Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 1

They say you can't win them all and that was the case today, but Derbyshire will be rightly satisfied with their first day's work against Gloucestershire, one that flew in the face of most opening days at the County Ground this year.

When I saw that Gloucestershire had won the toss and understandably elected to field I was concerned that we would struggle against an attack that has done consistently well this season. Especially when Wayne Madsen again went early and Chesney Hughes was soon following him. Given that Greg Smith later only lasted four balls it was a poor day for those I highlighted last night had a point to prove.

In between, Martin Guptill  and Wes Durston put on a superb 266 in just 53 overs, a partnership that must have been a joy to see. Durston has had a fine season and now tops the batting averages, while Guptill at last showed the talent that we knew he had in the Championship. Wes now has a fighting chance of making a thousand for the season and is currently 156 runs short.

Ross Whiteley came in and helped Durston see it through to the close, but Karl Krikken will doubtless look at today with satisfaction, tempered with the knowledge that he probably got his team wrong. Last night I suggested that Madsen should drop down the order to allow a debut for Matt Lineker and I am not convinced that Smith is mentally where he needs to be at present with the contractual issues surrounding him. Certainly the statistics suggest that and with Dan Redfern close to full fitness Smith will be lucky to retain his place for the next match. Madsen's recent decline is also a matter for concern and one hopes that he soon returns to his normal form.

At the end of it all, this was an excellent day for the county. If we can push on to 450-plus tomorrow it will be an excellent effort and the foundation of a potential win. Today was a celebration of a new contract for Wes Durston and it is heartening to think he will be with us for the next two summers.

Just need to push on tomorrow now - weather permitting.

PS Thought I'd beat 'Anon' to the draw tonight and point out that Wes Durston was signed by John Morris. Having said that, I first mentioned him as a worthwhile pursuit for the county on September 29, 2009 after his release by Somerset (check if you wish) and it took us several months to do so. Surely I get brownie points for the signing too...?

Something for the weekend

Looking out of the window over the past couple of days it has been hard to believe that the domestic cricket season is just a week away. After a couple of weeks of mild, pleasant weather, there have been strong winds and heavy rain – a groundsman’s nightmare.


I’m not sure how the weather has been down in Bristol but I would think few people are expecting a batting paradise for the opening Championship match, certainly not after last year’s fun and frolics there. Conditions are likely to be as far removed from Sydney as possible and it should be a culture shock for Usman Khawaja, who is set to make his county debut.

I’m sure that John Morris has his line-up for the opening game in his head, pending a late change through injury or illness.While a lot of the side effectively picks itself, the big decisions are likely to be over the seamers involved and the opening batsmen. Maybe the 40-over friendly against Surrey on Monday might offer people a late chance to stake a claim, though I think the one-day and Championship sides could be quite different this season.

To be honest, I think there are seven of the team for Bristol that you could pick right now. Luke Sutton as skipper and wicket-keeper, Madsen and Hughes as batsmen, Smith and Clare as all-rounders, Tim Groenewald as the most reliable of seamers and Khawaja as overseas player. Then the fun starts…

Borrington to open with Madsen or do you go with Hughes? If you go with the former and have Khawaja at three, Hughes at four and Smith at six, is it Durston, Redfern, Park or Lineker for number five?

Then there would be Sutton at seven, Clare at eight and Groenewald at nine, so the remaining places would be up for grabs between Palladino, Turner, Footitt, Sheikh and Needham. I don’t think Bristol in April will warrant a specialist spinner and Sheikh isn’t yet an automatic pick, so that rules out the last two. I also think Palladino’s lesser pace and greater movement of the ball would be well suited to a typical Bristol track where Jon Lewis usually does well, so that leaves the final place (logically) between Footitt and Turner. I can’t call that one, as I’ve not seen them bowl pre-season.

As for Gloucestershire, they have lost a lot of players over the winter. Their first choice attack from last year – Franklin, Kirby and Hussain - has gone, as well as Kadeer Ali and William Porterfield. They should have Kiwi batsman Kane Williamson making his debut and it will be interesting to see who makes the best of English early-season conditions between him and Khawaja.

Gloucestershire have now heard that Hamish Marshall, the former New Zealand international batsman, will not be back in time to play due to the marriages of his brothers.

