Well, looks like many of you see Champagne Charl Langeveldt as our most important signing in the close season.
Mind you, there was pretty even support for Rikki Clarke, Chris Rogers and Nayan Doshi too, and there may well be some soothsayers on this blog as the Indian left arm spinner should come into his own as the season progresses.
Thanks to all who voted. Why not try this week's poll?
Also thanks to the remarkable number who are visiting this blog on a regular basis. I've now changed it so you can post replies immediately without approval, so if you like something, please let me know, if there's something you'd like to see, do the same.
If you don't like something, or disagree with something I write, please let me know too - but keep it clean!
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
County upset at Aussie snub.
Do these jokers ever get anything right?
The England and Wales Cricket Board have declined to give us a game against the Aussies next year, saying we got one against a touring side this time around. This despite the fact that we've not had a game against them since 1997 (when we won) and every other County will have played them at least twice in that period.
It's things like this that create and maintain the "them and us" feeling that we've had for years and it is, quite frankly both unacceptable and a joke.
I fully understand and support the club's official complaint on the matter and hope it may result in a rethink. I'll believe it when I see it though, because my impression of the suits at Lords is that they're marginally less effective than those running Scottish football at present who insist Rangers play seven games in eighteen days. As my old man told me years ago - cricket is the best game in the world but its ruined by the ones who run it. Hang your heads in shame!
The England and Wales Cricket Board have declined to give us a game against the Aussies next year, saying we got one against a touring side this time around. This despite the fact that we've not had a game against them since 1997 (when we won) and every other County will have played them at least twice in that period.
It's things like this that create and maintain the "them and us" feeling that we've had for years and it is, quite frankly both unacceptable and a joke.
I fully understand and support the club's official complaint on the matter and hope it may result in a rethink. I'll believe it when I see it though, because my impression of the suits at Lords is that they're marginally less effective than those running Scottish football at present who insist Rangers play seven games in eighteen days. As my old man told me years ago - cricket is the best game in the world but its ruined by the ones who run it. Hang your heads in shame!
Derby v Warwick
Well, the top order failed again, but I'd have to say that I'm pretty satisfied with the first day.
Yes, the total was disappointing for the first day of a Championship game, but it was a lot better than looked likely in the early afternoon. Full credit to Tom Lungley and to Jon Clare, both of whom seem to have the ability to become reall all rounders. The former has always appeared to be a bloke who could keep an end up, but seems to have done much more, while the latter looks like one of the most exciting finds in a long while. OK, since Dan Redfern last year, but you take my point.
This time last year the side would have been out for 150, but they have at least posted something to bowl at and the hope is that tomorrow brings the same humid atmosphere that produced extravagant swing today. As the day cools towards evening swing will generally lessen but with the bowlers at our disposal I'm optimistic that we can make inroads into their batting.
The key, of course, is removing the talismanic Darren Maddy and then Ian Bell. They are the two best players by a distance, and we'll need an early breakthrough or could be set for some serious leather-chasing.
Fingers crossed for a humid morning everyone!
Yes, the total was disappointing for the first day of a Championship game, but it was a lot better than looked likely in the early afternoon. Full credit to Tom Lungley and to Jon Clare, both of whom seem to have the ability to become reall all rounders. The former has always appeared to be a bloke who could keep an end up, but seems to have done much more, while the latter looks like one of the most exciting finds in a long while. OK, since Dan Redfern last year, but you take my point.
This time last year the side would have been out for 150, but they have at least posted something to bowl at and the hope is that tomorrow brings the same humid atmosphere that produced extravagant swing today. As the day cools towards evening swing will generally lessen but with the bowlers at our disposal I'm optimistic that we can make inroads into their batting.
The key, of course, is removing the talismanic Darren Maddy and then Ian Bell. They are the two best players by a distance, and we'll need an early breakthrough or could be set for some serious leather-chasing.
Fingers crossed for a humid morning everyone!
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Derbyshire Legends 4 - Bill Copson (1908-71)
Only Bill Copson's health and injury problems kept him from greater recognition, as there is no doubt that he was a very fine bowler.
Another from the Derbyshire coalfields, Bill impressed at the nets with his accuracy and ability to swing the ball at pace. "We've found a gorilla-armed 'un" was the comment passed on the young bowler, who looked like he needed built up a little but was able to generate good pace from a whippy action.
With his first ball in first-class cricket he took the wicket of Surrey legend Andrew Sandham and he continued to make a good impression. His accuracy was notable, as was his shock of red hair, and from a short run up Bill could make the best batsmen in the country hurry their shots.
He had a fine seasom in 1935 and finished top of the averages, but he missed a lot of cricket and Derbyshire sent him to Skegness to recuperate from illness and he also trained with Chesterfield FC to get fitter for 1936.
Derbyshire's Championship success in 1936 owed much to what was called "Copson's brimstone at one end and Tommy Mitchell's treacle at the other". Indeed, in the absence of George Pope for much of the season with cartilage trouble, more work was thrust on the two. Bill took 140 wickets at less than 13 in the season and earned selection for the Ashes tour to Australia. He did well there too, topping the tour averages but playing no Tests.
In 1937 he produced his greatest performance in taking 8-11 against Warwickshire at Derby, including 5 in 6 balls. He finally got an England call in 1939 and took 12 wickets in two Tests. Due to bigger battles he had to wait until 1947 for a next cap when he took a further three wickets against South Africa to end his Test career with 15 wickets at just under 20.
For Derbyshire he took 1094 wickets at a shade under 19. He played on after the war and retired in 1949, becoming an umpire. Throughout his career he went for only 2.5 runs an over, a clear indication of that accuracy. He was no batsman, but like most tail-enders of the time gave the ball a hearty thump and his innings were usually brief and entertaining.
Another from the Derbyshire coalfields, Bill impressed at the nets with his accuracy and ability to swing the ball at pace. "We've found a gorilla-armed 'un" was the comment passed on the young bowler, who looked like he needed built up a little but was able to generate good pace from a whippy action.
With his first ball in first-class cricket he took the wicket of Surrey legend Andrew Sandham and he continued to make a good impression. His accuracy was notable, as was his shock of red hair, and from a short run up Bill could make the best batsmen in the country hurry their shots.
He had a fine seasom in 1935 and finished top of the averages, but he missed a lot of cricket and Derbyshire sent him to Skegness to recuperate from illness and he also trained with Chesterfield FC to get fitter for 1936.
Derbyshire's Championship success in 1936 owed much to what was called "Copson's brimstone at one end and Tommy Mitchell's treacle at the other". Indeed, in the absence of George Pope for much of the season with cartilage trouble, more work was thrust on the two. Bill took 140 wickets at less than 13 in the season and earned selection for the Ashes tour to Australia. He did well there too, topping the tour averages but playing no Tests.
In 1937 he produced his greatest performance in taking 8-11 against Warwickshire at Derby, including 5 in 6 balls. He finally got an England call in 1939 and took 12 wickets in two Tests. Due to bigger battles he had to wait until 1947 for a next cap when he took a further three wickets against South Africa to end his Test career with 15 wickets at just under 20.
For Derbyshire he took 1094 wickets at a shade under 19. He played on after the war and retired in 1949, becoming an umpire. Throughout his career he went for only 2.5 runs an over, a clear indication of that accuracy. He was no batsman, but like most tail-enders of the time gave the ball a hearty thump and his innings were usually brief and entertaining.
Derbyshire v Warwickshire preview
A change of format for Derbyshire tomorrow as we return to Championship action against Warwickshire at Derby.
