The A-Z of Derbyshire Cricket - R is for Rhodes: Harold Rhodes

Writing this piece on the run up to Christmas, it strikes me that it is a shame we never did sign Rudolph at Derbyshire...

Jacques Rudolph very nearly became a Derbyshire player, but cried off with a need for shoulder surgery and went on to become a major force for Yorkshire over several seasons. His form was spectacular, but would he have got top place in a very strong 'R' category?

Probably not, because there's some major talent. One cannot allow the category to pass without mention of Arthur Richardson, no great player but still the only man to lead Derbyshire to a county championship title. He never made a century for the club, but had a wonderful habit of scoring runs when they were most needed. An average of only nineteen tells a tale of an ordinary batsman, but Richardson was a gritty fighter and pulled together a group of strong individuals to make Derbyshire an outstanding side in the 1930s.

Moving forward, Alan Revill was a doughty batsman and wonderful fielder for the Derbyshire side of the 1950s. He scored a respectable fifteen centuries for the club, but also held almost four hundred catches. Good judges have told me that he had one of the best pairs of hands they have ever seen and I'm not going to argue with a record like that.

Then there's Adrian Rollins, a very good opening batsman over several seasons who hit the ball extremely hard and had a fairly sound technique to back it up. His career was ended prematurely by injury after a move to Northamptonshire, at a time when the advent of winter saw a revolving door installed at the County Ground and far too many good players go through it, never to return. A mid-thirties average is indicative of a talent that never quite reached full flower, but left good memories for supporters.

Another player I enjoyed watching was Bruce Roberts, whose background was in Northern Rhodesia and whose style somewhat indicative of that. He was a poor starter to an innings, but when he got going was a fine stroke player, very strong in front of the wicket. He was also a useful medium-pace bowler and a stopgap wicket-keeper, though an average of just over thirty isn't enough to get him top spot in this company.

In third place is Chris Rogers, who has played for four counties and seemed destined to only win a solitary Test cap, until a belated call-up last summer saw him look as good as any of the Australian batsmen, something that has continued to be the case this winter.

In Derbyshire colours, Rogers often carried the batting, much as Michael Di Venuto did before him and he remains a compact, organised player who knows his game and plays within his limitations. He's not a hitter and has largely found T20 cricket a challenge, but will be remembered by Derbyshire followers as a batsman of rare talent, charm and class.

Yet for me, it comes down to a father and son, a spinner and seamer.

Albert Ennion Groucutt Rhodes was better known as 'Dusty' and was one of the countless cricketers whose careers were severely truncated by the Second World War. He emerged from the conflict as the replacement for Tommy Mitchell, who opted for the greater financial rewards of league cricket, and was a very fine bowler until 1954, as well as a batsman good enough to score four centuries. On five occasions he took a hat trick (four of them for the county) and he offered a fine alternative to the seam of Gladwin and Jackson. He took over 650 wickets, despite losing six summers to the war and later became a successful and highly-regarded umpire.

Sons of sporting fathers have a very difficult path to success and relatively few have surpassed the parental exploits, but Harold Rhodes was, by any standards, a wonderful bowler. Although his career was unfairly and unnecessarily tarnished by accusations of throwing from a couple of umpires, Rhodes maintained a remarkably high standard of bowling throughout his career with the club.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has been blessed with its fair share of outstanding seam bowlers over its long history, but none of those reared locally were quicker than Rhodes, who remained so for a long period. Alan Ward was perhaps the same pace at his best, but had a much shorter period at his peak.

In considering top spot in a category blessed with very good players, I have taken longevity into account. Chris Rogers was a very good player, but for a shorter period than 'Dusty Rhodes'. Harold was one of the top three seam bowlers in the country for ten years or more and was shockingly ignored by national selectors.

England's loss was Derbyshire's gain though and Rhodes finished his first-class career with over a thousand wickets taken at under twenty. He was quick, when conditions and the match situation warranted it, but he was also unfailingly accurate. The first alone will trouble batsmen, but when coupled with a rhythmic action and pinpoint accuracy he became the scourge of the county circuit, even when playing under untolerable pressure.

As I have written before, I am slightly biased as he was a childhood hero, but Harold Rhodes was a standout performer, not always in an especially good side.

If you want more information on his career, you can read more in the ongoing interview I had with him recently. While some will find it hard to believe I overlooked Chris Rogers, I can only say one thing.

He was - and remains - a very fine player. But I saw Harold Rhodes...

Postscript - what happened to Q? We've never had a player whose name began with that letter!

Chris Rogers

If you asked a Derbyshire fan of longstanding who our best-ever batsman had been, the chances are that they would name half a dozen candidates and that Chris Rogers would be in there.


I have always maintained that an overseas batsman has to average 50 to justify his salary and Rogers did that without fail, every season. At times he seemed to carry the batting and that is perhaps why the runs dried up a little this year. Mind you, how many batsmen would take ‘drying up’ if they ‘only’ scored 1200 runs? A knee injury also affected him as the season went on, but he was still the prized wicket in the side, a sure sign of how others saw him.

