any favours.
With a man like Chris Grant at the helm, Derbyshire cricket is in safe hands. It is the obligation of everyone who purports to be a fan to ensure that the current healthy promise within the club flowers in due course.
Get behind them, through thick and thin. And thanks to the vast majority of you for your insightful and interesting comments.
Friday, 10 June 2011
More thoughts on the blueprint
I'm surprised that some people cannot see the 'ground breaking' aspect of Chris Grant's blueprint for Derbyshire cricket's future.
For one thing, for the first time the club, through the chairman, has nailed its colours to the mast about its future direction. We WILL play nine English qualified players in every match from 2013. That's not 'when it suits us' - it is a commitment to support young local players to come through the ranks and have opportunity at their club. As Mr Grant says, playing them for one game to cover injury and then dropping them is not going to happen.
For another, young players being offered three-year contracts will find that it is compulsory for them and an integral part of their contract to gain coaching qualifications - I understand up to level 3 - and are then required to give up to 20 hours coaching time in the mini academy or age groups during the winter. These courses will be funded by the Professional Cricketer's Association. The players will not be paid extra for this but no other county has done this on a contractual basis.
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid my coaching came from a keen PE teacher or old Sam, the grizzled longstop at the local club who 'once played for the Club and Ground you know'. I can only imagine what it would be like for a 13 year old wicketkeeper having Tom Poynton to work with you. Or having Dan Redfern, Ross Whiteley, Paul Borrington and others helping you with your game - even knowing your name! It has to be a move in the right direction, and from the personal development perspective gives the players a useful qualification for after their playing days.
You will be well aware that I rated what John Morris did at Derbyshire. I maintain we had better players at the end of his tenure than we did at the start, but the reality of the situation is that we finished bottom of the Championship last year and lost £190,000. We professed to have a youth policy but still signed overseas players and cast-offs from other counties. That will no longer happen. Our future will depend on young players who, in the right environment and with a vastly improved structure, will have an opportunity to flourish.
For me this, together with the introduction of performance appraisals, is pretty innovative. Maybe, as someone said to me in an e mail this afternoon, some were looking for Usain Bolt to show us how to run between the wickets, or Chris Backley to show the fielders how to throw. I think the blueprint, quite frankly, is the best, most invigorating thing I've seen in cricket for years. That it has happened at our club is staggering.
I am delighted to see Dave Houghton coming in for batting coaching. Regular readers will know that I was less impressed with Houghton as a cricket supremo, as he had no real structure, brought in some odd players and released our best one. To be fair, Michael di Venuto was probably released because of back trouble at that time, but Houghton should have waited to see if surgery sorted it, rather than replacing him with the not even half as good Travis Birt.
As a batting coach he has a world class reputation and the ability to strip things down to basics and improve players, something he is credited with around the world. Who knows, we may see Shane Warne in to work with Tom Knight, Jake Needham and others, while Allan Donald is mentioned as a potential bowling coach for sessions. Given that Donald has made a bowler of Boyd Rankin, I reckon he must be a little useful...
In all this innovation, with improved contracts for the players dependent on their performances, Chris Grant has still freed up enough money to double the pot we have available for the right overseas player, a position he is already working tirelessly to fill.
After 44 years as a fan, perhaps for the first time we have a structure that makes sense from top to bottom and a logical route for any young player we spot to make it to the first team of their local side. The potential is considerable and one would imagine, if all these local lads get into the senior side their pals may well be along in greater numbers than is currently the case to lend support.
I'm delighted. Carlsberg doesn't make cricket chairmen, but the signs are that if they did, he might well live in Swarkestone...
For one thing, for the first time the club, through the chairman, has nailed its colours to the mast about its future direction. We WILL play nine English qualified players in every match from 2013. That's not 'when it suits us' - it is a commitment to support young local players to come through the ranks and have opportunity at their club. As Mr Grant says, playing them for one game to cover injury and then dropping them is not going to happen.
For another, young players being offered three-year contracts will find that it is compulsory for them and an integral part of their contract to gain coaching qualifications - I understand up to level 3 - and are then required to give up to 20 hours coaching time in the mini academy or age groups during the winter. These courses will be funded by the Professional Cricketer's Association. The players will not be paid extra for this but no other county has done this on a contractual basis.
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid my coaching came from a keen PE teacher or old Sam, the grizzled longstop at the local club who 'once played for the Club and Ground you know'. I can only imagine what it would be like for a 13 year old wicketkeeper having Tom Poynton to work with you. Or having Dan Redfern, Ross Whiteley, Paul Borrington and others helping you with your game - even knowing your name! It has to be a move in the right direction, and from the personal development perspective gives the players a useful qualification for after their playing days.
You will be well aware that I rated what John Morris did at Derbyshire. I maintain we had better players at the end of his tenure than we did at the start, but the reality of the situation is that we finished bottom of the Championship last year and lost £190,000. We professed to have a youth policy but still signed overseas players and cast-offs from other counties. That will no longer happen. Our future will depend on young players who, in the right environment and with a vastly improved structure, will have an opportunity to flourish.
For me this, together with the introduction of performance appraisals, is pretty innovative. Maybe, as someone said to me in an e mail this afternoon, some were looking for Usain Bolt to show us how to run between the wickets, or Chris Backley to show the fielders how to throw. I think the blueprint, quite frankly, is the best, most invigorating thing I've seen in cricket for years. That it has happened at our club is staggering.
I am delighted to see Dave Houghton coming in for batting coaching. Regular readers will know that I was less impressed with Houghton as a cricket supremo, as he had no real structure, brought in some odd players and released our best one. To be fair, Michael di Venuto was probably released because of back trouble at that time, but Houghton should have waited to see if surgery sorted it, rather than replacing him with the not even half as good Travis Birt.
