Robin Peterson

When news broke of his signing, there was the usual mixture of comments among Derbyshire fans about the merits of our new Kolpak import, Robin Peterson from South Africa.

Most were enthusiastic, but some said he wasn’t good enough, bizarre in that he had extensive international experience for a country full of good cricketers, while another said he didn’t spin the ball enough. That one made me smile, thinking back to the maxims of the late, great Wilfred Rhodes. “You only have to spin it half a bat width to miss the middle” was one, while “If batter thinks it’s spinnin’ it’s spinnin’” was another. Strange how some people only ever see the negatives in life…

There was also a comment that Brian Lara had taken him apart, which was true but hardly set him aside from many other bowlers. Lara did it to most in his time and to use him as a benchmark is unfair in the extreme.

Anyway, Peterson came, saw and largely conquered the doubts of the non-believers. While he didn’t cut a swathe through the county circuit as Mushtaq Ahmed did at Sussex, he gave us our first spinner of genuine quality in a long time. Especially in the early season, he became an adept finisher of the opposition innings and was generally a man the captain could turn to when a degree of control was required.

He did a good job in the T20 too and was very economical in the one-day game as a whole. In later season there was a marked dropping off in his wicket-taking abilities, though whether that was due to having pushed it through quicker in the T20, to injury or to tiredness I couldn’t say. Nonetheless, he reached the fifty wicket milestone in the last match and can be pleased with his achievements.

As a batsman he played some important knocks and usually batted fluently, but never went on to the big scores that seemed likely for someone of obvious ability. He was left sixteen runs short of the 500 runs/50 wickets double, but will perhaps be disappointed with a highest score of 58 from 24 innings. This was felt even more keenly when few runs came from the wicket-keeper this year, so the engine room of the later order batting was not as productive as it has been in recent years.

Nonetheless he will be sorely missed as a very good team man prepared to spend time with younger colleagues. How we replace him will be a question at the front of John Morris’ mind this winter. While Jake Needham looks a decent bowler in one-day cricket when bowling to defensive fields, we don’t know how he would bowl to an attacking field with four men around the bat. Some can be affected by the close proximity of teammates, pushing the ball through and giving insufficient flight and revs for spin.

I once played with a very good bowler who was extremely parsimonious and played at inter-district level, but completely lost it when fielders came in close as we were hunting wickets. He once, as a bowler, hit me a glancing blow on the back of the head when I was fielding short leg, funnily enough the last time I fielded there for him, or anyone else for that matter…

I’m not saying that Needham has a similar problem, but the two forms of the game require different skills and exert different pressures on batsmen and bowlers alike. Only John Morris and his staff know the answers and we’ll have to wait to see their verdict.

As it is, Robin Peterson returns to South Africa having done a solid, professional and impressive stint in the county colours. The term ‘Kolpak’ has become a disparaging one, reserved for players out to make a quick financial killing with the minimum return by way of statistics or commitment. That wasn’t the case with Peterson.

We can all be grateful for that.

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!

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.

Good news from the Cape

The Cobras started their Standard Bank Pro 20 campaign tonight with a convincing win against the Lions.

Batting first the Cobras made 179 all out in 20 overs, always likely to be a challenging score. With Herschelle Gibbs making 53 from 32 balls and youngster Richard Levi an unbeaten 43 from just 20 balls, that was always going to be a tough call.

Robin Peterson made a brisk 18 opening the innings, but then he and Charl Langeveldt showed the control that is necessary in these matches to restrict the Lions to 137.

Peterson bowled four overs to take 2-25, while Langers bowled his usual, exemplary 4-0-18-3, five of the runs being early wides!

It makes such a huge difference if you have one man who goes for less than seven an over in these games. When you have two, you will win many more than you lose.

In the light of my earlier piece and what appears to be undimmed ability in this form of the game, Langers at the County Ground may still be a good option for the T20

I'm off now to see if there are any others who might come under consideration!

And another one...