Once established and in touch, Rogers rarely looked like getting out. Azharuddin may have played one extravagant shot too many, but Rogers, like Peter Kirsten, Michael di Venuto and Dean Jones would just keep going. He played with a straight bat and adjusted to our slow pitches remarkably well after being accustomed to the pace at Perth. Like most Australians he had a great pair of hands, though I would not class him as a top captain. As I’ve written before, he perhaps didn’t have the weaponry that a top skipper needs in the field, but Buck seemed more reactive than active as a skipper and didn’t often make things happen.

Nor was he an especially good one-day player. As a naturally free-scoring player, to me all he needed to do was play his normal game and let the rest bat around him, but he often fell to big shots when there was no need and it was an alien game for a cultured player.

Having said that, I’m not quite sure how we replace him and our loss is definitely Middlesex’s gain. They will be getting a man of integrity, dignity and class, all commodities in shorter supply in the modern game.

Thanks Buck. It has been a great pleasure to watch you.

Chris Rogers to join Middlesex

So it's official. Chris Rogers will leave Derbyshire at the end of the season to become overseas player for Middlesex.

Besides upsetting a lot of fans at Edgbaston, who were convinced he was joining them next year, it is a move that will understandably excite Middlesex fans, as well as the player. He will undoubtedly have received a lucrative offer and the chance of playing at Lords on a regular basis must have been a huge factor.

More later, but the conjecture as to his replacement will probably start now...

Rogers stands down

The club site reports today that Chris Rogers has stood down as Derbyshire captain, with Greg Smith taking over to the end of the season.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I'd guess that Rogers will leave at the end of the season and this lets John Morris see how Greg Smith gets on with the full-time captaincy between times.

Of course, if there is any truth in stories of other counties chasing the Derbyshire all-rounder, the lure of the captaincy for 2011 might be something that persuades him to stay. Naturally, we'd want him to be up to the job, but he is a talented cricketer that the club can scarce afford to lose at the same time as others.

Interesting. More later.

Derbyshire's Greatest Overseas Batsman

Quite a week for the blog.

It passed 72,000 hits, 12,000 of which have come since the turn of the year. After 20,000 the first year and 40,000 last year, I continue to be astonished at the level of interest and thank every one of you who logs in on a regular basis.

Yesterday was my 750th post, a landmark it would have been nice to mark with a win, but sometimes life can be hard.

Tonight it's landmark time for the biggest poll vote ever, with 98 people voting for their favourite Derbyshire overseas batsman.

While Mohammad Azharuddin and Dean Jones were mentioned in despatches, most of the votes went to three players.

In third place was Chris Rogers with 23% of the vote. By any yardstick, Rogers has been and is a wonderful servant to Derbyshire cricket. A man of integrity, he continues to set the benchmark and is an outstanding ambassador for his country. We can only hope that the regulations on visas are tweaked yet again so he can continue to entertain us for many years to come.

In second place was the admirable Michael di Venuto, with 28% of the vote. Diva was arguably our biggest loss in the past ten years and I often wonder what Derbyshire might have been like had he stayed. Diva and Rogers as an opening pair? Oh boy....

In first place, and rightly in my opinion, is Peter Kirsten with 34% of the vote. I think the whole poll was correct, with Diva a better one day batsman than Rogers and little to choose between them in the loner form of the game.

Kirsten, however, was sublime. Those too young to remember him missed out on something special. You may have caught one of his late career Test performances, when he was past his best, and may have seen his half brother Gary bat doggedly for South Africa.

Peter, in his prime was a different class. He had so much time to play his shots and had all of them at his disposal. The sight of Kirsten and John Wright together remains (and is always likely to do) the most reassured I have ever felt in watching two Derbyshire batsmen.

Kirsten would take his time when he first came in and would play through the V, before unfurling his strokes all around the wicket, with no one area stronger than another. In addition, he was a brilliant fielder and a useful off spinner before a knee problem put paid to his bowling.

There is no disgrace in coming second or third to Peter Kirsten. To be mentioned in the same breath is a supreme accolade. With Rogers and Di Venuto opening and Kirsten at three, Derbyshire could take on Mars...

Rogers up there with the best

Over the last couple of days, during my commute to Edinburgh on the train, I have been thinking about Chris Rogers' position in the pantheon of outstanding Derbyshire batsmen. I regard him as being up there as the best and it is hard to argue against a man who, when he gets in, just seems to go on and on like the Duracell bunny.

If one was to look at the other contenders, I would say that his closest rivals were Dean Jones, Peter Kirsten, Michael di Venuto and Mohammad Azharuddin. Jones was a better one day batsman than Rogers, but only had one and a bit seasons before he went back to Australia, more than a little miffed at the internal issues at the club. He is still the best pacer of a one day innings I have seen, scoring at his best without risk, with placement, timing and fast running.

Mohammad Azharuddin was a genius on his day, but was never someone you would bank on when the going got tough. Again, his stay was relatively brief and that has to be taken into consideration in assessing relative merits. If I could watch any player for half an hour it would probably have been him, but you could never guarantee that, when the ball was moving around, he would be in that long. A turning track was a different matter and he was a superb player of spin.

