Gloucestershire 251-6 (Klinger 93 not, Taylor 58 not, Taylor 3-64)
At 159-6 this afternoon, Billy Godleman's decision to bowl was thoroughly vindicated, but late resistance from the admirable Michael Klinger and from Jack Taylor left honours pretty much even at the end of a truncated first day.
Klinger is a fine player and has been for many years, despite remaining on the periphery of the Australian national side. He rode his luck early on and perhaps should have gone when he skied a hook that Tony Palladino lost in the sun, but sometimes things go the other way and Klinger did a fine job for his side.
Congratulations are due tonight to Tony Palladino on his 300th first-class wicket and to Mark Footitt who took his 200th. Both were second to Tom Taylor in terms of wickets today, but we could do with the three of them wrapping things up quickly tomorrow.
The weather is set to take more time out of this game and time will tell if there will be enough for a positive result to be forced.
In closing tonight, just a word about events at Taunton. How do you score an unbeaten 151 in a twenty-over match, as Chris Gayle did today, and STILL finish on the losing side? Yet he only faced fifty per cent of the bowling, suggesting that his team mates didn't use a massive amount of gumption at the other end.
Astonishing. Quite astonishing.
I'm glad I don't do a blog on Somerset...
Sunday, 31 May 2015
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Derbyshire v Gloucestershire preview
Well, that's our games against the division winners (for so shall they be) Lancashire out of the way for the summer. Now, in game six of the championship summer, we play the return against Gloucestershire. It is hard to get away from the opinion that these fixtures weren't drawn up by a computer that was close to having a duvet day...
Tillakaratne Dilshan makes his championship debut and will slot in at four. His presence also gives us an additional spin option, so David Wainwright drops out of the squad. The decision on the day is whether one of the main seamers drops out or Matt Critchley does so, in this squad:
Ben Slater
Billy Godleman
Chesney Hughes
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Scott Elstone
Shiv Thakor
Harvey Hosein
Matt Critchley
Tony Palladino
Tom Taylor
Ben Cotton
Mark Footitt
My guess is that one of the seamers makes way. With Shiv Thakor as a fine option, we don't really need five and Critchley has done little wrong. Indeed, he seems to have become lead spinner at the age of eighteen, which is both exciting and worrying in equal measure. David Wainwright seems to have lost his 'oomph' while Tom Knight would appear to be considered a work in progress, so far as his bowling is concerned. Talented a cricketer as young Master Critchley is, I wonder if he is ready for such a role at his age. Mind you, his current average of 93 with the bat is a strong argument for inclusion anyway and we are hardly awash with viable alternatives...
As for Gloucestershire, they show several changes from Bristol, with Michael Klinger back instead of fellow Aussie Peter Handscomb, while Kiwi Kieron Noema-Barnett is also dropped.
Their squad:
Chris Dent, Will Tavaré, Michael Klinger, Gareth Roderick (wkt), Hamish Marshall, Geraint Jones (wkt), Benny Howell, Jack Taylor, David Payne, Matt Taylor, Liam Norwell, Craig Miles.
They are a decent batting side but we have already shown that they are beatable, albeit down to a remarkable Kiwi effort. The Derby wickets appear to be good cricket tracks and there is always early morning help for the bowlers.
We can win this.
Tillakaratne Dilshan makes his championship debut and will slot in at four. His presence also gives us an additional spin option, so David Wainwright drops out of the squad. The decision on the day is whether one of the main seamers drops out or Matt Critchley does so, in this squad:
Ben Slater
Billy Godleman
Chesney Hughes
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Scott Elstone
Shiv Thakor
Harvey Hosein
Matt Critchley
Tony Palladino
Tom Taylor
Ben Cotton
Mark Footitt
My guess is that one of the seamers makes way. With Shiv Thakor as a fine option, we don't really need five and Critchley has done little wrong. Indeed, he seems to have become lead spinner at the age of eighteen, which is both exciting and worrying in equal measure. David Wainwright seems to have lost his 'oomph' while Tom Knight would appear to be considered a work in progress, so far as his bowling is concerned. Talented a cricketer as young Master Critchley is, I wonder if he is ready for such a role at his age. Mind you, his current average of 93 with the bat is a strong argument for inclusion anyway and we are hardly awash with viable alternatives...
As for Gloucestershire, they show several changes from Bristol, with Michael Klinger back instead of fellow Aussie Peter Handscomb, while Kiwi Kieron Noema-Barnett is also dropped.
Their squad:
Chris Dent, Will Tavaré, Michael Klinger, Gareth Roderick (wkt), Hamish Marshall, Geraint Jones (wkt), Benny Howell, Jack Taylor, David Payne, Matt Taylor, Liam Norwell, Craig Miles.
They are a decent batting side but we have already shown that they are beatable, albeit down to a remarkable Kiwi effort. The Derby wickets appear to be good cricket tracks and there is always early morning help for the bowlers.
We can win this.
Closing thoughts on a dazzling evening
Well, I was wrong and am happy to admit so.
Derbyshire showed last night that they CAN play T20. The trick now is for them to replicate that committed display on a regular basis.
It is a long time since I saw such a uniformly disciplined display by a Derbyshire side in the field and for that, both the players and coaching staff deserve credit.We looked a decent side last night with the reappearance of five senior, experienced cricketers, each of who played a part in the team success. You cannot undervalue such experience at this level of the game.
That's not to say that I advocate a return to the old days when we gave a last pay day to a range of old lags from the county circuit. If everyone is fit, we have a nice blend of experience and youth, but for the latter to flourish, they need a strong environment to do so. This summer we have been hit with an astonishing amount of injuries and it has left the senior team with an uncomfortably youthful look. There are times in games when such youth needs and looks to experience to guide them through troubled waters. Look at our 'classic' players, like Chris Adams, John Morris and Kim Barnett - all emerged through a side where their occasional indiscretions at the crease were covered by experienced players and they were able to learn from them.
I am sure they all watched last night how Hashim Amla and Tillakaratne Dilshan rotated the strike and kept the score moving without resorting to overly-flamboyant swipes and slogs. At times the running might have enjoyed better communication, but they took ten an over in the power play, almost without breaking sweat.
While not matching his feats on the world stage while he was with us, it was a joy to watch Amla last night. His timing was a thing of beauty and he had so much time to play his shots. Not since the halcyon days of Wright and Kirsten has there been such a pairing and the only disappointment was that it it ended when it did.
Dilshan is a fine player. He mixes pace, line and length, the occasional ball gets more of a 'tweak' and he is a canny bowler, especially in the early overs. When Rimmington returns we have solid experience at that crucial time, though both Ben Cotton and Shiv Thakor continue to impress.
Perhaps most rewarding last night was hearing the commentary team's comments on us. It was no longer patronising, but there was respect for the improved facilities, the use of young players, the recruitment of big names AND the performance. Special mention to Dominic Cork who remains supportive of what is going on at the club and still looks fit enough to bowl four overs himself. He has become a very good commentator, one with the rare gift of adding to the picture, rather than waffling away and detracting from the viewing experience.
I can see us winning more games, but then I can see us losing some. Every team does, but there is one 'tweak' I would like to see in our batting.
I expect Dilshan and Wes Durston to open from here, with Chesney (if what looked like a back issue allows it) at three. If we lose early wickets, for me it makes sense for Billy Godleman to go in next and anchor the innings, at least until Wayne Madsen returns. Someone needs to do that in T20 and the best sides in the format have a player who bats through. Of course, if a more flamboyant bat gets going it is fine and dandy, but Godleman can score quick enough and also prevent us sliding to 60-5, which we seem to do.
I'll be back later, with a preview of the Gloucestershire game that starts tomorrow.
Derbyshire showed last night that they CAN play T20. The trick now is for them to replicate that committed display on a regular basis.
It is a long time since I saw such a uniformly disciplined display by a Derbyshire side in the field and for that, both the players and coaching staff deserve credit.We looked a decent side last night with the reappearance of five senior, experienced cricketers, each of who played a part in the team success. You cannot undervalue such experience at this level of the game.
That's not to say that I advocate a return to the old days when we gave a last pay day to a range of old lags from the county circuit. If everyone is fit, we have a nice blend of experience and youth, but for the latter to flourish, they need a strong environment to do so. This summer we have been hit with an astonishing amount of injuries and it has left the senior team with an uncomfortably youthful look. There are times in games when such youth needs and looks to experience to guide them through troubled waters. Look at our 'classic' players, like Chris Adams, John Morris and Kim Barnett - all emerged through a side where their occasional indiscretions at the crease were covered by experienced players and they were able to learn from them.
I am sure they all watched last night how Hashim Amla and Tillakaratne Dilshan rotated the strike and kept the score moving without resorting to overly-flamboyant swipes and slogs. At times the running might have enjoyed better communication, but they took ten an over in the power play, almost without breaking sweat.
While not matching his feats on the world stage while he was with us, it was a joy to watch Amla last night. His timing was a thing of beauty and he had so much time to play his shots. Not since the halcyon days of Wright and Kirsten has there been such a pairing and the only disappointment was that it it ended when it did.
Dilshan is a fine player. He mixes pace, line and length, the occasional ball gets more of a 'tweak' and he is a canny bowler, especially in the early overs. When Rimmington returns we have solid experience at that crucial time, though both Ben Cotton and Shiv Thakor continue to impress.
Perhaps most rewarding last night was hearing the commentary team's comments on us. It was no longer patronising, but there was respect for the improved facilities, the use of young players, the recruitment of big names AND the performance. Special mention to Dominic Cork who remains supportive of what is going on at the club and still looks fit enough to bowl four overs himself. He has become a very good commentator, one with the rare gift of adding to the picture, rather than waffling away and detracting from the viewing experience.
