Thoughts on Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire

I didn't see all of the play, as work took precedence, but I think Derbyshire did just fine in the two - day game against their near neighbours that ended today.

The scores don't really matter as it was more a case of bowlers finding rhythm and batsmen getting their hands and feet moving.

Broadly speaking, they all did that. Brooke Guest would appear to be getting the nod at three over Luis Reece, but we will perhaps know more on Saturday at The Parks. 

The batsmen seem collectively to be playing straighter and look better for it. Leus du Plooy is much more still at the crease and will likely reap the rewards, while there is still much joy to be found in the batting of Wayne Madsen.

I was impressed by Harry Came in both innings. He wasn't 'pushing' at the ball so much outside off and played lovely shots around the wicket. If he and Tom Wood can put pressure on the likely incumbents we should do OK in division two. 

The bowlers were a mixed bag, but all ran in well and will benefit from overs in their legs. Sam Conners was the pick for me, but Nick Potts showed promise and it was good to see Mikey Cohen back after injury. 

Mattie McKiernan, like Alex Thomson in the first game, took wickets and provided a good option. Both also know how to bat, so there may well be good competition for that role.

The importance of Suranga Lakmal was clear and I can see him adding a lot to a young attack. There were a few too many 'four balls' in there for comfort, but it is early days.

The season proper starts on Saturday. 

Can't wait! 

Derbyshire bat through the day

It was perhaps not with the elan that Mickey Arthur wanted, but Derbyshire made 217-9 today against Lancashire.

The batting fell apart in the morning against, let's not forget, a good division one attack. A few got in and got out again, but Mattie Mckiernan made a nice 49 and Anuj Dal looked composed before being bowled by a quicker ball. Alex Hughes and Alex Thomson both had useful time in the middle, while Madsen and Du Plooy played some nice shots in their time out there. 

At the end of the day, Harry Came looked in decent nick, despite his early departure in the morning, while the skipper got some valuable time in the middle too. 

Things to work on, for sure, but no need for people to put some of the silly comments seen on Twitter earlier 

We move on from here.

Thoughts on Derbyshire v Lancashire day 1

Lancashire 260-9 v Derbyshire 

Notwithstanding that it was a friendly and the object was for everyone to get a few overs, I thought we looked pretty good yesterday.

There was some early rust, with no balls and wides adding to the score, but Sam Conners and George Scrimshaw looked the pick of the many seamers on display, both nipping it through quite nicely.

All will be pleased with thir efforts and the comeback after lunch was encouraging. 

The star turn, for me was Alex Thomson. He bowled an exemplary spell of off spin (2-27 in 19oves) in which he got a little turn but bowled with a pleasing loop and commendable accuracy. You can't ask more from a spinner when conditions aren't really in their favour than to keep things tight, which he did very well.

He also looks like he might be our first slip this year, which would be another nice find. 

Catches were held and the ground fielding was sound.

As a warm up, Mickey Arthur couldn't have asked for much more. 

County record large profit for 2021

Time prevented me commenting on this earlier in the week, but I wanted to acknowledge the efforts of those involved in registering a profit of £1.15 million in 2021. This was despite losing an estimated £1.5 million of their conventional revenue streams.

This was the club's third straight profit and we remain on course to be debt-free by 2024.

Fabulous work!

Well done to all involved. 

Mickey Arthur interview

It was a pleasure to sit talking Derbyshire cricket to Mickey Arthur today. The conversation flowed and I would like to thank him for his time, as well as Tom Skinner and Stephen Martin  in the Media and Marketing department for setting it up through Zoom.

Mickey is a very easy man to like, with a regular smile and laugh. The season cannot come soon enough for me!

Mickey, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today

It's my pleasure, Steve!

Like most supporters, I have listened to and read your interviews since arriving and I want to ask a few different questions! So here we go - you were regarded as a dedicated player who scored over ten thousand all-format runs in your playing career. They were all scored in South Africa and few over here will have seen you bat. What sort of batsman were you?

(Laughs) Put it this way, I wouldn't crack it in the 20/20 these days!

A man in the finest Derbyshire tradition, then!

I was a stodgy opening batsman who played well within his capabilities! I tried to squeeze whatever I could from my talent. Perhaps a Peter Bowler, rather than a John Morris!

We'd take a Peter Bowler any day of the week! Did you ever come to the UK as a professional?  

I did, I played three years in the Birmingham League for Coventry and North Warwick. I loved it, the cricket was great and I grew up as a person. I finished school and at that time in South Africa there was still conscription, so I did my two years army training and started coming over then. They were really good days.

On to Derbyshire matters, it didn't sound like you had to work too hard to convince Shan Masood and Suranga Lakmal to come here. Quite something when many overseas players don't fancy 6 months in England and we have only had 3 full-season overseas players since 2010.

They didn't take a lot of persuading, I know them very well and knew they were exactly what we were looking for. Firstly from a character perspective, then in the standards in which they keep driving themselves every day. I knew where they were in their careers - Shan wants to push his case to play international cricket, whereas Suranga wanted to retire from international cricket and the offer was conditional on that to play for two years. He's still strong and fit and he has two real good years in him in these conditions. 

I wanted signings for the whole year, without chopping and changing. I think if you do that it affects the dressing room and it affects the batting orders if you can't get a like for like replacement. I wanted them to get involved in Derbyshire and make Derbyshire County Cricket Club their home as well. That is so important for an overseas player. 

With Shan back in the Pakistan squad and doing so well in the PSL, is there a chance he could be picked for them during our summer? Is there a plan B for that, someone else coming in, or will you go with the squad?

Well, they picked their white ball squad today and he's not in it. They have Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Faqar Zaman, so unless something goes wrong he won't get in ahead of them in the top three in white ball cricket, which is his place.

The only time we might miss him is for the Sri Lankan Test series, where he could possibly get selected, but Abdullah Shafique and Imam Ul Haq have done exceptionally well. Abid Ali is another option, so he may not get picked. That's good news for us, because he will want to score a lot of runs to get his position back.

If we do lose him, I am comfortable that we have cover within our squad to cover that position.