The Bears are a fair side and were heavily tipped pre-season to be winners of Division 2. They have a strong squad travelling for this game, which is apparently:
Darren Maddy (captain)
Ian Westwood
Ian Bell
Jonathan Trott
Michael Powell
Tim Ambrose(wicket keeper)
Ant Botha
Ian Salisbury
Neil Carter
Monde Zondeki
James Anyon
Lee Daggett
Derbyshire will miss Graham Wagg, who spent a night in hospital after an asthma attack that caused him to miss the game against Scotland. There is no news at this stage about the final squad, but in the continued absence of Greg Smith and Kevin Dean, I would expect it to be:
Chris Rogers
Steve Stubbings
John Sadler
Rikki Clarke (captain)
Dominic Telo
Fred Klokker
James Pipe
John Clare
Tom Lungley
Nayan Doshi
Charl Langeveldt
Jake Needham
Klokker should keep his place in the 12 as we really don't have any options. Dan Birch has had a wrist injury and Dan Redfern is sitting exams. So the Dane could be in line to face his old county, while Ant Botha returns to Derby for the first time.
There is an interesting head to head with the two South African seamers - Charl Langeveldt for us and Monde Zondeki for them. With Maddy, Bell and Ambrose all in good form, the Derbyshire attack will have to bowl well, but Lungley, Clare and Langeveldt are all in good bowling form.
Derbyshire's top order need to bat well and it is important that we post a first innings score to put pressure on the visitors.
The Bears are a fair side and were heavily tipped pre-season to be winners of Division 2. They have a strong squad travelling for this game, which is apparently:
Darren Maddy (captain)
Ian Westwood
Ian Bell
Jonathan Trott
Michael Powell
Tim Ambrose(wicket keeper)
Ant Botha
Ian Salisbury
Neil Carter
Monde Zondeki
James Anyon
Lee Daggett
Derbyshire will miss Graham Wagg, who spent a night in hospital after an asthma attack that caused him to miss the game against Scotland. There is no news at this stage about the final squad, but in the continued absence of Greg Smith and Kevin Dean, I would expect it to be:
Chris Rogers
Steve Stubbings
John Sadler
Rikki Clarke (captain)
Dominic Telo
Fred Klokker
James Pipe
John Clare
Tom Lungley
Nayan Doshi
Charl Langeveldt
Jake Needham
Klokker should keep his place in the 12 as we really don't have any options. Dan Birch has had a wrist injury and Dan Redfern is sitting exams. So the Dane could be in line to face his old county, while Ant Botha returns to Derby for the first time.
There is an interesting head to head with the two South African seamers - Charl Langeveldt for us and Monde Zondeki for them. With Maddy, Bell and Ambrose all in good form, the Derbyshire attack will have to bowl well, but Lungley, Clare and Langeveldt are all in good bowling form.
Derbyshire's top order need to bat well and it is important that we post a first innings score to put pressure on the visitors.
Monday, 5 May 2008
Well, well, well....
Come on you Saltires!
So Scotland turn in a sensational performance and open up our group in the FP Trophy. You'd have got long odds on that before the game, and even longer when the Scots made a little over 150. Their Aussie professional Ed Cowan is scoring prolifically in club cricket so far and averages around 300, but has struggled to get going for the national side. His innings today was crucial.
Blain, Nel and Wright are all decent seamers and Drummond a rising talent, while Glenn Rogers, who took two wickets yesterday, bowled a terrific ten over spell for just two an over. It makes the decision to omit him from recent games all the more bizarre, as he was their steadiest bowler at the World Cup.
I'll admit to being a little biased, as Glenn is a mate of mine and plays for our club whenever he's free of national commitments. He bats three for us, and has several hundreds to his name, which shows the gulf in class between top club and county standard. He'll be thrilled to at least have hooked Charl to the boundary, and I look forward to hearing his detailed descriptions of his two dismissals. Should take at least a pint each, I'd have thought!
Anyway, we sit nicely in the group at the half way stage, with perhaps three wins needed from the last four matches. If we make the quarters, who knows what might happen, but we'll take each match in turn and keep fingers crossed.
So Scotland turn in a sensational performance and open up our group in the FP Trophy. You'd have got long odds on that before the game, and even longer when the Scots made a little over 150. Their Aussie professional Ed Cowan is scoring prolifically in club cricket so far and averages around 300, but has struggled to get going for the national side. His innings today was crucial.
Blain, Nel and Wright are all decent seamers and Drummond a rising talent, while Glenn Rogers, who took two wickets yesterday, bowled a terrific ten over spell for just two an over. It makes the decision to omit him from recent games all the more bizarre, as he was their steadiest bowler at the World Cup.
I'll admit to being a little biased, as Glenn is a mate of mine and plays for our club whenever he's free of national commitments. He bats three for us, and has several hundreds to his name, which shows the gulf in class between top club and county standard. He'll be thrilled to at least have hooked Charl to the boundary, and I look forward to hearing his detailed descriptions of his two dismissals. Should take at least a pint each, I'd have thought!
Anyway, we sit nicely in the group at the half way stage, with perhaps three wins needed from the last four matches. If we make the quarters, who knows what might happen, but we'll take each match in turn and keep fingers crossed.
Derbyshire Legends 3 - Bill Bestwick (1875-1938)
Bill Bestwick was a very fine bowler in an era when Derbyshire had a very poor team.
Tall and solidly built, he was the stereotypical Derbyshire pace bowler. Not quite fast, but well above medium pace, he took only a short run and generated awkward bounce with his action and his powerful physique. He continued to play first class cricket until he was fifty, and at the age of 46 produced one of the most astonishing seasons by any veteran, when he took 147 wickets at an average of 16.
In his Derbyshire career he took over 1450 wickets at 21. To be honest, for a lot of that time he kept one end going for Derbyshire as he would regularly bowl throughout an innings. He had the job of strike AND stock bowler and did so well. Working down the pit each winter made sure that he maintained a high level of bowling fitness. He couldn't bat, and averaged only four runs an innings through his career, but Bill could bowl.
It was perhaps off the pitch where he achieved his greatest fame - or perhaps notoriety. He would regularly spend his lunch break in the beer tent, which set him up for the afternoon session, while close of play would see him back there or at some neighbouring hostelry. There were tales of a nature that would make front page headlines today, including a fight in which a man was knifed to death (although Bestwick was acquitted, being judged to have acted in self-defence). At times he was given a minder who's job was to get him to the ground intact, but Bill was a wily soul and often gave him the slip. It was once said that Bill's intake was not measured in pints, but gallons.
On one occasion he was dropped for a game at Worcester, but in the afternoon he appeared at the ground very much the worse for drink. Finding out who was playing, he made it clear to those around what he thought.
"Derbysheer? Derbysheer? If I'd known it were bluddy Derbyshire I wouldn't have bothered cummin in".
He spent some time in Wales as a professional and former colleagues feared trips there as it usually signalled Bill's worst excesses. It was also the scene of his greatest triumph, taking 10-40 in 19 overs BEFORE LUNCH after being rendered incapable of walking two nights before. Seven were clean bowled, so his eyes must have been focussed OK.
He is remembered as a rough diamond with a heart of gold. After a collection had been made to reward another fine performance, Bill counted the money and gave half of it back to Will Taylor, the club secretary.
"Gi' this t'owd Arthur. He needs it more than me". His team mate Arthur Morton had been involved in a motor bike accident and was unable to play - and therefore to be paid.
On his retirement he became an umpire and was well respected, although he did manage to anger Gubby Allen by giving the young Denis Compton out lbw when he was batting at number eleven. When Allen questioned the decision, Bill told him he knew full well that it wasn't out, but Middlesex had their first innings lead, he was dying for a pee and would have wet himself if he'd waited any longer!
He died of cancer in Nottingham General Hospital in 1938, having witnessed his county winning the Championship in 1936.
They don't make them like that any more.
Cricket at a distance
You know that you're a cricket nut when Teletext plays a part in your life.
I'm not able to get to as many matches as was once the case (a little matter of 330 miles to Derby), but I still get to a good few games each year and follow the club in the press, online and on the radio.
Teletext is a terrific innovation and it helps you to keep track with a game as it progresses, but it just leaves you wanting more and not at all aware of the big picture. You can watch the score change over a couple of overs and perhaps see sixteen runs scored. You might think that the bowlers were doing badly or the batsmen were in prime form, when the reality is perhaps that there's been three snicks down to third man for four.