As a batting coach he has a world class reputation and the ability to strip things down to basics and improve players, something he is credited with around the world. Who knows, we may see Shane Warne in to work with Tom Knight, Jake Needham and others, while Allan Donald is mentioned as a potential bowling coach for sessions. Given that Donald has made a bowler of Boyd Rankin, I reckon he must be a little useful...
In all this innovation, with improved contracts for the players dependent on their performances, Chris Grant has still freed up enough money to double the pot we have available for the right overseas player, a position he is already working tirelessly to fill.
After 44 years as a fan, perhaps for the first time we have a structure that makes sense from top to bottom and a logical route for any young player we spot to make it to the first team of their local side. The potential is considerable and one would imagine, if all these local lads get into the senior side their pals may well be along in greater numbers than is currently the case to lend support.
I'm delighted. Carlsberg doesn't make cricket chairmen, but the signs are that if they did, he might well live in Swarkestone...
For your convenience - Chris Grant's blueprint on the blog
For a whole host of reasons, I believe it is crucial that the club formally adopt this strategy. From a financial perspective, it makes massive sense.
The ECB actively encourages counties through its Performance Related Fee Payment (PRFP) structure to develop and play young England qualified players. If we play two under-22s who are qualified to play for England in a County Championship game, we receive £2,000 for each of them in every game they play.
On the basis of our current likely first choice 11 for both the Championship and CB40 competition, we are losing out on roughly £100,000 a season in PFRP payments, which is not that different to the total amount we generate from our entire membership subscriptions.
Added to this, there is the kudos and pride to be derived when one of our own players progresses to the England Lions or on to the full national side, as I am confident in time they will.
Overall, I believe that it is a "no brainer" to adopt this as the key plank of our future cricket strategy.
We need to let our members know that we are confident enough to back our youngsters and then give the young players the time and support to succeed, though they will, of course, need to earn their places in the side on merit.
Playing them for one game and dropping them if they fail is a definite no.
The message to the outside world needs to be to encourage support for this "Busby Babes" strategy. Clearly, some of the youngsters will not make it but I'm sure that more will than won't.
It will be the club's policy to field nine England qualified players in every game in 2013 but I must underline that this would not preclude us retaining the services of some of our best current players, like Chesney Hughes, Wayne Madsen and Greg Smith, as they are all likely to be England qualified by that time.
A defined young player pathway
At present, when an academy player graduates and is offered his first professional contract, there is no structured career development plan at Derbyshire for the individual concerned.
He joins the professional staff and, in essence, he sinks or swims on his own.
While the world of professional sport is a tough one, there needs to be a "route map" with support for the young professional, both within cricket and beyond it.
The Professional Cricketers Association has recently established courses for new professionals that deal with all aspects of becoming a professional cricketer. We need to embrace these.
It is absolutely crucial to ensure that our youngsters feel that by playing for Derbyshire, they are part of something special, where they are rewarded on a par with their peers at the other counties and have a greater level of support and opportunity.
PCA/ECB recommended minimum salaries
THREE-YEAR contracts for young players – where deemed appropriate – will become the norm but with strong safeguards against complacency built in through the use of an annual performance appraisal process.
We need to properly reward our young players and this doesn't happen now. The PCA and ECB have agreed recommended minimum salary scales and I am embarrassed to say that we currently pay a number of our young players considerably below these levels.
The PCA scales will form the basis of our new salary structure for younger players but there will also be scope through annual player appraisals for young players to earn more than these levels of pay as they break into the first team, as Chesney Hughes and Jon Clare both have, for example.
It is also crucial to ensure that our players develop off the field and in return for issuing new contracts to young players with, in some cases, reasonably significant uplifts to salaries, it is also intended to require all our young players to study for their cricket coaching qualifications.
It is also going to be written into new contracts that the players are required to spend a minimum of 20 hours of coaching time a year working with the mini academy and full academy players.
It will have a hugely positive impact on the members of the academy to think that they are being helped by current professionals and will also help build a "one club" ethos.
Karl Krikken and Luke Sutton's roles
Clearly, the departure of John and Andy means that we have the opportunity to replace one or both of them and we have already received a host of enquiries from individuals interested in taking on the role, both from this country and overseas.
In essence, it's a question of where to allocate scarce financial resources from our combined playing and coaching budget to generate the maximum return for Derbyshire CCC on the pitch.
I firmly believe that we should formalise Karl Krikken's appointment as the club's head coach for the next three years. Karl is a one-county man with 25 years of service at Derbyshire, is very well respected throughout the game and is an excellent coach, who already possesses his level four badge.
Karl has also worked with all of our young Academy graduates and is therefore uniquely placed to assess their development.
I think he and Luke Sutton are an excellent combination. Luke is an intelligent club captain and is well respected as a leader in the dressing room, with extensive connections throughout the game.
All the indications suggest that the combination is working well so far and, having spoken to both individuals, each is happy with the other's role. From a financial perspective, this is also a sensible option as both individuals are already on the payroll.
The role of Academy Director
I would like to formalise Howard Dytham's role as academy director.
Howard is a level four coach currently employed as executive manager at the Derbyshire Cricket Board, has worked for the DCB for over 12 years and is responsible, along with the other professional members of staff and key volunteers, for the delivery of the plan for recreational cricket across Derbyshire.
Coaching interaction
WHILE Karl, as head coach, would clearly spend the majority of his time with the first team, the coaches would interchange between the teams.
For example, from time to time, Howard Dytham would accompany the first team and Steffan Jones would work with the academy, with the aim of developing a more seamless and consistent approach across the club.
This would mean warm-up drills and the like could be consistent and should make for an easier transition for the players from mini academy to academy to second team and on to the first team.
Establish a specialist coaching fund
To augment the three key coaches, we intend to establish a dedicated pot of £25,000, managed by Karl Krikken, to fund specialist coaching where required.
David Houghton has an excellent reputation as a batting coach and has signalled his intention to do some coaching work for us, while if there is a chance to bring in someone like Allan Donald to work with our bowlers, we should take it.
