A chat with the President

I had the pleasure of a chat with club legend and last year's President, Edwin Smith last week. He called to wish me well with my forthcoming hand surgery and it was a pleasure, as always, to talk cricket with him.

Even more remarkably, Edwin told me that he had made the final of the Derbyshire Masters snooker competition, which is open to players over the age of 50.

Edwin is 85.

That puts into context how good a snooker player he has been, irrespective of his cricket ability. One of the thrills of my sporting life was playing a couple of frames against him last year. I managed to win the first frame, then Edwin told me, with a smile, that he would put his glasses on for the second.

I was soundly beaten, but it didn't matter. I just enjoyed being on the same table as a local sporting legend.

Edwin enjoyed his year as club president and regular readers will know of my pleasure that the club reverted to its former policy of the senior surviving capped player as president. That being the case, I hope that Edwin is followed into the role by the great Harold Rhodes.

While Edwin is the last surviving county player with over a thousand first class wickets, Harold would undoubtedly have got there but for a premature retirement to take up a more lucrative position outside the first class game.

Like Edwin, he is very well known in the local area and after retiring from playing he became a very respected umpire. And what a bowler he was.. pace, bounce, movement, the lot.

I hope that in the coming weeks I am able to report on Harold becoming president.

It would be well deserved.

Grab yourself a bargain!

I am pleased to say that I have managed to get hold of a few remainder copies of my oral history of Derbyshire County Cricket Club since the Second World War, 'In Their Own Words: Derbyshire Cricketers in Conversation'.

Once these copies are gone, the book will be out of print, following on from the similar success of my earlier biography of county legend Edwin Smith.

Starting with the only in-depth interview ever given by legendary groundsman Walter Goodyear, whose recollection of pre-war Derbyshire cricket was invaluable, the book includes interviews with such county stalwarts as Harold Rhodes, Edwin Smith, John Wright, Devon Malcolm, Geoff Miller, Tony Borrington, Alan Hill, Wayne Madsen, Graeme Welch and many more.

As the publisher puts it:

In this county history with a difference, the people at the centre of the biggest stories tell how it was from their angle. You will read:

• Walter Goodyear's thoughts, for the first time in print, on several generations of Derbyshire cricket's personalities and names from the 1930s to 1980s
• How Edwin Smith took 8-21 on his second appearance for the county – and was dropped!
• Harold Rhodes on the throwing controversy that ruined his England aspirations – and how he became the fall guy in a witch hunt
• Geoff Miller's memories of a county career that prepared him for the top job in English cricket
• Alan Hill and Tony Borrington's thoughts on the fastest and nastiest of the many overseas fast bowlers in the 1970s and 1980s
• Brian Jackson's smooth transition from league professional to one of the most feared seam bowlers in the country
• Devon Malcolm's unusual route to the county game and the highs and lows of his career
• John Wright's take on life as an overseas player, and the differences in coaching at county and international level
• The transition of Peter Gibbs from stylish opening batsman to acclaimed writer
• Bob Taylor's take on wicket-keeping, then and now – and his unique way of preparing his gloves
• How Dean Jones abrasive leadership nearly won a championship, but lost a dressing room
• How Eddie Barlow transformed a run-down club into competitive and dangerous opponents

With the season fast approaching, this is a one-time only offer, perhaps as a Father's Day present or for the cricket fan in your life. Or why not treat yourself?

The book has been blessed with four and five star reviews since its publication and you can now pick up a signed and inscribed copy for only EIGHT POUNDS, including postage and packing.

Please email me at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk, including address and inscription details and I will provide payment details.

Alternatively, follow me on Twitter @Peakfanblog, I will follow back and I will provide payment details by direct message.

I look forward to hearing from you!

To all of you, and those who bought both of the books, a huge thank you.

Thoughts on 'The Hundred'

And so the 'long awaited' regulations for the Hundred are out at last. They had simplified the game of cricket beyond my expectations, let me tell you.