I've seen myself checking Teletext for team news around fifteen minutes before a game starts and cursing as every match is covered apart from Derbyshire. I've seen a team announced and then seen the first wicket taken by someone who isn't in it. If a game gets to an exciting stage, you can find yourself switching from Ceefax to Teletext and back to get the quickest update. Sad, I know but this is what happens if you're a real fan.
The floodlit matches are worst. My wife will be happily watching Coronation Street when, as the first notes of the trumpet signalling the break sounds, I've got the text on to see the latest score.
"But it's not changed" she'll say, oblivious to the fact that the score is pretty much the same but this is good! Importantly we've bowled two or three tight overs since my last check. The kids are used to having a computer game paused while I check to see if we've got a breakthrough, or that someone has reached a batting milestone. Perhaps I need therapy, or maybe a watch with Teletext.
It's much easier now with the online coverage, and Charles Collins entertaining commentaries are a welcome addition to the entertainment in the house. With one tab open on Cricinfo and an ear on his commentary, I've got the bases covered, but it's not the same as being there.
You know that you've got it bad when you think that you've got into the rhythm of the text. You're tuned to the speed of the updates and there's a feeling of trepidation (if we're batting) or excitement (if we're bowling) when an update is delayed. It must mean a wicket and the scorers at the ground are taking their time updating the system. Most of the time it is just delays in technology, and you're disappointed when a five minute wait doesn't mean Langeveldt has taken a hat trick but that the opposition have added nine runs, or rain has stopped play.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting watching the text all day every day, but when we go out for a run in the car I've got the scores on within five minutes of getting home. Radio 5 Live is good for its updates, but its extraordinary how many times I/we get into the car just after the "every hour on the half hour" sports bulletin and we've reached our destination before the next. Alternatively, you'll be waiting for the scores and be told that "In cricket, Mark Ramprakash has scored his umpty-fourth century, and there'll be a full round up of scores in our next bulletin". This after hearing about show jumping, how wet it is for some tennis tournament and who's won the Bavarian bear-baiting championships.
So I get home, and I'm sat checking the Teletext again. After all that anticipation, and switching between Talksport and Five Live between updates and CD changes, I find that there's been no play due to rain.
All that for nothing...
I'm not able to get to as many matches as was once the case (a little matter of 330 miles to Derby), but I still get to a good few games each year and follow the club in the press, online and on the radio.
Teletext is a terrific innovation and it helps you to keep track with a game as it progresses, but it just leaves you wanting more and not at all aware of the big picture. You can watch the score change over a couple of overs and perhaps see sixteen runs scored. You might think that the bowlers were doing badly or the batsmen were in prime form, when the reality is perhaps that there's been three snicks down to third man for four.
I've seen myself checking Teletext for team news around fifteen minutes before a game starts and cursing as every match is covered apart from Derbyshire. I've seen a team announced and then seen the first wicket taken by someone who isn't in it. If a game gets to an exciting stage, you can find yourself switching from Ceefax to Teletext and back to get the quickest update. Sad, I know but this is what happens if you're a real fan.
The floodlit matches are worst. My wife will be happily watching Coronation Street when, as the first notes of the trumpet signalling the break sounds, I've got the text on to see the latest score.
"But it's not changed" she'll say, oblivious to the fact that the score is pretty much the same but this is good! Importantly we've bowled two or three tight overs since my last check. The kids are used to having a computer game paused while I check to see if we've got a breakthrough, or that someone has reached a batting milestone. Perhaps I need therapy, or maybe a watch with Teletext.
It's much easier now with the online coverage, and Charles Collins entertaining commentaries are a welcome addition to the entertainment in the house. With one tab open on Cricinfo and an ear on his commentary, I've got the bases covered, but it's not the same as being there.
You know that you've got it bad when you think that you've got into the rhythm of the text. You're tuned to the speed of the updates and there's a feeling of trepidation (if we're batting) or excitement (if we're bowling) when an update is delayed. It must mean a wicket and the scorers at the ground are taking their time updating the system. Most of the time it is just delays in technology, and you're disappointed when a five minute wait doesn't mean Langeveldt has taken a hat trick but that the opposition have added nine runs, or rain has stopped play.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting watching the text all day every day, but when we go out for a run in the car I've got the scores on within five minutes of getting home. Radio 5 Live is good for its updates, but its extraordinary how many times I/we get into the car just after the "every hour on the half hour" sports bulletin and we've reached our destination before the next. Alternatively, you'll be waiting for the scores and be told that "In cricket, Mark Ramprakash has scored his umpty-fourth century, and there'll be a full round up of scores in our next bulletin". This after hearing about show jumping, how wet it is for some tennis tournament and who's won the Bavarian bear-baiting championships.
So I get home, and I'm sat checking the Teletext again. After all that anticipation, and switching between Talksport and Five Live between updates and CD changes, I find that there's been no play due to rain.
All that for nothing...
Reasons to be cheerful
All things considered, this has been a good start for Derbyshire.
A win and a draw in the Championship, two wins, a draw and a defeat in the FP Trophy. Now comes news that Wavell Hinds may join us as a Kolpak from the start of June as well as Charl Langeveldt. While it is unlikely that we would have enough money to sign a replacement overseas star for the 20/20, it may be that Chris Rogers could forego a break and play too.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm not a great fan of the competition, but Derbyshire would have a very strong side if this little lot took the field:
Rogers
Hinds
Sadler
Clarke
Telo
Pipe
Wagg
Clare
Lungley
Langeveldt
Doshi
All of a sudden we have competition for places. Steve Stubbings would drop out of this form of the game for me, but with him, Greg Smith, Jake Needham and Kevin Dean the first in line to step in, and that side having seven bowlers, it would be a side with potential.
So what have we learned so far?
Well, we've a good pair of openers who work well together and have started to give us the solid starts that are so important to any side. Stubbo is the consummate pro, while Chris Rogers looks like a terrific signing and is an obvious class act. In John Sadler we have acquired a man who will sell his wicket dearly and who gives a little extra steel at number three than we have had for some time.
The skipper has not yet got into his groove with the bat, but his aggressive style is good to see and with a player of his class you know it will come. It is good to see him backing himself in the closing overs with the ball too, while his slip catching is a decided asset.
Dom Telo has yet to get into stride, but we must treat this year as a learning curve for a player who looks very compact and composed. The runs will come once the wickets dry out and the bonus is that he is a brilliant fielder. James Pipe is a great man to have coming in to change the pace of the game, and he remains a very good wicket-keeper, while Graham Wagg adds the potential for lower order "oomph" and has golden spells that can transform a game (Durham, anyone?)
With Tom Lungley he offers swing at a reasonable pace and they are the equal of any England qualified players in the country in this role. They have now been joined by Jon Clare, who seems to take wickets every time he bowls. The latter also seems to be very accurate, and it was encouraging to see how well he came back yesterday after his first three overs went for twenty-six. It was the first time he'd been collared, but Clare bowled well in his second spell and removed Scotland's danger man Poonia.
Nayan Doshi hasn't had much help from wickets at this stage, but he has bowled with reassuring accuracy and it is always an asset to have a spinner who can keep it steady at one end.
Importantly we now have Charl Langeveldt, a bowler who can make things happen and who the skipper can throw the ball to when a wicket is needed. He cannot have done more in his first couple of matches, and his fitness over the season is going to be crucial to our hopes of success.
With Dan Redfern and Paul Borrington in reserve, Jake Needham knocking on the door, and Kevin Dean, Ian Hunter, Greg Smith and Wayne White ready for a chance, this is looking like a season of progress. It is long overdue, but I'd have to say that I am impressed with John Morris' work so far and he deserves full credit for it.