The fund could also be used to send players abroad in the English winter, as was the case with Tom Poynton's attendance at the Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide this year.
Hugh Morris from the ECB has also indicated that the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough is a resource that we can utilise more extensively.
New contracts for key players
While the main thrust of Derbyshire's future cricket strategy is to back our young home grown players, clearly this is a long-term plan.
It needs to be tempered by the fact that the club have some excellent established players whose presence is crucial both for their contribution on the field and their role in bringing on the younger players.
I will be sitting down with every player on the senior staff after the Twenty20 group stages and new contracts on enhanced terms will be offered to those key individuals where their financial demands accord with the club's evaluation of their worth.
But I will not endorse chasing players to retain them where I believe the market price is wrong and would lead to resentment and instability amongst the other players.
Landmark player signing
Implementing all our key recommendations will still leave Derbyshire with virtually double the budget of recent years with which to sign a landmark player for 2012 and beyond.
Making the right signing and someone who will buy into the club's overall strategy will be crucial but the resources will be available for a landmark recruit.
It is surely not a coincidence that the recruitment of the likes of Eddie Barlow and Dean Jones in the past led to success on the field for Derbyshire.
The ECB actively encourages counties through its Performance Related Fee Payment (PRFP) structure to develop and play young England qualified players. If we play two under-22s who are qualified to play for England in a County Championship game, we receive £2,000 for each of them in every game they play.
On the basis of our current likely first choice 11 for both the Championship and CB40 competition, we are losing out on roughly £100,000 a season in PFRP payments, which is not that different to the total amount we generate from our entire membership subscriptions.
Added to this, there is the kudos and pride to be derived when one of our own players progresses to the England Lions or on to the full national side, as I am confident in time they will.
Overall, I believe that it is a "no brainer" to adopt this as the key plank of our future cricket strategy.
We need to let our members know that we are confident enough to back our youngsters and then give the young players the time and support to succeed, though they will, of course, need to earn their places in the side on merit.
Playing them for one game and dropping them if they fail is a definite no.
The message to the outside world needs to be to encourage support for this "Busby Babes" strategy. Clearly, some of the youngsters will not make it but I'm sure that more will than won't.
It will be the club's policy to field nine England qualified players in every game in 2013 but I must underline that this would not preclude us retaining the services of some of our best current players, like Chesney Hughes, Wayne Madsen and Greg Smith, as they are all likely to be England qualified by that time.
A defined young player pathway
At present, when an academy player graduates and is offered his first professional contract, there is no structured career development plan at Derbyshire for the individual concerned.
He joins the professional staff and, in essence, he sinks or swims on his own.
While the world of professional sport is a tough one, there needs to be a "route map" with support for the young professional, both within cricket and beyond it.
The Professional Cricketers Association has recently established courses for new professionals that deal with all aspects of becoming a professional cricketer. We need to embrace these.
It is absolutely crucial to ensure that our youngsters feel that by playing for Derbyshire, they are part of something special, where they are rewarded on a par with their peers at the other counties and have a greater level of support and opportunity.
PCA/ECB recommended minimum salaries
THREE-YEAR contracts for young players – where deemed appropriate – will become the norm but with strong safeguards against complacency built in through the use of an annual performance appraisal process.
We need to properly reward our young players and this doesn't happen now. The PCA and ECB have agreed recommended minimum salary scales and I am embarrassed to say that we currently pay a number of our young players considerably below these levels.
The PCA scales will form the basis of our new salary structure for younger players but there will also be scope through annual player appraisals for young players to earn more than these levels of pay as they break into the first team, as Chesney Hughes and Jon Clare both have, for example.
It is also crucial to ensure that our players develop off the field and in return for issuing new contracts to young players with, in some cases, reasonably significant uplifts to salaries, it is also intended to require all our young players to study for their cricket coaching qualifications.
It is also going to be written into new contracts that the players are required to spend a minimum of 20 hours of coaching time a year working with the mini academy and full academy players.
It will have a hugely positive impact on the members of the academy to think that they are being helped by current professionals and will also help build a "one club" ethos.
Karl Krikken and Luke Sutton's roles
Clearly, the departure of John and Andy means that we have the opportunity to replace one or both of them and we have already received a host of enquiries from individuals interested in taking on the role, both from this country and overseas.
In essence, it's a question of where to allocate scarce financial resources from our combined playing and coaching budget to generate the maximum return for Derbyshire CCC on the pitch.
I firmly believe that we should formalise Karl Krikken's appointment as the club's head coach for the next three years. Karl is a one-county man with 25 years of service at Derbyshire, is very well respected throughout the game and is an excellent coach, who already possesses his level four badge.
Karl has also worked with all of our young Academy graduates and is therefore uniquely placed to assess their development.
I think he and Luke Sutton are an excellent combination. Luke is an intelligent club captain and is well respected as a leader in the dressing room, with extensive connections throughout the game.
All the indications suggest that the combination is working well so far and, having spoken to both individuals, each is happy with the other's role. From a financial perspective, this is also a sensible option as both individuals are already on the payroll.
The role of Academy Director
I would like to formalise Howard Dytham's role as academy director.
Howard is a level four coach currently employed as executive manager at the Derbyshire Cricket Board, has worked for the DCB for over 12 years and is responsible, along with the other professional members of staff and key volunteers, for the delivery of the plan for recreational cricket across Derbyshire.
Coaching interaction
WHILE Karl, as head coach, would clearly spend the majority of his time with the first team, the coaches would interchange between the teams.
For example, from time to time, Howard Dytham would accompany the first team and Steffan Jones would work with the academy, with the aim of developing a more seamless and consistent approach across the club.
This would mean warm-up drills and the like could be consistent and should make for an easier transition for the players from mini academy to academy to second team and on to the first team.