It was great to see Ben Aitchison's contract extension announced this morning! We lost Matt Critchley and Fynn Hudson-Prentice from last year, players we should have ideally been building around, rather than losing and there are many more players out of contract at season end. Are you planning to hold fire on them for now and see how the squad may need re-shaped?

We're holding conversations at the moment with some key members, who we think could continue with us for a little bit, but I also like dangling the carrot, not making it too comfortable. Players currency is performance, that's all they have and I want them to perform, then they will be rewarded. So there are one or two out there.

I really wanted to secure our young bowlers. They have really impressed me and they needed to learn off an experienced quick. So that is why Suranga will be so good for Sammy Connors, Ben Aitchison, George Scrimshaw, Nick Potts and others. We have a good core fast bowling group that we want to retain. I see a lot of excitement in Ben and great potential. He is worth the 'risk' of tying him down for a period of time.

You inherited a squad that struggled last year. How do you go about picking players up, some who need to return to past glories and others with reputations to build?

It's exactly as you say it, Steve. It's a squad in transition and we have had some very good, honest conversations with them and reviewed where we are at, set some realistic goals and discussed how we want to be perceived by the opposition.

The players attitude has been incredible. I get the feeling that the players want to be led, they want structure, they want to be pushed and I will be doing that. The attitude, intensity and work ethic that they have brought every day to their training has been really impressive. 

I just hope that we can get them fulfilling their potential. I have only seen an upside, a lot of players improving over a couple of months. When I see that improvement, it excites me as to what they might be capable of over six months, or a year. I want to squeeze every last bit of talent from them and if I can do that I am pretty sure we will have some success down the line

You come from a country that produced one of the great all rounders in Jacques Kallis, who usually batted three and bowled first change, as well as a fella named Barlow, who was quite useful! Here at Derbyshire we have Luis Reece, whose dual surgery over the winter confirmed it perhaps too big a job to often open both. Do you see a change of role for him, when fully fit?

 I think there will be a change of role as we move down the line. He will start the season  competing for a place in the top six and we expect him to be bowling for the start of the white ball cricket, at the end of May. 

He is training full time now, batting and fielding with the group. He's not going to play the Lancashire practice game, just so we can get another five days training into him, but he will play the Nottinghamshire game and we will take it from there.

What about the captaincy? Is Billy still the man for all formats or is that under consideration? 

I'm giving that a little more thought at the moment to be honest, Steve but I want it clarified before we start the pre-season games. So there will be an announcement early next week. I'm pretty clear in my mind the route that we want to go, but there are a couple of hurdles to jump over first.

Last year we had a problem at 3, with Dave Houghton saying a couple of times that no one really wanted to do it. Has that been sorted yet, in discussions with and observations of players? 

It's interesting, Steve. I've given every player their role and in my opinion we have three players jostling for that number three position, which is a good position to be in. The key is that they all want to bat there and I have a decision to make - who bats three and who bats six. So there are three players for two positions.

Dusty Melton is one of our three overseas players as he is still waiting to qualify as a 'local'. Do you know yet when that will be? 

We are hoping the sooner the better. I get little snippets of information which at times seem to contradict one another but the best case scenario is he will be available as a 'local' from June. It's in Dustin's best interests to get that as soon as he can, of course.

A concern among supporters is that our two spinners on the staff have less than 30 first-class wickets between them. It presents opportunity of course and you seem quite impressed by what you have seen - and have added Mark Watt for the T20. Are you quite comfortable where we are in the spin department on the verge of the season?

I think time will tell on that, Steve. They are different, one a finger spinner, one a leg-spinner, one more beneficial to white ball cricket, the other to red ball. There will be opportunities and it is up to them to take them. I wanted to give them the first bite of the cherry before going looking elsewhere. 

I am comfortable they will stand up in their respective areas.

I was pleased to see you signed Mark Watt, and mentioned back in October he would make a big improvement in our one-day spin resources. My concern was that teams would look at our pace attack and think 'we'll have a slow wicket'. They can't really do that now.

I agree with you. I thought he was the finger spinner of the 20/20 World Cup and bowled brilliantly. I've watched him closely for the last two years and he's got something about him. He doesn't stand back, he's got that fight, but his skills have developed so he can bowl in the Powerplay, at the death, in the middle. 

He was one I really wanted and I'm glad that we could get him over the line.

We only have one wicket-keeper now, albeit a very talented one in Brooke Guest. In a worst case scenario of a mid-season injury, do you think Callum Hawkins could step up, or would the loan market be utilised? 

I think he will get second team opportunity early season and see how he develops. I'm really keen to push our younger players from that Pathway programme and there are probably four players there who I will try and give as much opportunity to as I can. 

That's part of our duty to local cricket and when we have done we will go and look outside at what other options may be out there.

Do you and Daryn Smit feel that the club could field an academy team in the Derbyshire Premier League, like some other counties do?

Steve, to be brutally honest with you I hadn't even thought of that and I haven't had that conversation with Daryn. But now that you mention it, that is probably a very good idea and I will put that in the notepad for when I next meet him!

When I played in the Birmingham League, both Warwickshire and Worcestershire Seconds played in that league in my first year. So I think that there's a lot of merit in that.

[Clarification -one of you asked this question:  the Academy fielded a side in the straight knockout Premier Cup a few years back for a couple of seasons. It is deemed unlikely that, should such a team be formed, it would be able to enter at Premier League level]

Derbyshire has not had a player debut for England while playing for them since Dominic Cork in 1992: 30 years ago. Hypothetically, do you think it would still be possible for one of our players to be selected to represent England? Or do you concede that players with international aspirations would in time have to leave for a bigger budget county? 

No way, Steve! We're going to give it to everybody right here, we want to be people's county of choice. We are going to give them a structure, proper coaching, top level strength and conditioning and not just to county standard, to international standard. 

I would love young players from around England to be knocking on our door saying they want to come to Derbyshire to pursue their careers. That is how I am positioning the club and one hundred per cent, players can play for England from here.

And we as a county would have the budget to retain players of that high quality, would we?

Definitely. Hopefully those players would go on to an England contract, so we can just subsidise it!

Will your family be joining you here?

No, I have three daughters, 28, 26 and 24, one in South Africa and two in Australia, all doing well, all in professional jobs. So they have their lives, I am single and very proud of them!

And how are you enjoying the Derby area? Settled in well?

