Derbyshire v Leicestershire T20

Leicestershire 120 all out (Thakor 3-17, Neesham 3-26)

Derbyshire 123-6 (Neesham 29 not, Hughes (A) 27, Madsen 23, Thakor 14 not)

Derbyshire won by four wickets

I look forward to your comments later tonight, in the hope that a good few of you were there tonight to see a win that keeps Derbyshire at the business end of the T20 Blast.

It appears, from this distance, to have been a wicket where run scoring was never easy, Neil Dexter's 34 for the visitors the game's highest score. It was won by a couple of partnerships from Derbyshire after we slid alarmingly to 14-3, both Rutherford and Broom going inside the first three overs.

Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes steadied the ship and took us past fifty, but when both went in one over from Dexter, at 54-5 we were in territory that was all too familiar last season. Yet Alex Hughes and Jimmy Neesham (pictured) steadied the ship and took us past the hundred mark, before Hughes was caught to leave Shiv Thakor to cream three boundaries and win the game.

It was a triumph for Hughes, captain for the night in the absence of the injured Wes Durston. He got the wicket of the dangerous Niall O'Brien, seemingly did most of the right things in the field and made crucial runs. It underlines his importance to the side and will have done his confidence good. He's an intelligent lad and that shines through in most of the decisions he makes on a cricket pitch.

Shiv Thakor again bowled beautifully and underlined the length of our batting at number eight, even if not all of the early order came to the party. He is making a fine cricketer and will go on to be someone quite special at his current rate of development. His batting owes a lot to John Sadler's work over the winter, and the interim coach can be happy with a first-up win.

A word too for Matt Critchley. Four overs for eighteen from a lad of such tender years is phenomenal and that is three successive games in which he has bowled well. Quite a talent and some way from the finished product, he can be proud of his efforts once again.

Yet above all, it was a triumph for Neesham. I've had a few letters asking why we didn't re-sign Martin Guptill for T20, but Graeme Welch wanted a finisher with the bat, as well as someone who could bowl him a few overs. Neesham is a special cricketer and showed that.

With 3-26 and that crucial, unbeaten 29, he has proved a match-winner in his third game. He'll take that any day, as will we.

Well done lads. Focus largely maintained and, in the end, a professional effort. 

Breaking news - Graeme Welch resigns

I didn't see that one coming.

Graeme Welch has announced his resignation as Elite Performance Director this afternoon, something that, irrespective of results this season, comes as a surprise.

While four-day results have been disappointing, the signs were there for an improvement in the one-day game and I can't be the only one to be surprised by this.

No doubt there will be those pleased at the news, as such is life, but I will reserve judgement until more comes out on this one. Welch was one of my favourite players and, as coach, was both approachable and skilled. The interview I did with him in my latest book will be worth reading in this new light...

He will walk into another job in the game and I wish him well, wherever the future takes him. John Sadler takes over in the short term and I am sure we wish him the very best too.

More on this over the weekend and when we have all had a chance to digest it and what it means for us, as a club, moving forward.

Derbyshire v Leicestershire preview

If Derbyshire bat as they have in the two previous games tomorrow, they will beat Leicestershire.

We have won one game easily and lost another narrowly so far, batting well in both games. I am sure that Graeme Welch and Wes Durston will have talked over reasons for losing at Northampton and will be better organised in the field tomorrow.

Leicestershire have won one, lost one so far  too, although in playing both of last year's finalists first up, we have shown that we can compete against good sides. They're all good though and watching Worcestershire clinically dispose of Yorkshire tonight highlighted how strong a group this is.

Our visitors tomorrow bat long and have some powerful players in the likes of Cosgrove, Pettini, Akmal and O'Brien. They are not one of the more athletic sides though and that is an area in which Derbyshire can score tomorrow.

It is obvious how hard we have worked at the skills in the format over the winter, with better use of every ball, rotation of the strike and giving fewer 'freebies' to the opposition in extras. I also like the fluid top six which, with three left and three right hand batsmen means we can make the opposition bowlers keep changing their lines, depending who is out.

The second team had two good wins over Yorkshire at T20 yesterday, with Jimmy Neesham bowling well and good runs from Alex Hughes, Jon Tattersall and Tom Knight. Indeed, the latter bludgeoned 61 from 28 deliveries, including six sixes, keeping him in Graeme Welch's thoughts. I still rate Knight as a cricketer, though have yet to see his new bowling style, something I hope to do when down in July. Likewise Tattersall has made good runs in his trial period and has given himself every chance of a contract for another year.

It was interesting to see Jimmy Neesham looking for a club to play some cricket and it must be hard to play just one T20 a week and maintain rhythm and form. I just hope he doesn't go the same way as Nathan Rimmington last year, when he broke a finger and lost form and fitness as a result.