I can see us winning more games, but then I can see us losing some. Every team does, but there is one 'tweak' I would like to see in our batting.
I expect Dilshan and Wes Durston to open from here, with Chesney (if what looked like a back issue allows it) at three. If we lose early wickets, for me it makes sense for Billy Godleman to go in next and anchor the innings, at least until Wayne Madsen returns. Someone needs to do that in T20 and the best sides in the format have a player who bats through. Of course, if a more flamboyant bat gets going it is fine and dandy, but Godleman can score quick enough and also prevent us sliding to 60-5, which we seem to do.
I'll be back later, with a preview of the Gloucestershire game that starts tomorrow.
Friday, 29 May 2015
Derbyshire v Lancashire T20 Blast
Lancashire 127-9 (Davies 41, White 3-21, Palladino 2-22, Cotton 2-26)
Derbyshire 128-5 (Amla 51, Dilshan 38)
Derbyshire won by 5 wickets
For all the protestations in some quarters of non-attendance because of our form, as well as the presence of Sky cameras, a good-sized crowd attended the 3aaa County Ground tonight.
And heavens to betsy, didn't we turn in a fine performance?
In the past couple of weeks I have excused defeats because of a lack of experience and there has been negativity in some quarters, the rationale of their counter-argument being that younger players needed to take responsibility. and justify their places. I disagreed then and do now. Young players will come on in their own time as they get to know their games. As supporters we must enjoy their successes, share their own frustration in failure and watch their gradual, but definite development.
Tonight we saw the benefit of experience. Tony Palladino and Wayne White were back and offered much to the bowling. Tillakaratne Dilshan's bowling was clever and added much-needed and economical variety, while youngsters Ben Cotton and Shiv Thakor bowled with common sense and considerable skill.
We had our traditional wobble as the finishing line approached, largely down to the quest to do so quickly, but it didn't matter too much by that stage. That was because Dilshan and Hashim Amla led off with a stand of 93 that largely rendered us collapse-proof.
The return and introduction of such players would improve any team, but there was a vigour, passion and commitment of the whole team in the field. The ground fielding was excellent, the catching sound (Amla's boundary catch a highlight) and the throwing swift and accurate. Dilshan's reputation at point is undimmed at 38, while his tight spell showed his all-round value.
I was impressed by all the bowlers. Tony Palladino bowled straight and varied his pace, while the return of Wayne White added one-day nous with the ball, as it would have added depth to the batting had he been required. Best of all, perhaps, was Ben Cotton, whose ability to fire the ball into the block hole was as striking as the extra pace he has gained from last season.
Then came the big cheeses. Whatever other memories we hold of this season in years to come, watching Amla and Dilshan walk out to open our batting will be a lasting one. In his last appearance, Amla made a sparkling fifty, reaching it with an extraordinary, one-handed flick off his legs for six. He may not have been at his most dominant in our colours, but hearing Graeme Welch talk of his influence was telling.
In his first appearance, Dilshan was impressive, if understandably a tad rusty. Not everything came off the middle, but enough did to suggest he will be an asset when he gets his land legs and some Derbyshire air in his lungs.
There were some undignified, bucolic swipes after the Lord Mayor's show, more suited to the village green than the County Ground, but tonight was one for celebration.
The first win of the season and, to boot, one that hinted it may not be the last. Add Nathan Rimmington to the attack and Wayne Madsen to the batting and we could get a respectable placing in the group. I'll not suggest we are now going to take it by storm, but there were indicators tonight that we are mastering some of the main disciplines of T20 cricket.
If we have learned from the way that Amla and Dilshan milked the bowling around for singles when there was nothing else there, the future may contain more wins than the recent past.
More from me tomorrow.
Postscript - good to hear Tom Poynton behind the stumps again tonight, keeping the field on their toes and producing excellent glove work. As indeed did his counterpart for Lancashire, Alex Davies, who looks a fine prospect.
Anyone else think he looks like Chris Read of Nottinghamshire?
Derbyshire 128-5 (Amla 51, Dilshan 38)
Derbyshire won by 5 wickets
For all the protestations in some quarters of non-attendance because of our form, as well as the presence of Sky cameras, a good-sized crowd attended the 3aaa County Ground tonight.
And heavens to betsy, didn't we turn in a fine performance?
In the past couple of weeks I have excused defeats because of a lack of experience and there has been negativity in some quarters, the rationale of their counter-argument being that younger players needed to take responsibility. and justify their places. I disagreed then and do now. Young players will come on in their own time as they get to know their games. As supporters we must enjoy their successes, share their own frustration in failure and watch their gradual, but definite development.
Tonight we saw the benefit of experience. Tony Palladino and Wayne White were back and offered much to the bowling. Tillakaratne Dilshan's bowling was clever and added much-needed and economical variety, while youngsters Ben Cotton and Shiv Thakor bowled with common sense and considerable skill.
We had our traditional wobble as the finishing line approached, largely down to the quest to do so quickly, but it didn't matter too much by that stage. That was because Dilshan and Hashim Amla led off with a stand of 93 that largely rendered us collapse-proof.
The return and introduction of such players would improve any team, but there was a vigour, passion and commitment of the whole team in the field. The ground fielding was excellent, the catching sound (Amla's boundary catch a highlight) and the throwing swift and accurate. Dilshan's reputation at point is undimmed at 38, while his tight spell showed his all-round value.
I was impressed by all the bowlers. Tony Palladino bowled straight and varied his pace, while the return of Wayne White added one-day nous with the ball, as it would have added depth to the batting had he been required. Best of all, perhaps, was Ben Cotton, whose ability to fire the ball into the block hole was as striking as the extra pace he has gained from last season.
Then came the big cheeses. Whatever other memories we hold of this season in years to come, watching Amla and Dilshan walk out to open our batting will be a lasting one. In his last appearance, Amla made a sparkling fifty, reaching it with an extraordinary, one-handed flick off his legs for six. He may not have been at his most dominant in our colours, but hearing Graeme Welch talk of his influence was telling.
In his first appearance, Dilshan was impressive, if understandably a tad rusty. Not everything came off the middle, but enough did to suggest he will be an asset when he gets his land legs and some Derbyshire air in his lungs.
There were some undignified, bucolic swipes after the Lord Mayor's show, more suited to the village green than the County Ground, but tonight was one for celebration.
The first win of the season and, to boot, one that hinted it may not be the last. Add Nathan Rimmington to the attack and Wayne Madsen to the batting and we could get a respectable placing in the group. I'll not suggest we are now going to take it by storm, but there were indicators tonight that we are mastering some of the main disciplines of T20 cricket.
If we have learned from the way that Amla and Dilshan milked the bowling around for singles when there was nothing else there, the future may contain more wins than the recent past.
More from me tomorrow.
Postscript - good to hear Tom Poynton behind the stumps again tonight, keeping the field on their toes and producing excellent glove work. As indeed did his counterpart for Lancashire, Alex Davies, who looks a fine prospect.
Anyone else think he looks like Chris Read of Nottinghamshire?
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Derbyshire v Lancashire T20 preview
There's a home debut for Tillakaratne Dilshan and the only home T20 appearance for Hashim Amla tomorrow as Derbyshire entertain Lancashire.
It is in front of the TV cameras and against a side against who we rarely do well, so logically we should be soundly beaten in this one, especially since our record in T20 of late is little short of abysmal. By late, I mean since the competition began...
I would settle for winning at least one more game than we did last year, which means we need two wins. It's a funny old game though, as Jimmy Greaves used to say. How else can you explain Leicestershire beating a good Durham side tonight, and with considerable ease? I may need to revise my impression of them, though their T20 line-up looks considerably stronger than that of their four-day side.
As for us, Graeme Welch has named the following squad for tomorrow night:
Dilshan, Durston, C Hughes, Amla, Godleman, Thakor, Elstone, Poynton, W White, Wainwright, Palladino, Cotton, Knight.
It is in front of the TV cameras and against a side against who we rarely do well, so logically we should be soundly beaten in this one, especially since our record in T20 of late is little short of abysmal. By late, I mean since the competition began...
I would settle for winning at least one more game than we did last year, which means we need two wins. It's a funny old game though, as Jimmy Greaves used to say. How else can you explain Leicestershire beating a good Durham side tonight, and with considerable ease? I may need to revise my impression of them, though their T20 line-up looks considerably stronger than that of their four-day side.
As for us, Graeme Welch has named the following squad for tomorrow night:
Dilshan, Durston, C Hughes, Amla, Godleman, Thakor, Elstone, Poynton, W White, Wainwright, Palladino, Cotton, Knight.
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Lancashire v Derbyshire day 4
Derbyshire 370 and 166
Lancashire 551
Lancashire won by an innings and 15 runs
Not much time chez Peakfan tonight, as we celebrate, albeit a couple of days early, our daughter's eighteenth birthday. She and our son head down to Manchester for a few nights with friends tomorrow, so it is a whirlwind of activity here, with bags being packed and presents unwrapped.
All a little more celebratory than events in Southport today, although few of us would have anticipated a positive ending to this game. Lancashire's spinners duly capitalised on a wicket that gave them the expected assistance and when Hashim Amla went for eleven, the writing was on the wall in big neon letters.
We need players back to fitness before a major upswing in fortunes will take place. Getting the services of Tillakaratne Dilshan as well as Hashim Amla for Friday's T20 against Lancashire is a welcome boost, although the ongoing absence of Nathan Rimmington is a cause for concern.
For now, the players will regroup and prepare for that game, but you can't fast track experience and we have a lot of players who simply don't have that at this level.