As it says in the press release:

 "The Cricket Committee recommendation for playing conditions in the new competition - agreed by the Board - is for each innings to be 100 balls, a change of end after every ten balls, and an individual bowler able to deliver either 5 or 10 consecutive balls, with a maximum of 20 per game."

Which if course is massively more easy to understand than 'each innings of 120 balls, a change of end after every six, with an individual able to deliver no more than six consecutive balls, with a maximum of 24 in a game'. 

It assumes of course, if they are simplifying it, that there are no wides and no balls and maybe they are allowed in this competition. Never mind, because 'we are getting people to re-appraise cricket in terms of their perceptions of what the game means to them'. 

Well, I know what the game means to me  and don't need suit-speak to better understand, thank you very much. For me it is enjoying the company of friends, while watching MY team, one I have followed for over fifty years, try to beat the best another county has to offer. If I watch a second eleven, it should be through choice. I want to see Wayne Madsen handle Kagiso Rabada, or Tony Palladino bowling at an international star in the other team's colours.

Yet there is the rub. The timing and current world cricket scheduling is such that there will likely be no Indian players in the new tournament, while all the international sides have tours during its first year. So it will be made up of fringe international players and those who are recently retired. Nor is there likely to be any major involvement from England players. It is not so much a Vegas residency, more an end of the pier tribute show with dodgy wigs optional.

Tom Harrison, the CEO of the English Cricket Board, says that 'cricket fans can start to get very excited about this'. Considering that we have been told all along that it wasn't aimed at us, that's slightly amusing. So too his assertion that cricket fans around the country will 'flock to see' the tournament. When I told my 91-year old Dad this he said they were 'flocking crazy'. At least it sounded like that.

With The Hundred to be played at the same time as the domestic fifty-over competition, but the best white ball players signed up for it, the competition which prepares players for the format of this year's World Cup will comprise largely second team players. Yet the fact that they won't play the format 'won't impact on our success at fifty-over international level' according to Tom Harrison. I genuinely can't decide if he is naive or nuts. The more you do anything in life, the better you get, I am sure most will agree. 

As I have said over the past two years, Lancashire people outside Manchester will not support a team of that name. Nor will Yorkshire folk outside of Leeds, and don't get me started on the good folk of God's Own County supporting a team playing at Trent Bridge. The concept ignores centuries-old rivalries and enmity. I wouldn't go if there was a game in Glasgow, and that is said as a passionate fan of cricket. Proper cricket, because it holds no appeal for me.

Since this tournament was first touted, I have spoken to literally hundreds of people at talks, grounds and dinners and have genuinely yet to meet one in favour of it. The only support the tournament appears to be getting is from those in the media who see it as another nice pay day in the commentary box, together with those who are reluctant to bite the hand that feeds them, even when it marginalises the formats that have earned them a career.

From a Derbyshire perspective, the worst is perhaps yet to come.

According to The Cricketer, the side based at Lord's will be run by the CEO's of Middlesex and Essex, together with the CEO of the MCC. Logically, when they appoint coaching staff it is likely that players from those counties will make up most of the squad. There is supposed to be a similarly logical look to the running of other sides, and it suggests Surrey/Kent at The Oval and Hampshire/Sussex at the Ageas Bowl, as well as Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire at Trent Bridge.

So what about Derbyshire?

Will we merge with Yorkshire? Or will they link with Durham? Whatever way you look at it, there are eighteen first-class counties and eight sides in The Hundred'. So two sides will need to draw on three counties, if it is being done fairly. That gives you a chance of a stronger squad, but less chance of getting a ticket to the dance if you play for one of those three.

It all seems rather messy, my only concern being who will be left from the Derbyshire squad to watch when The Hundred is in full swing.

Because you can bet your bottom dollar I won't be watching the circus.

Sponsor sought

I would appreciate any help you can offer with regard to a new blog sponsor for 2019.

Office Care have been very supportive for the past few years, but the search for a new sponsor continues, otherwise I will need to pop the dreaded Google Ads back on again to bring in some money.