Anyway, here's to a sunny evening, a good crowd and a win for the Falcons. We can play this format, for sure and it is just a case of winning the ten per cent of deliveries that generally make or break such games. In finding and clearing the fence, getting the dot balls and keeping twos down to ones these games are won.

Let's hope we do that tomorrow. Make sure to give them a cheer for me.

T20 selection dilemma for Welch ahead of local derby

The first home T20 of the summer is always exciting, even for a team with as average a record at the format as Derbyshire.

Won one, lost one from the first two doesn't sound overly exciting, but the manner in which the team batted in those two games suggested that the watching could be more exciting this year than in some summers past.

There has been an unchanged side for those first two games and, having destroyed Lancashire at Old Trafford then lost a game we should have won at Northampton, rightly so. The last game showed up the need for another good death/powerplay bowler, however and there lies Graeme Welch's dilemma.

He has one in Ben Cotton. He was our most effective bowler in T20 last year, bowled very economically at either end of the innings and showed himself a bowler of great potential at the format. As I wrote last week, no bowler managed more T20 deliveries than Ben last summer without being hit for a 'maximum', as it is so often called now, rather than 'six', which does me just nicely.

So how does he fit Ben into the side? Before the first game, the final place seemed to be between Ben and Matt Critchley and we all know how well the young leggie has done. He would appear to have cemented a place for now, but Ben's inclusion would allow Jimmy Neesham to bowl the middle overs he is more used to, rather than the ones at either end of the innings.

Does he swap out Alex Hughes? Again, it would be tough, as his skiddy medium pace is perfect for the format, his batting can add valuable runs late in the innings and his fielding will get him into any side. Andy Carter's nous has looked impressive, Shiv Thakor is having a fine season and the places of the Kiwis, at this stage, appear assured.

The batting has gone well, so whichever way Welch goes he has a tough decision and someone will be unlucky. The wicket will almost certainly make up his mind and it will be interesting to see which way he goes.

So what are your thoughts?

Sussex v Derbyshire day 4

Derbyshire 150 and 307 (Thakor 81)

Sussex 447-8 and 11-0

Sussex won by ten wickets

Well, the tail wagged and a second innings of respectability was reached, but it was too little, too late for Derbyshire in this one. As was always likely after being bowled out in a session on the first day, of course.

That's our last four-day cricket for some time and thank goodness for that, as it has been a disappointment. Here's hoping we make a better fist of the fifty and twenty-over stuff, which occupies our minds for the next few weeks. It looks a stronger format for us at present, though 'stronger' may or may not be relative. Time will tell on that...

Tomorrow I will look at our T20 side and its make up, but the sole encouraging factor of the loss at Hove was that the players battled to the end. Such a mentality is good to see and is indicative of a team spirit that is still strong. If the 'name' players come to the party now, we'll have a chance of putting some results together.

Anyway, the loss was the one bad thing about today. The month ending tonight is the second busiest month in the blog's history, beaten only by July of last year in the amount of hits. Indeed usage continues to grow, which is a great thrill after several years and when it might have peaked. Thanks to all for your continued involvement and support.

I hope that extends to my book, 'In Their Own Words: Derbyshire Cricketers in Conversation', which is out tomorrow. You can order it through all good bookshops and it is on Amazon as both a hardback book and as an ebook for download. I've had nice and favourable comments ahead of publication but the acid test is what readers think and I hope you first of all buy it and then let me know in due course.

With representation from older legends of the club like Walter Goodyear, Edwin Smith and Harold Rhodes, as well as newer ones such as Wayne Madsen, Graeme Welch and James Pipe and plenty in between, I hope you learn something and get a few laughs and an insight into the professional game along the way.

If you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed chatting to some of my heroes, I can live with that!

Until tomorrow.

Sussex v Derbyshire day 3

Derbyshire 150 and 195-6 (Thakor 58 not, Godleman 49)

Sussex 447-8 (Wells 104, Brown 61, Critchley 2-101)

Derbyshire trail by 102 runs

Barring rain of biblical proportions tomorrow, which would scarcely be fair on the home side, Derbyshire will lose this game by an innings and plenty, probably some time before lunch.

It has been a poor display, albeit one which highlighted a couple of things, as I followed events from afar (while painting my garden fence, truth be told).

One is that there is at least fight and discipline in the side, especially from some of the younger contingent. Quite frankly, Shiv Thakor is magnificent at present and can be absolved from any criticism with his willingness to occupy the crease, while still playing shots and scoring runs at a good rate. His average for the season is now a remarkable 94 and it must be something in the name, his willingness to battle for the cause reminiscent of Shiv Chanderpaul at his best.

Discipline was evident in the bowling. In a score of 447 in 110 overs, there were only twelve extras, which speaks volumes for the bowlers and wicket-keeper Tom Poynton, even if the end figures were not ones they will recall in their memoirs.