Establish a specialist coaching fund
To augment the three key coaches, we intend to establish a dedicated pot of £25,000, managed by Karl Krikken, to fund specialist coaching where required.
David Houghton has an excellent reputation as a batting coach and has signalled his intention to do some coaching work for us, while if there is a chance to bring in someone like Allan Donald to work with our bowlers, we should take it.
The fund could also be used to send players abroad in the English winter, as was the case with Tom Poynton's attendance at the Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide this year.
Hugh Morris from the ECB has also indicated that the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough is a resource that we can utilise more extensively.
New contracts for key players
While the main thrust of Derbyshire's future cricket strategy is to back our young home grown players, clearly this is a long-term plan.
It needs to be tempered by the fact that the club have some excellent established players whose presence is crucial both for their contribution on the field and their role in bringing on the younger players.
I will be sitting down with every player on the senior staff after the Twenty20 group stages and new contracts on enhanced terms will be offered to those key individuals where their financial demands accord with the club's evaluation of their worth.
But I will not endorse chasing players to retain them where I believe the market price is wrong and would lead to resentment and instability amongst the other players.
Landmark player signing
Implementing all our key recommendations will still leave Derbyshire with virtually double the budget of recent years with which to sign a landmark player for 2012 and beyond.
Making the right signing and someone who will buy into the club's overall strategy will be crucial but the resources will be available for a landmark recruit.
It is surely not a coincidence that the recruitment of the likes of Eddie Barlow and Dean Jones in the past led to success on the field for Derbyshire.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Thumbs up for the blueprint
As anyone who read last night's blog will probably expect, the Chairman's blueprint for Derbyshire cricket gets a massive thumbs up from me.
The highlight of the strategy is obviously the landmark new signing from 2012 and conjecture will be rife in the coming months over the identity of the player. I've discussed this previously and have now seen the names of Simon Katich and Marcus North, both former players at the club and out of central contract in Australia linked. I'm less sure about them than others I've mentioned. Katich has a great record, though only in longer forms of the game, while North, a worthy and talented player, would hardly be a marquee signing. He has, after all, pitched his tent (sorry!) in most counties over the years, as of course has Katich.
Player development pathways for home grown players and the introduction of a specialist coaching fund are to be applauded. Let's see young players of ability accelerated through the ranks and let us reward them with performance related salaries after their annual appraisals. A player who scores 1,000 runs should get the financial reward that goes with that milestone and not get the same as one who scrapes to 500 year on year.
The opening of contract negotiations with key players is to be applauded, though I am confident that Chris Grant will not be held to ransom in this process. Again, a player who returns good runs and/or wickets can expect a commensurate reward and rightly so, but the club has a limit that cannot and will not break the bank.
The permanent appointment of Karl Krikken as Head Coach working alongside captain Luke Sutton is great news for me. Krikk is as highly qualified as a coach can be, universally liked but not incapable of telling home truths when the need arises. With the club trusting in youth, who is better placed to take the reins than the man who has worked with many of them since they were the height of full-size pads? Derbyshire through and through, Krikk has my full support and I hope that everyone else does the same.
That Derbyshire will field a minimum of nine English qualified players from 2013 is sensible and will maximise ECB grants. Both Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes will be qualified then and this sends out a warning to Greg Smith. I am sure we would all like Smith to stay, but he needs to keep his demands within the realms of realism and get himself qualified. End of story, exactly as it should be.
Perhaps best of all is that negotiations will soon begin on long term contracts for several Academy graduates, which will include a blueprint for their development both as cricketers and as individuals. I fully expect to see Messrs Borrington, Redfern, Whiteley, Poynton, Knight, Sheikh and Slater signed up for a good few years and am delighted at the prospect. With exciting young talent behind them like Burgoyne, Hughes and Cork, these could be exciting years for Derbyshire cricket, most of the players home-reared and with a sense of loyalty that comes with developing with friends through the ranks.
Posters on last night's piece have urged caution with such a young squad. Of course. Only a fool would say that a young side will win everything in sight, but I would hope that fans would show greater understanding as young players - OUR young players develop into a team to be proud of. OUR team, local lads as far as possible. Karl Krikken and Luke Sutton are first class players and men who will set an example. Steffan Jones will presumably stay in the mix as a man with a level of fitness to aspire to as well, not to mention considerable nous in the art of bowling.
With the right man in there to highlight the importance of good habits, to show them what to do in the middle when it matters, this setup could herald the start of a successful era. Stick a Ponting, Kallis, Hussey or Collingwood in there and who knows? Young bodies and minds of talent and vitality alongside a modern legend could be pretty interesting. How much fun will it be to share in their development?
Remember too that these lads are good. You don't play age group cricket for your country, as many have done, and be rubbish. By definition, if you are one of the best eleven under 17, 18 or 21 players in the country, you are a very good player. It might take a little while to develop physically, emotionally and psychologically to compete with seasoned pros at first class level, but with the right support, coaching, mentors and incentives it will all be a steady, upward path, one well worth following. We've not set the world on fire with other approaches, so let's go for it and back it 100%.
Nice work Mr Grant. I'm very impressed.
The highlight of the strategy is obviously the landmark new signing from 2012 and conjecture will be rife in the coming months over the identity of the player. I've discussed this previously and have now seen the names of Simon Katich and Marcus North, both former players at the club and out of central contract in Australia linked. I'm less sure about them than others I've mentioned. Katich has a great record, though only in longer forms of the game, while North, a worthy and talented player, would hardly be a marquee signing. He has, after all, pitched his tent (sorry!) in most counties over the years, as of course has Katich.
Player development pathways for home grown players and the introduction of a specialist coaching fund are to be applauded. Let's see young players of ability accelerated through the ranks and let us reward them with performance related salaries after their annual appraisals. A player who scores 1,000 runs should get the financial reward that goes with that milestone and not get the same as one who scrapes to 500 year on year.