On the up side, if one takes the overseas players out of the game, ours acquitted themselves not too badly. We needed more first innings runs and you simply cannot legislate for when an international batsman plays at his best.
More from me tomorrow, when I will have more time.
Lancashire 551
Lancashire won by an innings and 15 runs
Not much time chez Peakfan tonight, as we celebrate, albeit a couple of days early, our daughter's eighteenth birthday. She and our son head down to Manchester for a few nights with friends tomorrow, so it is a whirlwind of activity here, with bags being packed and presents unwrapped.
All a little more celebratory than events in Southport today, although few of us would have anticipated a positive ending to this game. Lancashire's spinners duly capitalised on a wicket that gave them the expected assistance and when Hashim Amla went for eleven, the writing was on the wall in big neon letters.
We need players back to fitness before a major upswing in fortunes will take place. Getting the services of Tillakaratne Dilshan as well as Hashim Amla for Friday's T20 against Lancashire is a welcome boost, although the ongoing absence of Nathan Rimmington is a cause for concern.
For now, the players will regroup and prepare for that game, but you can't fast track experience and we have a lot of players who simply don't have that at this level.
On the up side, if one takes the overseas players out of the game, ours acquitted themselves not too badly. We needed more first innings runs and you simply cannot legislate for when an international batsman plays at his best.
More from me tomorrow, when I will have more time.
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Lancashire v Derbyshire day 3
Derbyshire 370 and 123-3 (Slater 58, Hughes 41)
Lancashire 551 (Prince 230, Taylor 4-113, Critchley 3-50)
Derbyshire trail by 58 runs
The romantic in me sees tomorrow panning out thus: Hashim Amla plays the sort of innings that confirms why he is one of the world's greatest batsmen, while his young team mates battle around him to eke out a lead of 150-plus. Lancashire then collapse in the chase and either Derbyshire win or the game ends in a tense draw.
The realist sees it differently, with Lancashire easing to a win by perhaps nine wickets in the early afternoon.
Which one is the closer to the truth?
I think the latter, on balance, though if Hashim wanted to spend time in Derbyshire colours to prepare for Test cricket, he could do worse than produce one of his trademark innings as a signing-off. I wouldn't regard his time with us as a success, though if he produces something special tomorrow I would be happy to consider that opinion.
He is the main hope of anything special tomorrow, though there is enough talent in the young batting line-up to make a fist of things. Ben Slater and Chesney Hughes did well today, as they led off the reply for us, but both will be disappointed to go when well set for the second time in the game. Scores of thirty to seventy are all well and good, but they don't really prove anything and rarely represent a match-defining innings.Mind you, if three of the remaining batsmen make seventy tomorrow it would leave things quite interesting...
Earlier Matt Critchley took his first wickets in senior cricket, the first, that of Ashwell Prince, being a nice talking point in years to come. He will gladly settle for 3-50 in a total of 551 and it will serve as a confidence booster.
Slater and Hughes have proved that it is not impossible to bat on this and I would like to see us make them work for a win, before we welcome down at Derby on Friday night. Anything better than that would be special, but I'll wisely avoid getting worked up about that at this stage.
What I will do is express incredulity at 'Anon's' comment below last night's piece. "We can't continue to use the same excuse of injuries. There comes a point where people need deliver" ran his comment.
Seriously?
There is a point at which they need to deliver, of course. But have Critchley (3) Taylor (9) Elstone (8) Hosein (7), their appearances in brackets, reached that point? For that matter, have Slater (27) and Thakor (28)? I was a much better cricketer at 30 than 20, far better at my job at the same age too. Each of these players will have days they will do well, and others they will struggle. It goes with the territory until they get to know their games much better, their strengths and their weaknesses.
You take ten players from any side in the country and they will struggle to compete. We have, but the fight has remained evident. Until we get the key, senior men fit, we will continue to do so. Wouldn't Madsen, Durston and Palladino, if fit, make a difference? Of course they would, but they're not available, so we have to see what the young tyros are made of.
Two Test players scored 343 of Lancashire's 551.
That's the way of cricket, but we're a long way from disgraced.
Lancashire 551 (Prince 230, Taylor 4-113, Critchley 3-50)
Derbyshire trail by 58 runs
The romantic in me sees tomorrow panning out thus: Hashim Amla plays the sort of innings that confirms why he is one of the world's greatest batsmen, while his young team mates battle around him to eke out a lead of 150-plus. Lancashire then collapse in the chase and either Derbyshire win or the game ends in a tense draw.
The realist sees it differently, with Lancashire easing to a win by perhaps nine wickets in the early afternoon.
Which one is the closer to the truth?
I think the latter, on balance, though if Hashim wanted to spend time in Derbyshire colours to prepare for Test cricket, he could do worse than produce one of his trademark innings as a signing-off. I wouldn't regard his time with us as a success, though if he produces something special tomorrow I would be happy to consider that opinion.
He is the main hope of anything special tomorrow, though there is enough talent in the young batting line-up to make a fist of things. Ben Slater and Chesney Hughes did well today, as they led off the reply for us, but both will be disappointed to go when well set for the second time in the game. Scores of thirty to seventy are all well and good, but they don't really prove anything and rarely represent a match-defining innings.Mind you, if three of the remaining batsmen make seventy tomorrow it would leave things quite interesting...
Earlier Matt Critchley took his first wickets in senior cricket, the first, that of Ashwell Prince, being a nice talking point in years to come. He will gladly settle for 3-50 in a total of 551 and it will serve as a confidence booster.
Slater and Hughes have proved that it is not impossible to bat on this and I would like to see us make them work for a win, before we welcome down at Derby on Friday night. Anything better than that would be special, but I'll wisely avoid getting worked up about that at this stage.
What I will do is express incredulity at 'Anon's' comment below last night's piece. "We can't continue to use the same excuse of injuries. There comes a point where people need deliver" ran his comment.
Seriously?
There is a point at which they need to deliver, of course. But have Critchley (3) Taylor (9) Elstone (8) Hosein (7), their appearances in brackets, reached that point? For that matter, have Slater (27) and Thakor (28)? I was a much better cricketer at 30 than 20, far better at my job at the same age too. Each of these players will have days they will do well, and others they will struggle. It goes with the territory until they get to know their games much better, their strengths and their weaknesses.
You take ten players from any side in the country and they will struggle to compete. We have, but the fight has remained evident. Until we get the key, senior men fit, we will continue to do so. Wouldn't Madsen, Durston and Palladino, if fit, make a difference? Of course they would, but they're not available, so we have to see what the young tyros are made of.
Two Test players scored 343 of Lancashire's 551.
That's the way of cricket, but we're a long way from disgraced.
Monday, 25 May 2015
Lancashire v Derbyshire day 2
Derbyshire 370
Lancashire 348-4 (Prince 156 not, Petersen 113, Taylor 3-87
Lancashire trail by 22 runs
'Much will depend on Messrs Prince and Petersen' I wrote last night, though claim no mystic talents in their each scoring a century today.
Let's face it, they had things in their favour: a fairly young attack, a short boundary, a wicket that is a long way from spiteful and the presence of the current South African Test captain in the opposition. Lots of incentives, in fact, to prove a point.
They are both fine players and have proved it at the highest level, not just against the attack that we perforce have to field at present. That same attack has done well in recent weeks, but ran into a couple of batsmen in form, especially Prince, who is just short of a hundred in average so far. To think he was going to retire at the end of last season...
A man with eleven Test centuries to his name was always likely to cash in today and did so. It was a tough gig for Billy Godleman on his first stint as captain, but by all accounts he kept trying things and waited to see if anything would happen.
It didn't today, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
This will be a tough game to save now, but there can be no complaints tonight.
Lancashire 348-4 (Prince 156 not, Petersen 113, Taylor 3-87
Lancashire trail by 22 runs
'Much will depend on Messrs Prince and Petersen' I wrote last night, though claim no mystic talents in their each scoring a century today.
Let's face it, they had things in their favour: a fairly young attack, a short boundary, a wicket that is a long way from spiteful and the presence of the current South African Test captain in the opposition. Lots of incentives, in fact, to prove a point.
They are both fine players and have proved it at the highest level, not just against the attack that we perforce have to field at present. That same attack has done well in recent weeks, but ran into a couple of batsmen in form, especially Prince, who is just short of a hundred in average so far. To think he was going to retire at the end of last season...
A man with eleven Test centuries to his name was always likely to cash in today and did so. It was a tough gig for Billy Godleman on his first stint as captain, but by all accounts he kept trying things and waited to see if anything would happen.
It didn't today, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
This will be a tough game to save now, but there can be no complaints tonight.
Sunday, 24 May 2015
Lancashire v Derbyshire day 1
The old cricketing adage of 'runs on the board' is perhaps most apposite at the end of a topsy-turvy first day at Southport.
From the lofty heights of 141-0, then 238-2, Derbyshire will be a little disappointed with the final tally, although with the ball already lifting and turning at times, we will not know how well we have batted until Lancashire have a go on it.
As it is, Billy Godleman (pictured) got the first part of captaincy right when he won the toss, then followed it by batting through to lunch with Ben Slater. The pair are developing into an excellent partnership and gave us a fine platform. It was slightly ruined by both going within a few overs of the resumption, but Chesney Hughes continued his recent good form and Hashim Amla held the innings together as the rest folded somewhat disappointingly in the period after tea.
Shiv Thakor is struggling for runs at present and went first ball, although Harvey Hosein stuck around for an hour and Tom Taylor hit merrily in the day's closing overs. Meanwhile, Matt Critchley took his first-class average to 158 with an unbeaten 13, ahead of what appears likely to be a lot of bowling as this match progresses.