Our problems are twofold at present. One is the youth of the attack, which battles gamely but is a little out of its depth. In the long term they will benefit from the exposure to top level batsmen and there are signs from all of them that they are, if not swimming strongly in the first-class game, bobbing along gamely on the tide. Ben Cotton, Tom Taylor and Matt Critchley are all showing promise in bursts, but it is unrealistic to expect them to run  through teams.

The other is in the batting. Thakor speaks for himself, Wayne Madsen is averaging his usual fifty and Chesney Hughes 65. Cap'n Billy is in the steady if not spectacular mid-thirties, but the problem lies with our two Kiwis.

That both are good players is evident from their records in the first-class game. However, it isn't happening for them right now and that must be a frustration for Graeme Welch, as much as supporters. There wasn't a single dissenting voice when Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom were signed, but the reality is that they each currently average 25 in the four-day game, which is much less than Ben Slater, who is outside the eleven.

This isn't 'have a go at the Kiwis' hour, but with the status of overseas player and one brought over on a British passport comes expectation of performance. They know that and we know that. I have said before that a good county batsman should be averaging in the thirties, a very good one in the forties. For me, the benchmark of an overseas batsman has to be fifty or thereabouts. You are paid well and looked after, so the return should be relative to that. I admit I grew up on the feats of Wright and Kirsten, but we have had plenty of others who spoiled us from that angle, including Rogers, Di Venuto, Katich, Azharuddin and Jones. They set the standard that others must aspire to.

25 doesn't cut the mustard and both men have to up their games in the second half of the summer. It won't make any difference to the championship, because any expectation of achievement there is largely gone for the reasons stated above. Yet we need them to produce their best form and give supporters something to cheer in the one-day game. They can do it and on their improved efforts we can see performances improve.

In closing tonight, read a very interesting post from 'Roy of the Falcons' that I received earlier today and is below last night's piece. I totally agree with him as you will realise from the above, as well as the article I wrote 'Time for a Reality Check' last week.

Keep your comments coming my friends, but please avoid conjecture, personal stuff and insults.

It's a bad old trot, but as supporters, the clue is in the name - and this is when the players need it more than ever.

Sussex v Derbyshire day 2

Derbyshire 150 (Thakor 47 not)

Sussex 342-4 (Joyce 106, Wells 104 not, Nash 65, Taylor 54, Madsen 2-65, Taylor 2-87)

Sussex lead by 192 runs

At the end of another fairly wretched day, Derbyshire are still just about within sight of Sussex in this match, but need to bowl extremely well tomorrow and then bat a heck of a lot better than they have done in their last two championship innings to give them a game.

The thinking money is on it not happening at present, much as it pains me to say so. There appears a crisis of confidence that I hope can be sorted soon and the onus is on the senior players to rally and turn things around. In such roles they are paid well and need to justify those salaries, as do all professional sportsmen.

To give credit to Derbyshire, they stuck to their task fairly well and didn't give too much away. Wayne Madsen confirmed that my pre-season appraisal of his bowling was accurate in bowling a long and economical spell that was rewarded with two wickets, while two late wickets for Tom Taylor made up for some earlier expense. The discipline that they show will come in useful in years to come, but for now they are just not penetrative enough and the attack lacks the 'oomph' it had when the captain could toss the ball to Mark Footitt.

The others bowled tidily, but the batsmen were largely untroubled and, from reports, rather got themselves out.

We'll see tomorrow if there is more fight in the side, but the likelihood is that there will be a deficit of around 350 on first innings.

The stuff of nightmares, really.

Sussex v Derbyshire day 1

Derbyshire 142-9 (Thakor 44 not) v Sussex

I think it is safe to say, from his remarks at the end of the day, that Graeme Welch was unhappy with his side today.

Rightly so. Having had the option to bowl today, we opted to toss, lost it and Sussex opted to bowl. Welch and Billy Godleman presumably thought that the best chance of success in this game was in batting first - the coach suggested 250 would have been a competitive score, but it didn't work out that way.

'Poor shot selection' said Welch. To be fair, having arrived at their hotel in the early hours, they may have got to the ground and wondered what format they were playing. By the same token, the weather meant they didn't play till after tea and they should have been well tuned by that stage.

It was a dispiriting day, truth be told, each buzz of my phone heralding a new tweet and another wicket. Once again the admirable Shiv Thakor held things together and led a late rally, but there was little support and to lose nine wickets in forty overs was an especially weak effort.

Got to do better than this, fellas.

For your coach, the supporters and professional pride.

Sussex v Derbyshire championship preview

Just a short piece from me on this one, but I reckon somewhere near the south coast tonight, Ed Joyce must be in bed now, his trusty willow on the pillow beside him, ready to dream of carrying on where he left off at Derby a couple of weeks back.