Shame, that…just need to get Alex Gidman an invitation and we’re sorted!

More next week – have a good one.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire

Tomorrow's game is massive for Derbyshire, coming as it does before we play Sussex in the last Championship match before the Fred Karno twenty over stuff begins with loud music, dancing girls and hot pies. Only in England, eh?

There's no news on the teams at this stage. We can't read anything much into that, as it could be that John Morris hasn't told the web designer, he might not have made up his mind or he might be waiting to see the weather and assorted fitness reports before he names his final eleven.

For what its worth, I think that Paul Borrington needs a break and assuming they're all fit I would field the following side tomorrow:

Chris Rogers
Wayne Madsen
Garry Park
Greg Smith
Chesney Hughes
Dan Redfern/John Sadler
Robin Peterson
Lee Goddard
Tim Groenewald
Steffan Jones
Mark Footitt

Gloucestershire are a funny side, capable of high scores and startling collapses in equal measure. Remind you of another team? I still don't know how good this Derbyshire side is, but in the medium to long term have greater confidence in the batting line up than the bowling. Peterson is a class act and Stef Jones will always give 100%. Groenewald is usually there or thereabouts, but after that I have more than a few concerns about our current incumbents which need to be disproved, hopefully sometime soon.

Before the Worcestershire game I suggested that Derbyshire would win. I'm making no gung ho suggestions before this one as I haven't a clue which of our Jekyll and Hyde outfits will turn up. On paper, this side is a match for any in the division, yet something goes awry when we step onto grass at present.

You know, we missed a trick there. The Derbyshire Jekyll and Hydes. Forget about Falcons, that nickname would have been perfect...

Here's to four good, dry days, a sporting track and please, please - let's have the win points by the end of the game lads.

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire CB40

Well, we started both innings well, but there's otherwise little positive to report on Derbyshire's first CB40 game of the new campaign.

To be fair, we were undone by a special innings from New Zealand all rounder James Franklin, whose unbeaten 133 took them to a total that was always going to take some getting. No bowler took a real caning, but anything over 200, with the way the Bristol track has played this year, was going to take some getting.

Chesney Hughes got us off to a flyer and even after his and Wayne Madsen's dismissal, at 78-2 in 16 we were in the game. The advent of Gidman and Ireland slowed the run rate, however and we had no one who could bat through, essential to win in such circumstances.

I'm writing this with the score 139-7 in 32. That's 61 runs in the next sixteen overs for five wickets. Unless something spectacular happens, the campaign has got off to an all too familiar start. It won't of course, unless Loots Bosman is next in disguised as Tom Lungley...

It would be foolish to write off our one day hopes on the basis of this game, just as it would have been silly to write off our Championship aspirations on the back of the Leicestershire game. What is clear, however, is that we need to learn from this loss - and quickly - as we were never really in it after Greg Smith's dismissal.

I exchanged texts with a friend after 21 overs, saying we'd lost this as the impetus had gone. We had that in the early innings with good running between the wickets, but it disappeared. The pacing of an innings is crucial in one day cricket. All smash is no good either over the longer distance, but there has to be a combination of the two, something we need to learn pretty quickly.

154-8 in 33 as I close. Some lusty blows from Sads, but all to naught, I'm sure, in the end.

Team announced for Bristol

First Clydesdale Bank 40 match tomorrow and John Morris has announced a squad of 13 to travel to Bristol, namely:

Chris Rogers
Wayne Madsen
Garry Park
Greg Smith
John Sadler
Chesney Hughes
Robin Peterson
Lee Goddard
Tim Groenewald
Jake Needham
Tom Lungley
Ross Whiteley
Mark Footitt

My guess is that the top nine will play, as will Lungley, with the final place being down to the track at Bristol. It has been a batsman's graveyard thus far, but must improve at some point. Whiteley has been doing well at Leeds/Bradford University, but I think he's perhaps there for the experience, with Footitt and Needham contesting the final place.

With Chesney Hughes set to make his debut for the season, Derbyshire could field four spinners if they wished which might be too many and suggest that a seamer will play instead. It looks a decent side, but I just hope there's no knee jerk summation of our one day skills whatever the result. We will obviously miss the injured Graham Wagg, but there are some good batsmen in that side and I think we will do better, if not spectacularly in one day cricket this year.