I'm loving it!  I have a little place out by Langley Country Park and it is beautiful. I've made good friends, the club has been very welcoming and I have been to a couple of Derby County games, getting immersed into the area!

Fast forward to September - what would constitute a good season for you? 

In my mind we're not going to lose a game. I'm a winner and hate losing. In reality, I hate to put a position on where we finish. Player development is very important to me, seeing them reach milestones, achieve career-bests, arrive each day with the right attitude and standards, leave everything out there. 

If they do all those things, success usually follows on as a consequence.

Yes, it was frustrating last season, seeing us not push ahead when opportunities were there, or failing to grasp wins that were there on a plate. Perhaps it is just changing that mentality..?

100%. I want to see players push the limits. They don't get better by being tentative and negative. We've got nothing to lose and we come from a pretty low base. I say to the players every day, when in doubt, take the attacking option. That's how we will play our cricket!

Aitchison contract a fine way to start the day!

On a day that will later see me interviewing Mickey Arthur, a fine way to start is the announcement of a two-year extension for Ben Aitchison. The new deal will see him stay with us until the end of 2024.

It is excellent news. 'Big Ben' has looked the real deal since he first played for the senior side and is already a canny bowler.

On his debut he tried to bowl too quickly, but he has since slipped into a lovely rhythm and always looks a threat. 

His wickets so far have come at a very respectable 25 runs each and he is a bowler in the finest county tradition, sitting neatly between medium and fast. 

He, Sam Conners, George Scrimshaw and Mikey Cohen make up a seriously talented young quartet, all of who will learn from the soon to arrive Suranga Lakmal. 

It's another reason to be optimistic about the summer ahead and, like all of you I cannot wait for the action to start! 

Weekend Warmer

Thank you for those who have so far been in touch to donate or sponsor the blog for the season ahead - your support is much appreciated! Still room for more, so please do click the 'donate' button if you are able to do so.

All those who have contributed will be in the draw, should they wish, for next weekend and a copy of the excellent 'Who Only Cricket Know' by David Woodhouse. Retailing at £25, one lucky sponsor/donor can win a copy. Please let me know if you would like to be in the draw by next Saturday, please, emails to the usual place  peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

Mickey Arthur has given some very good interviews so far since joining the club nd there was a good one on the club site with David Griffin last week. 

I am pleased to say that there was very little duplication of questions with what I have planned this Thursday afternoon, when I am looking forward to chatting with Mickey about his plans for the coming season. I'll also be covering some things that I haven't yet seen asked about his stellar career and hope to get that interview on the blog next weekend.

Something to look out for! 

Book Review: Who Only Cricket Know by David Woodhouse

 If you like a 'meaty' cricket book, then David Woodhouse's latest offering is an 'all you can eat' carnivore's delight.

Partly social, cultural, political and economic history, it is hard to believe that a tour book could be much better than this. Equally hard to believe that this tour, by England of the West Indies in 1953-54, has been so long neglected. It probably comes second only to the 'Bodyline' tour in its infamy and fully deserved a proper account - and boy, did it get one.

The author's research is meticulous and remarkable. The tour, the first undertaken by an England side by plane, is set in its wider context and makes for a spellbinding read. There is background on and impartial accounts of the main protagonists and it is safe to say that some don't come out of it too well.

My understanding of it was always that the main 'problems' on the tour were Fred Trueman and Tony Lock, but there were plenty of others who came out of the tour having blotted copybooks, both on the tour and at Lord's. It was a tour not without its challenges, but what was effectively the 'World Test Championship' of its time featured cricket that was both tedious and brilliant in turn.

We follow it from England's win over Australia in coronation year, through the squad selection and travel, together with the matches themselves. Derbyshire's Les Jackson, who had taken over a hundred wickets in the previous summer and placed higher in the averages than other likely candidates, was overlooked - indeed, didn't even get a letter enquiring of his availability. The book tells how he was rumoured to be 'blackballed' by either Gubby Allen or Freddie Brown, because of his low, slinging action, his mining background or both. Alan Moss of Middlesex went in his place, a lesser bowler, although he did finish second in the tour averages.

In what seems to happen in the modern era, England started the series slowly against strong opponents and were two down in the blink of an eye, before coming back to tie the series under their first professional captain, Len Hutton. The turning point was when the squad rebelled against Hutton's negativity, determined to play their own games. The skipper could point to a series average of 96.71, twice that of anyone else, but allowing his flair players - May, Graveney, Compton - off the leash brought dividends.

Part of the problem was the innate mistrust between those at Lord's and Hutton, which saw Charles Palmer 'a natural for the role of hen-pecked bank manager in a farce' appointed tour manager. He ended up playing one Test, which tells its own story in a rich catalogue of selectorial errors.

In reading the tales of what occurred off the pitch, I pondered how such a tour would fare in a modern era, every move documented on social media, every indiscretion recorded for posterity. By all accounts the umpiring was poor and far from impartial, the crowds volatile. One umpire needed police protection after giving out a fellow Jamaican, John Holt, for 94   at Sabina Park. Trueman was one of two players accused of jostling and insulting the wife of an MCC member, a riot broke out in the Third Test - and so it went on. 

On the pitch, Tony Lock was called for throwing and players struggled to control themselves in the face of the poor umpiring. Even the normally calm Tom Graveney threw a strop after a fair catch was ruled not out.

It is riveting stuff and while the account of the cricket is excellent, the background to it is what makes this book such a tour de force. 

Perhaps the tour was always likely to be a challenge, against a backdrop of racial inequality and intolerance. One side captained by a professional - unheard of, at that time - the other by one of the last white captains the West Indies had.

Regardless of the cricket, trouble was rarely far from the surface and the repercussions ran for a long time, both at home on England's return, as well as in the Caribbean. Indeed, those same issues of race and social class echo today.

This book is an absolute gem and deserves its place among the very best that I have read. There is even a website with additional background resources.

Priced £25, it is available from all good book shops and is worth every penny.

Sponsors and supporters wanted

The season is but a month away, the sun is shining and my grass is growing at a remarkable rate. Cricket is fast-approaching!

And so I come to my annual request for anyone interested in sponsoring the blog to get in touch. Please message me at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk if you or your company would be interested in having your name as main blog sponsor, or featuring on the side panel.