Indeed, the Sussex side will be hoping that justice is done and they can get the win in this one that they were robbed of at Derby.

I've seen no news of our squad, but don't see many changes, unless Andy Carter is brought back after his efforts tonight.

Sussex name the following squad:

Danny Briggs
Ben Brown (c/wkt)
Harry Finch
Lewis Hatchett
Ed Joyce
Matt Machan
Steve Magoffin
Chris Nash
Ollie Robinson
Ajmal Shahzad
Ross Taylor
Luke Wells
Stuart Whittingham

Still no Chris Jordan and Luke Wright, but a good side, especially in batting. We will need to up our game considerably to come back with anything, but the talent, as they showed for much of the Kent game, is there.

It is just about sustaining the effort.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire T20

Derbyshire 195-7  (Durston 47, Hughes (C) 46, Poynton 37 not)

Northamptonshire 196-7 (Levi 58, Carter 3-32, Critchley 2-19)

Northamptonshire won by three wickets with two balls to spare

There was no disgrace in losing this excellent game of cricket.

In doing so, however, the players and coaching staff will doubtless look back at a spell in our innings when we lost our way after a blistering start.

At 140-3 halfway through the fourteenth, Wayne and Chesney going like trains and 14 off the first three balls of the over, we were looking at 200-plus. Yet by the end of the over, both had gone and in eleven balls we were 151-7 and rebuilding.

That we got to an imposing score that normally wins you matches was down to a fine effort by Tom Poynton, who hit his highest T20 score in making an unbeaten 37 from just 21 deliveries. At the halfway stage we definitely had a chance. Wes Durston's early onslaught was matched by an impressive knock by Ches, the only error being neither of them going on to a match-defining score.

The home side went off like trains, as they were always going to do. Levi has hammered international attacks and on his night hits the ball a long way, as does Josh Cobb, who always seems to save his best for us. I mentioned them last night and they took their side to 108 at the halfway stage, well up with the clock.

Yet both went in successive overs from Matt Critchley who again did wonderfully well. At this point you question the captaincy a little, because the lad's three overs went for only nineteen runs and those two wickets, while Wes bowled two for 22. Alex Hughes only went for eight an over and Andy Carter bowled very well at the death to take three wickets and the game into the final over.

All in all it was a very good effort by our lads, who can hold their heads high. Not such a good night for the Kiwis though. They starred at Old Trafford but had a collective bad night tonight. Twenty runs from the three of them and four overs for 47 from Jimmy Neesham made it a less memorable day at the office.

There however, you have cricket in  a nutshell. One day you are on top of the world, the next it turns round and bites you on the bottom. We've all been there, and for those still playing the game, you almost certainly will be there again.

Disappointing to lose then, but plenty of positives. Things to build on, and to work at, but we've played two good games of cricket so far and can win more in this competition.

Safe travel tonight guys. Whoever scheduled these fixtures must have a warped sense of humour...

Link to Elvaston event Facebook page

I have added a link on the left hand side of the page to the event where I will be appearing, under a Boundary Club promotion, with Edwin Smith at Elvaston Cricket Club on Friday, July 15.

 

It will be one of the launch events for my new book 'In Their Own Words: Derbyshire Cricketers in Conversation' and is one that I look forward to immensely. 

I will be chatting to Edwin, a genuine legend who took 1209 wickets for Derbyshire, about his fantastic career, talking about this blog and the new book and signing copies both of it and any last copies of my biography of Edwin that we can round up for the event. As these are now in single figures, I cannot guarantee that they will be available, but I will do my best. We are both then happy to answer questions from the floor.

Elvaston Cricket Club is on Stable Drive, Elvaston,  DE72 3EP and tickets for the event are £3, with proceeds going to the club's Defibrillator Appeal Fund. There will be a bar and food available, with the evening starting at 7.30pm.

 

Tickets are available from the club, or by calling Andy on 07722 485213.

 

I do hope that you come along, say hello and enjoy a fun evening of cricket chat, as well as supporting a very worthy cause.

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire T20 preview

The old adage that if it ain't broke, you don't fix it is likely to followed by Derbyshire at Wantage Road tomorrow, in their T20 match against Northamptonshire.

Ben Cotton and Scott Elstone are the other members of the thirteen, over and above the eleven that played against Lancashire at Old Trafford (and thrashed them, he enjoyed writing...)

It will all depend on the wicket, of course, but I don't see any changes unless Ben is brought into the eleven. Scott had a good knock in the corresponding fixture last year, but I expect him to miss out here.