A win and a draw in the Championship, two wins, a draw and a defeat in the FP Trophy. Now comes news that Wavell Hinds may join us as a Kolpak from the start of June as well as Charl Langeveldt. While it is unlikely that we would have enough money to sign a replacement overseas star for the 20/20, it may be that Chris Rogers could forego a break and play too.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm not a great fan of the competition, but Derbyshire would have a very strong side if this little lot took the field:
Rogers
Hinds
Sadler
Clarke
Telo
Pipe
Wagg
Clare
Lungley
Langeveldt
Doshi
All of a sudden we have competition for places. Steve Stubbings would drop out of this form of the game for me, but with him, Greg Smith, Jake Needham and Kevin Dean the first in line to step in, and that side having seven bowlers, it would be a side with potential.
So what have we learned so far?
Well, we've a good pair of openers who work well together and have started to give us the solid starts that are so important to any side. Stubbo is the consummate pro, while Chris Rogers looks like a terrific signing and is an obvious class act. In John Sadler we have acquired a man who will sell his wicket dearly and who gives a little extra steel at number three than we have had for some time.
The skipper has not yet got into his groove with the bat, but his aggressive style is good to see and with a player of his class you know it will come. It is good to see him backing himself in the closing overs with the ball too, while his slip catching is a decided asset.
Dom Telo has yet to get into stride, but we must treat this year as a learning curve for a player who looks very compact and composed. The runs will come once the wickets dry out and the bonus is that he is a brilliant fielder. James Pipe is a great man to have coming in to change the pace of the game, and he remains a very good wicket-keeper, while Graham Wagg adds the potential for lower order "oomph" and has golden spells that can transform a game (Durham, anyone?)
With Tom Lungley he offers swing at a reasonable pace and they are the equal of any England qualified players in the country in this role. They have now been joined by Jon Clare, who seems to take wickets every time he bowls. The latter also seems to be very accurate, and it was encouraging to see how well he came back yesterday after his first three overs went for twenty-six. It was the first time he'd been collared, but Clare bowled well in his second spell and removed Scotland's danger man Poonia.
Nayan Doshi hasn't had much help from wickets at this stage, but he has bowled with reassuring accuracy and it is always an asset to have a spinner who can keep it steady at one end.
Importantly we now have Charl Langeveldt, a bowler who can make things happen and who the skipper can throw the ball to when a wicket is needed. He cannot have done more in his first couple of matches, and his fitness over the season is going to be crucial to our hopes of success.
With Dan Redfern and Paul Borrington in reserve, Jake Needham knocking on the door, and Kevin Dean, Ian Hunter, Greg Smith and Wayne White ready for a chance, this is looking like a season of progress. It is long overdue, but I'd have to say that I am impressed with John Morris' work so far and he deserves full credit for it.
Sunday, 4 May 2008
Derbyshire v Scotland
Another win, but credit to the Scots for making it a little closer than we'd have wanted.
Once again Charl Langeveldt struck early, but Scotland's overseas professional Ed Cowan didn't get going and the signs were that we wouldn't have many to chase. Navdeep Poonia, loaned to Scotland by Warwickshire for this competition, had other ideas and batted over two hours for 75. Only Gavin Hamilton lasted long with him, however, and when John Clare finally removed Poonia with the help of James Pipe, the Scotland innings was in terminal decline. From 156-4 the innings collapsed to 169 all out. Langeveldt again impressed with 4-28, while John Clare, who seems to have a great knack of taking wickets, took 3-39. There was also an exemplary spell of slow left arm from Nayan Doshi, as well as a fine catch on the boundary to end the innings.
Steve Stubbings and Chris Rogers made a good start and kept up with the rate, and various stoppages for rain brought the dreaded Duckworth Lewis into the equation. Glenn Rogers bowled his usual canny spell and removed both Stubbo and John Sadler, but there is a little more savvy to this Derbyshire side. Although Rikki Clarke was out after a six and a four in his 15, Dom Telo and James Pipe saw us home with over two overs to spare.
With Durham losing on the last ball to Lancashire, the holders are in danger of going out, while Derbyshire, with 2 wins, a no result and a defeat so far, can be quite happy at the halfway stage in the group.
Once again Charl Langeveldt struck early, but Scotland's overseas professional Ed Cowan didn't get going and the signs were that we wouldn't have many to chase. Navdeep Poonia, loaned to Scotland by Warwickshire for this competition, had other ideas and batted over two hours for 75. Only Gavin Hamilton lasted long with him, however, and when John Clare finally removed Poonia with the help of James Pipe, the Scotland innings was in terminal decline. From 156-4 the innings collapsed to 169 all out. Langeveldt again impressed with 4-28, while John Clare, who seems to have a great knack of taking wickets, took 3-39. There was also an exemplary spell of slow left arm from Nayan Doshi, as well as a fine catch on the boundary to end the innings.
Steve Stubbings and Chris Rogers made a good start and kept up with the rate, and various stoppages for rain brought the dreaded Duckworth Lewis into the equation. Glenn Rogers bowled his usual canny spell and removed both Stubbo and John Sadler, but there is a little more savvy to this Derbyshire side. Although Rikki Clarke was out after a six and a four in his 15, Dom Telo and James Pipe saw us home with over two overs to spare.
With Durham losing on the last ball to Lancashire, the holders are in danger of going out, while Derbyshire, with 2 wins, a no result and a defeat so far, can be quite happy at the halfway stage in the group.
Sundays aren't what they used to be...
It's Sunday morning and while eating my breakfast I had a flashback to those wonderful days when I was a kid.
On Sundays in the summer one of three things happened. We might jump into Dad's Ford Anglia and hit the highways and byways of Derbyshire. This was great fun, and even now I never tire of a trip to Matlock Bath, Castleton, Buxton, Dovedale and all the rest. In my memory it is always a glorious day, the radio is playing songs from the summer of love (I Can't Let Maggie Go, Everlasting Love, Lets Go To San Francisco) and I'm wondering how Derbyshire are doing.
An alternative was going to the cricket, a day that was "enlivened" by the jobsworth stewards that we had at that time. According to them, you couldn't park/sit/walk/breathe there and no Sunday was complete without seeing someone fall out with them. Derby was always a popular spot, and we'd park up on the mound and get there early to be next to the boundary, but Chesterfield was always my favourite. The ground was in a park, the miniature railway was an option in the lunch interval and there was always the chance of a bat on the grass.
I always fantasised about the skipper of the time seeing my silky shots and sending someone down to ask me to play as they were short. For some reason it never happened, but I lived in hope. We'd sit either opposite the scoreboard or just in front, depending on where we could get closest to the boundary, but we eventually settled on a spot by the sightscreen, where you could see the ball from the batsman's perspective if you had good eyesight.
Memory is a funny thing. While it suggests that we did OK, a check of Wisden shows that we lost many more games than we won, mainly because we were, for the large part of my childhood, rubbish. Only when Eddie Barlow came did we really pick up, but from 1967-73 we were an average side. I'll make honourable exception for Ian Buxton's side of 1970, when we mounted a good Sunday campaign, but it was a very brief shining moment in a long period of darkness.
Sundays at home were great though. After the traditional Sunday dinner, we'd settle down in front of the TV and watch Sunday League cricket. Terrestrial TV, full games - what more could you want? It was a golden age where, as soon as you saw who was on, your mind would go into overdrive. The captions would come on and, while you hoped it might be Hampshire v Derbyshire from Southampton or somewhere, you were thrilled whoever it was.
Kent v Lancashire. That'll be Luckhurst, Denness, Cowdrey, Ealham, Asif, John Shepherd, Knotty, Underwood! Oh great, and Faroukh Engineer, Barry Wood, little Harry Pilling, Clive Lloyd, John Sullivan, Frank Hayes, Peter Lever and so on. Change the teams, change the names, the ritual was the same and you'd curl up in the armchair and await developments.
Its funny, it was always "little Harry Pilling". No one ever said "lanky John Graham" or "gangling Brian Brain" but Harry always had a prefix to his name. I don't suppose he minded though, as the commentators were usually the dream team of John Arlott and Jim Laker. The former, all gravelly burr with a rich fund of anecdotes, the latter minimalist in his comments but extremely authoritative. With Jim a picture painted a thousand words, whereas John painted a picture with a thousand words. Together they were superb, and leave today's counterparts (Messrs Benaud and Boycott apart) mere imitators.