If you enjoy the blog and its content as I go into my 15th season, please consider making another donation to its running costs. Some of you kindly do so on a monthly basis, others made a donation last year. All are appreciated and make creating content a less onerous task.

I get asked frequently how long I will continue. The short answer is that I don't know. When I created it, the club site was very basic, there were limited online resources and I wanted to see if there was any interest.

Its success has staggered and humbled me, bringing me into contact with a lot of lovely people. But it takes time, which is easier to justify if there is some financial compensation. It is now less than seventy thousand views short of three million, which at the usual usage should happen some time in April.

I originally thought it would be short-term, don't really see me doing it to the end of my days and the answer likely lies somewhere in between. 

So over to you. Please ask your businesses if they would like a relatively inexpensive link on the blog, suitably promoted, or consider one, if you have your own. Those who have done so found it very effective and worthwhile, over the years. Price available on enquiry to my email or by DM to my Twitter account, @Peakfanblog

All donations are appreciated, with a draw from those involved at the end of the month for the quite excellent 'Who Only Cricket Know' by David Woodhouse, a quite wonderful account of the extraordinary tour of the West Indies by Len Hutton's team in 1953-54, the most controversial after Bodyline. My review of this outstanding read is coming shortly.

Thank you to all of you. 

Remember - coming soon, my interview with Mickey Arthur!

Watt return offers greater cause for optimism

Back on 22 October, in an article titled 'Scottish Success Offers Derbyshire Interest', I wrote the following words:

Watt was dispensed with too soon, but seems to have worked hard on his weight, which was likely an issue. That he is a canny spinner is beyond doubt and he is a thinker. Balls from 23/24 yards, from two or three paces, from wider on the crease.. I like his combative edge and if Derbyshire were to lose Matt Critchley this winter  (I remain convinced we will) then he would be a decent pick for T20.

Today he was announced as a new signing for the whole of the Vitality Blast and I couldn't be happier.

Well, maybe I could if I could forecast football results with such accuracy, but it was a signing that always seemed right to me. Especially when Mickey Arthur said he felt we were short of a slow left arm bowler and added separately that he hoped to do 'something' for the Vitality Blast.

Spin bowlers aren't traditionally hostile, but when I have seen Mark he bristles aggression in the best sense. He was a standout for Scotland in the T20 World Cup, playing in all the games yet going for only six runs an over throughout, the 'control' bowler that every captain craves. 

His control of line and length is exceptional and let's not forget he is still only 25. I haven't yet seen him slip in a surprise bouncer, but with short run ups, use of the crease and bowling from behind the stumps (and still keeping his length, a rare skill) he keeps the batsmen on their toes. He almost DARES batsmen to hit him, but it is a risky business for those who try. 

He is a useful tail end 'clumper' too and much- improved in the field. That World Cup appearance saw him the fittest I have ever seen him and it had positive impact on all of his game. 

For me, his signing ticks a big box. My concern, as I have written before, was that teams would look at our pace attack and think 'let's have a slow wicket for this one'. Mark's signing gives us a bowler who will keep it tight on a good track, cause problems on a helpful one.

I am not ignoring the claims of Mattie McKiernan and Alex Thomson, who each have opportunities this summer. As it progresses, they will have a chance to prove they can be lead spinner. Both can handle a bat, both field well, but the acid test is if they can take the wickets we will need in the four-day game, especially in later summer. I suspect that we may also need two spinners for some Blast games, Old Trafford being a prime example. 

Mickey Arthur was sufficiently bullish about Thomson to name him as one to watch in the past fortnight, when England spinners were being discussed. It may be clever psychology, but he may equally have seen something in a player with an obvious path into a county career, after years where that wasn't clear. In any walk of life, that can be very helpful to performance. 

If he can be our four-day pick (or McKiernan, who I maintain has been under-utilised when he has played) then Watt can do what he does very well in the shortest format.

Very happy with this one. A shrewd, no arguments, common sense signing by a man who has now made three of them. 

Little by little, things are coming together nicely. 

Hardus watching

There's no real news to report on this weekend, it having been quiet from a Derbyshire cricket perspective.

No doubt there is plenty going on down at the Incora County Ground, but I have contentedyself with watching the CSA T20 from South Africa. It ended in a win today for Hardus Viljoen's side, the Rocks.

His spell at Derbyshire was troubled by injury and some inconsistent displays, but when he got it right he was a handful.

Today he scored an unbeaten 32  off 16 balls to give late impetus to what barely seemed enough (138) of a total.

Yet his side bowled and fielded well and Viljoen bowled with pace and accuracy I'm taking 2-14.

I think the South African wickets have been pretty good for the format, with batsmen able to get runs and bowlers offered assistance.

Can you ask for more? 

Bizarre T20

I don't know if any of you watched the CSA T20 game this afternoon, but it left me astonished.

The Rocks were chasing the Knights total of 164-6, led by brothers Janneman and Pieter Malan. Some may recall the latter in his stint for Warwickshire last year, when he recorded a pair against Derbyshire.

Janneman, the more explosive player, led off in fine style and that was continued by Clyde Fortuin, an impressive wicketkeeper /batsman. When he was dismissed, the Rocks needed 43 from the last five overs with eight wickets in hand.

Enter big hitting but slow running Chris Jonker, who pulled a hamstring muscle taking his first single. Were I coach I would have had him off and got someone else in to do the obvious running required. Nine an over isn't much these days in T20.

While allowing for the death bowling being decent, they fell three runs short, still with eight wickets in hand. Even the hits cut off on the boundary were only ones, as Jonker had to walk them. They banked on him middling one or two and he didn't. Meanwhile Malan scored only slightly more than a run a ball in carrying his bat for 60.

Any fit player would have found twos in those last overs. Were it Derbyshire batting in that situation, I would have been livid. It struck me as dreadful game management, among the worst I have seen at first-class level.

Losing by three runs with eight wickets in hand is simply ridiculous. 

Two retained for the 'other compy'

Finger on the pulse straight away with Mickey Arthur, who claimed in a recent interview that we were likely to lose three players to the one that few care about.

Two have been retained by their sides for this year, Wayne Madsen and Leus du Plooy. 