Which leaves us with Kirsten and di Venuto. Peter Kirsten was an outstanding player who, like Rogers, could and frequently did bat for hours. He could battle it out when necessary or pull out all the shots once he felt he was "in." He was a very organised player but did have a couple of ordinary seasons before he unveiled the true majesty of his talent. Then, for three years he averaged 55-60 and rarely looked like he would fail.

Michael di Venuto was also an outstanding player, whose departure was undoubtedly the most extraordinary/astonishing/crass thing that I recall in my forty-three years and counting as a fan. As I have written before, surely someone should have had the conversation with him regarding his intentions to use his Italian passport and play on European mobility of labour regulations? Whatever the thought process behind the retention of Travis Birt over him and irrespective of his fitness record at the time with a back problem, one would have hoped that his likely availability alongside an overseas player might have counted for something.

I know what I think, but I've decided to make it the subject of this week's poll, fully aware that some people may not have had the pleasure of watching Kirsten at his best. Fine players such as John Wright, Lawrence Rowe and Chris Wilkins don't really make it into this level of debate I'm afraid. All were among my favourites for their style and commitment, but they couldn't be argued into players of this class.

So what is your choice? I look forward to seeing that.

Finally, I had an e mail from someone who was concerned that I was talking up Chris Rogers' start to the season and "was I not worried that I would put a jinx on him" in so doing.

The answer is no. For one thing he is too good a player to be fazed by a jinx, and secondly I would be flattering myself if I thought he read this blog. All I will say is that it would make enough headlines across the cricketing world if he did it to perhaps make a few people think (especially in Australia), while the timing in our 140th year would be impeccable. A Derbyshire batsman in the record books is a rare old beast, so just make sure that you treasure this bloke for as long as you can.

Surrey v Derbyshire day 4

Is there anything better than winning your first game of the season?

Well yes, actually. There's winning it in style, against the supposed best team in the division. There's winning it with your skipper scoring 340 runs for only once out. Oh, and there's winning with all of your winter recruits playing important roles.

I'm not going to get carried away. There'll be days this season where the moaners will be out after a poor display, but this was a highly professional performance by a Derbyshire side, one doing something that they often failed to do last year. We finished a team off when they were on the ropes.

In doing that they were aided by two wickets from an impressive Mark Footitt, with Tim Groenewald opening the door with the huge dismissal of Mark Ramprakash for a duck. Although we kept chipping away, when the last hour started the hosts must have entertained hopes of salvaging a draw.

Which is when, of course, Robin Peterson (pictured) earned his corn, following his first innings 3-87 with even better figures of 3-32 in 20 overs. With Greg Smith bowling both seam and spin, Graham Wagg had a lighter than usual workload and John Morris will reflect on a job well done.

He can also reflect on the contribution of his winter signings, with Lee Goddard batting well and keeping tidily to go with the bowling of Peterson and Footitt. This is a result that has put down a marker and there will be a few sides looking at Derbyshire in a different light now.

Of course, we now need to do it consistently and it will count for little if we don't turn up against Leicestershire at the County Ground later in the week, but winning is a good habit and the boys "done well" today, to quote the football parlance.

Earlier Cap'n Fantastic took his second innings score to an unbeaten 140 and there were good runs from Dan Redfern as Derbyshire pushed for the declaration. If any one thing summed up a fine team display, it was Graham Wagg's selfless hitting (2 sixes, a four and out) that enabled us to do so earlier than might otherwise have been the case. No thought of his average, just doing it for the team. It was good to see.

Last night I wrote that Chris Rogers could be an outside bet of scoring a thousand before the end of May. The Times correspondent also suggested this today, though he included in his tally of those who have done it before, the players who scored a thousand by the end of April. He also suggested the latter feat may not be beyond Chris Rogers, although the fact that Rogers only has six more knocks in April might make that a tad fanciful.

With 340 already, and potentially 12 more innings before the end of May, I would reckon the other landmark is eminently possible. From here, he would only need to average 50 per innings, very much within the compass of an outstanding cricketer. I'm sure he'll not even think about it, certainly not at this stage and will take each innings as it comes.

So, enjoy your evening, my friends. as I know I will. Watch the highlights later on and rejoice in a job well done by our team.

I'll not get carried away, but John Major, Sir Jack Hobbs, Peter May, Jim Laker, Mark Butcher and Alec Stewart - your boys took a hell of a beating!

Surrey v Derbyshire day 3

There's only one word to describe Chris Rogers recent run of form for Derbyshire.

Extraordinary.

Aside from the fact that he is one run away from being the first Derbyshire batsman EVER - in 140 years - to score a double century and century in a match, Rogers in his last four Championship matches has turned in an astonishing array of scores:

208 v Kent
25 and 112 not out v Middlesex
222 and 42 v Essex
200 and 99 not out v Surrey

That's 908 runs in seven innings...

With Derbyshire 260 ahead going into the final day, the chances are that the first hour tomorrow will see a push for another hundred or so runs in 20 overs, leaving Surrey perhaps 360-380 to win. With the wicket apparently showing signs of variable bounce and a little more turn, that is likely to be something that will interest Robin Peterson. He will have benefited from a long bowl in the first innings, where he took three wickets and bowled with the control we have lacked from a spinner for a long time.