As the game wore on, you'd get the latest scores from elsewhere, and you'd sit up, cross all fingers and hope Derbyshire were doing well (this was pre-teletext for the younger readers!)
By halfway you'd be hopeful. Northants 171-8 in 40 overs. We could get them. We'd reassure each other, so-and so's due an innings, he 's in good nick, they've no bowlers, but the first update was often that Derbyshire were 63-4 in 19 overs. OK, we could still get them, you'd work out who would be in with four down (and were usually wrong when you checked the papers next morning) and wait for a late order onslaught.
The next update would show that we were 117-8 after 36 overs. Still a chance, it's only 14 an over...
So it went on. Sundays were great, unlike today when you get an afternoon of assorted minor sports from around the globe and domestic cricket gets 60 seconds of highlights on Sky Sports News if you're lucky. There's games on Sky if you can afford the subscription and don't mind a dustbin lid on the side of your house for the signal, but it's really not the same.
Still, there's always teletext updates. But that's another story.
On Sundays in the summer one of three things happened. We might jump into Dad's Ford Anglia and hit the highways and byways of Derbyshire. This was great fun, and even now I never tire of a trip to Matlock Bath, Castleton, Buxton, Dovedale and all the rest. In my memory it is always a glorious day, the radio is playing songs from the summer of love (I Can't Let Maggie Go, Everlasting Love, Lets Go To San Francisco) and I'm wondering how Derbyshire are doing.
An alternative was going to the cricket, a day that was "enlivened" by the jobsworth stewards that we had at that time. According to them, you couldn't park/sit/walk/breathe there and no Sunday was complete without seeing someone fall out with them. Derby was always a popular spot, and we'd park up on the mound and get there early to be next to the boundary, but Chesterfield was always my favourite. The ground was in a park, the miniature railway was an option in the lunch interval and there was always the chance of a bat on the grass.
I always fantasised about the skipper of the time seeing my silky shots and sending someone down to ask me to play as they were short. For some reason it never happened, but I lived in hope. We'd sit either opposite the scoreboard or just in front, depending on where we could get closest to the boundary, but we eventually settled on a spot by the sightscreen, where you could see the ball from the batsman's perspective if you had good eyesight.
Memory is a funny thing. While it suggests that we did OK, a check of Wisden shows that we lost many more games than we won, mainly because we were, for the large part of my childhood, rubbish. Only when Eddie Barlow came did we really pick up, but from 1967-73 we were an average side. I'll make honourable exception for Ian Buxton's side of 1970, when we mounted a good Sunday campaign, but it was a very brief shining moment in a long period of darkness.
Sundays at home were great though. After the traditional Sunday dinner, we'd settle down in front of the TV and watch Sunday League cricket. Terrestrial TV, full games - what more could you want? It was a golden age where, as soon as you saw who was on, your mind would go into overdrive. The captions would come on and, while you hoped it might be Hampshire v Derbyshire from Southampton or somewhere, you were thrilled whoever it was.
Kent v Lancashire. That'll be Luckhurst, Denness, Cowdrey, Ealham, Asif, John Shepherd, Knotty, Underwood! Oh great, and Faroukh Engineer, Barry Wood, little Harry Pilling, Clive Lloyd, John Sullivan, Frank Hayes, Peter Lever and so on. Change the teams, change the names, the ritual was the same and you'd curl up in the armchair and await developments.
Its funny, it was always "little Harry Pilling". No one ever said "lanky John Graham" or "gangling Brian Brain" but Harry always had a prefix to his name. I don't suppose he minded though, as the commentators were usually the dream team of John Arlott and Jim Laker. The former, all gravelly burr with a rich fund of anecdotes, the latter minimalist in his comments but extremely authoritative. With Jim a picture painted a thousand words, whereas John painted a picture with a thousand words. Together they were superb, and leave today's counterparts (Messrs Benaud and Boycott apart) mere imitators.
As the game wore on, you'd get the latest scores from elsewhere, and you'd sit up, cross all fingers and hope Derbyshire were doing well (this was pre-teletext for the younger readers!)
By halfway you'd be hopeful. Northants 171-8 in 40 overs. We could get them. We'd reassure each other, so-and so's due an innings, he 's in good nick, they've no bowlers, but the first update was often that Derbyshire were 63-4 in 19 overs. OK, we could still get them, you'd work out who would be in with four down (and were usually wrong when you checked the papers next morning) and wait for a late order onslaught.
The next update would show that we were 117-8 after 36 overs. Still a chance, it's only 14 an over...
So it went on. Sundays were great, unlike today when you get an afternoon of assorted minor sports from around the globe and domestic cricket gets 60 seconds of highlights on Sky Sports News if you're lucky. There's games on Sky if you can afford the subscription and don't mind a dustbin lid on the side of your house for the signal, but it's really not the same.
Still, there's always teletext updates. But that's another story.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Derbyshire Legends 2 - Cliff Gladwin (1916-1988)
Cliff Gladwin was the other half of one of the best opening attacks in County cricket since the Second World War. Good judges say that there have been precious few better in the history of the game. Lohmann and Richardson at Surrey, Hadlee and Rice or Larwood and Voce at Notts, maybe Loader and Bedser at Surrey. There have been few who managed such sustained hostility over a long period like the Derbyshire pair.
I've already covered Les, but Cliff was a wonderful foil. For a big man he was light on his feet and his short run and economical action took little out of him. Like Les, he could bowl long spells and batsmen couldn't plan to bat out five or six overs, as they could both bowl for a couple of hours without a noticeable drop in pace.
Big inswingers were what Cliff bowled, backed up by Carr, Revill and Morgan in the legtrap who appeared to practice by catching flies. There was also one that held up, and a leg cutter that got many victims. 1653 wickets at 18 was testimony to the penetration of his bowling, but Cliff and Les were chalk and cheese on the pitch. When a catch went down off Les, he would as often as not say "bad luck, catch next 'un". Cliff would reveal a fine range of invective but bore no grudges. They shared a dislike of conceding runs and many marvelled that Cliff knew his analysis at the end of a day - indeed even correcting a scorer on occasion. He was the ultimate professional who allowed no slacking in the field. One of his team mates recalled a bawling out from Cliff for attempting a run out by kicking the ball at the stumps, a criminal waste of a new ball...
He managed eight England caps and was possibly just short of Test class. He did, however, play a part in one of the greatest Test match wins, getting the winning run off his thigh in South Africa in 1948-9. "Coometh the hour, coometh the man" were his words as he walked out in the final over, and he was as good as his word.
He was a fair batsman, and could well have been a good all rounder, narrowly missing the double in 1949. His bowling was more important to Derbyshire, however and he took a hundred wickets in 12 of his 13 seasons for Derbyshire, taking 94 in the injury-hit season when he didn't.
When Harold Rhodes came into the Derbyshire side he was in awe of the pair, but admitted the help that they gave him and the encouragement to maintain the level of parsimony that they had established. Rhodes helped Jackson to bowl out Hampshire for 23 at Burton in 1958, but one fan was heard to comment that "they wouldn't have got half that score if Cliff had been bowling with Les". Now that is a tough school! He recalled watching Frank Tyson bowl lightningly quick at Northampton one day and bowl a bouncer in his first over that just missed the batsman's head, then cleared the wicket keeper and went for four byes. Appreciative whistles came from the waiting batsmen and from Rhodes himself, but Cliff was unimpressed.
"What a bluddy waste of a new ball" was all he said. Make the batsman play, that was the Derbyshire way.
After he retired he played League cricket for years and ran a sports shop in Chesterfield. I bought a pair of batting gloves there once and he was very helpful and friendly. Many a batsman would have liked to have seen that from 22 yards away, but Cliff was one of the great competitors. It was once calculated that his average bowling figures were 22-7-55-3 and there were no easy runs with Cliff Gladwin around.