One assumes that Luis Reece will be the third, though his selection may be conditional on proving himself fit once the season is underway. 

We won't see much of his bowling this year, but hopefully that wonderful batting that proved so successful in last year's Blast will come to the fore. Certainly, the thought of he and Shan Masood pinging from either end holds great appeal for the county faithful. 

Luis will need to get his knee into shape though, because Masood is like lightning between the wickets, a highlight of the PSL. 

Other than that, all is quiet on the cricket front, doubtless allowing work to carry on apace behind the scenes. 

May they all stay fit and find their best form early! 

Arthur press conference hugely impressive

If I had been able to give the answers I wanted to hear from Mickey Arthur today at his press conference, he pretty much went through them all in turn.

He is here for a project, not in a holding capacity. He knows the club - heck, he even name checked Fred Swarbrook - and referenced Derby County and the Baseball Ground.

He is a very likeable man who hates losing and aims to give a good go at every match of all competitions.

He hates rotating bowlers, reasoning that he will know when they need a breather, but if they are taking wickets they will play. He has bowlers bowling 'rockets' in the nets and struggles to reconcile the talent on display with their returns last year.

So do I. Our top five SHOULD be a run machine on a decent track, likely with Dal and Guest to follow. 

Nor will we be bringing in loans, unless injuries hit. I am pleased about that too, because we carry an albeit bijou staff for a reason. 

He seems very happy with Brooke Guest as his wicket-keeper (as am I) and sees the Academy wicketkeeper as his back up if required.

It all makes sense, so much sense. That's why I really struggled last year, because Dave Houghton's decisions and utterances simply didn't.

He has brought in two good professionals to set standards and expects them to do so. There is so much to like in an experienced batsman and bowler FOR THE WHOLE SUMMER. 

He also feels there are a couple of players who have the talent to be part of the England set up in the next couple of years. He wouldn't put them under pressure by naming them, but my guess would be Sam Conners and Ben Aitchison. How much can they learn from Lakmal?

Derbyshire need to do the same as England, get runs on the board and put teams under pressure. Even without an old head to guide them, a young seam attack took wickets last year. 

With that expertise on hand and experience under their belt, how far could we go? 

'We'll aim to win every game' said the coach who will likely not accept less. Challenge in the four-day game, aim for Finals Day in T20 and make a very strong challenge in the RLODC, when he expects to lose only three players (presumably Madsen, Du Plooy and Reece) 

Exciting times. This will be a summer worth watching! 

Mickey Arthur interview

I am delighted to announce that Derbyshire's new Head of Cricket, Mickey Arthur has kindly agreed to an interview with me.

I hope to do it in the next two or three weeks and publish it before the season starts. 

I already have a lot of questions prepared, but if you have anything you would like me to ask, please either pop it into the comments or email me at the usual address - peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

I am SO looking forward to this! 

Follow up to 'Old Supporter'

It is very sad to see how cricket in state schools has declined.

When I was at school, we had upper and lower school elevens, which I always got into because we had played cricket when I was at primary school. I was lucky in that respect, as others hadn't, but our state secondary school had two cricket squares and there was an annual Staff v School game which was watched by the rest of the school. The weather was always good and the occasion was special. There was even an inter-house tournament for both lower and upper school, usually won by my house because we had around half of the school first eleven! 

They were golden days and we would play one midweek evening after school and on Saturday mornings. That often presented logistical challenges in finishing before an afternoon club game and being able to get there, but I managed it. 

When I started my first professional job, in a state school outside Glasgow,  I was determined to start a cricket team.  We had only blaes hockey and football pitches and both coaching and practice took place on there, using rubber wind/air balls to replicate the bounce, if not the feel when catching, when we used cricket balls. In the winter we would play games and work on strokes and defence in the gym hall on a Monday evening. 

There were some natural talents and something to work with. Two who bowled quickly, one who bowled remarkably good off spin and a medium pacer whose Dad was a cricket professional. Yet he wasn't the best player. 

That first year we played in a state school six -a-side tournament at a local cricket club. The wicket was best described as 'dodgy' and having progressed serenely to the final, we were all out for 18 in it. The master of the other team was jubilant, cocky. Less so when we bowled his team out for five.. 

After that year I could only find public school opposition for them, as there was no interest in the state sector. In the five years I took the side, taking the boys through school, they beat them all, frequently. Seven of them featured in a Glasgow Schools Select against their Edinburgh equivalent. 

After that? One went on to play for Scotland B as wicket-keeper batsman, while a quick bowler took a lot of wickets in club cricket but packed it in after one season when they told him to bowl 'line and length'. Why? Few could bowl at his pace and it should have been encouraged. I suspect he was too quick for ageing hands in the slips. 

One moved to South Africa with his family, three went away to university but never played again. One of them had the best arm I have ever seen on a schoolboy, flat bullet throws from the boundary that got as many victims as the bowlers. 

The other two? They got jobs in teaching and themselves started school sides. Which was gratifying, as after I left the school it never had another cricket team, the cricket equipment disposed of. 

The nicest thing? Last month I bumped into one of the side's lesser lights who I hadn't seen in years, a mustard-keen fielder but only moderate bat, who couldn't bowl for all his attempts to do so. 

He told me that those school days had given him a lifelong love of cricket. He had been on overseas supporter tours, was a regular at Test matches and loved going to Lord's. 

At the end of the day, perhaps that is the greatest success of all, a lad from a fairly ordinary, non-cricket background getting into the game. 

But how many more don't? My passion for the game saw me start teams wherever I worked over the years, but there are no state schools playing the game around Glasgow and they haven't for thirty years now. One ground we played at regularly has knee-deep weeds, returned to a farmer's field. 

There are plenty of cricket clubs doing sterling work with young people, but the drop out figures are high, because girlfriends, further education and lack of opportunity take their toll. I stopped playing for a while when I met my now wife, reasoning that trips to Aberdeen or Stranraer didn't fit well with dating. I went back to it when we married, but many don't. For less talented but enthusiastic youngsters, batting ten and eleven and running around the boundary is no more fun than it is for an adult. 