Gloucestershire Gladiators name the following squad in an attempt to clip the Falcons wings:

J.Batty
J.Franklin
H.Marshall
A.Gidman
S.Snell
C.Taylor
Kadeer Ali
R.Dawson
J.Lewis
S.Kirby
A.Ireland
D.Payne

Their side is heavy with seam bowling, which also suggests Needham may miss out, but I look forward to seeing a competitive performance from the boys and hopefully starting the campaign with a win.

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 4

Top of the league - and no, we're not having a laugh!

WG Grace, Wally Hammond, Gilbert Jessop, Tom Goddard, Tom Graveney - your boys took a hell of a beating...

Ah yes, a glimpse at the old Championship table gladdens the soul tonight, with Derbyshire TOP on 99 points and unbeaten at the halfway stage of the season.

It was on the cards of course with the overnight score as it was, but when I saw the dreaded "start delayed by rain" on teletext this morning I was ever so slightly concerned. Then Alex Gidman and James Franklin built a good stand until Tim Groenewald dismissed the dangerous Gidman.

Keeper Steve Snell kept the Kiwi company for some time, but when Jake Needham removed both Snell and the potentially stubborn Jon Lewis in successive balls it was only a matter of time.

Needham ended up with three wickets, all caught by skipper Chris Rogers and must now have cemented his place in the side as the first choice spinner. I've always rated Needham as a bowler with nice loop and flight and I think he's one of the better young spinners on the circuit. His batting also has potential, but if he emerged as a top bowler it would be far better than him being a bits and pieces man. His fielding is excellent and at 22 he has a lot of potential.

It was nice to see Graham Wagg getting a couple of wickets too. His radar seemed to be a little off in this game but no one would doubt his talent and he remains a player who can have a golden spell. He has a fair bit to do in the second half of the season to make it to another 500 run/50 wickets double, but I wouldn't bet against him.

Just like Steffan Jones in fact. Six wickets on his return as the strike bowler and willing work horse of the side is just what Dr Morris ordered. Derbyshire have failed to finish teams off this season but did do in this match and the coach's dilemma now is who to leave out if Nantie Hayward is fit for the match against Middlesex next week. All three seamers did well in this match and it is a tough, but nice decision for Morris to have to make.

Likewise we have found a new batsman and one who seems to be pretty good. I don't expect Wayne Madsen to average 177 at the end of the season as he does now, but I would expect him to be another 40-50 average player who will make a huge difference. How much he plays is down to the club reaching an agreement with his league club where he is captain, coach and professional, but I'd be stunned if he wasn't signed for next season at the earliest opportunity.

Finally a word for the skipper Chris Rogers, who handled his attack well and held three catches, the second of which was apparently a "blinder". Just need a double ton next week against Middlesex and you have my nomination for Mayor, Buck!

More on the Middlesex game in coming days, but for now let's just enjoy it. There is a long way to go this season, but Derbyshire are top of the Championship tonight.

Now, who's going to tell Atherton and Willis?

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire Day 2

If you happen to be down Cheltenham way this evening and happen to see a bloke with a very wide grin on his face, there's a fair chance that it will be the Derbyshire coach John Morris, after a day in which his side have put themselves in a commanding position against the side currently top of Division 2 of the County Championship.

More than that, Morris has seen his two new signings, Steffan Jones and Wayne Madsen perform superbly on the second day as the county closed 288 runs ahead with two days to go. It was total vindication for Morris as Jones turned back the clock to 2006 and ended with the splendid figures of 4-44 in 18 overs. He was well supported by the other seamers, with Tim Groenewald and Greg Smith each taking two wickets and Graham Wagg one. Jones' dismissal of danger man Alex Gidman was the start of a middle order collapse from which the hosts never recovered, although Derbyshire were helped when Kiwi danger man Hamish Marshall, a century maker at Chesterfield a few weeks back, decided to take on Garry Park - arguably the best cover point in the country - and lost.

With a first innings lead of 162 Derbyshire could have enforced the follow on but with Graham Wagg off the field with cramp and the bowlers having had a long stint Chris Rogers opted to bat again. He may have had a few regrets when he went early, caught behind off the bowling of New Zealander James Franklin and when Garry Park followed with the score 28-2 the game could have gone either way.