If you and your company are interested, please drop me an email to peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk and we can take it from there.

Please mention it to friends and I am happy to discuss options.

Cork return completes off-field picture

With this morning's announcement of the return of Dominic Cork to the Derbyhire coaching setup, the club's off-field picture is now complete.

It is welcome and common sense news. As a player, Dominic was second to none in his approach to the game and gave no quarter. He will expect the same from what is likely to be a young and fearless Derbyshire side in that format, where I fully expect high standard fielding to back up aggressive and common sense batting and bowling.

The players will not lack for support off the field and there is a definite 'feel good' factor around the club at present. There has not been massive recruitment over the winter, but what we have appears to fit very much into a common sense category.

Logan van Beek arrives from New Zealand as full season overseas player, and may well fly under the radar accordingly, while Tom Lace will have a season-long loan at the club from Middlesex. While critics may say that he has yet to make a first-class fifty, one has only to watch him bat to see that, and more, happening sometime soon.

The attack may be only one experienced player's injury from a problem, but the loan market could then be utilised. I would expect a few counties to look to Surrey in such a situation, where they seem to have three sides worth of seam bowlers. With two Currans, Dernbach, Dunn, McKerr, Meaker, Morkell, Plunkett, Jordan Clark and Rikki Clarke they have staggering depth, even allowing for England calls and the odd injury.

In closing today, good luck to Wayne Madsen, who starts his stint with Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL

I have every confidence he will do well.

Wood's stellar winter deserves reward

If there is any justice in this world, the next contract announced by Derbyshire County Cricket Club will be one for Tom Wood. Should it happen, only the churlish would suggest that it was anything other than fully deserved.

At the levels of the game that he has so far played, Tom has dominated. Not only has he scored runs in huge quantities, it is the way he has made them that has impressed.

For the last three years he has scored major runs for Derbyshire Second XI, for Ticknall in the Derbyshire Premier League and also for Frankston Peninsula, in the Victorian first grade.

Following on from a 2018 summer in which he scored over a thousand runs for the county second team as well as for his club, he has had a stellar winter in Australia, despite five weeks out with a broken thumb.

He has averaged just under 58 with the bat, including three centuries, 51 in twenty-over cricket and over 60 in the 50 over game. By any standards, that is highly impressive.

To put it into context, other county players such as Ben Slater, Matt Critchley, Luis Reece, Alex Hughes and Paul Borrington averaged around 35 in trips to Australia. In three winters over there, Tom's lowest average has been 45. 

He will be 25 this summer and the above statistics suggest that his time is now. I understand that Dave Houghton plans to have a good look at him on his return home and would be both surprised and disappointed were the player not to be offered a deal.

Of course, the Derbyshire batting side seems to be well established and assuming that everyone is fit, Tom would on paper be outside it, alongside Matt McKiernan and Anuj Dal. Yet in a side with several all rounders, the beauty is that Dave Houghton can select an extra batsman or bowler, depending on the greater need. 

All three of the above are capable of stepping in and making an important contribution. All are young enough to have their best years in front of them.

With a head of cricket who is keen to offer opportunity to the best young local talent, I would be surprised if there were many better options out there than Tom Wood.

Perhaps 2019 will be his summer and I could see him as a very strong option for us in the limited over game especially. A top six of Godleman, Reece, Madsen, Wood, Hughes and Critchley has a nice look to it. 

I hope he gets his chance. It would be very sad if a player of such obvious ability failed through a lack of opportunity alone. While Tom Lace will get four-day opportunity, Wood seems a better fit for the shorter forms. Indeed, a recent 160-ball innings of 141, with seven sixes and 13 fours, confirmed his power in the one-day game.

For me, the limited opportunities that he has had so far have not given him the chance to properly showcase his skills and a contract, together with an opportunity to justify a place, would be of mutual benefit.

Thoughts? 

McKiernan extension is welcome news

Today's breaking news that Matt McKiernan has signed a contract extension at  Derbyshire may fly under the radar with some people.