The sensible money is probably still on the draw in this game. I would be astonished if Surrey could be bowled out on their own track inside 75 overs, but one would hope Derbyshire would bowl better than they did in a similar position against Essex in the final game of last season.
I was pleased today to see Mark Footitt take the wicket of Mark Ramprakash, adding it to that of Marcus Trescothick he took in a pre-season friendly. Good scalps both of them and Footitt promises to be a good asset.

So too does Greg Smith, who added four wickets to his 66 runs and may bowl off spin tomorrow if conditions suit, especially bearing in mind how he did so well with it at Uxbridge near the end of the last campaign.

Of course, Rogers heroics shouldn't mask the fact that, Smith apart, the rest of the Derbyshire batting hasn't really fired in this game. On an early season track with substantial movement at times, run scoring can be difficult, but Derbyshire are very much in control of the game at the end of day three. We shouldn't lose from here, but whether we can force a win is another matter altogether.

In closing tonight I'm going to be the first person to make an observation about Chris Rogers, or Captain Fantastic as we should now be calling him. This season's fixtures see seven County Championship matches scheduled to be completed before the end of May - the most in a long time. Given that he currently has 299 runs in two innings, it is not being silly to suggest that Rogers has an outside chance of being only the seventh man in history to score a thousand runs by the end of May.

Tom Hayward did it in 1900, Bradman in 1930 and 1938, Bill Edrich in 1938, Glen Turner in 1973 and Graeme Hick in 1988. Could Rogers score another 700 runs in 12 innings? I don't know, given the vagaries of early season tracks, the thinking money would be against it.

Then again, in his current form I'd be interested in seeing the odds.

And that would be sure to make a stir back home in Australia.

Chris Rogers, the Derbyshire Bradman. Nice ring to it, eh?

Buck off to a flyer

On my way home tonight I wondered whether it was worth starting a petition to the local MP in Derby, to see if legislation can be introduced that allows all professional cricketers with the initials "CJLR" to ply their trade without question in the UK for the next ten years…

OK, it's a little facetious, but on the evidence of today Chris Rogers is going to make this a season to remember for Derbyshire fans, while making us all wonder how on earth we can replace him in 2011 if the current regulations stay as they are. Top batsmen prepared to commit to a summer in England are getting to be a rare species. Those who will do it AND play well on a regular basis are getting to be endangered…

Chris Rogers has been a great servant to Derbyshire cricket and today made Surrey regret dropping him in the forties by going on to the first century of the domestic season, all compiled in the style that we have come to know and love.

He received good early support from Paul Borrington, before Greg Smith helped to turn a slightly wobbly 134-3 to a more reassuring total of 204-3 at tea. I may have missed an announcement and may be making summat out of nowt, but in the official picture on the club website Don Amott is flanked by Chris Rogers and Greg Smith, suggesting that the latter may be the vice-captain elect. I know that he impressed in Barbados and he has a lot to offer and he might well prove to be an inspired choice.

There's a good report on the first day on Cricinfo at

http://www.cricinfo.com/countycricket2010/content/current/story/455379.html

It is a sound report by a good writer, though I would take exception to his comment that for us to challenge Rogers will need to score 1500 runs plus. Our batting is better than it showed today but I am glad we played the extra batsman. There appears to be more in the wicket than our score might suggest and Robin Peterson will have watched their two spinners bag a brace with interest. If we can push on to 400-450 tomorrow, it gives us something to bowl at. With Goddard, Wagg and Groenewald still to bat there is potential for more runs, while Rogers and Peterson will hope to add to their totals.

Apparently the commentators were moaning that Derbyshire didn't "have a go" in the last session. While the merit of scoring against a tiring attack is clear, two experienced cricketers decided they would stay to fight another day. We're not playing T20 here, and I would back the collective nous of Rogers and Peterson against the casual observer any day.

Highlights of Championship matches can now be seen via all the club web sites, so tune in to ours or theirs when you can.

As a postscript, only Derbyshire's excellent statistician David Baggett would know if any other Derbyshire batsman has been the first to score the initial ton of the Championship season. I think I would be safe to say that none have scored the first double century in the first fixture. If he got there, it would be Rogers' fourth for Derbyshire, a tally matched only by Kim Barnett and exceeded by Peter Kirsten.

That's something to keep an eye on tomorrow. I hope it goes as well as today.

Mixed news from abroad

There's mixed news for Chris Rogers and Robin Peterson today from their respective countries.

With five wickets down, Rogers is still to bat for Victoria in their current game against New South Wales. Local press reports say that he is "ill" and spent the night in hospital, but there's no suggestion as to what is wrong. Hopefully it is nothing too serious, with Buck just back to full fitness after a broken hand.

By the way, the Victoria Bushrangers website is one of the best of its kind I've seen, with lots of media and an eye catching appearance. Have a look at :

http://www.bushrangers.com.au/

Conversely, there was an extraordinary win for the Cobras tonight, especially in the absence of Charl Langeveldt.

Batting first, they made only 116 in their 20 overs against the Dolphins, albeit on a track that appears to have offered a little help to seamers.