The opening of contract negotiations with key players is to be applauded, though I am confident that Chris Grant will not be held to ransom in this process. Again, a player who returns good runs and/or wickets can expect a commensurate reward and rightly so, but the club has a limit that cannot and will not break the bank.
The permanent appointment of Karl Krikken as Head Coach working alongside captain Luke Sutton is great news for me. Krikk is as highly qualified as a coach can be, universally liked but not incapable of telling home truths when the need arises. With the club trusting in youth, who is better placed to take the reins than the man who has worked with many of them since they were the height of full-size pads? Derbyshire through and through, Krikk has my full support and I hope that everyone else does the same.
That Derbyshire will field a minimum of nine English qualified players from 2013 is sensible and will maximise ECB grants. Both Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes will be qualified then and this sends out a warning to Greg Smith. I am sure we would all like Smith to stay, but he needs to keep his demands within the realms of realism and get himself qualified. End of story, exactly as it should be.
Perhaps best of all is that negotiations will soon begin on long term contracts for several Academy graduates, which will include a blueprint for their development both as cricketers and as individuals. I fully expect to see Messrs Borrington, Redfern, Whiteley, Poynton, Knight, Sheikh and Slater signed up for a good few years and am delighted at the prospect. With exciting young talent behind them like Burgoyne, Hughes and Cork, these could be exciting years for Derbyshire cricket, most of the players home-reared and with a sense of loyalty that comes with developing with friends through the ranks.
Posters on last night's piece have urged caution with such a young squad. Of course. Only a fool would say that a young side will win everything in sight, but I would hope that fans would show greater understanding as young players - OUR young players develop into a team to be proud of. OUR team, local lads as far as possible. Karl Krikken and Luke Sutton are first class players and men who will set an example. Steffan Jones will presumably stay in the mix as a man with a level of fitness to aspire to as well, not to mention considerable nous in the art of bowling.
With the right man in there to highlight the importance of good habits, to show them what to do in the middle when it matters, this setup could herald the start of a successful era. Stick a Ponting, Kallis, Hussey or Collingwood in there and who knows? Young bodies and minds of talent and vitality alongside a modern legend could be pretty interesting. How much fun will it be to share in their development?
Remember too that these lads are good. You don't play age group cricket for your country, as many have done, and be rubbish. By definition, if you are one of the best eleven under 17, 18 or 21 players in the country, you are a very good player. It might take a little while to develop physically, emotionally and psychologically to compete with seasoned pros at first class level, but with the right support, coaching, mentors and incentives it will all be a steady, upward path, one well worth following. We've not set the world on fire with other approaches, so let's go for it and back it 100%.
Nice work Mr Grant. I'm very impressed.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
The coaching situation
Earlier today, contributor John asked who I thought should be the new Derbyshire coach.
I've already seen a few names mentioned. Chris Adams was one, but I've yet to see anything in Adams as a coach to match Adams the captain and player. He's struggled at Surrey and has had a lot of money to spend, so I don't see any obvious merit in bringing him back. I've also seen Shane Warne mentioned, which amused me, as he has negligible coaching credentials and would cost a lot more than we could afford. I will come back to him though.
Perennial names Andy Moles and Dougie Brown will no doubt be in the mix, as they tend to be whenever a vacancy occurs. Hand on heart though, I can only think of three who would interest me at this stage and one of them would be out of our league. That's John Wright, a coach with a solid international reputation but currently coach of New Zealand. I can't see him resigning that one to come back 'home'.
The second would be old county ground favourite Graeme Welch. Pop was a good servant to the club and could do a good job as a coach. At least he'd know what he was coming to.
Yet my preferred option would also know that, because he's already here. My vote would go to Karl Krikken. He is a top-qualified coach who knows the game and the players, with the added bonus of having been a Derbyshire man for a long time. He will keep everyone pulling together and get the best out of them. I'm sure he has every attribute required for such a role and now has the opportunity to stake a claim in the medium to long term having got the job to the end of the season.
Realistically a coach is usually only as good as his players. Eddie Barlow, who inherited a somewhat ragtag outfit, was an exception but it largely holds true. I could have coached Clive Lloyd's West Indies, or the Australia of McGrath, Warne, Hayden, Gilchrist and Waugh.
John Wright once replied, when asked how you coach the Indian side with its galaxy of talent, that you make sure that there are the same number of practice balls at the end of the session as there were at the start. At that level, players don't need a lot of coaching, just reassurance if they hit a bad trot, or a quiet word that they've started to do something that might affect their game.
I would sooner see us go for a marquee signing, mentioned in a couple of newspapers this week, who could do the sort of job that Eddie Barlow once did, given control of the playing side with assistance from Karl. Such a player would be much better value than a big name (and salaried) coach if we could get the right man - ideally someone retiring from Test cricket and available for a year or two. His signing would send out a message to other counties and would be a huge step in the development of younger players, who would look up to such a man.
Given the lure of the IPL, I can only think of one such player. While someone like Jacques Kallis or AB de Villiers would be fantastic, they can make serious money in India in a far shorter timescale than an English season. So too could the man that I have in mind, but the opportunity for one last challenge might just hold appeal for him, if, as rumoured, he retires from the international scene this winter.
Seriously, if Chris Grant could put together a package to persuade Ricky Ponting to come over, you'd be impressed, wouldn't you?
That would be my suggestion.
I've already seen a few names mentioned. Chris Adams was one, but I've yet to see anything in Adams as a coach to match Adams the captain and player. He's struggled at Surrey and has had a lot of money to spend, so I don't see any obvious merit in bringing him back. I've also seen Shane Warne mentioned, which amused me, as he has negligible coaching credentials and would cost a lot more than we could afford. I will come back to him though.
Perennial names Andy Moles and Dougie Brown will no doubt be in the mix, as they tend to be whenever a vacancy occurs. Hand on heart though, I can only think of three who would interest me at this stage and one of them would be out of our league. That's John Wright, a coach with a solid international reputation but currently coach of New Zealand. I can't see him resigning that one to come back 'home'.