He is not yet a big name, nor indeed a new one, having played for our second team last season. He did so with some success, scoring useful runs and  taking wickets with his leg spin variations. His displays earned him a call up to the senior side for one T20 match, when he let no one down.

That he has impressed over the winter months is no real surprise, as Matt is a very talented young player. He played in a successful Leigh Cricket Club team alongside Luis Reece, and has also played with success  for Cumberland. His all round talents will make him a useful player for Derbyshire and I could see him being particularly effective in the T20.

By the same token, it is never a bad thing to have a player in your side worthy of selection as either a batting or bowling specialist, who can slot into the side and give depths two both disciplines. As the summer progresses we could quite easily see Matt in the same team as his namesake, the talented Mr Critchley.

With Hamidullah Qadri also on the staff, Derbyshire has a trio of exciting young spin bowlers. Depending on the fitness of our seam attack as the summer progresses, they may each get plenty of bowling opportunities in 2019.

Matt has worked hard at lower levels of the game to get to this stage. Don't be surprised if that level of commitment and willingness to work hard takes him on still further.

Like the rest of you, I wish him well.

New county sponsor, same old ECB

There was good news for Derbyshire County Cricket Club this week with the announcement of a new sponsor.

Pattonair, a multinational company with their headquarters in Derby will get naming rights for the County Ground and their support will back the clubs on-field ambitions. It can only be good news and I applaud the work of chief executive Ryan Duckett and his team in pulling this together.

Meanwhile, there was an interesting interview on the club's website in which wayne madsen said that Dave Houghton was the best coach that he had worked with and praised the work that the squad had done so far. Wayne will be flying out to play in the PSL shortly and I am sure that he will do well.

There is a feel good factor around the club at the moment, which is diametrically opposed to that around English cricket. With plans advancing in regard to a new tournament of whatever length is eventually decided, I have a feeling that 2019 will be the last summer in which the traditional county cricket fan will feel they are on a level of some kind with the other first class counties.

I am far from a betting man, but nothing that I have seen or heard has changed my mind from the opinion that this competition is a clandestine way of making eight 'super counties', with the rest simply becoming feeders for them in time.

While the argument of 1.3 million pounds per year over 5 years is strong, I do not feel alone in asserting that we have accepted 'conscience money' to wipe out debts but to the detriment of the overall standard and interests of the game as a whole.

It is all very sad.

Finally, in the Caribbean, we see a totally underprepared England team being hammered by a West Indies side that has some promising players but is far from the juggernaut that dominated world cricket from the 1970s onwards.

Joe Root asserts that the side was prepared for the tour, when it is perfectly obvious that they were not. With batsman struggling for touch and bowlers for rhythm, they will lose a series that should, with preparation, have been winnable.

The lack of preparation smacks of arrogance and it is always nice to see such an attitude put firmly its place. While the romantics among us will delight in seeing an improved West Indian team, I am not convinced that they are as good as our poorly  prepared team is making them look with poor shot selection and bowling of mediocre standard, in some cases.

Good luck to them though. Perhaps the embarrassing spectacle of our insipid performance will be the catalyst for future tours to allow for proper preparation.

Just as you would not expect Derbyshire's players to start a County season on the back of two days against a university side and a couple of nets, is it not common sense for the highest level of the game to be properly prepared for?

I rest my case.

Houghton plans to give youth its head

Like a few of you, from the emails and messages I have had in the last 24 hours, I was a little surprised at the interview with Dave Houghton  yesterday.

In it, for those who have been out of contact, the Head of Cricket said that we will not be immediately replacing Hardus Viljoen, but will offer opportunity to young players and retain the money in the cricket budget for when someone who would strengthen the side becomes available.

I understand the rationale. As I said yesterday, domestic players will have signed deals somewhere if they are good enough by this stage, while we can only assume that overseas options are either not there at the moment, or are too expensive or too great a risk at this time. The loan market may be one we tap into again, but no county is going to loan us a bowler in January and find themselves short in April.