"Derbyshire have better of opening day" says the Derby Telegraph tonight, while "Lancs bowlers frustrate Derbyshire on opening day" is the Bolton News headline. You pays your money and takes your choice, I suppose, but for my money we are ahead at this point.
Assuming we bowl anywhere near what we can do and field much better than we did against Northamptonshire, we could press on and take the initiative tomorrow. Much will depend on Messrs Prince and Petersen, but there's nothing to be ashamed of in that first day against the team currently top of the table.
What happens next?
Book Review - Sundial in the Shade: The Story of Barry Richards, the Genius Lost to Test Cricket
If you never saw Barry Richards bat, you missed a treat.I've watched the finest of games for 48 summers now and would bracket the tall South African with Viv Richards and Brian Lara as the best of my experience. It wasn't so much the runs he made, as the way that he made them. Viv had the power and Brian had a wonderful eye in their prime, but there are plenty who would acclaim Barry as the finest of them all.
It wasn't the runs he made as the way that he made them. Barry Richards had a classical technique and never seemed to do anything in a hurry. The fastest of bowlers - and there were plenty of them, in his era - never seemed to change his organised, cultured, yet innovative game, seemingly having a shot for every ball and some that others didn't consider possible. Most of all he had time, the surest indicator of supreme talent.
I never saw a batsman go 'inside out' and hit over extra cover before Barry Richards. This was often against bowlers who pitched outside leg stump in the vain hope of tying him down. His footwork, eye and timing combined to open up the off side and captains and bowlers alike shrugged their shoulders as they waited for him to get bored.
Which was ultimately the most effective weapon. This outstanding book confirms what most of us who had the pleasure of seeing him already knew. Barry Richards got bored. He was happier making a scintillating seventy than a turgid ton and generally needed a challenge to play at his best. That challenge may have been a quality bowler, a bad wicket, a game his team needed to win or a financial incentive. He went to play for South Australia in the winter of 1970-71 and was sponsored to the tune of a dollar a run above his salary, responding with 1538 of them in 16 innings at an average of 109.86...
Against Western Australia, featuring Graham McKenzie and Dennis Lillee as opening bowlers, he made 356, with 325 made on the first day. For over a decade, he made Hampshire one of the biggest draws on the county circuit, especially when he latterly partnered Gordon Greenidge, but over the years one of the greatest of batsmen became seen as an under-achiever, despite a final career average of almost 55.
He could easily have exceeded a hundred centuries, but often gave it away when he felt he had done enough. The ultimate challenge, Test cricket, was to afford Barry Richards only one series, in 1970, against the Australians. In four matches and seven innings he scored 508 runs at an average of 72.57, with two centuries and two fifties. He was only 25 and his international career started and finished at the same time.
That's as far as the record books show, but World Series cricket between 1977 and 1979 gave him one last crack at the best. He had not played international cricket for seven years and was facing the fastest bowlers in the world, operating in packs and encouraged by Kerry Packer to bowl short, fast and dangerously to create a spectacle. All this on wickets that were sometimes sub-standard and occasionally dangerous. Only three batsmen had the talent and skill to average over forty - Greg Chappell managed 56.6, Viv Richards 55.69.
Barry Richards averaged 79.14. He says in the book that his eyes had gone by that stage, which is a strong indicator of his talent and technique, let alone his bravery, at a time when the wearing of helmets was in its infancy.
This is a wonderful read and his former team mate at Hampshire, Andrew Murtagh, has done a fine job. Life has presented its challenges to Barry Richards, with a difficult relationship with his father, a far from affluent childhood and personal tragedy in retirement, but the author avoids none of them and the subject takes the opportunity to exorcise some personal demons.
I would heartily recommend the latest addition to Pitch Publishing's fine portfolio. Read it, and like me remember one of the greatest batsmen of the twentieth century. For those who never saw him, enjoy this clip of a sublime one-day century against Lancashire, courtesy of Youtube
Sundial in the Shade: The Story of Barry Richards, the genius lost to Test cricket is written by Andrew Murtagh and published by Pitch Publishing. It is currently available on Amazon for £15.90, and also from all good book shops.
Saturday, 23 May 2015
Lancashire v Derbyshire preview
It occurred to me today, thinking about tonight's blog while spending several hours working in the garden, that there are strong parallels with last season in our start to this campaign.
There were major setbacks at the start of last summer that eventually, with a strong team spirit, were overcome. An outstanding finish to the season gave hope that this year would see a strong challenge for promotion in the championship.
This year's challenge has been the astonishing number of injuries. The skipper is out for anything up to six weeks, Wes Durston, Tony Palladino and Tom Taylor have knee niggles, Alex Hughes has a broken thumb, Wayne White has had a side strain and David Wainwright is slowly recovering from surgery. Nathan Rimmington has had a finger injury while Jonathan Clare is still to turn his arm over in a match as we approach June. Oh, and Martin Guptill got a slight side strain that ruled him out of a match, too - that's ten players, to save you counting.
No wonder that performances have dipped in T20. I could name a Derbyshire eleven that would do well in the competition, but most of those players would be in it, leaving Graeme Welch searching for salvation in players perhaps elevated ahead of their time, yet largely doing well. Two weeks ago, few of us had heard of Matthew Critchley...
It is good that this game follows on so quickly after the Leicestershire defeat, as it enables a return to the format we usually play well. Watching England's anodyne attack today, I am even more of the opinion that a good performance against Lancashire could see Mark Footitt get the call for the second Test. New Zealand were hardly taxed by a sequence of right-arm fast medium and look likely to go on and win the match.
Of course, taking Mark from our already threadbare resources isn't going to help us, but I dearly hope the lad gets the opportunity that he so richly deserves and it is more than a one-off . He has the biggest incentive to produce a big performance over the next four days.
So too does Hashim Amla. No one in their right mind will doubt his talent and a reputation that is well-deserved as one of the great batsmen of his generation, but he owes us some runs in the next two matches before he makes way for Tillakaratne Dilshan. Top players don't come cheap and no one could say that we have had value from the signing at this stage, a sentence I didn't expect to write, to be honest.
I am pleased that Billy Godleman has been given the captaincy, a reward for working hard to turn around his career - and also for being one of the senior players. One assumes that Wes Durston's knee is not felt ready for four-day cricket, so Billy, an intelligent lad, gets the opportunity to lead a county side for the first time. I wish him well and can actually see him being good at it, as a combative player who has never been one to back down.
Tomorrow's Derbyshire squad:
Ben Slater
Billy Godleman (capt)
Chesney Hughes
Hashim Amla
Shiv Thakor
Scott Elstone
Harvey Hosein
David Wainwright
Tony Palladino
Tom Taylor
Ben Cotton
Mark Footitt
Matt Critchley
I couldn't call a final eleven, as I don't know how fit the seamers are. I suspect the first eight will play, with the other three effectively Mark Footitt plus two. It is ironic, in the light of our batting failings in T20, that the batsmen have been doing well for us so far, but a big innings from the great South African would do us no harm whatsoever.
Lancashire are down - shock, horror - to three overseas players, with Peter Siddle finished and James Faulkner only just arrived from the IPL. I expect them to go on and win this division, but I still don't look at them and see a great team. Their batting is heavily dependent on South Africans Prince and Petersen, while Kyle Jarvis has been the form bowler of the division this year. All counties hope for such standards from their overseas recruits and Lancashire can have few complaints about theirs at this stage.
Their squad:
Croft (C), Horton, Lilley, Kerrigan, Jarvis, Buck, Bailey, Clark, Davies (W), Prince, Petersen, Brown
The bottom line? We gave them a good game at Derby and lost through a poor session bowling at the last pair, then having to face a swinging ball on the last morning. We could easily have drawn, at the very least. Then again, we should have beaten Northamptonshire and there are too many 'if's' about our cricket at the moment.
We need someone to deliver a big performance with bat and ball and we certainly need to catch better than we did in the last game. I'm not going down the path of declaring the season over, as there's way too much cricket left - we're not even through May yet, for goodness sake.
I will address the T20 later in the week, but for now, let's hope our young side can raise their game and the spirits of supporters with a good four days at the seaside. The weather forecast suggests we may not start promptly after overnight rain, but otherwise there should be few interruptions over the four days.
Let's get the season back on track, lads.
There were major setbacks at the start of last summer that eventually, with a strong team spirit, were overcome. An outstanding finish to the season gave hope that this year would see a strong challenge for promotion in the championship.
This year's challenge has been the astonishing number of injuries. The skipper is out for anything up to six weeks, Wes Durston, Tony Palladino and Tom Taylor have knee niggles, Alex Hughes has a broken thumb, Wayne White has had a side strain and David Wainwright is slowly recovering from surgery. Nathan Rimmington has had a finger injury while Jonathan Clare is still to turn his arm over in a match as we approach June. Oh, and Martin Guptill got a slight side strain that ruled him out of a match, too - that's ten players, to save you counting.
No wonder that performances have dipped in T20. I could name a Derbyshire eleven that would do well in the competition, but most of those players would be in it, leaving Graeme Welch searching for salvation in players perhaps elevated ahead of their time, yet largely doing well. Two weeks ago, few of us had heard of Matthew Critchley...
It is good that this game follows on so quickly after the Leicestershire defeat, as it enables a return to the format we usually play well. Watching England's anodyne attack today, I am even more of the opinion that a good performance against Lancashire could see Mark Footitt get the call for the second Test. New Zealand were hardly taxed by a sequence of right-arm fast medium and look likely to go on and win the match.
Of course, taking Mark from our already threadbare resources isn't going to help us, but I dearly hope the lad gets the opportunity that he so richly deserves and it is more than a one-off . He has the biggest incentive to produce a big performance over the next four days.