Which leads to a cautionary tale. One local club we played had three excellent players who scored all the runs and did most of the bowling. For a couple of years they were all happy, winning a trophy or two, then they started to struggle to field a side. The less talented opted to spend Saturdays and Sundays with their families, rather than watch the same three guys do it all, while they sat awaiting opportunity. 

The club folded. 

Conversely, in nine years as club captain at my village club, the top six batted, the bottom five bowled. The places changed each week and the skill was having numbers 6-8 as players who could do both, plus being aware of opposition strength. Playing a good team it made sense to give them the best game. But most weeks everyone went home having had the opportunity to do something, even if they were out first ball. In nine years I never fielded less than eleven and the fun environment attracted visiting Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans, who improved the standard . One burly South African from the Free State bowled howitzers from a two-pace run, endangering toes, wickets, gloves and wicket-keeper. 

One who played occasionally was Glenn Rogers, an Australian from Brisbane who played for  Scotland and had trials with Derbyshire, playing alongside Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes in his second team debut. 

His return to our colours after the World Cup saw his first ball of left arm spin go for byes, bringing an immediate apology from Martin, my long-time friend and the wicketkeeper. 

'Sorry skip, I was just thinking that the bloke I was keeping to was bowling at Ricky Ponting last week - and forgot to stop it...' 

Win, lose or draw it was and is a wonderful game. It shouldn't be solely the preserve of the naturally talented.. 

Which is what I said to a talented lad from the local county side who played for us in one game. Berating a player who dropped a second catch, he kicked the ground in despair and called him a 'useless (blank)' 

I put my arm around his shoulders as he walked slowly back to his mark. Then told him that the 'useless (blank)' was the reason he had a game. He cut the outfield, prepared, cut and rolled the wicket then set up the scoreboard.  He would play every week, didn't do much on the field, but was massively important to the club. 

The ones who follow its history, statistics, characters and nuances are important. So too the ones who do the teas, sell raffle tickets, write press reports and bring in sponsors. 

All the better for that too. It is, literally, life-changing. 

Yet the ECB still reckoned that 'involvement' needed a crazy, costly new tournament. 

It just needed more investment in grass roots. With opportunity comes interest. 

Postscript: the photo at the top is of the Staff v School match in 1976. Yours truly seated on the extreme right of the front row. Seven of the staff side played good club cricket and yes, they beat us. 

From 'Old Supporter'

The failure of England to do well in Australia has been followed by a lot of knee jerk reactions. Perhaps the media need to look a bit deeper into the problems in English cricket rather than put forward ill-thought-out solutions.  

 When I attended a senior state school in Leek, Staffordshire. We had regular first and second-team cricket fixtures against other schools in the area and even some Colts matches. Despite being quite a small school with an average of 330 pupils. We held our own at cricket. Both Kim Barnett and Kevin Dean well known to Derbyshire supporters went to school at Leek.

All the other senior state schools in North Staffordshire played cricket as far as I am aware. I doubt if any state schools play cricket now in an area where cricket once thrived. I have not mentioned Derbyshire because I only moved to the county in the mid-70s but suspect the same applies. 

As a result of so many pupils playing cricket in north Staffordshire state schools. Local clubs had a steady stream of new players. Some even went on to play professional cricket at county and international levels. The list is quite long.  Nowadays young people’s interest in cricket is at a record low according to figures released by the ECB.

Many of the cricketers who play for England probably have got where they are by playing school cricket. Mostly at private fee-paying schools. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with that. But just think if state schools were a hotbed of cricket how much more intense would be the competition for places in county and international cricket.

Finding a joined-up solution for the almost complete loss of state school cricket in the area is extraordinarily difficult. We certainly need a national strategy to ensure more cricket at the schoolboy level is played. I acknowledge we will never get back to schools’ cricket as it was in my day but does that mean we have to give up?

It would be a start to appoint trained cricket organisers to use the near redundant park cricket facilities for age representative matches. Given incentives to do so schools that still have the space could restore pitches and play regular matches. All party backing by the government would help enormously. Also, an army of volunteers who are cricket enthusiasts would make a big difference.

At the rear of where I live a hard-surfaced cricket pitch has been laid, one of several in Derby parks. It rarely gets used and the only organised games I have seen have been between groups of young Asian players. After all, it is their national game for which they have a great passion. Perhaps the county club should adopt a very proactive approach to tapping into this source for potential academy players.

A few years ago, the likes of Shane Warne, Alec Stewart and somewhat grudgingly Justin Langer were all saying how much county cricket had improved since implementing the two-division structure. Even comparing it with Australian State Cricket. Since then, pitches have been allowed to deteriorate to suit seam bowling and nobody else. Derbyshire seems to be an exception to this rule. You need good wickets to produce good cricketers.

One piece of better news is the performance of the England Under 19s team in the world cup. Although India has dominated this competition in the past, I thought England might have pulled it off. They batted first in the final and started off thinking they needed to score 300 and played too many rash strokes. If they had aimed for 230 it would probably have been enough. Assuming George Rew continues to bat as he did in the final he should do well in the future. The same goes for Rehan Ahmed a leg-break bowler with good control. Several others showed a lot of promise.

Afghanistan nearly beat Australia in the third-place match in the under 19s world cup and went close when they played England. Makes you think that if we fail to get more young people playing cricket and competing for places in the national team are rankings will fall further in the future. A successful national side keeps the critics of county cricket quiet. Let’s face it we have done pretty well in white-ball cricket a standard that needs to be maintained along with an improvement in red-ball cricket.

Weekend warmer

Mickey's here!

It has been long-awaited but yesterday saw the arrival at the Incora County Ground of the new Head of Cricket.

People will warm to him quickly, his ready smile and bubbly personality likely to enthuse players, staff and supporters alike. He knows his cricket, of course and we are lucky to have him. 

I am confident that his arrival will see an upsurge in fortunes, but will be wary of making wildly optimistic predictions. After all, we are but two solid overseas signings from a squad that struggled last year, but if Arthur can get more from a talented group, we may surprise a few. 

Comparisons with the arrival of Eddie Barlow are understandable, but let's not forget that team had Hendrick, Taylor, Miller and Ward, as well as John Wright. We don't have THAT class at present, though there are reasons for optimism.

I spent some time yesterday watching one of them, Leus Du Plooy. 