In reply, the Dolphins were all out for 102, with ex-Middlesex all rounder Vernon Philander returning figures of 5-17 in four overs. Peterson was their most expensive bowler with 4-0-24-1 after scoring 14, but it was a very fine win, especially in the absence of Herschelle Gibbs.

Skipper Justin Kemp had a special match for the Cobras, hitting five sixes in his top scoring 59, then bowling his four overs for the amazing figures of 1-12. Kemp is a good player but never produced the stats regularly at Kent that his reputation suggested. On his day he is a a huge hitter and canny bowler but the southern county released him last year after only ordinary returns. Whether they resign him for the T20 is a moot point, though they may opt for Ryan McLaren instead.

Finally tonight, Paul Borrington should be back in Derby soon, after an excellent winter in Australia. Bozza has several fifties to his name in Perth having played at a very competitive level. The experience can only have done him good and he should be fit and ready for the pre-season nets. He should be recognisable as the one with a tan...

Until the next time.

Bits and pieces

It was a shame to hear about Chris Rogers' broken hand today in the Derby Telegraph. That must have been an especially dodgy track and a nasty injury. However, if it had to happen it is best that it does so at this stage, when Rogers is unlikely to miss any matches for us. Selfish? Yes.

Elsewhere, I was interested to read that Steve Stubbings has taken over as player/coach at Alvaston and Boulton and looks to have attracted some decent players there. Hasan Adnan will score runs at that level, while Andy Gray should take wickets and add a few with the bat too.

Perhaps the most interesting signing, however, is Ollie Saffell, fresh from 3 years with MCC Young Cricketers. Saffell is a decent batsman and a bowler of some potential. In his only match for the county he took five wickets and scored an unbeaten 35. While the opposition was only Cambridge University, it suggests that the lad can play. Stubbo reckons that he could yet force his way into the county reckoning and at 23, with the new legislation, he would give us an additional option should he be able to do so.

I would be surprised if John Morris doesn't have a long look at him this summer and it would be nice to see another youngster emerge from local cricket if Saffell steps up to the mark.

One to watch for sure.

Rogers back in business

If Chris Rogers plans to get back in to the Australian selectors thoughts this winter, he did his chances no harm with an innings of 149 against South Australia in his first knock of the season.

Business as usual from the skipper then, as his Victoria side piled up 452-3

Top stuff!

Great news on the skipper

Although it has been on the cards for a few weeks, the confirmation that Chris Rogers will be returning to Derbyshire next season is probably the best news that fans will have this winter.

Whatever happens in the next few months, the return of our captain and opening batsman gives as close to a guarantee of a thousand runs next year as it is possible to get.

Rogers exceeded two thousand in all competitions this year by some margin and in the process showed that the suggestion he cannot play one-day cricket is nonsense. Though not a regular in that game back home, Rogers averaged over sixty in the 40 and 50 over competitions while his Championship average was over 70 and the second highest in the club’s history.

Only in the 20-over game did his average drop to that of mere mortals. Far be it from me to offer advice to a man of his abilities, but if Buck simply concentrated on batting the overs in that game, rather than going for big shots, he’d score a weight of runs in that too. He is, in short, a player of great class.

Let’s not forget that he arrived late and but for that may well have gone past 2,500 runs in 2009. A total professional, we are very fortunate to have him at Derby and I’m sure that most fans hope he gets another chance with the national side this winter. Should he do so, Rogers could then play for us beyond next season.

Given the difficulties in sourcing full-season overseas professionals these days (especially ones of the highest class), that can only be a good thing.

Who knows? At his rate of scoring in 2009, next season he could easily make his 21st century for us.

Buck Rogers. Twenty first century. Did you see what I did there?

Yeah, it was quite poor. See you later.

Better if the Buck stops here

It wasn't just the innings he played against Kent over the last couple of days that prompted this article, but in recent weeks I have been increasingly of the opinion that we would be best served next season if Chris Rogers were to remain as overseas player.

There are a number of reasons for this, but highest among them is that I cannot think of anyone who could realistically do any better, or be more readily available.

Think about it. If Rogers were to earn an Australian recall this winter, it would be as a member of their Test side, not the one day one. Rogers the four day batsman is a far more impressive beast than the one day variety, despite the fact that he averages over 50 for us in one day cricket this season. Shane Watson has made a good fist of opening this year, but for me he is not a genuine Test match opening batsman, while Phil Hughes was found out a little in the Ashes series, despite batting in Bradmanesque style for Middlesex beforehand. Rogers is a compact, organised, classy player who scores runs.

For what its worth, I think he would do better in one day games if he didn't try to score so quickly. It perhaps seems silly, but he is a naturally free scoring batsman and should go out simply to bat through 20, 40 or 50 overs, rather than going for the over ambitious. Several times in the Twenty/20 this year he was caught in the deep, yet there are few Derbyshire players score much faster than him when he is simply working it around and punishing the bad ball.

It is perhaps churlish to criticise someone who averages over 50 in one day cricket, but Rogers has never been recognised as a one day player and rarely goes on to centuries by which top one day players are judged. I don't doubt for a second that an Afridi, Watson, White or Hopes would win us more one day cricket than Rogers, but would they be better players overall?