The second would be old county ground favourite Graeme Welch. Pop was a good servant to the club and could do a good job as a coach. At least he'd know what he was coming to.
Yet my preferred option would also know that, because he's already here. My vote would go to Karl Krikken. He is a top-qualified coach who knows the game and the players, with the added bonus of having been a Derbyshire man for a long time. He will keep everyone pulling together and get the best out of them. I'm sure he has every attribute required for such a role and now has the opportunity to stake a claim in the medium to long term having got the job to the end of the season.
Realistically a coach is usually only as good as his players. Eddie Barlow, who inherited a somewhat ragtag outfit, was an exception but it largely holds true. I could have coached Clive Lloyd's West Indies, or the Australia of McGrath, Warne, Hayden, Gilchrist and Waugh.
John Wright once replied, when asked how you coach the Indian side with its galaxy of talent, that you make sure that there are the same number of practice balls at the end of the session as there were at the start. At that level, players don't need a lot of coaching, just reassurance if they hit a bad trot, or a quiet word that they've started to do something that might affect their game.
I would sooner see us go for a marquee signing, mentioned in a couple of newspapers this week, who could do the sort of job that Eddie Barlow once did, given control of the playing side with assistance from Karl. Such a player would be much better value than a big name (and salaried) coach if we could get the right man - ideally someone retiring from Test cricket and available for a year or two. His signing would send out a message to other counties and would be a huge step in the development of younger players, who would look up to such a man.
Given the lure of the IPL, I can only think of one such player. While someone like Jacques Kallis or AB de Villiers would be fantastic, they can make serious money in India in a far shorter timescale than an English season. So too could the man that I have in mind, but the opportunity for one last challenge might just hold appeal for him, if, as rumoured, he retires from the international scene this winter.
Seriously, if Chris Grant could put together a package to persuade Ricky Ponting to come over, you'd be impressed, wouldn't you?
That would be my suggestion.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Please note...
It is fairly clear that feelings are running high at the moment from both sides of the fence regarding the events of the past week.
In response to many requests, I am running a poll which will give a reflection of the feelings of fans at this stage. Given the legal situation, none of us outside the club know the full story about the events of this week and we may not do for some time.
I am always delighted to see your comments, but please be aware that if you are posting suggestions or accusations that I will, for fairly obvious reasons, be deleting them at this stage. While the system allows you to post as 'Anonymous' it is my name and picture on the blog and I can live without being cited in any legal issues. If you feel strongly about something drop me an e mail so I know who you are...
Peakfan36@yahoodotcodotuk. Remember to replace the word 'dot' with one, but I can live without more junk mail telling me of another relative who has died in Botswana leaving me all their money. 164 at the last count. I never realised I had such an extended family, nor that they were all so unlucky on the roads...
Regular readers will be aware that I was critical of the committee during the Amott affair, but I think criticism of them at this stage and suggestions of a petition to remove them are patently unfair and counter-productive.
We know from the media that there was little or no support for John Morris in the dressing room, for whatever reason. Chris Grant, in full possession of the facts, made a decision that he felt was right for the cricket club. Luke Sutton, commendably, was man enough to go to the media and tell the world the situation from the players perspective, taking some of the heat from the Chairman in doing so. We have not heard from John Morris but in the current situation we are unlikely to and that is his right.
I know no more than the rest of you, but I'll say this. Early in his tenure Chris Grant was big enough to make a massive decision, rather than sit on a fence. The rights or wrongs of that decision will probably come out in the course of time if the facts of the case become known, but for now I applaud him for his decisiveness.
It augurs well.
In response to many requests, I am running a poll which will give a reflection of the feelings of fans at this stage. Given the legal situation, none of us outside the club know the full story about the events of this week and we may not do for some time.
I am always delighted to see your comments, but please be aware that if you are posting suggestions or accusations that I will, for fairly obvious reasons, be deleting them at this stage. While the system allows you to post as 'Anonymous' it is my name and picture on the blog and I can live without being cited in any legal issues. If you feel strongly about something drop me an e mail so I know who you are...
Peakfan36@yahoodotcodotuk. Remember to replace the word 'dot' with one, but I can live without more junk mail telling me of another relative who has died in Botswana leaving me all their money. 164 at the last count. I never realised I had such an extended family, nor that they were all so unlucky on the roads...
Regular readers will be aware that I was critical of the committee during the Amott affair, but I think criticism of them at this stage and suggestions of a petition to remove them are patently unfair and counter-productive.
We know from the media that there was little or no support for John Morris in the dressing room, for whatever reason. Chris Grant, in full possession of the facts, made a decision that he felt was right for the cricket club. Luke Sutton, commendably, was man enough to go to the media and tell the world the situation from the players perspective, taking some of the heat from the Chairman in doing so. We have not heard from John Morris but in the current situation we are unlikely to and that is his right.
I know no more than the rest of you, but I'll say this. Early in his tenure Chris Grant was big enough to make a massive decision, rather than sit on a fence. The rights or wrongs of that decision will probably come out in the course of time if the facts of the case become known, but for now I applaud him for his decisiveness.
It augurs well.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Chris Grant interview
Thanks to regular reader Alan for bringing to my attention an interview that Chris Grant did with Phil Trow on Radio Derby's breakfast show this morning.
In it he discusses his role and puts to bed the story that John Morris wil be taking a cut in salary in any new contract.
You can listen to it yourself on BBC iplayer at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00fmjpc/Phil_Trows_Breakfast_Show_Council_allowances_royal_wedding_song_and_a_big_hole/
The interview lasts around 5 minutes and starts at 41'14.
Good stuff - and thanks again Alan!
In it he discusses his role and puts to bed the story that John Morris wil be taking a cut in salary in any new contract.