At that point came what must have been a lovely passage of play as debutant Madsen and Dan Redfern put together a fine partnership of 89 to take the game away from Gloucestershire. Madsen started slowly against the testing attack of Lewis, Franklin and Kirby, but opened up as he became acclimatised and reached his fifty with three fours in an over from slow left armer Vikram Banerjee. A feature of the passage of play seemed to be the regular rotation of strike - left hand, right hand - by two young players who have a great deal to offer Derbyshire cricket.

In this morning's Derby Telegraph, Mark Eklid said that Madsen was "surprisingly" preferred to Steve Stubbings. I would disagree and suggest that the South African's stunning form in League and Second XI cricket was thoroughly deserving of an opportunity. No one likes Steve Stubbings better than I do, but for Derbyshire to progress as a side we need to gradually phase out the "decent" county pros and bring in highly talented, better quality and younger players.

While one swallow does not make a summer, Madsen has done enough in this innings to suggest a player of genuine talent. He'll face easier attacks on better tracks than this one and I wouldn't be surprised if John Morris isn't looking out his fountain pen for Madsen to put pen to paper on a two-year deal at this stage - if he hasn't already.

Likewise with Jones. He is in the final year of a three-year deal at Somerset and although 35, is an extremely fit bowler who could go on for another 3-4 years. It may well be that Morris considers him as a bowling option for next season, especially in the light of Tom Lungley's ongoing fitness battles and recent transgressions.

All in all, this is a great evening to be a Derbyshire fan. I'm not taking anything for granted, but if we can get 400-450 of a lead by mid afternoon tomorrow then get them in again, by the end of the week we could feasibly be top of the league. Only a slightly dodgy weather forecast (sunshine and heavy thundery showers for the next two days) prevents unbridled optimism.

Well done Derbyshire - especially Steffan Jones and Wayne Madsen - and well done John Morris!

Gloucestershire v Derbyshire day 1

From the rough waters of 119-5 soon after the lunch interval, Derbyshire were steered to a fairly satisfactory total of 326 all out by a superb innings from Greg Smith (pictured), a new career-best from the South African born all-rounder.

Newcomer Wayne Madsen failed to make an impression on his debut, but in fairness to the new boy he generally bats at three or four and as I warned last night, scoring heavily in Second XI is a world apart from facing two Test bowlers in Franklin and Lewis with a new ball. Nonetheless, Park and Chris Rogers saw us to a comfortable 98-1 at lunch.

Then things changed as Lewis and Steve Kirby reduced us to 119-5 before Smith, batting with increasing assurance and partnered well by James Pipe, Graham Wagg and Tim Groenewald, took Derbyshire to their closing total. Successive partnerships of
64, 48 and 90 took us to a total that we can only have dreamed of when the mid-afternoon collapse was in full swing.

It reinforced John Morris' assertion that Derbyshire are a hard side to beat and although the hosts survived until the close at 10-0, we are very much in this match at the end of the first day.

For Smith it was an important innings. He is a far better cricketer than an average in the mid-20's suggests. As a bowler capable of bowling good off spin and seam he affords balance to the side, while his fielding will always be an asset. He has shown that he can build an innings and if we can make early inroads into the Gloucestershire batting tomorrow this could prove to be a very good game of cricket.

Derbyshire set for Wayne's World

If you read this week's earlier posts, you'll see that I have been suggesting a move for South African batsman/all rounder Wayne Madsen (pictured), who has been starring for the Second Eleven this season and performing with distinction as captain and professional for Unsworth Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League.

So I am delighted to be able to say this morning that Madsen will make his debut for the county tomorrow at Cheltenham, replacing Steve Stubbings in the batting line up.

In his appearances for the Second Eleven this season, the South African, who plays for Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Dolphins in South Africa, has registered scores of 69 not out, 0 not out, 135, 83, 29, 60 and 2 not out. In addition, he averages 87 as captain and professional at Unsworth, as well as taking 38 wickets at an average of ten each with his off spin. At 25 he looks a great prospect and is able to play County cricket on the same terms as Michael di Venuto, holding an Italian passport.