Our hosts won their first game against Leicestershire Seekkuge Prasanna doing all you could want from an overseas professional by bowling his leg spin tight and hitting a six to win the game. With Richard Levi and Josh Cobb heading a powerful batting line up, they will present a stern test for Graeme Welch's men.

Mind you, if they play as they did at Old Trafford last week, they don't need to worry about anyone. It is when the intensity dips and 'old' Derbyshire resurfaces that trouble strikes.

Which one will take the field tomorrow? I can't answer that.

But if it is the side with the right mentality, we have plenty in the tank to win the game.

Book talk - any interest in the High Peak?

As you will know, I have my second book, a history of the club since the last war, told by some of its main characters of that period, due out on June 1.

In Their Own Words: Derbyshire Cricketers in Conversation features interviews with post-war Derbyshire cricket legends and is published by Pitch Publishing and priced £16.99. It is available from all good book shops, online and from me if you prefer.

I will be down in Derbyshire for what is looking like a full week of promotional work between 11 and 16 July and have an event lined up in Elvaston, on Friday 15th, as well as one in Chesterfield on Monday 11th - details will be announced shortly.

As my Wednesday plans revolve around seeing the T20 game against Lancashire at the 3aaa County Ground, I'd be more than happy to do an event on either Tuesday 12 or Thursday 14, as long as someone has a venue and the likelihood of a crowd.

The High Peak would be great, but if there's anyone out there with any ideas, and you are far enough from Chesterfield and Elvaston not to affect their attendance, do please get in touch at the usual email address - you can find it down the left hand bar of the site.

Alternatively, get me on Twitter, @Peakfanblog

Time for a reality check

After all these years of doing the blog, I'm still mildly amused that there's way more comments and mails in adversity than when we do well.

492 runs in the first innings against Kent and there's barely recognition of a job well done; tumble for under a ton in the second dig and there's pops at Pop a-plenty.

I think it is time for a reality check. You may have noticed that I made no pre-season predictions of glory this year. Just, hopefully, signs of progress. Sometimes signs of the latter take time to appear, while at others they can be almost overnight.

Look at Chesney Hughes. I've lost count of how many mails there have been in recent seasons questioning whether he would make it. All of a sudden, it clicks and he's scoring runs for fun. The same goes for Shiv Thakor. Last year people were asking why we'd signed him, ignoring the fact that he'd missed a year of cricket and was playing catch up. There are no such questions this year, that's for sure, when he is sitting with a batting average of 68 and a bowling one of 23. I've used the analogy before and will do again - would you expect your average under-25 to be a key contributor at your place of work, or assume that he or she still had much to learn? I think I know the answer.

You can't fast track development. To answer one recurring theme in my mail, yes, Graeme Welch did say that he now has the staff that he wants at Derbyshire, but this should not be liberally translated as 'and it is one that will challenge for honours'. For me he now has a staff of players where everyone is fit and able to play, even if they are some way back in their development from where he wants them to be. Last year we had senior players on commensurate salaries in the second team or constantly injured, something that was patently unsustainable.

I know how Graeme rates the young  clutch of seamers at the club, but sometimes that 'click' takes a lot longer than coaches wish and supporters are prepared to tolerate. I have spoken to a lot of coaches over the years and each has told me that the greatest requirement for the job is patience. Indeed John Wright, a pretty good coach at county and international level, told me that is the biggest difference between the two - with the latter, you are dealing with the creme de la creme. If someone fails, you bring in someone else, and there are plenty of options. At county level, with a finite budget, you HAVE to be patient, as there aren't the alternatives nor the money to sign them.

Coaching is all about making players the best they can be. In making modifications, you are aiming to improve their game by ten per cent, but some players take things on board - or are willing to do so - more easily than others. It can take months for a penny to drop, or seasons in some cases, as you will see by looking around the county circuit.

It is the only way with a club like Derbyshire. If Graham Onions came on the market, he would improve our attack considerably, but then every county would be chasing him, including those who, Godfather-style, can make an offer that it is hard to refuse. It isn't as easy as that, and this summer's wickets haven't helped to encourage young bowlers learning their trade.

One or two have also suggested it is time we looked for another coach. Really? Who?

We have a coach who is highly regarded in cricket circles by insiders, people who really know the game. Jimmy Neesham cited Welch as as reason for joining the club, as did Andy Carter and Luke Fletcher. Now the returns of the last two have been a disappointment, but sometimes it takes time to settle. It is frustrating to see the success of Fletcher since his return to Nottinghamshire, while Carter hasn't looked to have his usual rhythm yet, for whatever reason.

I still think he will come good and will win us matches in time. As for Graeme Welch, he recently signed a contract extension and rightly so. He will oversee the continued development of the young players he has sensibly signed up for the next couple of seasons and at that time a decision will be made on his future. An informed one, taking on board his track record in his time at the club. both in results and player development.