I applaud the idea of giving youth its opportunity, and none of us outside of the club knows the progress made by Sam Conners, James Taylor and Alfie Gleadall over the winter. If they don't get the chance, we won't know if they can rise like cream to the top, or if they have the mental and physical resilience to make it in the first-class game. They have done well at age group level, so let's see what exposure to a higher level can do for them.

Houghton and Steve Kirby will know the ability of these lads and must feel they have something, on which basis I am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and bow to their knowledge, expertise and closer proximity to the players.

However, with that comes a couple of caveats.

One is that the club MUST now give the Head of Cricket a long-term opportunity to develop the club and the young players passing through it. Like many others, I have grown tired of the constant changing of coaches and John Morris, Karl Krikken and Graeme Welch were not bad at their job. They all had weaknesses, as we all do, but they each brought strengths to the party too, as did Kim Barnett in less of a hands on role.

Dave should now be given five years, if he wants that long at his age, to bring through this crop of talent and others. Let's see what he can do in the longer term, because in the short term he has been hamstrung by a departure ten weeks before the season.

Can we expect Tony Palladino to stay fit all summer and do as well as last year? He is 35 now, while Ravi Rampaul's fitness last summer, a year younger, was questionable. Is it equally realistic to expect Logan van Beek to stay fit for six months and play all cricket as a seam bowler? It is a long time since we had a full season overseas bowler and it will be a big ask again.

My notional side for the opening game would be:

Godleman
Lace
Reece
Madsen
Hughes
Critchley
Hosein
Van Beek
Palladino
Rampaul
Youngster

Outside that eleven, at present, we have two other young seamers, Anuj Dal, Matt McKiernan and Hamidullah Qadri. Perhaps there will be a deal for Tom Wood too, and of course Daryn Smit is around but more likely in the second team and coaching.

So we need a lot of luck with injuries. Having three all-rounders in the top six is an asset and both Luis Reece and Alex Hughes could do well on early season pitches, but we will just need to wait and see. After all, if we signed one more player, we may have one more injury, as that's the way that the game can go...

This isn't like when Mark Footitt left, because he took a lot of wickets. Hardus had talent, but will go down for me as a massive disappointment. His supporters will refer to Hove, detractors to The Riverside and plenty of others when direction was quite simply shocking at this level. Nor was his plastering the trappings of his success all over social media especially conducive to team spirit either, when others are paid considerably less but are contributing much more.

Don't underestimate the value of team spirit. If luck goes our way and a relatively young squad stays fit, desire and togetherness can reap dividends.

Finally today, Gareth asked last night how much I thought we had saved from the departures of Gary Wilson, Hardus Viljoen, Ben Slater and Duanne Olivier.

The answer isn't simple, because the latter, for example, like Lockie Ferguson, has been replaced by Van Beek. You also need to factor in improved contracts for key players too, and the need to do the same for Matt Critchley, if things go to plan.

My guess - and I am no more privy to player salaries than any of you - is that we have the Viljoen salary as our 'pot', as and when there is a perceived need to use it. When the right player or players are available, that could prove very useful.

Only Dave Houghton will know when that is.

Viljoen leaves county

There was, at least as far as I am concerned, no great surprise in today's announcement regarding Hardus Viljoen.

The bowler has opted to be released from the final year of his contract and so will play no more for Derbyshire.

His success in the Pakistan 10 over competition, together with his selection for this year's Indian Premier League, will have allowed him to look quite differently at his future. It may well be that he is picked up for a stint in the Caribbean Premier League and his need to bowl long spells in county cricket is no longer there.

Regular readers will know that I suspected something may be afoot when there was no comment from the County on his IPL deal. Dave Houghton will be very keen to get off to a flyer in the season, yet we faced the first critical weeks without our highly paid Kolpak signing.

Furthermore, replacing him for a short spell would have been almost impossible, as any domestic bowler will be signed up at this stage.