Another fine batting performance by Robin Peterson today as the Cape Cobras posted an impressive total against the Eagles as his side posted an impressive 281-7 in 40 overs in the MTN40.

Batting at number five, Peterson scored a brilliant unbeaten 78 from just 47 deliveries with 2 sixes and 9 fours, ending the innings with a Dilshan-esque scoop over the wicket keeper.

Seven an over is always an imposing total and the Cobras look to have a fine chance of continuing a very good season.

Update on the Eagles reply later.

Postscript - EASY! Eagles 166-8, with Peterson returning figures of 2-30 in 8 overs. Man of the match is what I'd call that performance.

Time to smile

There were perhaps two concerns for Derbyshire fans prior to the confirmation of the signing of Robin Peterson today.

One was that we desperately needed a proven, quality spin bowler as last season highlighted we were lacking in that department. The other was that, having lost the services of the experienced Wavell Hinds from the middle order, we needed an older head in there.

Daniel Redfern, Paul Borrington and Lee Goddard from 5 to 7 in the order is ripe with potential, but there will be times in 2010 when someone who has played at the top level for some time will be more than useful to help stabilise an innings after a flurry of quick wickets. In an ideal world these young players will be coming in with the score reading 270-3 and I think we have the makings of a very strong top order now, but Peterson is a good enough player to bat anywhere required. He can hit a ball when the need arises, but can also dig in and grind it out.

Yet however handy his batting will be (and I’d expect him to make at least 400-500 Championship runs, depending on opportunity) it is his bowling that will make our side far better balanced than in recent years. This is a man with around 400 first class wickets in all cricket. He can bowl accurately when there is no help in the track and take wickets when there is a suggestion of turn. I’m looking forward to seeing how he fares compared to others on the circuit.

His signing won’t necessarily mean the end of Graham Wagg’s spin bowling, but it will mean that there’s less of a tendency to over bowl him. Wagg, Smith, Redfern and Madsen are all capable of useful support at the other end and will benefit from having an experienced international spinner on the staff that they can work with.

It will also confirm us as being one of the best fielding sides in the game. Garry Park and Greg Smith are real livewires in an excellent fielding side and Peterson comes with a reputation in this area.

I think that will be it for this winter, apart from perhaps a Twenty/20 overseas player, but the Peterson signing, following on from that of Mark Footitt, gives me genuine cause for optimism next year.

If Steffan Jones can get Footitt fit and firing (easier to type than say, that one!) we have picked up a genuinely quick and penetrative bowler. With the signing of Peterson, John Morris has a “go to” man who can keep things tight and create that all-important pressure on batsmen. These were areas that cost us in last year’s Championship campaign, but I have a feeling we’ll be much better off in 2010. With a permutation of seamers to suit the track, I’d expect the following first choice side to take the field when the Championship campaign opens next season:

Chris Rogers
Wayne Madsen
Garry Park
Greg Smith
Dan Redfern
Paul Borrington
Robin Peterson
Lee Goddard
Graham Wagg
Seamer
Seamer

As I’ve said before, there may be occasions when an extra seamer may be useful, but Wagg plus two with Smith and Park in reserve should be enough for most surfaces.

The other thing I’d say is that Goddard is a very, very good batsman to have coming in at number eight. Once he establishes himself the runs will flow.
Excited? You bet!

Derbyshire sign Peterson

Today's announcement that Derbyshire have signed the experienced and highly talented South African all-rounder Robin Peterson for 2010, with another year's option, is something that should be celebrated by all fans of the club. Peterson was recently a member of his country's Champions Trophy squad, somewhat indicative of a bloke who can play the game.

Peterson is an experienced cricketer but is still, at 30, young enough to have plenty in the tank. He is a slow left arm bowler of real ability, as you would expect from a man with considerable international experience. Good enough to have taken 240 first class wickets, together with 130 in one day matches. He is also economical in Twenty/20 and has a career average of less than seven an over in the short game. He gives the ball a real tweak and has cultivated, apparently, a “wrong 'un” that comes into the batsman and poses problems.