Not bad for a man who had only played one first class match before the war and played his second at the age of 29. There's a lot to be said for late developers.
I've already covered Les, but Cliff was a wonderful foil. For a big man he was light on his feet and his short run and economical action took little out of him. Like Les, he could bowl long spells and batsmen couldn't plan to bat out five or six overs, as they could both bowl for a couple of hours without a noticeable drop in pace.
Big inswingers were what Cliff bowled, backed up by Carr, Revill and Morgan in the legtrap who appeared to practice by catching flies. There was also one that held up, and a leg cutter that got many victims. 1653 wickets at 18 was testimony to the penetration of his bowling, but Cliff and Les were chalk and cheese on the pitch. When a catch went down off Les, he would as often as not say "bad luck, catch next 'un". Cliff would reveal a fine range of invective but bore no grudges. They shared a dislike of conceding runs and many marvelled that Cliff knew his analysis at the end of a day - indeed even correcting a scorer on occasion. He was the ultimate professional who allowed no slacking in the field. One of his team mates recalled a bawling out from Cliff for attempting a run out by kicking the ball at the stumps, a criminal waste of a new ball...
He managed eight England caps and was possibly just short of Test class. He did, however, play a part in one of the greatest Test match wins, getting the winning run off his thigh in South Africa in 1948-9. "Coometh the hour, coometh the man" were his words as he walked out in the final over, and he was as good as his word.
He was a fair batsman, and could well have been a good all rounder, narrowly missing the double in 1949. His bowling was more important to Derbyshire, however and he took a hundred wickets in 12 of his 13 seasons for Derbyshire, taking 94 in the injury-hit season when he didn't.
When Harold Rhodes came into the Derbyshire side he was in awe of the pair, but admitted the help that they gave him and the encouragement to maintain the level of parsimony that they had established. Rhodes helped Jackson to bowl out Hampshire for 23 at Burton in 1958, but one fan was heard to comment that "they wouldn't have got half that score if Cliff had been bowling with Les". Now that is a tough school! He recalled watching Frank Tyson bowl lightningly quick at Northampton one day and bowl a bouncer in his first over that just missed the batsman's head, then cleared the wicket keeper and went for four byes. Appreciative whistles came from the waiting batsmen and from Rhodes himself, but Cliff was unimpressed.
"What a bluddy waste of a new ball" was all he said. Make the batsman play, that was the Derbyshire way.
After he retired he played League cricket for years and ran a sports shop in Chesterfield. I bought a pair of batting gloves there once and he was very helpful and friendly. Many a batsman would have liked to have seen that from 22 yards away, but Cliff was one of the great competitors. It was once calculated that his average bowling figures were 22-7-55-3 and there were no easy runs with Cliff Gladwin around.
Not bad for a man who had only played one first class match before the war and played his second at the age of 29. There's a lot to be said for late developers.
Derbyshire Legends 1 - Les Jackson (1921-2007)
Les Jackson was one of the greatest bowlers to ever play the game of cricket.
He played two Test matches.
There you have it, encapsulated in two short sentences, what has been wrong with cricket for very many years. The fact is, to get any recognition as a Derbyshire player, you have to be at least twice as good as the rest.
Les took 1733 wickets at a shade over 17 runs each over a career that lasted from 1947 to 1963. Throughout that time, especially through the 1950's, he was widely regarded as the best new ball bowler in the country. Yet the sum of his Test career is two caps 14 years apart, in 1947 and 1961. In those two Tests, he took seven wickets at 22 each, which suggests he could have handled that level of the game. Some might argue that there were many fine seam bowlers at that time, and will cite the names of Trueman, Statham, Loader, Shackleton and Tyson. Fair enough, but they weren't always in the side and bowlers like John Warr and Peter Loader - neither of whom could hold a candle to "our Les" had much more recognition.
Tom Graveney, Ted Dexter, Peter May and many more all said that the best bowler in the country, day in, day out, was Les Jackson. That he got no real recognition was down to two things. One was his unconventional action, the other that he was a coal miner.
Let's take the action first. Les bowled off a relatively short run with a slinging, round arm action that saw his arm come over middle stump. This closeness to the wicket helped him get countless lbw decisions, but it was his pace off the pitch that accounted for so many. Tom Graveney said that whenever he met Les socially he started rubbing the inside of his right thigh, where he constantly got hit by the bowler's unexpected nip. Ted Dexter said that he thought he could bat until he came up against Jackson at Derby and couldn't lay a bat on him. With a helpful wicket, he would jar hands against handles, bruise thighs, ribs and hands as the ball, time and again hit the right length. One of his former colleagues recalls going out to the middle at the end of an innings and laying down a handkerchief that completely covered where Les had pitched his bowling.
In the 1950's, Derbyshire may well have won the championship if they'd had one top batsman. Players like Arnold Hamer, Donald Carr, Derek Morgan and others scored their runs, but none were so prolific that the bowlers had runs to play with. They always managed "just enough" - 200 would give Les and Cliff Gladwin something to play with, and they won a remarkable number of matches with bowling of accuracy, hostility, cunning and skill. Derek Morgan said that he owed a lot of his wickets to batsmen taking risks against him when they'd not seen a loose ball in the opening spells.
My Dad told me that if he was picking an eleven to play Mars, the first two names on his team sheet would be Geoff Boycott and Les Jackson. Over the past 40 years in our many chats about the respective merits of our bowlers, he'll come up with some grudging praise - "he's good, but he's no Les Jackson".
Dad was a miner too, and all of us from those coalfields knew why Les wasn't considered good enough. It was the same reason why Nottinghamshire bowler Tom "Topsy" Wass was overlooked earlier in the century (a selector of the time said his table manners were inadequate...) The same reason why Bill Copson never got picked, or George Pope, Alf Pope and many others. Les once reputedly held Dick Spooner of Warwickshire over the side of a boat en route to a Commonwealth tour of India for speaking disrespectfully of miners. They tried to get around his non-selection by saying that he couldn't come back for a second spell, a ludicrous assertion for a man who bowled around 900 overs a season. His captain at Derbyshire, Donald Carr, regularly bowled him all morning then brought him back after lunch, hardly the sign of a delicate constitution.
Even after he retired he played for a number of years as a League professional and always took wickets, seldom got hit. I saw him once, playing for Derbyshire against the International Cavaliers in 1968. I was only nine, and regret not knowing enough at that time to really appreciate the last sight of a legend.
One of my most treasured possessions is a letter from Les. For years, my Dad had told me that he had seen him bat for Derbyshire in his first season wearing only one pad. It never made it to his excellent biography by Mike Carey, and I wanted to see if it was true. Having no address, I phoned Whitwell Post Office and asked if I sent a letter to them, they would pass it to him. They were happy to do so, and a week later, I was thrilled to get a reply from him confirming it and talking about players he'd faced. Later that summer Dad and I met him at the County Ground, I got his autograph and my Dad, for the first time in his life, was tongue-tied in the presence of his hero. For ten minutes we talked cricket and it was something we will always remember. The subject of "the pad" came up
"Aye" said Les, a right hand batsman "an' it were on my right leg 'n' all..."
Modest of his achievements, Donald Carr once said that he was amazed how Les could move the ball off the seam on the flooring in the indoor nets. How, he asked, did he grip the ball?
"Skipper, I just pick it up and bugger about wi' it until summat 'appens"
It's not every day that you get a letter from a legend, rarer still to meet one. Irrespective of the thoughts of England selectors of the era, Les Jackson was most definitely that, and it was an honour to have known him
Derbyshire v Scotland
I've just about got my breath back from the game tonight.
This game highlighted exactly what I said in this blog earlier in the week. No 20/20 game could possibly ebb and flow like this one did. Derbyshire were on top, then two wickets brought Durham back, Clarke and Sadler restored things, then Durham kept it tight at the end. They then got a good start, we pegged them back, Langeveldt took three wickets but back they came again until Clarke kept his nerve at the end.