So too does Hashim Amla. No one in their right mind will doubt his talent and a reputation that is well-deserved as one of the great batsmen of his generation, but he owes us some runs in the next two matches before he makes way for Tillakaratne Dilshan. Top players don't come cheap and no one could say that we have had value from the signing at this stage, a sentence I didn't expect to write, to be honest.
I am pleased that Billy Godleman has been given the captaincy, a reward for working hard to turn around his career - and also for being one of the senior players. One assumes that Wes Durston's knee is not felt ready for four-day cricket, so Billy, an intelligent lad, gets the opportunity to lead a county side for the first time. I wish him well and can actually see him being good at it, as a combative player who has never been one to back down.
Tomorrow's Derbyshire squad:
Ben Slater
Billy Godleman (capt)
Chesney Hughes
Hashim Amla
Shiv Thakor
Scott Elstone
Harvey Hosein
David Wainwright
Tony Palladino
Tom Taylor
Ben Cotton
Mark Footitt
Matt Critchley
I couldn't call a final eleven, as I don't know how fit the seamers are. I suspect the first eight will play, with the other three effectively Mark Footitt plus two. It is ironic, in the light of our batting failings in T20, that the batsmen have been doing well for us so far, but a big innings from the great South African would do us no harm whatsoever.
Lancashire are down - shock, horror - to three overseas players, with Peter Siddle finished and James Faulkner only just arrived from the IPL. I expect them to go on and win this division, but I still don't look at them and see a great team. Their batting is heavily dependent on South Africans Prince and Petersen, while Kyle Jarvis has been the form bowler of the division this year. All counties hope for such standards from their overseas recruits and Lancashire can have few complaints about theirs at this stage.
Their squad:
Croft (C), Horton, Lilley, Kerrigan, Jarvis, Buck, Bailey, Clark, Davies (W), Prince, Petersen, Brown
The bottom line? We gave them a good game at Derby and lost through a poor session bowling at the last pair, then having to face a swinging ball on the last morning. We could easily have drawn, at the very least. Then again, we should have beaten Northamptonshire and there are too many 'if's' about our cricket at the moment.
We need someone to deliver a big performance with bat and ball and we certainly need to catch better than we did in the last game. I'm not going down the path of declaring the season over, as there's way too much cricket left - we're not even through May yet, for goodness sake.
I will address the T20 later in the week, but for now, let's hope our young side can raise their game and the spirits of supporters with a good four days at the seaside. The weather forecast suggests we may not start promptly after overnight rain, but otherwise there should be few interruptions over the four days.
Let's get the season back on track, lads.
Friday, 22 May 2015
Leicestershire v Derbyshire T20
Derbyshire 163-6 (C. Hughes 59, Godleman 38 not)
Leicestershire 164-3 (O'Brien 47 not)
Leicestershire won by seven wickets
I wrote last night that Derbyshire should win this game and for once, by the end of the Power play it looked like we might set a total that would enable us to do just that.
58-1 from six overs should have been the foundations for a score of 180-200, which will win you eight out of ten matches in this format. Despite the loss of Hashim Amla, who has thus far been a major disappointment, we were well set, with Wes 'n' Ches going nicely.
Sadly, that was the point when once again the wheels came off. Inside 21 balls we were 77-5, thus replicating events at Headingley last week and the impetus was gone. Well though Chesney and Billy Godleman battled to get the innings back on track, only 19 came from the last three overs and 163, against a side with some good batsmen, never looked enough, as I posted on Twitter at the interval between innings.
I'd have preferred to have been wrong, but the home side always looked in control and we didn't have enough runs to leave them needing to take risks. It was a defeat - and not an easy one to take.
It is hard to get away from the fact that it will be another long, hard T20 campaign. I was happy to write off last week against a good Yorkshire side, but will take some convincing that this is a strong Leicestershire team. By extension, this was a bad game to lose.
It is a young side, lacking players who would be certainties for inclusion were they fit and there is much work to do to make it a competitive one in this format. It is frustrating that a side that plays excellent cricket in the four-day game looks like a fish out of water in T20. Yet until we can lose a wicket and rebuild with intelligence, composure and skill, we won't win matches.
There were forty dot balls tonight in our innings, or almost seven overs. Leicestershire had thirty in their innings and on such detail are games won and lost in this unforgiving format. Chesney Hughes said after the game that we are close to a winning formula, but for me there are several things we need to change:
1 Fine bowler as he is, this is no competition for Mark Footitt. At his pace, edges and mishits are going for four and we simply cannot afford ten an over with our fragile batting.
2 We need to include Alex Hughes, who offers something with bat and ball, as well as being brilliant in the field. It seems at the moment that he is the easy man to drop.
3 We need to give Tom Knight a go. One of the cleanest hitters in the club, he should be given an opportunity, whether he bowls or not. If he went early, he would do no worse than the current middle order.
4 We need Tillakaratne Dilshan to produce all-round form and Nathan Rimmington to get fit. Thus far we have had no overseas input and a team as young as ours needs someone to take a leading role.
We are really missing Wayne Madsen and Tony Palladino, while a fit and firing Wayne White, a proven player in this format, would make a difference too.
Sadly, that's a lot more than 'being close'.
Disappointed tonight?
Yeah, definitely.
Leicestershire 164-3 (O'Brien 47 not)
Leicestershire won by seven wickets
I wrote last night that Derbyshire should win this game and for once, by the end of the Power play it looked like we might set a total that would enable us to do just that.
58-1 from six overs should have been the foundations for a score of 180-200, which will win you eight out of ten matches in this format. Despite the loss of Hashim Amla, who has thus far been a major disappointment, we were well set, with Wes 'n' Ches going nicely.
Sadly, that was the point when once again the wheels came off. Inside 21 balls we were 77-5, thus replicating events at Headingley last week and the impetus was gone. Well though Chesney and Billy Godleman battled to get the innings back on track, only 19 came from the last three overs and 163, against a side with some good batsmen, never looked enough, as I posted on Twitter at the interval between innings.
I'd have preferred to have been wrong, but the home side always looked in control and we didn't have enough runs to leave them needing to take risks. It was a defeat - and not an easy one to take.
It is hard to get away from the fact that it will be another long, hard T20 campaign. I was happy to write off last week against a good Yorkshire side, but will take some convincing that this is a strong Leicestershire team. By extension, this was a bad game to lose.
It is a young side, lacking players who would be certainties for inclusion were they fit and there is much work to do to make it a competitive one in this format. It is frustrating that a side that plays excellent cricket in the four-day game looks like a fish out of water in T20. Yet until we can lose a wicket and rebuild with intelligence, composure and skill, we won't win matches.
There were forty dot balls tonight in our innings, or almost seven overs. Leicestershire had thirty in their innings and on such detail are games won and lost in this unforgiving format. Chesney Hughes said after the game that we are close to a winning formula, but for me there are several things we need to change:
1 Fine bowler as he is, this is no competition for Mark Footitt. At his pace, edges and mishits are going for four and we simply cannot afford ten an over with our fragile batting.
2 We need to include Alex Hughes, who offers something with bat and ball, as well as being brilliant in the field. It seems at the moment that he is the easy man to drop.
3 We need to give Tom Knight a go. One of the cleanest hitters in the club, he should be given an opportunity, whether he bowls or not. If he went early, he would do no worse than the current middle order.
4 We need Tillakaratne Dilshan to produce all-round form and Nathan Rimmington to get fit. Thus far we have had no overseas input and a team as young as ours needs someone to take a leading role.
We are really missing Wayne Madsen and Tony Palladino, while a fit and firing Wayne White, a proven player in this format, would make a difference too.
Sadly, that's a lot more than 'being close'.
Disappointed tonight?
Yeah, definitely.
Thursday, 21 May 2015
Leicestershire v Derbyshire T20 preview
There have been a few grumbles in recent days after Derbyshire's loss to Yorkshire in their opening T20 game of the summer.
All the old failings were there, but I am happy to hold fire on major criticism until we see the level of performance against lesser sides than Yorkshire. They are the best side in the country, beyond doubt, even without some of their big international players. In Richard Pyrah they have a solid county all-rounder who turns into an amalgam of Garfield Sobers and Eddie Barlow when he plays against us, while they just turn out professional displays in all forms of the game.
It is something for us to aspire to, but we should hopefully have enough in the tank to beat a Leicestershire side tomorrow, even without Wayne Madsen, Nathan Rimmington and Tony Palladino. Graeme Welch has named a fourteen-man squad from which I find it impossible to call a final eleven. It is good to see Wayne White, a proven T20 performer, fit once more, though whether he is deemed match fit to play against his old county is a moot point.
I would like to see Scott Elstone, a player in form, bat at five. He made an unbeaten 60 today as Derbyshire's two matches against the Unicorns resulted in easy wins. Wes Durston also got runs under his belt, while both Shiv Thakor and Greg Cork both bowled very economical spells. Encouragingly, Wes also got overs and wickets in, hopefully without reaction.
The Derbyshire squad:
Wes Durston (capt)
Hashim Amla
Chesney Hughes
Shiv Thakor
Billy Godleman
Alex Hughes
Scott Elstone
Tom Poynton
David Wainwright
Tom Knight
Ben Cotton
Greg Cork
Wayne White
Mark Footitt
As for the home side, they have New Zealand World Cup star Grant Elliott in their side, a dangerous customer, but the batting looks stronger than the bowling. The O'Brien brothers are dangerous batsmen, as of course is Mark Cosgrove and we will need to bowl with the requisite discipline to keep them in check, hold the catches and, of course, bat with a little more common sense than we appeared to manage last week.
Leicestershire's squad:
Cosgrove, Eckersley, Elliott, McKay, Naik, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Pinner, Raine, Sheik, Sykes, Taylor, Wells.