I think not. Partly because of their commitments to their countries next summer and partly because Rogers is a tough act to follow. They are all fine players, but in first class cricket this year the skipper has four centuries and four fifties in 17 innings, one in every two. I cannot see, nor expect, that anyone else would do better than that. I've written before that an overseas batsman, to be worth the money, must average 50. Forty is OK if that player takes some wickets, fifty is a good player. Buck averages 60.

He also catches flies at slip, a very safe pair of hands, while he has been a solid captain. Note I said "solid", not excellent. For me, a really good captain makes things happen. Mike Brearley, Ray Illingworth, Michael Vaughan, Eddie Barlow - those guys were captains. If the game was drifting, or going away from them, they would do something unexpected. A little like Stuart Surridge, the legendary Surrey captain. He was known to declare an innings in arrears as he saw the overhead conditions changing to suit his bowlers. Bowl them out again, then knock them off was a policy he used more than once. It needed confidence in his men - easier to have when you have Bedser, Loader, Laker and Lock in your attack and Peter May in your batting line up - and in his own judgement.

Yet it was a different age. Imagine the message boards if Rogers had declared at 270-1 yesterday and aimed to bowl Surrey out again, or be set a total that we could go for on an easing pitch. That may have been our best chance of a win, as I find it hard to see us bowling Kent out today on an increasingly docile track, but Rogers would have been slaughtered. It's at times a thankless task. Look how many (me included) moaned that he'd not bowled Mark Lawson when we failed to beat Northamptonshire. Yet look how Lawson bowled against Kent in the Pro 40. Was Rogers wrong, or were we?

No, we should be thankful that we have one of the better, most consistent and reliable professionals on the market. Maybe, just maybe, Cameron White might score the weight of runs that Rogers has done and might take a few wickets to boot. He'd catch just as well at slip and he'd be great in the Twenty/20. He's a very good captain too, having been given the Victorian post at a similar age to that of Kim Barnett when he was skipper here. He would, however, miss around 6-8 weeks of the season with Australian commitments, so then what? Afridi might win a one day game or two and could do the same with a late season leggie spell or two. Yet his commitments would rule him out for a longish period, while the concept of Afridi averaging 60 with the bat stretches credibility just a little...

Likewise Hopes. You'd probably get a batsman averaging in the forties and a bowler in the thirties, while Watson might average in the fifties yet not worry too many with the ball, even assuming his dodgy knee/back/groin/shoulder lasted the course. Fine players both, but again, the bottom line is they've too many other commitments.

For me, the ideal scenario would be a Test recall for Chris Rogers. The cruel among us might hope he didn't acquit himself too well, but success wouldn't impair his availability for Derbyshire. I'm firmly of the opinion that Rogers could be every bit the success for Australia that Simon Katich has been of late. For a country that has prided itself on being the land of opportunity, to discard forever a player as good as Chris Rogers after one Test would be unduly cruel.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who hopes he gets a chance this winter and I'm sure that John Morris will make no final decision on replacing him until he's seen how things pan out.

Spectre on the horizon...

Following discussion on the 606 boards, I'd like to clarify the situation with regard to Chris Rogers and Derbyshire in 2010

Essentially, as things stand, Rogers would NOT be able to play for Derbyshire next season.

The regulations as they stand are that players must have either one Test in 2 years, 5 Tests in 5 years or 15 one day internationals in 5 years.

Rogers only Test appearance came in January 2008, which would mean that by April 2010he would no longer satisfy the visa requirements as his appearance would have been more than two years ago.

Of course, if he plays for the Aussies this winter it changes things a little, but as things stand, we will be back in the hunt for a new overseas player for 2010.

There's a few future articles in that one, I'm sure. If you've any ideas, why not let me know?

Poll

So only one person reckons that we'll win the Championship this year.

For all I know it could have been Mr J Morris or Mr C Rogers...

Slightly more people thought we were going to miss out on promotion than thought we would get into division one, but at least it is an improvement on recent years when the primary vote would have been of the "we're doomed" variety.

I'm (for once) not sure. Much will depend on weather and fitness, together with people rising to the occasion when the pivotal moments occur. The major players are almost certainly going to be skipper Chris Rogers and our influential opening bowler Charl Langeveldt. If Buck carries on his winter form he should get a stack full of runs, while Langeveldt will always be a handful in helpful conditions.

But which is the most important? Tricky one huh? No sitting on the fence folks, you make the decision in this week's poll.

One thing about the polls - someone mailed me to say they looked out for the start of a new poll to find out which way I was voting. To be honest, I only vote near the end!

Can't wait to see your thoughts on this one. Two fine players, but who's your top dog?

Northants v Derbyshire FP Trophy

Derbyshire produced a professional display to beat Northamptonshire in a game that ebbed and flowed after we had produced our best batting of the season in posting 286-9.

This impressive score was based on good contributions from our holy trimuvirate with Stuart Law (pictured) leading the way with an imperious 95, Wavell posting another good score with 57 and the newly arrived skipper hitting 42 before holing out on the boundary edge.

When you arrive at a new club with the career average that Law has accumulated in the past 20 years there is little left to prove. His comments on arrival that it was more than just about his runs were valid, but there is no doubt that he will sleep easier tonight having shown the county's fans what an outstanding batsman he is.