I think that the parting of ways makes sense for both the club and the player. His signing, two years ago, suggested that we would have the attacking spearhead that was sorely needed after the departure of Mark Footitt, yet it didn't work out.

He missed much of his first season and was really only fit when it was coming to a conclusion. There was at least that golden game at Hove, when he entered the county record books, and supporters were optimistic about his second summer.

Sadly, aside from two or three useful spells in the T20, perhaps a portent for his future, it was far from spectacular. Too often line and length deserted him and the county needed someone of greater reliability. He took wickets, but the average was too high for an overseas signing  and too many runs were given away, as Messrs Smit and Hosein dived hither and thither in vain to stop the wayward exocets.

To some extent he will be missed, as a dangerous late order hitter, while if he did get it right he could bowl some very fast and awkward deliveries. It just didn't happen often enough though and the regular cost/benefit analysis of supporters too often found him wanting.

I wish him well for the future, wherever it takes him, but Dave Houghton will now seek better value from wherever he goes for a replacement.

With the season fast approaching, and this on the cards for some time, I would be surprised if there were not already irons in the fire. We are potentially able to bring in another Kolpak, or player with an English passport from overseas, hopefully better suited to our needs and to English conditions.

If we don't, we have a major gap in our seam bowling resources for the summer. Logan Van Beek may well need to bowl at one end, only coming off in September, while Tony Palladino and Ravi Rampaul will have heavier workloads than their ages really warrant. Nor would we want Luis Reece bowling 20-overs an innings, when he has to then bat in the top three. Aside from that we have the academy boys, which is asking a lot of them.

Like the rest of you, I will watch future developments with considerable interest.

Brief updates at a quiet time

It has been a few quiet weeks for Derbyshire cricket supporters.

We are now, however, enjoying the sight of the players hard at work in the gym and in the indoor nets. There are also good reports on the fitness of players who suffered disappointment with injuries in 2018.

Luis Reece, so sorely missed last year is reportedly well and raring to go, while Alfie Gleadall is recovering well from a stress fracture of the back. Gleadall, like the other  young seam bowlers, should see opportunity this summer, much depending on how well the senior bowlers retain form and fitness.

He looked a bowler of talent last year and bowled a couple of brisk spells in the ill fated game at Durham, where he also showed ability with the bat.

I am cautiously optimistic about the coming season IF we get the rub of the green and are able to get off to a good start. We still don't know what is happening with Hardus Viljoen, apart from the fact that he will miss the start of the summer at least, while we still don't know the identity of our second t20 player, or indeed the coach for that format.

The captain has also to be announced for the short form and with the season just over two months away there is much to be done.

The club is in good hands though and I remain confident in a competitive and enjoyable summer. Dave Houghton and Steve Kirby will doubtless do a good job.

In closing today, I would like to wish Chris Airey the best as he leaves shortly to take on a new role at Warwickshire. He has worked well to build on the groundwork of his predecessor, Tom Holdcroft and the club's social media and marketing presence is at a very high level.

There will be a new look to off field in 2019, just as there will to the coaching staff.

I wish them all well.

All eyes point to New Zealand

It has all been very quiet on the Derbyshire cricket front. So quiet that I found myself watching New Zealand with the level of support this week that I usually reserve for my favourite county.

And why not? After all there were five former county players in their ranks. Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson all acquitted themselves well.

Indeed, Neesham made a strong case for being the star turn. He has always been a powerful hitter of a cricket ball and can bowl some very useful medium pace, as well as being a brilliant fielder in any position. I have little doubt that his return to form will see him very much in demand for this year's T20 in England. There is a lot to like about him and I don't think that we utilised him to best effect in his stint a couple of years back.

He is not really a death bowler but was used as such in the absence of viable alternatives. He didn't do badly however and a return to a county where he has a lot of friends would not be the worst move.