By the age of 24 or 25, players are usually showing what they can do and, in the case of many of Derbyshire's younger players, they will have worked with Welch for four or five years by then. They will have developed as players, or fallen by the wayside and that will be the time to judge him fairly.

Besides, if anyone thinks that our club can afford to change coach and pay off one, recruit a supposedly 'better' one and bring in bigger name players, you're a better man, or woman, than I.

Patience is a virtue - and we all need to show a lot more of it while young players hone their skills. As with any team in any sport there will be ups and downs and we should make sure to celebrate the former all the more.

It makes the latter more tolerable, if nothing else.

And if we pick one up at Northampton tomorrow, we will all be smiling again.

Derbyshire v Kent day 4

Derbyshire 492 and 94

Kent 412 and 176-3

Kent won by seven wickets

I have to admit being disappointed by this one.

I had a vibe last night that we'd go down today and we did, quite heavily. It was a question of whether we bowled or batted the worst, on a wicket that was offering reasonable help for bowlers. By all accounts Kent got their combination right  and bowled as they needed to do. We didn't and there should be a few embarrassed players tonight. To make nearly 500 in the first innings and then fail to make three figures in the second is, quite frankly, a poor effort. Only Wayne Madsen looked to come to terms with the wicket, which in a decent batting side is, to use that word again, disappointing.

I'm a little baffled tonight to be honest. We have a young leg-spinner who has huge potential in Matt Critchley and he got carted today, as Kent wisely decided to go for it, rather than waiting for one of dodgy bounce to do for them. Yet Matt was the sixth bowler used and we need to get him some overs, in one team or another. I just get the feeling he is currently being used as an afterthought in the championship.

Leg spin is a fiendishly difficult art to master, but there's only one way to do that - by bowling, then bowling more. He's not yet a good enough batsman to play in the latter capacity, so in four-day cricket we either need to bowl him more and accept there will be times he will be costly, or give him the bowling he needs to perfect his skills between the one-day game and the second team. He will be a key component of our one-day side in a more defensive role, but  if he is only going to be used as a second or third spinner in the championship, maybe Alex Hughes or Scott Elstone  should be given a try.

It was all rather a shame for Shiv Thakor, who had the best game of his life yet somehow ended up on the losing side. There wasn't much more that he could have done, that's for sure.

Let's hope that we can put this one behind us with another good T20 performance on Friday night at Northampton. I bet the players are looking forward immensely to the drive down to Hove straight afterwards...that's quite a trek on a Friday night.

Shades of the 'good old days'.

Derbyshire v Kent day 3

Derbyshire 492 and 9-3

Kent 412 (Dickson 207 not, Thakor 5-63, Cotton 3-66)

Derbyshire lead by 89 runs

At one point today, with Kent, without new father Joe Denly, effectively 285-8, Derbyshire entertained hopes of either enforcing the follow on, or at the very least having a healthy first innings lead.

Yet a side that bats low, with Matt Coles a more than handy number ten, recovered to post an all out tally of 412, before reducing Derbyshire to 9-3 by the close. Hughes, Taylor and Rutherford were all out cheaply, with Billy Godleman forced to retire hurt after being hit by a throw from a fielder, according to reports. He will be assessed in the morning to see if he can continue his innings.

It changed the dynamic of the game. In a session, we went from possible winners of the game to quite likely losers, unless someone does something special tomorrow. It is unlikely that a winning position can be manufactured from here, so it would appear that the summit of ambitions, at this stage, is draw number six.

I am no statistician, but I can't think there have been many times in our history when we have conceded a double century to an opposition batsman in three successive matches. South African Sean Dickson carried his bat and his team making half of their total and confirming the promise that was suggested on his arrival in this country.

The bright spots for Derbyshire? A maiden five-wicket haul for Shiv Thakor, who, after his century yesterday has had a match to remember. Ben Cotton also appears to have bowled well and was rewarded with three wickets, while Tony Palladino was as accurate as ever, if wicket-less. At least Tom Taylor got his first of the summer and can hopefully kick on from here.

We will see what tomorrow brings, but the first task tomorrow will be to save the match, with Messrs Madsen and Broom faced with a very similar position to the first innings of the game, when they take guard tomorrow.

As someone said to me recently, it's deja vu all over again...

Derbyshire v Kent day 2

Derbyshire 492 (Thakor 130, Taylor 80)

Kent 79-1 

Derbyshire lead by 413 runs

If Derbyshire are to take the initiative in this game tomorrow, they are going to have to find ways to winkle out the opposition in a way that has thus far proved elusive in this game.

What they did, when they bowled, was produce commendable accuracy and economy, with two an over being the standard for most of them. Ben Cotton took the wicket of the talented Bell-Drummond, courtesy of a stunning catch by Tom Poynton, but it will be a tough ask to get twenty wickets on what appears a docile track, even if getting the timing right on it can prove problematic.