You can listen to it yourself on BBC iplayer at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00fmjpc/Phil_Trows_Breakfast_Show_Council_allowances_royal_wedding_song_and_a_big_hole/
The interview lasts around 5 minutes and starts at 41'14.
Good stuff - and thanks again Alan!
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Time to move on
Enlightenment rather than recrimination were apposite words used at the end of Mark Eklid’s account of last night’s AGM at the cricket club and this is the right time to reflect and to move on.
The threatened rebellion of the membership came to nothing as only one man spoke up. All those commenting about last night below the previous article and all of last week on IMWT had their chance to say something and did nothing. If something or someone bothers you – as the comments below suggest – the time and place to do something about it was last night. Sitting in front of a computer and moaning will change nothing, if change is what you want, while any issues with one person are always going to be there if the individual concerned is always elected unopposed. If you’re unhappy about things – and importantly think you can do better, then stand for election next year.
Anyway, now is the time for such talk to be consigned to history and for everyone to unite behind a new young chairman ahead of the season. The rights and wrongs of the past week or so will doubtless be debated for some time, but while it was poorly handled it is time to move on. In such situations there are often faults on both sides and for what it is worth I feel that the end result is as good as the county could have hoped for.
My final words on recent events are these. I have no issue with the committee whatsoever, as long as they allow talented employees – namely Keith Loring and John Morris - the opportunity to do their jobs unhindered. Maybe there has been some confusion along the way and that was always the intention, but a quick response to the Derby Telegraph’s interview with Don Amott could have defused the situation much more quickly than has been the case.
I am also a believer in the Chairman calling the shots and the committee AS A WHOLE reporting to him. There should be no sub-committees, as in such circumstances do allegations of subterfuge start to germinate. In my experience of over twenty years in committees, they work best when 100% transparent.
I am especially encouraged by the words of Chris Grant after his meteoric rise to Chairman. As I wrote last week, he was the standout candidate to replace Don Amott, himself thankfully restored to the committee, and is already saying things that should reassure those, including myself, who had concerns about the club’s future direction. Discussions are underway about an extension to the contracts of both Keith Loring and John Morris which is encouraging to hear. Regular readers will know that I am a great admirer of the work of both men and Keith Loring should ideally head our commercial direction for a long time to come.
As I wrote last week, some may feel we should wait to the end of the season before offering a new deal to John Morris. After all, last season was far from a success, although the team was somewhat hamstrung by the loss of almost all the seam bowlers. Steffan Jones and Tim Groenewald effectively carried that area last year, the former playing far more than was probably planned, given his coaching commitments.
I feel that Morris should now be given an extension to his contract and thereby secure a consistency of approach for the foreseeable future. He has worked tirelessly in his time at the club with a constantly evolving side and works under the handicap of knowing that it is almost always going to be that way. Morris has said that he can ‘sell opportunity’ at Derbyshire but simply doesn’t have the resources to hang on to players who make the most of such opportunity and are courted by other clubs. As the age of one-club men has long gone, more affluent suitors (if there are any in modern county cricket) will always be able to offer more than we can afford.
Morris presented a five-year plan to the committee, based on the work he is doing, the work in the Academy and the considerable scouting that goes on around the local leagues. Anyone who looks at the current Derbyshire squad will realise that it is a young one and now needs time to develop. Young players like Borrington, Redfern, Hughes, Needham, Clare, Whiteley, Sheikh, Knight, Slater and Poynton could easily emerge as county cricketers of talent, especially now we have a structure in place below the first team squad, with Andrew Harris set to work with the young players as they leave Karl Krikken’s ‘nest.’ They will all progress at different paces of course and some may fall by the wayside, but it is a long time since we have had a clutch of young players of that potential. It would be stupid to rock the boat and adversely impact on their development by bringing in someone new, while the likelihood of their being given earlier opportunity is advanced by the Head of Cricket having greater job security than the six months that it is at present.
We need to remember that most of these lads are under 23 and nowhere even close to their peak. Players like Paul Borrington and Dan Redfern seem to have been around for years, yet are still only 22 and 20 respectively. Likewise I read of this being a crucial season for Jake Needham, and the off-spinner is only 24.
It is spinners I feel especially sorry for with the ECB age incentive payments, as it is widely recognised that they don’t reach their peak until their thirties. Look at the best spinners in the country over the past few years – Robert Croft, Shaun Udal and Graeme Swann. All reached their peak after their thirtieth birthday. It is unrealistic to expect the craft to be mastered earlier, but the pre-season signs are that Jake is coming along pretty well.
So from me it is no more moans and time to look forward to a new season. Along the way we will have our share of bad days – it wouldn’t be a Derbyshire cricket season without them – but we’ll enjoy the good ones all the more because of that and I hope that everyone will now get behind the lads and hope for the best – starting next week!
The threatened rebellion of the membership came to nothing as only one man spoke up. All those commenting about last night below the previous article and all of last week on IMWT had their chance to say something and did nothing. If something or someone bothers you – as the comments below suggest – the time and place to do something about it was last night. Sitting in front of a computer and moaning will change nothing, if change is what you want, while any issues with one person are always going to be there if the individual concerned is always elected unopposed. If you’re unhappy about things – and importantly think you can do better, then stand for election next year.
Anyway, now is the time for such talk to be consigned to history and for everyone to unite behind a new young chairman ahead of the season. The rights and wrongs of the past week or so will doubtless be debated for some time, but while it was poorly handled it is time to move on. In such situations there are often faults on both sides and for what it is worth I feel that the end result is as good as the county could have hoped for.
My final words on recent events are these. I have no issue with the committee whatsoever, as long as they allow talented employees – namely Keith Loring and John Morris - the opportunity to do their jobs unhindered. Maybe there has been some confusion along the way and that was always the intention, but a quick response to the Derby Telegraph’s interview with Don Amott could have defused the situation much more quickly than has been the case.