Having said that, even more interesting was the news that Mitchell Santner is returning to the Kiwi national side. If he is fully fit and recovered from major knee surgery, he would prove a huge asset to Derbyshire in the T20, offering not just a spinner of quality but also a punishing batsman and outstanding fielder.

Unless we decide to get Wahab Riaz to return, I fully expect our other overseas player for the T20 to come from New Zealand, especially with John Wright as our overseas scout.

And with the season less than eleven weeks away, that has got to be exciting!

As an aside, this is the first blog piece that I have written with the help of voice recognition software. It seems to have done a decent job, my accent notwithstanding.

Perhaps something to persist with in the coming weeks.

The end of the year

Just a few quick words to wish you all the very best for 2019 and to thank you all for your support in 2018.

It wasn't a bad summer at all for Derbyshire and we can only hope that we can build on it this year. There is a strong nucleus of players and a feeling that we have it right in our off-field structure now. There are some question marks on the bowling, but we could be competitive again.

I will catch up with you again soon.

Happy New Year!

Olivier plans seem mapped out

After his eleven wickets in the Test match just finished against Pakistan, one would have thought any county entertaining Kolpak hopes for Duanne Olivier has had them well and truly dashed.

Unless that country's cricket authorities do something really silly, he would appear to have confirmed himself as the natural successor to Vernon Philander and a bowler to take a long-term role alongside Rabada and Ngidi. That is assuming that Dale Steyn and Philander don't carry on for a few more years, of course, but it underlines the depth of quality bowling in that country, especially when one considers who has left to take up Kolpak deals.

Morkel, Wiese, Abbott, Viljoen - there are plenty of international sides would like that attack and it is not available to the South Africans, who appear to be on the brink of a new golden era.

Speaking of Hardus Viljoen, I am surprised that there has been no comment from Derbyshire at all regarding his IPL deal. I don't so much mean what it will mean to us, as we are still perhaps trying to work that out, but even a piece noting that he will be involved.

It is a little odd and the rumour mill, as I am hearing it, is awash with various stories. If he ends up getting a gig in the Caribbean Premier League, which he might, as these things tend to snowball, then might there be an agreed parting of the ways? If so, where would that leave us - searching for a new Kolpak, or looking around the UK for available talent?

I'm not sure, at this stage, who might be available domestically, because most contracts are sorted by now, but it might have made a lot more sense for the club to say something, anything, than leave conjecture to take a hold.

I dare say the early part of 2019 will reveal all, but for me there is still work to do with our squad for the coming summer.

In closing, could I thank all of you for your support over 2018, another record-breaking year for the blog in the number of visits.

I look forward to seeing you back next year, when we have some exciting cricket to look forward to!

Merry Christmas

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas.

Special warm wishes today to Daryn Smit and his wife, Sarah, who welcomed the arrival of their first child, Ryder Judson, yesterday.

The young fella will be in safe hands!

Congratulations to them both.

Have a lovely holiday everyone.

Viljoen signs on for the IPL

Following on from his successful stint in the Sharjah ten-over competition, Christmas came early for Hardus Viljoen, when he was picked up by King's XI Punjab for this year's Indian Premier League.

It marks a fair old transformation for the South African quick bowler. Before the T20 last summer there were a few who had concerns he should be in our first choice side, and there were plenty of times when he looked some way removed from an IPL candidate.

Fair play to him though and he has put himself in the shop window. A good IPL could make him one of the nomads who traverse the globe in such competitions, bowling short stints and carrying a big bag for the wads of cash that are a consequence.

What does it mean for Derbyshire?

Well, for a start we lose him from the start of the season to the middle of May. I acknowledge and am grateful for the information from Luke yesterday, who works in circles that know these things and said that the standard IPL deal is usually to lose 1% of your county salary for the first 21 days and 0.7% per day after that.

In an absence of around fifty-one days, that could see Hardus forego around 42% of his county deal. At his oft-rumoured salary , that is a fair wedge of money back into the playing budget, and there would be an additional saving on accommodation costs.