Rogers batted remarkably well too for a man who must be pretty jetlagged and I loved Dave Griffin's comments on the radio this afternoon about Buck's arrival in this country. Did he want to go home for a rest? No, he wanted to go to the ground for a hit and some exercise - exactly what you want from your overseas pro and your skipper. When the two Aussies were posting their second wicket stand, my mind was cast back to the last time I felt so good about a Derbyshire line-up, which was in the halcyon days of Wright and Kirsten. When those two were going well you thought a win was a formality and there was a similar air from Rogers and Law today.

Wavell's knock added to his excellent record in this year's FP Trophy and its funny to think we were moaning about him (me included) a week or two back.

After Law and Hinds were dismissed we lost our way a little but the late assault by Graham Wagg which saw him lift three huge sixes (and hurt himself in the process) took us to an eminently defendable total.

Yet when Wessels and O'Brien stormed from the blocks with a stand of 66 in around nine overs we looked in serious trouble. Wagg was only able to bowl three expensive overs and Garry Park was also expensive today. The advent of Tim Groenewald was a key factor, as the middle order was strangled effectively. Derbyshire's bowling options stood them in good stead too, with Dan Redfern doing a good job and removing Mark Nelson after the youngster threatened a late challenge and there was no need for Wavell to turn his arm over as Derbyshire eventually won comfortably.

With Essex soundly beating Lancashire, the group is again wide open and our game on Wednesday is a really big one. The weather forecast doesn't look too clever for this one and it may be that any game is truncated at best. At the halfway stage Lancashire and Essex have 6 points from four games and we have 4. Our destiny is very much in our own hands and with better luck with the toss in the remaining matches (we lost it again today but did OK in the end) we could still sneak into the business places.

Again though, today was a new Derbyshire playing with purpose, confidence and no little skill. It's been a long time since we were able to say that about our one day form and the side are to be roundly applauded for their efforts. Well done guys.

The truth is out there...

So we now know the story behind Chris Rogers' non appearance in Derbyshire colours so far this season and on the face of it we'll not see him some time soon.

Full marks to Peakview on the club's fans message board "In Morris We Trust", who found the following article in The West Australian newspaper. The link to it is

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=4&ContentID=138048

For those who can't be bothered, here's the text below:

"Chris Rogers’ bid to take part in this year’s Ashes has been stymied by a delay in his UK work visa, leaving him languishing in Perth for nearly a month.

The record-breaking former WA opener, who played one Test against India last year, hoped to use his stint with county team Derbyshire to strengthen his claims for a return to the Australian team.

But the refusal of the British High Commission to issue him with a skilled worker visa has prevented Rogers travelling to England.

He has sought the support of Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, a keen cricket fan, to help him complete the documentation.

“It has been very frustrating,” Rogers said yesterday. “I have got a valid contract, I am entitled to a visa but the delays in issuing it have meant I am stuck in Perth rather than playing with Derbyshire.

“My view is that if I am scoring runs in county cricket, the national selectors will have a reason to consider me for the Ashes but it won’t do me any good if I am not playing.”

Rogers’ problems started when he supplied the High Commission in Canberra with copies — rather than originals — of a bank statement showing he had the required £800 deposited in an England bank.

His application was denied on April 16 but he was not told until April 21, a week after the county season started.

Rogers has reapplied but was told the visa application would take 25 days to process. He will also have to provide new biometric data, such as fingerprints and iris scans, for a new electronic identity card.

“It seems to be an unforgiving or inflexible system,” Rogers said. “I am not sure why they did not make one phone call to me to confirm I had to supply originals of the required documentation rather than wait until the end of the processing period.

“I know Derbyshire have tried to get their local MP to pursue things at their end while I have been in contact with Stephen Smith’s office to see if he can help.”

Mr Smith is at Gallipoli for Anzac Day but a spokesman said Rogers’ case was being considered.

Derbyshire have signed Stuart Law, who is now a UK resident, as a short term replacement."

So...

The Derby Telegraph now say that following the intervention of local MPs with the Australian government that Rogers may be here in time for the game at Northampton next weekend. I hope so, because his presence after a winter of high scoring will be a great asset. There's been a few mistakes made along the way, but there's no real damage at this stage. Just as long as he does get here...

Say hello to Captain Buck Rogers...

Steadily and quietly, with the minimum of fuss, John Morris has gone about the business of getting a team together over recent weeks.

Dan Redfern was signed for two years and more recently Paul Borrington too. These lads are fine talents and we can now work to improve them further and highlight the good deeds going on in the Academy setup (take a bow Krikk!)

Then Wavell Hinds was signed for next season with an option for 2010. Added to the fact that Charl Langeveldt was on board for two years, this gives Morris a nucleus of experienced, talented players who should both benefit from a full English season and the range of conditions they have faced.

Now comes the news we have all been hoping for. Chris Rogers is signed for next year as captain and I applaud that decision 100%. While there was a school of thought that we should use the captaincy to attract an established pro from elsewhere, there is a two word answer to that one.

Rikki Clarke.