Sunday's game should not be as close, and if Derbyshire do a professional job, they can not only win but improve their run rate to strengthen their position. The Scots have been our bogey side in recent years, but this year they are in a degree of disarray. A pre-season match in Namibia saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, mainly due to a captain who singularly fails to appreciate that spin can play a part in winning games.
South African born Ryan Watson misses this game to be with his wife at the birth of their child, and Fraser Watts surprisingly replaces him. Watts is in a poor run of form and perhaps the captaincy is a burden he could live without. Equally strange is the omission of Qasim Sheikh, the only in-form batsman, while Majid Haq, an aggressive left hander who bowls gentle off spin, is also unavailable. Navdeep Poonia, on the staff at Warwickshire, comes into the squad, but is a player who is very vulnerable early in his innings.
There should be a place for Aussie Glenn Rogers, who has been strangely overlooked in recent games despite being one of only two bowlers who usually keeps it tight. The slow left armer is also a fair batsman who is strangely overlooked by the Scots despite scoring heavily in club cricket.
If the weather holds fair, Derbyshire should pick up two more points. It is important that they do so in style and head into the second half of the competition with confidence high.
This game highlighted exactly what I said in this blog earlier in the week. No 20/20 game could possibly ebb and flow like this one did. Derbyshire were on top, then two wickets brought Durham back, Clarke and Sadler restored things, then Durham kept it tight at the end. They then got a good start, we pegged them back, Langeveldt took three wickets but back they came again until Clarke kept his nerve at the end.
Sunday's game should not be as close, and if Derbyshire do a professional job, they can not only win but improve their run rate to strengthen their position. The Scots have been our bogey side in recent years, but this year they are in a degree of disarray. A pre-season match in Namibia saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, mainly due to a captain who singularly fails to appreciate that spin can play a part in winning games.
South African born Ryan Watson misses this game to be with his wife at the birth of their child, and Fraser Watts surprisingly replaces him. Watts is in a poor run of form and perhaps the captaincy is a burden he could live without. Equally strange is the omission of Qasim Sheikh, the only in-form batsman, while Majid Haq, an aggressive left hander who bowls gentle off spin, is also unavailable. Navdeep Poonia, on the staff at Warwickshire, comes into the squad, but is a player who is very vulnerable early in his innings.
There should be a place for Aussie Glenn Rogers, who has been strangely overlooked in recent games despite being one of only two bowlers who usually keeps it tight. The slow left armer is also a fair batsman who is strangely overlooked by the Scots despite scoring heavily in club cricket.
If the weather holds fair, Derbyshire should pick up two more points. It is important that they do so in style and head into the second half of the competition with confidence high.
Friday, 2 May 2008
Derbyshire v Durham
What a fascinating game, and full credit to the boys for making a great fist of things against one of the strongest counties.
Stubbo and Rogers did a fine job of opening the innings, although its a shame that our Aussie couldn't go on to a century. When Stubbo went soon afterwards, we'd two new men at the crease which usually slows things down. Both went after we'd passed 200, and despite a late flurry from James Pipe (and a surprisingly late appearance from Dom Telo at number 8) the final score of 236 was a little less than at one time looked likely.
When our former hero Michael di Venuto and Phil Mustard set off well and posted 76 for the first wicket the score looked inadequate, with Mustard scoring especially quickly. Graham Wagg then made a crucial breakthrough by having Mustard caught by Nayan Doshi. That was only the start, as he then produced a triple whammy to remove Coetzer, di Venuto and the dangerous South African star Neil McKenzie, the latter first ball
Then Benkenstein and Collingwood turned the game to Durham with a solid stand, and at 147-4 Durham looked set for the onslaught. Langeveldt chose the moment to make his name as a Derbyshire bowler, removing both batsmen and the dangerous West Indian Breese with the score unchanged and in the space of five balls.
Surely at 147-7 we were home? No, back came Durham, with the lesser known Harmison batting steadily while first Onions and then his brother played a few shots. When Steve was out at 196, with only Neil Killeen to come, that had got to be it. The fielding kept steady, with Wagg taking a blinder to dismiss Harmison.
No again. The last pair batted very well and inched ever closer to the total. It came down to the last ball, and Rikki Clarke's throw ran out Killeen to win an amazing game by one run.
Gentlemen - and ladies - a win on Sunday and we are right back in it!
Stubbo and Rogers did a fine job of opening the innings, although its a shame that our Aussie couldn't go on to a century. When Stubbo went soon afterwards, we'd two new men at the crease which usually slows things down. Both went after we'd passed 200, and despite a late flurry from James Pipe (and a surprisingly late appearance from Dom Telo at number 8) the final score of 236 was a little less than at one time looked likely.
When our former hero Michael di Venuto and Phil Mustard set off well and posted 76 for the first wicket the score looked inadequate, with Mustard scoring especially quickly. Graham Wagg then made a crucial breakthrough by having Mustard caught by Nayan Doshi. That was only the start, as he then produced a triple whammy to remove Coetzer, di Venuto and the dangerous South African star Neil McKenzie, the latter first ball
Then Benkenstein and Collingwood turned the game to Durham with a solid stand, and at 147-4 Durham looked set for the onslaught. Langeveldt chose the moment to make his name as a Derbyshire bowler, removing both batsmen and the dangerous West Indian Breese with the score unchanged and in the space of five balls.
Surely at 147-7 we were home? No, back came Durham, with the lesser known Harmison batting steadily while first Onions and then his brother played a few shots. When Steve was out at 196, with only Neil Killeen to come, that had got to be it. The fielding kept steady, with Wagg taking a blinder to dismiss Harmison.
No again. The last pair batted very well and inched ever closer to the total. It came down to the last ball, and Rikki Clarke's throw ran out Killeen to win an amazing game by one run.
Gentlemen - and ladies - a win on Sunday and we are right back in it!
Thursday, 1 May 2008
Derbyshire v Durham
A must win at this early stage of the season.
After the rain wrecked the Lancashire game, and we made a mess of batting against the Yorkies when faced with only a moderate total, we really need a win against Durham.
There are no clues as to the team selection, with the fitness of Greg Smith and Kevin Dean still not clear. Charl Langeveldt should make his home debut, and while the batting pretty much picks itself, the bowling options are many and varied. If the wicket is slow, we may even see both spinners play to strangle the opposition batsmen.
The game sees the return to the County Ground of the man who should never have been allowed to leave, Michael di Venuto. I still break out in a cold sweat when I think of how we kept Travis Birt and allowed Diva to move to pastures new, knowing that he was considering playing on his Italian passport at some point. Just think, we could have had Diva AND Chris Rogers opening the batting...
Durham miss the injured Liam Plunkett, and we'll hope that Neil Killeen doesn't do his usual and go through our batting. The toss may well be crucial, with the play under lights (if it gets that far) perhaps allowing even more radical swing than usual.
Here's hoping Charl, Tom and co. have their radars locked and we can get that win under our belts!
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
More on the EPL proposals
Some interesting comments on the DET site today from "Bovril", obviously taking stock (ahem) of the situation...
I think I upset him by saying I didn't care about the England side. I should clarify that by saying I like to see them do well, but given the choice between seeing England do well or Derbyshire, I'll take the Peakites every time.
I think everyone is so obsessed with the idea of this franchised regional competition that they're missing a point. Let's have it in June and all the best players in the world will come! Well, perhaps they won't. These IPL riches will make players financially secure and there's a lot who will prefer a break rather than another hectic month in already over-populated fixture calendars.
I think he also denigrates unfairly the County game, comparing it to the very strong Australian competitions. While not denying that the Australians have some outstanding players, there's some poor ones too and no real depth to the pool of talent. Doug Bollinger, Shaun Tait, Jon Moss and Michael Dighton have all had fine careers in Oz, but none were setting the County game alight during their stays.