Added to that he is a batsman of talent. Good enough to score five first class centuries and to open in one day cricket, he gives the ball a smack.

He is also known as a brilliant fielder, so in every aspect John Morris seems to have pulled out an absolute cracker from his South African book of cricket contacts.

Make sure you note that. We've signed a spinner – and a good one! A guy good enough to take five in an innings on eleven occasions and with a one day best of 7-24, which is impressive by any standards (OK, apart from Michael Holding's...)

Criticism of Wavell Hinds generally (and unfairly) focused on his being only an average fielder, an irregular bowler and a batsman who was slow to start an innings. I think his bowling was under-utilised but maybe there was a reason for that. Peterson will bring both control AND increased penetration to our attack as a front line spinner worth a place for the other things he brings to the mix.

His all round skills should improve our one day side, whether opening as a pinch hitter or coming in lower down to boost the run rate towards the end of the innings. His accuracy should give us a little more control when teams are coming at us with the bat. His fielding will disappoint no one.
Peterson has played with success in the Lancashire League with Burnley, averaging 52 with the bat and taking 37 wickets at 12 in a successful, but curtailed stay in 2006, when he was recalled for international training. He proved a popular professional there. Last year saw him play for Nelson, where he again excelled, averaging 37 with the bat while taking 44 wickets at just over eight runs each. I'd settle for that next season. I know that there's a world of difference between the leagues and the first class game, but they've given useful experience of our conditions to many cricketers over the years. Just ask Wayne Madsen how it helped him.

Back home, he moved from Eastern Province to Cape Town, where he plays for the Cape Cobras alongside Charl Langeveldt. It can't have done us any harm...

If you want a shot of our new man in “action”, go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F5v2BLstC8 as he faces a backyard, cyclist powered bowling machine firing tennis balls at him...

Given the increasing strength of South African cricket, you have to be a decent player to get into their squad. You have to be even better to get into the team. With six Tests and 35 One Day Internationals under his belt, Robin Peterson is a very good player, suffering only in that South Africa, with Rolof Van Der Merwe and Paul Harris, now have three quality left arm spinners. In my opinion, we are very lucky to get him and I look forward to seeing what he will bring to the County Ground.

Throughout the close season the cricket boards have been full of people insisting that we needed a high class spinner. Now we've got one and he offers so much more.

Yes, I like this signing and I hope that it is similarly applauded by my fellow fans. I wrote recently that I thought Morris would produce a good spinner from somewhere, one who contributes in all facets of the game. And he has.

Excellent! More later.

And so it begins...

We've not yet signed Robin Peterson. We may not sign him, yet over on 606 there are those moaning already that he's not good enough.

Sigh.

I'm not going over yesterday's ground but don't people ever think about giving the benefit of the doubt? He's an INTERNATIONAL spinner with a decent pedigree. He bats solidly (and at times spectacularly) and fields like a panther.

Someone makes the comment that we should stick with "Jake, Chesney, Smudge, Redders and Madsen". Ah yes, that deadly spin quintet. I rate all of them as players of potential, but the reality is that four of them have 48 first class wickets between them and 27 in one day games. Smith has 71 and 42 respectively, but I'd venture that 2/3 of them were taken bowling seam.
Peterson has 242 and 167 respectively, at an average only a little higher than Daniel Vettori. C'mon guys, show the man some respect.

I sometimes wonder if the "fans" ever think about what they write. I've asked a few players if they ever read the message boards and comments and the answer is more often than not in the affirmative. "You can't help it" said one. I don't have a clue whether Robin Peterson reads such things, but if he was sat at home reading 606 and thinking about putting pen to paper, don't you think it could be a deterrent if people are writing him off even before he does so?

How people can look at Peterson's record and suggest "he's not much better than we already have" is ludicrous to the extreme. Last time I looked, our squad wasn't choc-a-bloc with spin bowling all rounders of international experience. How can people write that "he's not worth the outlay" when they don't know what the outlay is?