In what will be on of his final innings in South Africa, he is currently unbeaten on 183 for South Western District against Northern Cape Heat. It has been a fine innings in hot weather and a thing that struck me was what appeared a modified technique.

Last season, when he struggled in red ball cricket, he had a lot of 'triggers' at the crease, a lot of movements before the bowler released. It likely accounted for early dismissals, because the timing of these could vary.

Yesterday he was much more still, albeit in better batting conditions and a lesser attack and reaped the rewards.

A top five of Godleman, Masood, Reece, Madsen and Du Plooy has the potential to be a run-fest.

If Mickey Arthur can see them all back to their best form, his chances of an improved season will increase considerably.

Finally today, I have watched both the South African and Pakistani T20 domestic competitions in recent weeks. 

The one in Pakistan is of a much higher standard, with overseas players enhancing a very broad base of domestic talent.

The South African one has been of more variable quality, though the games have been good and played on wickets where batsman and bowler alike has a chance. 

What has surprised me is the poor fielding in the latter. South Africa always prided itself on a fine fielding side, but I have lost count of chances going down. Not just half chances either, but some that your average club player would fancy.

Hopefully Derbyshire are more akin to the glory days in the field this year. 

I suspect we will be. 

Silly season here once more

Perennial offenders Don Topley and Kevin Petersen are back to their usual antics on social media, desperately attempting to maintain edgy relevance in the modern game.

Topley, who it appears will push any cause that offers his son Reece the chance of a gig, asked on Twitter how many Derbyshire-born or Pathway-produced players represented us last year. It was an attempt to back Kevin Petersen, who quite clearly sees the removal of the likes of Derbyshire as key to the resurgence of English cricket, post-Ashes.

Topley's blissful ignorance was embarrassing. He guessed none, with the retirement of Harvey Hosein. Surely if you are going to criticise you get your facts straight? Alex Hughes, Sam Conners, Matt Critchley and Tom Wood featured, as did Mitch Wagstaff and Nafis Shaikh.

A pedant may argue that Critchley came south from Lancashire, and Wood was never part of the academy, but without Derbyshire neither would have got opportunity. The latter developed through local cricket and hard work, of course. That Critchley was poached from us by his old county seems to have completely  passed him by.

So too that the likes of Ross Whiteley, Tom Taylor, Will Davis and Callum Parkinson are giving sterling service to other counties, or that Ben Slater must be closing in on an England call at Nottinghamshire.

Then there is good old KP,  whose assertion 'for those asking' that he would only become England cricket supremo if the county system was disbanded and replaced by eight 'elite' Franchises was laughable. I suspect I am closer to that role than he will ever be.. 

Pietersen was a very good cricketer who has always courted controversy and attempted to be 'edgy' . It hasn't always worked in his favour and now seems to be more attention-seeking than anything especially thought - provoking. 

His rationale is that there are too many 'average players' plying their trade in county cricket. With eight elite squads, he argues, the standard would be better and of course, we will then dominate the world game. 

Really? So reducing numbers and as a result opportunity guarantees quality? What about late developers? How about the progression from talented yet raw under 19 to the senior game? Or the ones who start off in the wrong place at the wrong time? 

I offer you Luis Reece, Brooke Guest and Ben Aitchison. All started in Lancashire but lacked opportunity there. Reece has been a standout player at Derbyshire (and a Hundred franchise pick) but would have disappeared bar for Kim Barnett spotting his talent. 

Guest and Aitchison will yet improve and who knows how far their talents take them. At 24 and 22 respectively they have big futures. 

Let's not forget Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who was cast aside by Sussex and could easily have disappeared from the game, bar for that prized opportunity when Steve Kirby brought him up from Lord's for a trial. 

What about spectators? They 'don't matter' says Petersen, who appears to have given his argument less thought than I normally put into which bin to use for rubbish each day. 

Really? So the recreational and social aspect of the game is of little consequence, let alone 150 years of history and local rivalry? The county clubs as huge community hubs are an irrelevance? 

For many people, whether KP and others like it or not, their county is their thing. Give me a choice between watching Derbyshire on a windswept ground or via a stream and England from an executive box, I will go with the former every time. 

Last season, when fixtures coincided, I watched Derbyshire on the stream every time over an England side for which I struggle to have empathy. It has become too elitist, like a gentleman's club. Derbyshire represent me, I just happen to be from England. 

The national side will return to winning ways if they schedule tours better and allow players time in the middle to get used to local conditions. Time was when between six and twelve matches were played BEFORE the overseas Test series. Now, they are lucky to get one. Seriously, how can you match the world's best with no practice? Who of you playing club cricket feels in the form of your life before the season's first game? And look how many times we lose the opening match of any international series through this nonsense. 

It is the same with the domestic schedule. If we overly focus on matches where a quickfire thirty is celebrated, then how is that preparation for a five-day Test? Why introduce a format that no other country plays and few care about, bar for marketing types who line their pockets? 

Play and schedule county cricket over four days across weekends so people can watch it, allow two overseas players and get England players involved in at least half of the matches and you will see a difference. When Pietersen refers to county cricket being tougher in his day he is likely right about one thing. 

Why was it better? Because pre-IPL, the world's best players were here, two per side and the England players were in it too. Cast your mind back to the Derbyshire side in the Barlow era and imagine it without Mike Hendrick, Bob Taylor and Geoff Miller on central contracts. Barlow would have been in the IPL until June, as would Peter Kirsten, then maybe a CPL stint or a limited overs tour for their country. 

On the subject of central contracts, who gets better at anything in life by not doing it? Whether writing reports, driving a car, doing handicrafts, interviews or whatever, familiarity and repetition bring greater comfort and quality. 

Who among us enjoys singing in the shower, or around the house, but would buckle if asked to go and do so in front of an audience? Going from even competitive nets to Test cricket has to be a huge jump. 

The twin ironies that have passed Pietersen by are that his own South Africa went down the franchise route and have scrapped it. To quote the cricket writer Firdose Moonda last year:

While the franchises were intended to provide an Australian-style strength-versus-strength structure, the South African men's national team finds itself in a difficult stage of rebuilding and CSA has opted for a system that closer resembles the English or Indian domestic set-up, and provides more consistent opportunities at the top level for a greater number of players.