My forecast? The home side will be itching to get back on track after their last day collapse against Lancashire, but I think Derbyshire will get their first T20 win of the campaign, ahead of the televised game against Lancashire next weekend.
More from me after the game tomorrow.
What do you think?
All the old failings were there, but I am happy to hold fire on major criticism until we see the level of performance against lesser sides than Yorkshire. They are the best side in the country, beyond doubt, even without some of their big international players. In Richard Pyrah they have a solid county all-rounder who turns into an amalgam of Garfield Sobers and Eddie Barlow when he plays against us, while they just turn out professional displays in all forms of the game.
It is something for us to aspire to, but we should hopefully have enough in the tank to beat a Leicestershire side tomorrow, even without Wayne Madsen, Nathan Rimmington and Tony Palladino. Graeme Welch has named a fourteen-man squad from which I find it impossible to call a final eleven. It is good to see Wayne White, a proven T20 performer, fit once more, though whether he is deemed match fit to play against his old county is a moot point.
I would like to see Scott Elstone, a player in form, bat at five. He made an unbeaten 60 today as Derbyshire's two matches against the Unicorns resulted in easy wins. Wes Durston also got runs under his belt, while both Shiv Thakor and Greg Cork both bowled very economical spells. Encouragingly, Wes also got overs and wickets in, hopefully without reaction.
The Derbyshire squad:
Wes Durston (capt)
Hashim Amla
Chesney Hughes
Shiv Thakor
Billy Godleman
Alex Hughes
Scott Elstone
Tom Poynton
David Wainwright
Tom Knight
Ben Cotton
Greg Cork
Wayne White
Mark Footitt
As for the home side, they have New Zealand World Cup star Grant Elliott in their side, a dangerous customer, but the batting looks stronger than the bowling. The O'Brien brothers are dangerous batsmen, as of course is Mark Cosgrove and we will need to bowl with the requisite discipline to keep them in check, hold the catches and, of course, bat with a little more common sense than we appeared to manage last week.
Leicestershire's squad:
Cosgrove, Eckersley, Elliott, McKay, Naik, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Pinner, Raine, Sheik, Sykes, Taylor, Wells.
My forecast? The home side will be itching to get back on track after their last day collapse against Lancashire, but I think Derbyshire will get their first T20 win of the campaign, ahead of the televised game against Lancashire next weekend.
More from me after the game tomorrow.
What do you think?
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Midweek musings
Sorry about the quiet few days, but I have been very busy on the work front and also on the domestic one.
Three successive 9 to 8 shifts at work, coupled with my daughter's imminent prom and university funding applications have left little time for anything outwith eating and sleeping, but hopefully normal service is close to resumption.
We now know that Wayne Madsen will be out for at least a month with his broken finger, which is extraordinary as the skipper has missed two games in seven years. That is an astonishing record for a man who faces a new ball at, or close to, its hardest, so you could say he was due one. Hopefully the revised line up will still mount respectable totals and it is down to them all to contribute.
It is Leicester on Friday and they 'warmed up' by being dismissed for just 78 by Lancashire today. I don't think a first championship win such Gandhi was a lad is imminent for the Foxes, who flatter to deceive on occasion. Mark Cosgrove has started well, but he will need to channel the spirit of Bradman to keep their side afloat this year.
I will be disappointed if we don't fare much better against them. There should be enough talent in whatever side we put out to win, though we should have an idea on the respective squads tomorrow. Even without Nathan Rimmington we should have too much for them, though we will have to bat much more sensibly than last week and work the ball around better.
To be fair, the two attacks are poles apart and we must impose ourselves on them. It is a game where Hashim Amla can prove his worth, something he will want to do after a subdued start to his time with us. It is the danger in revolving door recruitment, but Amla is a class act who will surely deliver sometime soon.
Finally tonight, well done to David Aust, who is over a thousand points clear in the Fantasy League, with Paul Kirk and Matthew Entwistle in second and third.
I will need to look at my team again...every year I vow to check regularly...every year I don't...
Time to come good, though!
Three successive 9 to 8 shifts at work, coupled with my daughter's imminent prom and university funding applications have left little time for anything outwith eating and sleeping, but hopefully normal service is close to resumption.
We now know that Wayne Madsen will be out for at least a month with his broken finger, which is extraordinary as the skipper has missed two games in seven years. That is an astonishing record for a man who faces a new ball at, or close to, its hardest, so you could say he was due one. Hopefully the revised line up will still mount respectable totals and it is down to them all to contribute.
It is Leicester on Friday and they 'warmed up' by being dismissed for just 78 by Lancashire today. I don't think a first championship win such Gandhi was a lad is imminent for the Foxes, who flatter to deceive on occasion. Mark Cosgrove has started well, but he will need to channel the spirit of Bradman to keep their side afloat this year.
I will be disappointed if we don't fare much better against them. There should be enough talent in whatever side we put out to win, though we should have an idea on the respective squads tomorrow. Even without Nathan Rimmington we should have too much for them, though we will have to bat much more sensibly than last week and work the ball around better.
To be fair, the two attacks are poles apart and we must impose ourselves on them. It is a game where Hashim Amla can prove his worth, something he will want to do after a subdued start to his time with us. It is the danger in revolving door recruitment, but Amla is a class act who will surely deliver sometime soon.
Finally tonight, well done to David Aust, who is over a thousand points clear in the Fantasy League, with Paul Kirk and Matthew Entwistle in second and third.
I will need to look at my team again...every year I vow to check regularly...every year I don't...
Time to come good, though!
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Edwin Smith: a life in Derbyshire cricket
The short answer is that it won't. After spending two hours in the company of Edwin and his delightful wife, Jean, it became patently obvious to me that his was a story that required telling in much greater detail than the space afforded by this site, even split into several 'chunks'.
This, let's not forget, is a man who took over 1200 wickets for the county over a twenty-year career that started at the age of seventeen, before going on to become county coach. He was the last man to take a thousand wickets for Derbyshire and will almost certainly be the last. In most other eras he would have walked into an England side, especially since many of those wickets were taken on wickets prepared for our many fine seam bowlers in that period...Gladwin, Jackson (Les and Brian) Rhodes, Ward, Hendrick...legends, to a man.
Had Edwin played for Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire, Glamorgan or any of several other counties where wickets were often spin-friendly, he would have got closer to two thousand wickets. Not just with off spinners, but with one of the best of arm balls, years in the making, together with a cunning top spinner.
His memory of people and events is still, at 81, remarkably sharp and the tales that he has to tell had me laughing and realising that most of them had never before been put to paper. It seemed such a waste and I wanted to do something about it.
Thankfully, the Association of Cricket Historians and Statisticians agreed and asked me to write his story. As a result, this August Edwin Smith: a Life in Derbyshire Cricket will be published by them, the result of many phone calls to Edwin, his team mates and opponents, as well as many sessions where I was made most welcome in their Grassmoor home, immersing myself in his tales and poring over a wonderful collection of Derbyshire cricket memorabilia.
If I have done the job right, it should be informative and amuse you in equal measure. He played with some of the greatest characters in our history and both his and their stories should make you realise how lucky we have been over the years to watch them.
I was just grateful (and humbled) to spend time chatting and corresponding with such names as Mike Page, Harold Rhodes, Bob Taylor, Brian Jackson, Peter Gibbs, Peter Eyre, David Smith, Fred Swarbrook, Colin Tunnicliffe, David Steele and Geoffrey Boycott. The input of them all was and is appreciated. To a man they were friendly, patient and helpful.
Only five men in Derbyshire's 145-year history have taken more wickets than Edwin and his story is really quite special, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. You will also find that he was one of the finest amateur snooker players in the area, with tales of matches against some of the biggest names of the sport. You can do that, when you have recorded a highest break of 130...
I hope that you will support its publication and take advantage of planned signing sessions if you wish to do so. I will give more details regarding where these will be in due course, together with where else you can buy copies.
He's a special, wonderfully engaging man, is Edwin Smith, with a fascinating story.
Saturday, 16 May 2015
Closing thoughts on Yorkshire
Thank you for your comments following last night's game. which was the first 'downer' of the season so far.
I do think that we need to remember the quality of the opposition and also that plans that have been weeks, if not months, in the preparation stage have been cast asunder by injuries. Of course, in sport one expects injuries, but perhaps not on the scale that we have seen so far this summer.
Now, of course, we have lost Wayne Madsen for at least a month as fortune's cull on our senior players continues apace. It places greater responsibility on those still standing, of course, but I can't help believing that we are a better side than we showed last night.
There are teams in the north group that, at this stage of our development, we can really only expect to beat if we are at our best and they have an off day. Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire are the most obvious, sadly our biggest rivals, but there are others that we could beat if we play well.
As Craig points out below last night's piece, we cannot afford fifty dot balls in an innings that only lasts for 120. Nor can we commit batting suicide and toss away five wickets in four overs, turning an innings of promise into a shambles in the time it took most people to eat their tea.
The balance of the side will, I think, evolve, disturbed by the absence of key personnel. Dilshan will offer a spark with bat and ball, while Rimmington's return will allow Mark Footitt's a breather before the tournaments that suit him best. The issue with Mark at T20 is that people will have a go at him and, if he misses his length, anything off either edge is four. He can bowl and take wickets, but is always likely to go for ten an over, when he hasn't necessarily bowled a bad spell.
If we can get runs on the board, the wickets he takes will compensate for the edges, but we need fifty more than last night to compete. I also agree with Sam about Scott Elstone's place in the order - a naturally quick scorer, he should be at five, leaving Alex Hughes and others to play out and hopefully boost the score in the closing overs. With Dilshan's arrival, I would swap Tom Knight in for Wainwright too, a player more likely to clear the boundaries near the end, even if his bowling isn't perhaps yet back to what they hope for.