Earlier in the day, Shiv Thakor made a magnificent maiden county century, adding 150, a new county record against Kent, with Tom Taylor for the eighth wicket. It was a fine effort by both, highlighting the depth of batting in the side and the ability in some of its younger members.

When he made his debut, a former county stalwart, discussing him, told me he could bat, as well as bowl. It would appear an accurate summation of things and he looks likely to score his share of runs as well as, in time, taking wickets.

As for Thakor, his century crowned a fine few weeks. As we near the end of May, he has a season batting average of 87, to go with a bowling one of 27 as the county's top wicket-taker. If he carries on at that rate, he will be hard to ignore for some winter recognition, which would be deserved.

Before that, we must see if anything can be manufactured here. Any result looks likely to be by virtue of a last afternoon run chase, succeeding or failing.

We'll see.

Derbyshire v Kent day 1

Derbyshire 381-7 (Madsen 103, Broom 96, Thakor 86 not, Taylor 39 not, Coles 4-75)

v Kent

Having won the toss and opted to bat at Derby today, it would not have been part of the script for Derbyshire to slip to 35-3 inside the first hour, with captain, top scorer and overseas star all back in the pavilion.

There was a time when such a start would have heralded teatime submission, but this Derbyshire side is showing itself to be made of sterner stuff and, by the close, had reached a very respectable 381-7.

The recovery was led by Wayne Madsen, who made his 20th century for the club and reached it with a reverse sweep, a sign of class and confidence. He will be annoyed at going soon afterwards, but shared a fine stand of 161 with Neil Broom, who made 96 and showed, after last night's sensible knock, that he is coming to terms with English wickets at last.

It takes time, even for a man of international experience and with a first-class average north of forty. Yet class will always tell and I have every confidence that he will make a telling contribution for us this season. It was a shame he missed his first ton in our colours, but it will come, before too long.

Broom added 85 with Shiv Thakor, who was unbeaten on 86 at the close and is having a really good season. There were a few doubters last year, when the all rounder struggled for his best form with the bat, even though he bowled well at times. This year he has both disciplines working well, scoring fluently and bowling accurately and well. It is a tough gig, but if Shiv continues to work and listen to his coaches, he has what it takes to go a long way in cricket.

Tom Poynton and Matt Critchley failed, highlighting the dilemma at seven once again for Graeme Welch and supporters. I think that they are both very good cricketers, but eight is their place in the order, at the highest, on their form with the bat this summer. Alex Hughes would give greater depth to the batting and offer something different with skiddy seam, but Critchley offers variety, if he can take wickets with his spin as well as he kept Lancashire quiet last night. He should get to bowl on a last day pitch here.

Of course, Wes Durston is another option, but Wes has a big workload in one-day cricket in the coming weeks and we don't want to overload a very important cog in our T20 plans as captain, pinch-hitter and spin option.

At the end of the day, as the bowlers tired, Tom Taylor came in and shared in an unbroken stand of 69 with Thakor, confirming his own ability with the bat and coming in ahead of Tony Palladino for the first time. They saw off Matt Coles with the new ball and scored steadily, this after the bowler had taken four earlier wickets. I rate Coles as a cricketer and it is just a shame that he occasionally does daft things that get him into bother. He runs in hard all day and hits a good ball too, an asset to any side.

Tomorrow all eyes will be on Shiv Thakor, to see if he can make his first Derbyshire century, and on Tom Taylor, to see if he can register a maiden fifty. If they do and we can push on to 450, then we are in a position of control in this game.

It is all up to the bowlers, after that, though it doesn't look the world's worst batting track at this stage.

Derbyshire v Kent preview

The run up to this fixture is always tinged with sadness for me. I used to enjoy and exchange of mails with the late Martin Moseling, a fervent Kent supporter and accomplished writer, catching up on lives and the fortunes of our teams. His passing was untimely and he is missed by many, not just in his own county.

Today's game's big challenge is to avoid anti-climax after yesterday's sparkling effort. While the photos I saw didn't suggest a packed Old Trafford (how could it be, with the FA Cup final on that featured one of the city's teams?) it will have been a bigger crowd than will be at the 3aaa County Ground today. I hope it is warmer than I experienced on my last trip and am sure that our boys will be looking to get away to a flier this morning.

We need a really good first innings, but the truth is that any tinge of green will see the away team bowl and have a strong likelihood of success. Unless, of course, they misread the pitch...

Derbyshire go with an unchanged squad, namely:

Billy Godleman (Captain)
Chesney Hughes
Hamish Rutherford
Wayne Madsen
Neil Broom
Shiv Thakor
Matthew Critchley
Tom Poynton
Tom Milnes
Tony Palladino
Ben Cotton
Tom Taylor

It looks like one of the seamers will miss out this morning and I wouldn't attempt to second-guess Graeme Welch on that one.