I am also a believer in the Chairman calling the shots and the committee AS A WHOLE reporting to him. There should be no sub-committees, as in such circumstances do allegations of subterfuge start to germinate. In my experience of over twenty years in committees, they work best when 100% transparent.
I am especially encouraged by the words of Chris Grant after his meteoric rise to Chairman. As I wrote last week, he was the standout candidate to replace Don Amott, himself thankfully restored to the committee, and is already saying things that should reassure those, including myself, who had concerns about the club’s future direction. Discussions are underway about an extension to the contracts of both Keith Loring and John Morris which is encouraging to hear. Regular readers will know that I am a great admirer of the work of both men and Keith Loring should ideally head our commercial direction for a long time to come.
As I wrote last week, some may feel we should wait to the end of the season before offering a new deal to John Morris. After all, last season was far from a success, although the team was somewhat hamstrung by the loss of almost all the seam bowlers. Steffan Jones and Tim Groenewald effectively carried that area last year, the former playing far more than was probably planned, given his coaching commitments.
I feel that Morris should now be given an extension to his contract and thereby secure a consistency of approach for the foreseeable future. He has worked tirelessly in his time at the club with a constantly evolving side and works under the handicap of knowing that it is almost always going to be that way. Morris has said that he can ‘sell opportunity’ at Derbyshire but simply doesn’t have the resources to hang on to players who make the most of such opportunity and are courted by other clubs. As the age of one-club men has long gone, more affluent suitors (if there are any in modern county cricket) will always be able to offer more than we can afford.
Morris presented a five-year plan to the committee, based on the work he is doing, the work in the Academy and the considerable scouting that goes on around the local leagues. Anyone who looks at the current Derbyshire squad will realise that it is a young one and now needs time to develop. Young players like Borrington, Redfern, Hughes, Needham, Clare, Whiteley, Sheikh, Knight, Slater and Poynton could easily emerge as county cricketers of talent, especially now we have a structure in place below the first team squad, with Andrew Harris set to work with the young players as they leave Karl Krikken’s ‘nest.’ They will all progress at different paces of course and some may fall by the wayside, but it is a long time since we have had a clutch of young players of that potential. It would be stupid to rock the boat and adversely impact on their development by bringing in someone new, while the likelihood of their being given earlier opportunity is advanced by the Head of Cricket having greater job security than the six months that it is at present.
We need to remember that most of these lads are under 23 and nowhere even close to their peak. Players like Paul Borrington and Dan Redfern seem to have been around for years, yet are still only 22 and 20 respectively. Likewise I read of this being a crucial season for Jake Needham, and the off-spinner is only 24.
It is spinners I feel especially sorry for with the ECB age incentive payments, as it is widely recognised that they don’t reach their peak until their thirties. Look at the best spinners in the country over the past few years – Robert Croft, Shaun Udal and Graeme Swann. All reached their peak after their thirtieth birthday. It is unrealistic to expect the craft to be mastered earlier, but the pre-season signs are that Jake is coming along pretty well.
So from me it is no more moans and time to look forward to a new season. Along the way we will have our share of bad days – it wouldn’t be a Derbyshire cricket season without them – but we’ll enjoy the good ones all the more because of that and I hope that everyone will now get behind the lads and hope for the best – starting next week!
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Random news
The hunt for Saffers is on, with Kent declaring an interest in re-signing Wayne Parnell as their overseas player next season.
Given that only South Africa and New Zealand are without tour commitments next summer, I suspect there will be a few braai around the country next year, as counties that can afford to do so look for a worthwhile overseas star. Earlier this week Worcestershire announced that they are ‘unlikely’ to have an overseas player, though Shakib al Hasan may play for a few weeks in mid-season after his successful stint this year.
There have been early suggestions of Kolpak interest in Makhaya Ntini, though again Kent, for who he starred in a brief stint last year, have suggested they’ll not be pursuing it. Given the parlous state of their finances I’m not surprised, but someone could get a good overseas player who would theoretically be available all season.
Thanks to DCCC Forever for recent comments and his shared enthusiasm for Colin Ingram as a potential overseas player. I doubt that we’ll see the pairing of Ingram and Juan Theron in the T20 though on cost grounds, though I’d share your opinion that it would notionally be an excellent one.
It's also good to read on the club site that Chris Grant has been co-opted onto the club committee. There has been months of speculation that he could be brought on board and all fans will hope that the excellent work he has done at Swarkestone can continue at the County Ground. Some fans will, of course, assume that he will plough money into the club, which is a little unfair. That may happen, but his 'nous' in business will be invaluable to the club. Anything else will be a bonus. Welcome on board Chris - I hope that the relationship is a long and mutually beneficial one!
Given that only South Africa and New Zealand are without tour commitments next summer, I suspect there will be a few braai around the country next year, as counties that can afford to do so look for a worthwhile overseas star. Earlier this week Worcestershire announced that they are ‘unlikely’ to have an overseas player, though Shakib al Hasan may play for a few weeks in mid-season after his successful stint this year.
There have been early suggestions of Kolpak interest in Makhaya Ntini, though again Kent, for who he starred in a brief stint last year, have suggested they’ll not be pursuing it. Given the parlous state of their finances I’m not surprised, but someone could get a good overseas player who would theoretically be available all season.
Thanks to DCCC Forever for recent comments and his shared enthusiasm for Colin Ingram as a potential overseas player. I doubt that we’ll see the pairing of Ingram and Juan Theron in the T20 though on cost grounds, though I’d share your opinion that it would notionally be an excellent one.
It's also good to read on the club site that Chris Grant has been co-opted onto the club committee. There has been months of speculation that he could be brought on board and all fans will hope that the excellent work he has done at Swarkestone can continue at the County Ground. Some fans will, of course, assume that he will plough money into the club, which is a little unfair. That may happen, but his 'nous' in business will be invaluable to the club. Anything else will be a bonus. Welcome on board Chris - I hope that the relationship is a long and mutually beneficial one!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)