And finally, picking up the thread from Mark, here's my understanding of our overseas roles for the summer:
Martin Guptill - finished
Hashim Amla - can play one more championship and two more T20 games
Tillakaratne Dilshan - four T20s and two championship matches till mid-June
Hamish Rutherford - seven T20s, three championship and four Royal London Cup matches until end of July
Tillakaratne Dilshan - four Royal London Cup matches and five championship games
That's what was announced and I am sure there will be good entertainment from all of them!
More from me tomorrow.
I do think that we need to remember the quality of the opposition and also that plans that have been weeks, if not months, in the preparation stage have been cast asunder by injuries. Of course, in sport one expects injuries, but perhaps not on the scale that we have seen so far this summer.
Now, of course, we have lost Wayne Madsen for at least a month as fortune's cull on our senior players continues apace. It places greater responsibility on those still standing, of course, but I can't help believing that we are a better side than we showed last night.
There are teams in the north group that, at this stage of our development, we can really only expect to beat if we are at our best and they have an off day. Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire are the most obvious, sadly our biggest rivals, but there are others that we could beat if we play well.
As Craig points out below last night's piece, we cannot afford fifty dot balls in an innings that only lasts for 120. Nor can we commit batting suicide and toss away five wickets in four overs, turning an innings of promise into a shambles in the time it took most people to eat their tea.
The balance of the side will, I think, evolve, disturbed by the absence of key personnel. Dilshan will offer a spark with bat and ball, while Rimmington's return will allow Mark Footitt's a breather before the tournaments that suit him best. The issue with Mark at T20 is that people will have a go at him and, if he misses his length, anything off either edge is four. He can bowl and take wickets, but is always likely to go for ten an over, when he hasn't necessarily bowled a bad spell.
If we can get runs on the board, the wickets he takes will compensate for the edges, but we need fifty more than last night to compete. I also agree with Sam about Scott Elstone's place in the order - a naturally quick scorer, he should be at five, leaving Alex Hughes and others to play out and hopefully boost the score in the closing overs. With Dilshan's arrival, I would swap Tom Knight in for Wainwright too, a player more likely to clear the boundaries near the end, even if his bowling isn't perhaps yet back to what they hope for.
And finally, picking up the thread from Mark, here's my understanding of our overseas roles for the summer:
Martin Guptill - finished
Hashim Amla - can play one more championship and two more T20 games
Tillakaratne Dilshan - four T20s and two championship matches till mid-June
Hamish Rutherford - seven T20s, three championship and four Royal London Cup matches until end of July
Tillakaratne Dilshan - four Royal London Cup matches and five championship games
That's what was announced and I am sure there will be good entertainment from all of them!
More from me tomorrow.
Friday, 15 May 2015
Yorkshire v Derbyshire T20
Derbyshire 128 (Amla 29, Hughes (C) 27, Poynton 27)
Yorkshire 131-3 (Cotton 2-19)
Yorkshire won by seven wickets
I'm not going to be too harsh on Derbyshire today.
For one thing, they were playing the best team in the country and were soundly beaten. They were short of some of their best players (though so too were Yorkshire) and they at least bowled pretty well. The four-over spell of Ben Cotton for just nineteen runs is something to build on, while Shiv Thakor also did a good job.
The bottom line, however, is that you will win one game in twenty with a score like that, only then if you are playing on a dirt track. I am sure we are a better side than we showed tonight, but appearances on paper need to be backed up by on-field performance. To go from 66-1 to 82-6 in four overs is amateurish. The game is all about partnerships and we didn't get any going after the second wicket fell.
Tom Poynton struck some lusty blows, but we need some of our older heads in to give a greater balance to the side. Whether they will be fit for Leicestershire next week I don't know, but we have to do much better with the bat.
There is little point in comparing ourselves to Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, however. At this stage they are a long way ahead of us. What we need to do is pick ourselves up and do a whole lot better against Leicestershire.
They are beatable, but only if we up our game by one hundred per cent. They worked hard at the T20 drills over the winter, but the batsmen were found sadly wanting tonight.
Finally for now, congratulations to Mark Footitt for being selected to work with England ahead of the first Test against New Zealand. Maybe some fast yorkers on the toes of the other seamers are called for to force the hands of the selectors...
Also worthy of note is the top score of Hamish Rutherford for New Zealand today. It augurs well for his spell with us later in the summer.
Just a pity he wasn't in Leeds tonight, preferably with a few mates.
Yorkshire 131-3 (Cotton 2-19)
Yorkshire won by seven wickets
I'm not going to be too harsh on Derbyshire today.
For one thing, they were playing the best team in the country and were soundly beaten. They were short of some of their best players (though so too were Yorkshire) and they at least bowled pretty well. The four-over spell of Ben Cotton for just nineteen runs is something to build on, while Shiv Thakor also did a good job.
The bottom line, however, is that you will win one game in twenty with a score like that, only then if you are playing on a dirt track. I am sure we are a better side than we showed tonight, but appearances on paper need to be backed up by on-field performance. To go from 66-1 to 82-6 in four overs is amateurish. The game is all about partnerships and we didn't get any going after the second wicket fell.
Tom Poynton struck some lusty blows, but we need some of our older heads in to give a greater balance to the side. Whether they will be fit for Leicestershire next week I don't know, but we have to do much better with the bat.
There is little point in comparing ourselves to Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, however. At this stage they are a long way ahead of us. What we need to do is pick ourselves up and do a whole lot better against Leicestershire.
They are beatable, but only if we up our game by one hundred per cent. They worked hard at the T20 drills over the winter, but the batsmen were found sadly wanting tonight.
Finally for now, congratulations to Mark Footitt for being selected to work with England ahead of the first Test against New Zealand. Maybe some fast yorkers on the toes of the other seamers are called for to force the hands of the selectors...
Also worthy of note is the top score of Hamish Rutherford for New Zealand today. It augurs well for his spell with us later in the summer.
Just a pity he wasn't in Leeds tonight, preferably with a few mates.
Thursday, 14 May 2015
T20 preview
Can Derbyshire have a better T20 campaign than last year?
Well, I hope so. We won one out of fourteen last year and struggled to master the basics of the game. Namely, score quickly in the Powerplay, bat sensibly thereafter, minimise the number of dot balls when you are batting and treat each one when you bowl as the victory that it is.
Most of all, don't give away easy runs with wides and no balls - and make sure you have your best fielders in the key positions of long on and long off.
There, that's it sorted...
Despite an injury list that seems to increase with every sighting of a cricket ball, we still have a strong side for the competition. There are a number of clean-striking batsmen, and while the absence of specialist death bowler Nathan Rimmington, with a finger fracture, is a blow there are some talented bowlers too.
It is good to see Wes Durston returned to the side as skipper and I am thrilled to see Tom Poynton back in the side as vice-captain. It is a well-deserved honour for a consummate professional whose glove work is always exemplary. There is little between Tom and Harvey Hosein, but where he shades it is in the greater experience, especially of maintaining a level of concentration for long periods. This must be so hard for a young cricketer, as is Poynton's other strength, as vocal focal point.
It is unrealistic to expect a lad of eighteen to be 'on the case' of players his senior, whereas Poynton's extra years help him. This will be crucial in the T20 and I hope that Harvey, a wonderful talent, watches how Tom keeps everyone on their toes.
In a strong group, it will be a surprise to see us qualify, especially when the side lacks at least three, possibly more of what many would see were first choice players. Steady improvement would do nicely, with a couple of really special nights that entertain the fans.
The squad for tomorrow is thirteen strong and bats deep. I would be inclined to rest Mark Footitt, although he has a week after this one before he needs to turn his arm again. The squad in full:
Amla, Durston, C Hughes, Thakor, Godleman, A Hughes, Elstone, Poynton, Knight, Wainwright, Cotton, Cork, Footitt.
If one reads anything into the listing and the last two are omitted, Wes still has eight bowlers to choose from and a team that bats attractively all the way down. That should enable him to rotate the bowlers and give them short, sharp spells before the batsmen line them up. A young team should field well, while you should expect Shiv Thakor to be one of the death bowlers, a role he fulfilled admirably at Leicestershire. I'd like to see one of the left-armers play, if only to give a different angle for them to think about.
No two ways about it, we are playing the best side in the country, yet one with several big names missing. Root, Lyth, Ballance, Sidebottom, Maxwell and Finch are elsewhere and if we are going to beat them, this is probably the time to do so.
Their thirteen still contains fine players, however:
Gale, Bairstow, Bresnan, Brooks, Fisher, Hodd, Leaning, Lees, Patterson, Plunkett, Pyrah, Rashid, Rhodes.
Well, I hope so. We won one out of fourteen last year and struggled to master the basics of the game. Namely, score quickly in the Powerplay, bat sensibly thereafter, minimise the number of dot balls when you are batting and treat each one when you bowl as the victory that it is.
Most of all, don't give away easy runs with wides and no balls - and make sure you have your best fielders in the key positions of long on and long off.
There, that's it sorted...
Despite an injury list that seems to increase with every sighting of a cricket ball, we still have a strong side for the competition. There are a number of clean-striking batsmen, and while the absence of specialist death bowler Nathan Rimmington, with a finger fracture, is a blow there are some talented bowlers too.
It is good to see Wes Durston returned to the side as skipper and I am thrilled to see Tom Poynton back in the side as vice-captain. It is a well-deserved honour for a consummate professional whose glove work is always exemplary. There is little between Tom and Harvey Hosein, but where he shades it is in the greater experience, especially of maintaining a level of concentration for long periods. This must be so hard for a young cricketer, as is Poynton's other strength, as vocal focal point.