Success in cricket, as in all sport, goes in cycles. In the county game, Yorkshire were all-conquering in the 30's but had to wait for the 60's to be strong again. Somerset had a golden spell with Botham, Richards and Garner, while Sussex are ahead of the pack at present (largely thanks to Mushtaq). Internationally, most countries have had peaks and troughs. I'm still not convinced that stopping bowlers playing for their counties is good for their skills. Protect them, sure, but when a Test player bowls only 200 overs in a summer in which he is dropped for being erratic, Stephen Hawking doesn't need to provide the answer...
England will be strong again, despite any system that is introduced. So will Derbyshire, and I suspect our day will come first.
I think I upset him by saying I didn't care about the England side. I should clarify that by saying I like to see them do well, but given the choice between seeing England do well or Derbyshire, I'll take the Peakites every time.
I think everyone is so obsessed with the idea of this franchised regional competition that they're missing a point. Let's have it in June and all the best players in the world will come! Well, perhaps they won't. These IPL riches will make players financially secure and there's a lot who will prefer a break rather than another hectic month in already over-populated fixture calendars.
I think he also denigrates unfairly the County game, comparing it to the very strong Australian competitions. While not denying that the Australians have some outstanding players, there's some poor ones too and no real depth to the pool of talent. Doug Bollinger, Shaun Tait, Jon Moss and Michael Dighton have all had fine careers in Oz, but none were setting the County game alight during their stays.
Success in cricket, as in all sport, goes in cycles. In the county game, Yorkshire were all-conquering in the 30's but had to wait for the 60's to be strong again. Somerset had a golden spell with Botham, Richards and Garner, while Sussex are ahead of the pack at present (largely thanks to Mushtaq). Internationally, most countries have had peaks and troughs. I'm still not convinced that stopping bowlers playing for their counties is good for their skills. Protect them, sure, but when a Test player bowls only 200 overs in a summer in which he is dropped for being erratic, Stephen Hawking doesn't need to provide the answer...
England will be strong again, despite any system that is introduced. So will Derbyshire, and I suspect our day will come first.
This year's top all rounder
So, most of you reckon Rikki Clarke is to be our top all rounder this year.
So do I, but I think his batting is most important to our hopes of success. Graham Wagg is tipped by a good number to do well, and a few rated the chances of Jon Clare to make an impression.
Thanks to all who voted - why not let me know who you think will be our most influential winter signing in today's new poll, that runs for the next week?
Derbyshire sign golden Hinds
I thought I'd use that one before someone from the press does this summer...
What do you think of the signing? I'm quite pleased, and think he's a decent cricketer. OK, I'd have preferred Brendan McCullum or James Hopes, but the reality is that the big names from the IPL are sufficiently secure financially to not need the County grind, for whatever length of time.
Hinds has a good, but not spectacular first class record, and didn't set the heather on fire in the ICL. After a quick 59 in the first game, he settled down to a tournament average of 21. To be fair to him, that is only to be expected in 20/20, as the nature of the game suggests that few will average over 40. I doubt Bradman would be especially prolific in that form of the game.
What it does is give us a player who can score quickly, bowl tidily and field brilliantly. In many ways, he's a better bet for that competition than Chris Rogers, who will earn a well deserved rest for the duration of the 20/20. Hinds will enable Morris to play an extra batsman if he wants, and will give him someone who can keep it tight. As we've got Charl Langeveldt, fresh from his exploits in South Africa's version of the game, and Nayan Doshi, arguably the best spinner in the form in recent years, we might surprise a few teams.
The problem is we're in a very tough group yet again. Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Notts and Leicester is as tough a company as it gets and it is very much the group of death. That, plus the fact we play most of them in the FP trophy, is why I predicted pre-season that our best bet of one day success was in the Pro 40, where the teams look more beatable.
Anyway, full credit to the men in charge of the club for another sound signing. Here's hoping Wavell brings some real Caribbean panache to the County Ground in July!
What do you think of the signing? I'm quite pleased, and think he's a decent cricketer. OK, I'd have preferred Brendan McCullum or James Hopes, but the reality is that the big names from the IPL are sufficiently secure financially to not need the County grind, for whatever length of time.
Hinds has a good, but not spectacular first class record, and didn't set the heather on fire in the ICL. After a quick 59 in the first game, he settled down to a tournament average of 21. To be fair to him, that is only to be expected in 20/20, as the nature of the game suggests that few will average over 40. I doubt Bradman would be especially prolific in that form of the game.
What it does is give us a player who can score quickly, bowl tidily and field brilliantly. In many ways, he's a better bet for that competition than Chris Rogers, who will earn a well deserved rest for the duration of the 20/20. Hinds will enable Morris to play an extra batsman if he wants, and will give him someone who can keep it tight. As we've got Charl Langeveldt, fresh from his exploits in South Africa's version of the game, and Nayan Doshi, arguably the best spinner in the form in recent years, we might surprise a few teams.
The problem is we're in a very tough group yet again. Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Notts and Leicester is as tough a company as it gets and it is very much the group of death. That, plus the fact we play most of them in the FP trophy, is why I predicted pre-season that our best bet of one day success was in the Pro 40, where the teams look more beatable.
Anyway, full credit to the men in charge of the club for another sound signing. Here's hoping Wavell brings some real Caribbean panache to the County Ground in July!
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
20/20 Premier League - some thoughts
I'll be honest straight from the start and admit that I'm not a huge fan of 20/20 cricket.
I don't deny it's exciting at times, but it really doesn't thrill me. I've not yet watched an IPL game from start to finish, although I'll admit to being pleased when Derbyshire win matches in the competition, and I'd be shouting from the rooftops if we were to win it.
I'm with Neville Cardus. He once memorably described one day cricket as being "like Mozart played on a banjo". If that is so, 20/20 must be played on the comb and paper. If I think back to memorable passages of cricket, there are various things come to mind. Holding's torrid over to Boycott in 1981, ending with his brutal dismissal. Allan Donald's bowling to Mike Atherton one sunny evening, with barely a run scored but the cricket breathtaking. Derbyshire beating Sussex in the Gillette Cup semi-final of 1969, bowling them out for 49 with some astonishing bowling.
Cricket doesn't have to be all bish, bash, bosh to be good. We all like to see a sensational shot, a glorious cover drive, a clip through mid wicket, but 20/20 is a little like eating at a top restaurant. On an occasional basis it is really nice, but after a while you get fed up with it and yearn for something else, something more simple.
After my wife and kids, I love cricket. The only thing that comes close is music, but the truth is I don't like to mix my cricket and music. Snippets of rock music played after every boundary or wicket is neither here nor there. Nor is it new, as those who've read about the old festival weeks, with cricket accompanied by brass bands, will know. Anyone who knows me would say I was receptive to change and innovation, but 20/20 really isn't my bag, man. It's too biased in favour of batsmen, with short boundaries and fielding regulations. A game doesn't really evolve either. A 40 or 50 over game can ebb and flow, but a bad start in a 20/20 usually results in a team getting stuffed.
I don't like pyjama clothes either, so I suppose I'm a traditionalist. Which brings me neatly to the plans for the EPL in 2010. I'm left cold, stone cold, by plans to introduce regional or city teams. I was brought up to enjoy the "derby" matches, the battles against Yorkshire, Notts and Leicester, and now we're considering them being on our side. Hmmm...
I cannot deny the rationale that, as 20/20 has attracted a whole new audience, this crowd has not yet developed loyalties and may therefore embrace the new teams and new identities. It may attract international stars, most of whom would sooner walk barefoot over hot coals than endure a full season of county cricket. I just think that we're accelerating the time when the market for cricket is saturated.
We're not far away as it is. Who would be a fast bowler in the modern game? It's hard enough work as it is, without staggering from one game to the next, expected to run in hard and still dive to stop fours. I'm reminded of Bill Bowes, the old Yorkshire quick bowler before the war, saying how he got bawled out by his skipper for diving to stop the ball. "You're in the side to bowl, we've other buggers to do that sort of thing" he was told. No wonder the modern quicks have so many injuries.
For batsmen too, there's another innings tomorrow and the quality is sacrificed to the quantity. Someone, somewhere needs to take stock of the situation and needs to do it fast.
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