I applaud John Morris' speed in signing the talented South African in the face of interest from other counties but would urge a word of caution in anyone expecting him to translate the above figures into an immediate return at County level. Madsen averages 35 in South Africa and we should see his signing as a medium to long term one. It is unrealistic to expect him to drop straight into the County game and produce statistics like those above as the jump in level is substantial. Nonetheless, the South African is obviously a player of talent and one would hope that if he impresses a contract for 2010 will follow.

As for tomorrow's side, Nantie Hayward is injured, Tom Lungley suspended and Ian Hunter rested, although Steffan Jones is likely to make his debut for the second time (can you make two debuts?) I would expect the side to line up along these lines:

Chris Rogers (captain)
Garry Park
Wayne Madsen
Dan Redfern
Wavell Hinds
Greg Smith
James Pipe
Graham Wagg
Jon Clare
Jake Needham
Steffan Jones

There's a youthful look to that side, with only four of the side older than mid-twenties. Long gone are the days when we signed old lags from other counties and showed all the alacrity of an arthritic greyhound in the field.

As for Gloucestershire, they bring ex-Yorkshire spinner Richard Dawson into their squad, which suggests they expect the track to turn as the game goes on. With Needham, Smith, Redfern, Wagg and now Madsen all spinners or capable of bowling spin in the Derbyshire side, we shouldn't be found wanting if that happens. The hosts 12 is:

C.Spearman
Kadeer Ali
H.Marshall
A.Gidman (capt)
C.Taylor
J.Franklin
S.Snell (wkt)
R.Dawson
V.Banerjee
J.Lewis
S.Kirby
A.Ireland

It will be a good match and I just hope that the weather allows it to unfold properly. Gloucestershire have a strong batting line up with ex-Kiwis Spearman and Marshall fine players and Gidman a regular thorn in Derbyshire sides over the years. Meanwhile their opening attack of Lewis and Kirby is as good as any in the country, with James Franklin, the New Zealand all-rounder giving good support.

The game will be a good test for Derbyshire and we should not forget, in the face of the usual grumblers, that the side have almost reached the halfway point of the season (this match marks the halfway mark) as the ONLY unbeaten side in the County Championship Second Division. It would be a good game for Chris Rogers to produce the really big score we have been waiting for and for Wavell to continue his excellent form. If the others can continue to work and make us a hard side to beat, we have no reason to be frightened of anyone.

And if Steffan Jones makes a prodigal return and Wayne Madsen an encouraging debut, I hope that there's a few people prepared to eat a little humble pie. It would have been very easy for John Morris to sit back and say "this is what we have". Instead, he has gone out and strengthened the side for what should be a very interesting second half of the season.

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 3

Back to a semblance of normality tonight after a Festival week at work that saw me doing 61 hours...

Anyway, apologies for the later, sporadic and non-appearing posts, but normal service will now be resumed.

Tonight's late two wickets for the wonderful Wagg probably gave us a slight edge going into the final day at Derby, though nothing can and should be taken for granted. Marshall, Gidman and Taylor are all dangerous players and there appears to be no real deterioration in the wicket. There will be a lot of work required to take those remaining eight wickets tomorrow before we can win this one.

There were again positive signs from our batting today, with Greg Smith again highlighting increased maturity. What an asset he should be next season, when he should again be able to add to the seam bowling ranks after his early season muscle tear in his bowling arm. He is a fair off spinner but much better, at this stage, as a seamer.

That's a hard one to answer for Graham Wagg. It was pleasing to see Charl Langeveldt win the Player of the Season award and no one could argue with the impact he has made. Yet Wagg must have run him close. He needs 13 runs from the last match to complete the mini-double of 500 runs and 50 wickets and that is an outstanding achievement. Add in his electric fielding and the fact that he can bowl both left arm seam or slow left arm with increasing skill and we have some player! The greatest tribute I could pay him is that he has taken over the mantle of Graeme Welch and loses nothing in comparison to the modern legend. Derbyshire 2nds over in Birmingham must have had a few thoughtful moments over the decision to let him go. Their loss has been very much our gain.