I'll not be writing any more about Robin Peterson as its pointless until we know he is going to sign. I may as well write about Sachin Tendulkar and Rikky Ponting and what they might do for us.

But please guys - show a little respect and at least a modicum of common sense. If you can't see that the signing of an international class - which he must be because he's played it - spin bowling all rounder isn't an improvement on what we have, or on the names that have been bandied about this winter, then there really is no hope.

We've talked about Middlebrook, Brown, Keedy, Salisbury and Botha - some of them people who aren't even available. Be glad we're even linked with this bloke, and at least reserve judgement until he's signed and played a few games, if that ever happens.

Seriously...

Calm down.

There are a couple of things about the "signing" of Robin Peterson, announced on the 11th in South African newspapers, referred to yesterday on cricinfo and the subject of great excitement on IMWT that I think need to be said.

First and foremost, IF it happens it will be a terrific piece of work by John Morris

Now the bad news...

The link that "Anon" posted onto the previous blog piece merely says that Peterson has indicated "his intention" to sign a Kolpak deal with Derbyshire, which is great as far as it goes.
But it means that he hasn't yet done so.

If you look at his Test and one-day international record, he hasn't played the prerequisite number of games for South Africa in the qualifying period. We have to remember that the key to this is April 2010, when the season starts.

Peterson's last Test ended on March 3rd 2008, outside the two year qualifying period. It was also his only one in a five year period, so he doesn't make the necessary criteria there, either.

I have him calculated at 14 one day games in a five year period, not the necessary fifteen, though his five twenty-over games may be taken into consideration. So too may be the fact that he has been in his country's squad in the recent Champions Trophy, an indication of a player of some talent. Yet something suggests to me that it might have been better for us, especially if the player was to sign a two-year contract as the South African press suggests, if Peterson had played some more matches for their national side this winter.

As it stands, it would appear that we want to sign him, which is great. It appears that he wants to sign for us - which is fantastic.

But will he get a visa? If anyone out there is an expert on Kolpak visas then please let me know. As with all things cricket, the waters are muddier than any blues guitarist of the same name. Think Duckworth-Lewis. Now the Memorandum of Understanding, then the new Kolpak regulations. Maybe if Peterson has worn blue trousers twice in the past three months on his way to a game and has whistled the national anthem it will work in his favour.

I don't know. If you ask me if I'm excited at the thought of this bloke playing for us, my answer would be an unequivocal yes. If you ask me if I think it will happen, I'm less sure.

I'll be writing in length about it if it happens. Until it is announced on the club site it hasn't.

And it might not.

I'm not being negative, just realistic. Given track record, if the ECB could find a tiny loophole to prevent "little" Derbyshire bringing in an international all rounder that could threaten the order of things in county cricket, I would bet my beer money on it being utilised. I'm thrilled at the thought of this chap playing for us next year, but the time for dreaming will be when its done and dusted and not before.

A cautionary word...

I've had a call from a pal at our village club tonight who saw the information on Robin Peterson on cricinfo earlier today. He's a South African himself and is regularly jetting between the two countries and keeping abreast of information on South African cricket.

He told me that the Peterson deal may not be accurate and that the newspaper concerned has a reputation for getting things wrong. If one newspaper prints something, the feed goes out through agencies and all of a sudden, rightly or wrongly, there's a factual story.

Maybe there's no smoke without fire, but for now I've pulled my Peterson piece. There'll be plenty of time for that when the news is OFFICIALLY announced through the club site, but until then I'm going to err on the side of caution, just in case this is a poor piece of journalism.

Good news, however from Perth, where Paul Borrington is playing for Midland Guildford in Western Australia. Last weekend, in the first innings of a 2 day match that continues this weekend, he batted at number three and was last man out for 70 in a score of 140 all out. For a young man on different tracks in a country a long way from home that is an impressive debut. An early example of what you can do takes a lot of pressure off a new player at any club and Paul will benefit from this excellent start.

More to the point, if he comes back from Australia with his confidence high and his reputation enhanced, so will we.

Look on the bright side. Only 137 sleeps until April...