Kent come without the injured Darren Stevens and Adam Riley, so there are recalls for Matt Coles and James Tredwell in their squad. They have been batting well this summer, with another Kiwi, Tom Latham, doing well for them.

Sam Northeast, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Tom Latham, Joe Denly, Sean Dickson, Alex Blake, Adam Rouse, Calum Haggett, Matt Coles, James Tredwell, Mitchell Claydon, Matt Hunn, Ivan Thomas.

While the weather forecast suggests some play lost to light rain tomorrow, the forecast for the rest of the game is fine. We will need to be on top of our game from the outset to get a win on the board and certainly need greater penetration with the ball.

Rekindling the intensity of yesterday would be no bad thing and on that note, thank you to everyone who made it the biggest single day in the blog's history. It went way past the number who looked in when we announced the signing of Shiv Chanderpaul and I did a double-take when I saw the statistics last night.

Thank you - and good luck today, lads!

Lancashire v Derbyshire T20

Lancashire 131-7 (Croft 31, Neesham 2-38)

Derbyshire 132-1 (Rutherford 71 not, Durston 30, Broom 25 not)

Derbyshire won by nine wickets

Wow!

Since the competition began, there have been few 'special' performances by Derbyshire in T20 cricket. Sure, we have won a few games here and there, with someone producing a little bit extra to get us across the line, sometimes by the skin of our teeth.

Yet today was pretty much a complete performance. Bowling well, fielding tigerishly and then batting with a degree of elan seldom seen in our colours in this format. Sometimes we bowl well, then stumble with the bat; others we do the opposite. Today, in a game that I wrote last night would benchmark us for the season, we set a very high standard indeed.

I really don't care that Lancashire chose to omit one or two players, nor that Jos Buttler and Martin Guptill are still in India. Nor that they lost a bowler after one ball to a nasty injury, because all you can do, at any level of any sport, is to beat the team that are lined up against you. We thrashed them today, end of story.

It was a display that was highlighted by pivotal roles for our three Kiwis. Call them the Otago Musketeers, The Three Amigos or whatever, but they all did a great job today. Jimmy Neesham took two wickets and effected a run out, Hamish Rutherford (pictured) blazed away as you hope your overseas batsman will do, while Neil Broom just played a professional innings. He didn't try to match Rutherford shot for shot, simply gave him the strike and admired it from the best seat in the house. It enabled us to win at a canter, with almost six overs to spare.

Yet it was a team effort. Shiv Thakor bowled two fine Powerplay overs, while Andy Carter did as good a job as Neesham at either end of the innings. In between times, Alex Hughes bowled a fine spell in which he removed the dangerous Petersen, while Matt Critchley was quite outstanding. Until his last ball went for six, he had conceded only thirteen runs in 23 balls, thoroughly justifying his sage selection ahead of Ben Cotton. Horses for courses and the latter's turn will come, but the young leg-spinner played a major part in a youthful - and more than useful - Derbyshire attack.

It was impressively disciplined, with only three wides as extras in the innings, as the home side struggled to reach the fence. A lot of work goes into such displays, work that deserves recognition tonight.

Would we stumble in the pursuit? No, because Wes Durston came out with guns blazing and raced to 30 from 15 balls before being caught. It brought in Neil Broom, perhaps to keep the left/right combo going in the middle, and he ticked over nicely at around a run-a-ball. It was the sort of knock we cried out for someone to play last year and Broom's innings was simply workmanlike and professional, exactly what we needed.

At the other end, Rutherford hit 71 from 40 balls, as only Steven Croft kept a lid on the carnage. What will go down as my Tweet of the day came from the club, saying that you could hear a pin drop at Old Trafford as the Kiwis cantered to victory. There have been enough noisy and boorish defeats in front of Lanky-lanky-lanky-lanky Lancashire fans to make this one quite special.

The challenge now is to make this the standard. If we can do, then a summer of excitement beckons, showcased by our Triwis but underpinned by a fine effort from what is actually a really young team. Perhaps in the next game we will come crashing down to earth, or maybe we will deliver a similar display of consummate professionalism. I know no more than you, but I will savour this one tonight, a win against the reigning champions in their own back yard.

Back to the four-day stuff at Derby tomorrow, quite a contrast, I would think. 

George Formby, Gracie Fields, Kathleen Ferrier, LS Lowry, Neville Cardus, Tom Finney and Andrew Flintoff...your boys took one hell of a beating today.

Your day will come again, but tonight is a good one to be a Derbyshire fan.

Well done to all involved and for putting smiles on faces tonight that I hope are reflected in your comments later.

PS Still unbeaten...