Tom New also came up with runs when they were needed and the youngster has done little wrong in his spell with us. While he has made a few mistakes behind the stumps, his batting in all forms of the game has been resourceful and solid. He has made no secret of the fact that he would prefer to play as a wicket-keeper batsman than as a batsman only, but he may be worthy of consideration this winter. While Tom Poynton is a player with a future, he has a way to go and New appears to be worthy of an extended opportunity. Realistically he is not as good as James Pipe, but there aren't many around the country that I would swap with the Yorkshireman.

So, tomorrow should be a good day of cricket if the weather stays out of it. May the best team win.

As long as it's us of course..

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire day 1

First of all apologies for the lateness of this blog but yesterday was a long one work-wise and I didn't get in until midnight...

The first good news of the day was that John Morris has secured the services of Paul Borrington on a two-year professional contract and he will be "ours" full time after his University studies end next year. I'm pleased for the lad, who makes the most of his talent and has strong adhesive qualities. While not as obviously a "star" in the making as Dan Redfern, he should do well and time will be the judge of just how well.

The second good news was that we fought back well after at one stage being 88-6 and totalled 188, with both Graham Wagg and Charl Langeveldt supporting the returning Steve Stubbings, who anchored the innings with an excellent unbeaten 61. The thinking money may be on Stubbo leaving at season-end after a poor year, but he has made the decision a tough one with this knock, which appears to have been typical of the man. Throughout his career he has made runs when they have been most needed and has been a fine player. Contractual situations apart, could anyone see Sadler, Telo or indeed Hinds battling through to a score like that yesterday? No, me neither.

The third good news was that the pitch inspectors are happy with the pitch and reckon it was just poor batting and swing that caused the problems. I was sure mid-morning that we'd be docked points for this one, but that appears not to be the case.
Ou current healthy position is due to "golden arm" Wagg running through the Gloucester batting after a steady start and although Charl was not quite himself (he's not bowled for a while), I hope that we can finish them off early today for a good lead.

The bad news is that irrespective of what we do it is unlikely to bring promotion. Having dropped the batting points we'd need maximum from here and attaining them would give us a season total of 183. With Warwickshire starting this on 171, they would only need bonus points and one draw to be above us. Given their reputation this season, they should manage that easily enough as it is the starting point in their game and they will stick with it.

One more point - two wickets for tricky Rikki on debut for the Bears. Pettini and Bopara, so no bad victims. However, he also went for 5 an over, so some things never change...

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire preview

Sorry about the late blog tonight but its festival week at work and I've four late nights on the trot!

Tomorrow we play the first of two games that we need to win. Looking at the opposition, we really should fancy our chances. The visitors are missing Marcus North, who is on international training with the Aussies, as well as Craig Spearman who is injured. Hamish Marshall is playing and often does well against us, while Alex Gidman, a target for John Morris before he re-signed for Gloucestershire, will be the rock in the middle order. Jon Lewis is still a good seamer and Steve Kirby is nothing if not whole-hearted. The visitors line up is:

Kadeer Ali
Will Porterfield
Hamish Marshall
Alex Gidman
Chris Taylor
David Brown
Steven Snell (wkt)
Jon Lewis (cpt)
Steve Kirby
Anthony Ireland
Richard Dawson
Vikram Banerjee

Banerjee is likely to miss out in that side, which is at the start of a major rebuild.

As for Derbyshire, we're pretty much at full strength, except for the injured Tom Lungley. Tom is a nice guy and a talented bowler, but last season apart has lost a lot of his career to injury. This has been another one to write off and next year is a big one for him.

Our line up is:

Chris Rogers (cpt)
Paul Borrington
Dan Birch
Wavell Hinds
Greg Smith
Dan Redfern
Tom New
Jonathan Clare
Graham Wagg
Jake Needham
Ian Hunter
Charl Langeveldt

James Pipe is deemed not quite ready for four day cricket after his broken finger, so Tom New again deputises. The final place would appear to be between Jake Needham and Ian Hunter and I would guess the spinner will miss out, mainly on the basis that Hunter is in better form. That would leave Dan Redfern and Greg Smith to share spinning duties and Derbyshire to hope that it doesn't spin ...

So, with four days of decent weather I fancy a win. Having said that, I'll be more confident once we've dismissed Messrs Marshall and Gidman in both innings.