I firmly subscribe to the Australian model of picking your captain as the best player available. Few would argue that this is Rogers, and the amiable Aussie has grown from a slow start to become the second most prolific run scorer in the country. At 31 he also has his best years ahead of him and realistically is unlikely to trouble the Aussie selectors given the depth of batting talent in that country. Yet with 1372 first class runs he has emulated the feats of Michael di Venuto - and in my opinion surpassed them.

There have been comments - some of them from me - that he is not really a one day player. The bare facts are that he averages 37 in one day cricket and 57 in the longer game. However, he has managed six fifties in 13 one day innings and has only failed in not converting these to centuries.

He is a very solid professional, well respected and has the potential to be our skipper for the next five years. What's not to like?

I'm delighted with this appointment and now John Morris has to answer some serious questions.

Is Steve Stubbings worth another year?
Is Wayne White?
Is Ian Hunter?
Can Dom Telo come back next year as the player who made such an impact in South Africa?
Can Tom Lungley re-emerge from an injury-hit year to bolster the seam bowling ranks next season?
Can John Sadler challenge for a middle order spot?
Is Tom New worth an offer?
Who can he bring into the middle order to strengthen next year's side?
Do we need a new slow left armer, or do we accept that Graham Wagg may be as good as any of them that may be available and make a move for Yorkshire leggie Mark Lawson?
Can he find another seamer?

I've said before and will again that I'd like to see Dominic Cork back next year. Rumours of Steve Kirby's availability abound, but Cork would be my choice. Erstwhile personality aside, if Stuart Law and Andrew Flintoff reckon Lancashire have made a mistake I'm happy to trust their judgement.

There may be some merit in a move for Andrew Harris, now that he has left Nottinghamshire, but given his track record it might best be as a "pay as you play" deal. On his day he's a good bowler, but whether the body is still up to it is debatable. There would be a degree of irony if he were to rejoin Derbyshire, as I seem to recall John Morris, acting as an agent, being instrumental in his leaving a few years back and his decision to go down the road will still rankle with some fans.

For me, the side for next April is taking shape nicely. I'd see it as being something along the lines of:

Rogers
Stubbings/Birch/Borrington
X
Hinds
Redfern
Smith
Pipe
Clare
Wagg
X
Langeveldt

We should remember that we will not see Borrington until June with University commitments and may not see Hinds at the start, depending on the ICL schedule. It has been an encouraging season in many ways, but this winter's recruitment will dictate the rate of progress from here.

Big day

But to be fair it could all end in anti-climax.

I can't see anything in this final day apart from Chris Rogers attempt on the club batting record and it would be a real shame if he were denied a fair crack at it by running out of partners.

Waggy is a good batsman and closing in on the mini-double (500 runs, 50 wickets) but he is vulnerable early and that would just leave Charl Langeveldt and Nayan Doshi to keep Rogers company, neither of whom one would have total confidence in. The South African can hit a ball but with that style the bowlers always have a chance and Doshi, while a cricketer of some merit, is not a batsman I'd put my mortgage on.

There's a comment on 606 saying that Rogers is a "flat track bully" which is patently unfair. Very few batsmen make big scores consistently on tracks favouring bowlers and it could be argued that Rogers has made 60's and 70's this year when the conditions favoured them and which were possibly of greater merit. I cannot think of any batting record that has been set on an awkward track and the trick is to cash in when the conditions are in your favour.

"Drink at the well". That was the advice to a fledgling batsman from his senior colleague many years ago when he suggested he might get out having made his century. There are plenty of times when form is a desert and runs hard to come by so batsmen should capitalise on the opportunities afforded by the occasional docile track to boost their average. To be brutally honest, yesterday's track has been the same for the batsmen of both sides but only two have cashed in and a batsman should be applauded for having the technique and concentration, not to mention stamina, to do so.

Rogers is seventh on the all time top scorer list this morning with the following above him:

Stan Worthington 238 not out v Sussex 1937
Chris Adams 239 v Hampshire 1996
Kim Barnett - 239 not out v Leicestershire 1988
Peter Bowler 241 not out v Hampshire 1992
Pat Vaulkhard 264 v Nottinghamshire 1946
George Davidson 274 v Lancashire 1896

Curious to think that, resuming on 237 Rogers needs only one boundary to leapfrog from seventh to joint third.

Interestingly Pat Vaulkhard's challenge for the record was the only time in over 120 innings that he ever passed the century mark, being only an occasional school holiday player. Drink at the well, indeed. He was a highly entertaining, front of the wicket batsman, as were all of the above, although Peter Bowler was more a steady accumulator.

I always hoped the record would go in the early 1980's when Peter Kirsten was in his prime and runs flowed from his bat. Six times he passed the double century mark, three of them unbeaten. Had we been playing four and not three day cricket at the time, I'm convinced Kirsten would have set a record that would never have been broken at Chesterfield in 1978 against Glamorgan. The required declaration stopped him in his tracks when the bowling was disappearing to all parts and another hour or so would have taken him past 300, let alone the Davidson record. He finished 206 not out but on days like that Kirsten's bat must have looked like a barn door to bowlers.

Kirsten didn't so much drink at the well as guzzle it dry. I really hope that Chris Rogers does the same today.