It is unrealistic to expect a lad of eighteen to be 'on the case' of players his senior, whereas Poynton's extra years help him. This will be crucial in the T20 and I hope that Harvey, a wonderful talent, watches how Tom keeps everyone on their toes.
In a strong group, it will be a surprise to see us qualify, especially when the side lacks at least three, possibly more of what many would see were first choice players. Steady improvement would do nicely, with a couple of really special nights that entertain the fans.
The squad for tomorrow is thirteen strong and bats deep. I would be inclined to rest Mark Footitt, although he has a week after this one before he needs to turn his arm again. The squad in full:
Amla, Durston, C Hughes, Thakor, Godleman, A Hughes, Elstone, Poynton, Knight, Wainwright, Cotton, Cork, Footitt.
If one reads anything into the listing and the last two are omitted, Wes still has eight bowlers to choose from and a team that bats attractively all the way down. That should enable him to rotate the bowlers and give them short, sharp spells before the batsmen line them up. A young team should field well, while you should expect Shiv Thakor to be one of the death bowlers, a role he fulfilled admirably at Leicestershire. I'd like to see one of the left-armers play, if only to give a different angle for them to think about.
No two ways about it, we are playing the best side in the country, yet one with several big names missing. Root, Lyth, Ballance, Sidebottom, Maxwell and Finch are elsewhere and if we are going to beat them, this is probably the time to do so.
Their thirteen still contains fine players, however:
Gale, Bairstow, Bresnan, Brooks, Fisher, Hodd, Leaning, Lees, Patterson, Plunkett, Pyrah, Rashid, Rhodes.
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 4
At the end of it all it was a noble effort against a team that was in the top tier last season, but Derbyshire's young side narrowly failed to bowl out Northamptonshire today.
I suggested as much last night. I was slightly sceptical of the 'deteriorating wicket' line, because we'd just scored 407-5 on it with a young batting side. Given an attack that was younger still, working our way through a long order was never going to be easy.
Yet we should have done it. Six catches were dropped and the brutal truth is that you cannot do that and expect to win a cricket match at any level. Full marks to the visitors and their battling efforts, especially by the injured Cobb and Wakely, but we should have had that in the bag and been up there on the shoulders of Lancashire.
Rob Keogh played a magnificent innings and didn't deserve to be on the losing side, but part of the learning curve for this talented bunch of players is to capitalise on errors by the other team. When you miss out on six such opportunities, a win is barely deserved.
It would have been a reward for a match of many positives, but a major negative was the final drop, which saw Wayne Madsen have to leave the field with what was later diagnosed as a broken finger. With the T20 starting on Friday, we look like having a very inexperienced side out against Yorkshire, hardly the side you want to face when you are almost a team of players short of your strongest eleven.
With captain-elect Wes Durston struggling, alongside other likely participants such as Tony Palladino, David Wainwright and Wayne White, we look like fielding the ones who are left standing at this stage. I'm also slightly concerned that overseas signing Nathan Rimmington has played no cricket for Plumtree for the past couple of weeks, hopefully not indicative of an injury.
As it stands, Hashim Amla and Mark Footitt look like being the creche supervisors of a very young squad on Friday, which doesn't suggest we are likely to get off to a flyer against the best team in the country. No disrespect intended, but more than a touch of realism.
More on that tomorrow, but for now, it is time to reflect on a job that was almost well done and be better prepared for the next championship match in just over a week, a very quick return fixture against Lancashire at Southport. There is a week after tomorrow's game for James Pipe to get revolving doors fitted on his office and a few people fit, but we are battling hard and that is something.
Special mention tonight, in closing, for Scott Elstone. He returned career-best bowling figures today and is a steadily improving cricketer. Mini-Wes, perhaps, but he did a good job today and can be proud of dismissing three good batsmen.
We are still in the mix and there's a lot of cricket to be played. With Lancashire losing to the Gloucestershire side that we hammered, it is a very open division.
We're fourth and with plenty of time to improve still further.
More from me on the T20 prospects tomorrow.
I suggested as much last night. I was slightly sceptical of the 'deteriorating wicket' line, because we'd just scored 407-5 on it with a young batting side. Given an attack that was younger still, working our way through a long order was never going to be easy.
Yet we should have done it. Six catches were dropped and the brutal truth is that you cannot do that and expect to win a cricket match at any level. Full marks to the visitors and their battling efforts, especially by the injured Cobb and Wakely, but we should have had that in the bag and been up there on the shoulders of Lancashire.
Rob Keogh played a magnificent innings and didn't deserve to be on the losing side, but part of the learning curve for this talented bunch of players is to capitalise on errors by the other team. When you miss out on six such opportunities, a win is barely deserved.
It would have been a reward for a match of many positives, but a major negative was the final drop, which saw Wayne Madsen have to leave the field with what was later diagnosed as a broken finger. With the T20 starting on Friday, we look like having a very inexperienced side out against Yorkshire, hardly the side you want to face when you are almost a team of players short of your strongest eleven.
With captain-elect Wes Durston struggling, alongside other likely participants such as Tony Palladino, David Wainwright and Wayne White, we look like fielding the ones who are left standing at this stage. I'm also slightly concerned that overseas signing Nathan Rimmington has played no cricket for Plumtree for the past couple of weeks, hopefully not indicative of an injury.
As it stands, Hashim Amla and Mark Footitt look like being the creche supervisors of a very young squad on Friday, which doesn't suggest we are likely to get off to a flyer against the best team in the country. No disrespect intended, but more than a touch of realism.
More on that tomorrow, but for now, it is time to reflect on a job that was almost well done and be better prepared for the next championship match in just over a week, a very quick return fixture against Lancashire at Southport. There is a week after tomorrow's game for James Pipe to get revolving doors fitted on his office and a few people fit, but we are battling hard and that is something.
Special mention tonight, in closing, for Scott Elstone. He returned career-best bowling figures today and is a steadily improving cricketer. Mini-Wes, perhaps, but he did a good job today and can be proud of dismissing three good batsmen.
We are still in the mix and there's a lot of cricket to be played. With Lancashire losing to the Gloucestershire side that we hammered, it is a very open division.
We're fourth and with plenty of time to improve still further.
More from me on the T20 prospects tomorrow.
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Derbyshire v Northamptonshire day 3
It confirmed my belief that we are witnessing the start of something special at the club, a theory borne out not just from events on the field, but from who is not currently involved for one reason or another. Palladino, White, Clare, Durston, Poynton, Wainwright and Godleman, senior players all, are currently missing from the line up, which largely comprises youngsters who are perhaps five to ten years from their peak.
All the batsmen contributed today, with Chesney Hughes the star turn with a century. I watched him yesterday and was very impressed with what I saw. He looked tighter and straighter in defence than I had seen before, happy to let balls go through and to take his time. Like a few others, I have felt in the past that he has been most vulnerable when he gets to twenty, perhaps the concentration wavering a little. This looked a new Chesney, still capable of punishing the bad ball, but better equipped to handle the good one.
It creates another dilemma for Graeme Welch of course. With Billy Godleman serving the last match of his two-game suspension, both Chesney and Ben Slater (94) served notice that they weren't giving up their slot for him. And so the battle for places goes on - and it is heartening to see.
The great Amla will be disappointed with only 21 runs from the match, but Scott Elstone and Shiv Thakor played the type of breezy knock that was required in the circumstances, while the skipper anchored one end to ensure there were to be no alarms. In such a young batting line-up, much depends on Wayne Madsen, but he rarely lets us down and is starting to churn out the runs once more.
Late in the evening, under the pressure of a 'pair', Harvey Hosein came into bat and scored faster than anyone, making an unbeaten 46 from 38 balls. It showed his fearlessness, similar to that displayed by Matt Critchley on day one and confirmed the selfless attitude instilled in their young charges by the coaching staff.
At which point it is time for a plaudit, so take a bow John Sadler and Ant Botha, because we currently have nine players averaging over thirty with the bat, some by a considerable margin. It is tribute to the work done by Sadler, the batting coach, whose talents in this area are already being spoken of in wider circles. One of the youngest level four batting coaches in the country at 33, Sadler, according to people I spoke to over the last few days, has a rare skill of stripping down technique to the basics and encourage people to play naturally and with confidence. It is no guarantee of constant success, as no one manages that, but what I saw of the Derbyshire players when I was down looked different, in a better way.
In each game so far, one of the young players has put his hand up and scored the runs when needed, something that is a delight to see. We may have injuries, they may be young, but by crikey, they have a fighting instinct, for sure.
In the evening. Mark Footitt ran in like a whirlwind from the City end and removed both opening batsmen, opening the door a little for tomorrow's denouement. It should not be considered a formality that we will win, by a long chalk, as the visitors bat long and well. Equally, Footitt aside, the average age of our main attack is twenty, although 'veterans' Chesney Hughes and Scott Elstone (both 24) may turn their arms tomorrow.
Game on, then. There can be little wrong with the wicket, after our score today and we will need to winkle them out if we are to win. Which leads nicely to my final comment for tonight.
As supporters, we need to accept that the other team is entitled to play well and ours can be bettered. Against good teams, we will come off second best on occasion, when there are partnerships between fine players that we simply cannot break through.
Such a case happened yesterday. We didn't play badly, although the intensity dropped a little as I said at the time. It enabled Josh Cobb and David Willey, two of the best limited over batsmen in the country, to cart us to around a little. They played well and deserve credit for doing so. I will bet my bottom dollar they aren't the last to do so either, because it happens in cricket.
We did the same to Northamptonshire today.
Let's hope we can finish it off tomorrow.
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