Funny that, huh? 

Secondly, Pietersen argued he became an international cricketer on the back of a first-class record where he averaged 57.

Yes Kevin. In the county championship that gave you the opportunity to forge a career, when you arrived here from South Africa. 

His average when he arrived at Nottinghamshire was below 25, perhaps the very definition of 'average' he was looking for. Yet Clive Rice spotted potential and the rest is history. He faced and honed his skills against top quality bowlers, so the leap to Test cricket was not so bad. 

As one old pro said to me, when you had faced Clive Rice and Richard Hadlee on a green Trent Bridge track, or Imran Khan and Garth Le Roux at Hove, you knew there was nothing to worry you at Test level. So too those who faced Malcolm, Mortensen, Holding and Cork at Derby.. 

Those who would rip it up and start again, in a knee jerk reaction to a lost Test series against the world's best team are the biggest danger to the game. 

England have won series against many top sides BECAUSE of the grounding of players in the county game. It is only when they lose that it ever gets mentioned. I would take our Blast in overall standard over their T20 competitions every time. 

Comparisons with Australia are pointless, because the populations are concentrated and miles apart there. The small number of first-class teams is dictated by this alone. I have watched top level cricket from there and South Africa and the standard below the very top players is really not that great. 

At the end of the day, sporting success is cyclical. Look at the West Indies for a prime example, South Africa too. When England again realise that the classic late developer, the man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time early in his career, could have much to offer them as a seasoned professional, they will improve.

Look at Stuart Broad, Bob Willis, Graeme Swann. Crikey, going back further, Warwickshire didn't think much of Hedley Verity. Changes of county brought changed fortunes. 

But picking out talented young lads and plucking them from regular, technique-honing county cricket to a net-focused central contract is a recipe for disaster. Once surrounded by hostile, gobby fielders and facing bowlers who are really slipping it through, they will fail. 

Reducing a talent pool by over fifty per cent and expecting it to solve our problems is silly. 

You don't see English football ripping out clubs and divisions after failing to win yet another trophy. 

At the end of the day, sometimes you have to accept that despite your best efforts, you were beaten by a better side with better players. 

Big summer ahead

I have to say that I don't share concerns of some supporters regarding the age of Suranga Lakmal.

For one thing, he looks as lean and fit as the proverbial butcher's dog, as he would have to be to feature in Mickey Arthur's plans. The Head of Cricket knows him well, respects what he will bring to the side and presumably expects him to stay fit.

He is still Sri Lanka's main strike bowler,  which speaks volumes. He is also the fourth highest wicket - taker in their history and if he is on a list with Muralitharan, Herath and Vaas he will do me. 

Might he get injured? Yes of course, it goes with the territory, but he will know his body. He is the same age as Charl Langeveldt and Ravi Rampaul when they signed and they turned out OK.

Two years is right for him, with the other position dependent on the greater need at the end of this season.

Because the end of this summer sees a lot of contracts end. From memory, Messrs Godleman, Madsen, du Plooy, Dal, McKiernan, Guest, Cohen, Melton and Aitchison are all contracted to the end of the summer. The hope would be that some of these will be extended before we are too far down the line, but it offers an opportunity for Arthur to reshape the squad as he sees fit and on what he sees around the country.

One consideration will be the Performance Related Fee Payments from the ECB.

To get any, counties must average 7.5 English-qualified players per team over the season. Playing two overseas takes it down to nine, for most, playing du Plooy takes it to eight for us, with Cohen dropping it to seven. That's why getting Dusty Melton's qualification through is important, as his playing too would currently take it to six.

Yet Arthur is arriving too late this year to be picking up out of contract English players and he wants to offer opportunity . There is a school of thought that we play who we want, but I am wary of returning to the days when we were known as 'Kolpakshire' and with good reason.

Arthur will be aware that the two biggest earners on the staff, by a distance, are Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen. Both these fine servants, top cricketers and men both, go into the season with question marks.

If Billy isn't playing T20 - and I would be astonished if he does - then his weight of runs in other formats needs to make the case for his retention compelling. It wasn't last year, so he has a big summer ahead. I don't see him in my T20 side again, so there is a challenge. He has been a run machine, but only passed 500 runs in his last innings, not enough at the top of the order. 

Wayne is a county legend, but missed the T20 last year through injury and his four - day average was mid-thirties. Indeed, until 2016 his four-day average was 42 with 24 hundreds, but since then  he has averaged 35, with only seven tons in six seasons, one of them against Bradford/Leeds UCCE.

Of course, his one-day form still makes him the prized wicket for opponents, but the challenge is there for him, the decision for the Head of Cricket. It is hard to imagine a Derbyshire side without Wayne, but weight of runs will always need to match reputation for any batter. 

You could go down that list of players and make cases for and against the retention of most of them. It depends on who becomes available, as well as form and fitness over this summer. In professional and amateur sport, players are aware that someone may come in who is better than them. Illness, injury and loss of form are constant concerns. 

I would hope that Ben Aitchison sees a new deal forthcoming very quickly, as I see him, with Sam Conners and Suranga Lakmal, as a very handy attack. Besides which, approaches from elsewhere will be forthcoming, as he looks a player of serious potential. 

The rest must prove that their bodies can handle the demands of first-class cricket, which is way more challenging than any of us realise. You have only to look at poor Luis Reece, limited this summer after surgery on knee and shoulder, for confirmation of that. Dusty Melton deserves an injury-free summer, as anyone who read the harrowing story of how he got here will testify. But like the rest, he will know there are no guarantees. 

Even the supremely - talented Leus du Plooy starts with question marks. Had I been on a desert island last summer and been asked the question, in order to get lifted to safety, 'Did Leus average 18 or 48 this year in the county championship?', I would still be munching on coconuts. 18 it was and well short of 500 runs. 

Number three was too high for him against the red ball, five works better and Reece is a good option for that first-wicket down. I suspect that Leus will get a bucket-load of runs this summer, as I don't expect Mickey Arthur to subscribe to the 'square peg in round hole' methods of Dave Houghton. 

For all the questions and concerns, however, we're all looking forward to the season, aren't we?

58 days to our first 'proper' match. 

It can't come soon enough.