If he plays most of the matches he can pick up around £80K in India, which will be a nice little earner, though dependent on him playing - less if he is one of the reserves.

On the pitch it gives us a problem, because we only have Ravi Rampaul, Tony Palladino and Luis Reece to support Logan van Beek, before we have to bring in the kids. That is a laudable concept if they are ready, but less so if it is too soon in their development.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a loan move to cover that period, unless the amount allows an extra recruit. I am unsure if there is anyone out there out of contract, but there will be several counties who are overly blessed with seam bowling talent who might want them match fit playing at a higher level. At an early stage of the season, that would be a valid option.

Is it telling that the club has yet to issue a press piece on the news? In all likelihood they are working out what it means to them and to the cricket budget before going public.

I look forward to seeing Dave Houghton's comments on it in the coming days.

Finally, for now, warm congratulations to Ryan Duckett on being confirmed as the club's new CEO.

He is a nice, approachable guy and I am sure will fit the role perfectly.

I wish him well.

Blog sponsor sought

As the old saying goes, all good things come to an end.

Thus it is that my sponsorship deal with Office Care will come to a conclusion at the end of March next year.

The support of Martin and David Booth has been substantial and appreciated over the past few years. I have valued their financial support and also their friendship, which can be an even rarer commodity than blog sponsors.

It enabled the blog to look more professional, to gain an identity and to win awards. It played a part in its continued exponential growth and brought them clients through click throughs on their advert.

I am very grateful to them and wish them all the very best in their future endeavours.

And yet. to use another old saying, as one door closes another one opens.

If there are any companies out there who might be interested in sponsoring the blog, which reaches fifty thousand views a month over the summer, then please do get in touch.

Line adverts linking to your website are also available and I would be happy to discuss options and opportunities with you.

Please mail me, in the first instance, at peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

Thank you!

Christmas approaching fast

I have spent a part of a leisurely morning today watching the Mzansi Super League game earlier this week between Paarl Rocks and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants.

There were some big names on display, though the injured Imran Tahir would have enjoyed a slow track on which Tabraiz Shamsi bowled a very good spell. Cameron Delport, released by Leicestershire at the end of last season, won the low-scoring and slow-scoring contest with a brutal 84 from just 45 balls.

He's a good player, especially in one-day formats and it was a surprise when things didn't work out in England. Maybe, at 29, he will get another crack with someone and there is much to like in a bloke who can open the batting at a fair lick and bowl some handy medium pace.

Not much happening down Derby way, but we shouldn't expect that at this stage. The players are working hard in the gym on fitness and all is calm, all is bright, just like the carol.

I have been taking things a little easier on the winter blog because of hand trouble and my big news is that surgery is now likely in February, which will leave me hors de combat from a typing perspective for two to three months.

I will do pieces in that time, but they will be one-handed and perhaps not as detailed for obvious reasons.

Any offers of writing support in that period will be gratefully received, to enable things to tick over till mid-summer, when normal service will hopefully be resumed. My role can then be an editorial one for a few weeks. Please indicate any interest with an email to peakfan36@yahoo.co.uk

I will be back next weekend, just before the festivities.

Will the real Hardus Viljoen turn up?

The news of the success of Hardus Viljoen in the T10 tournament in Sharjah will have raised a few eyebrows among Derbyshire supporters.

Viljoen took 18 wickets in eighteen overs in the competition, which his team won. He bowled fast and accurately throughout and was voted player of the tournament.

It is time for him to do that in Derbyshire colours.

He signed a three-year contract for us and has thus far completed two of them. His first season was ravaged by injury and he didn't play before the T20, bowled much of that with a limp and then suggested brighter things with a fifteen-wicket haul at Hove that won us an end of season match.

Last season was a disappointment. He took 38 wickets at 32 runs each in the championship, decent enough for a county professional but not for a highly paid import. As I have said before, with great reward comes both expectation and responsibility and I'm afraid Hardus didn't get close. There were some decent spells in the T20 under Dominic Cork's tutelage (coincidence, or...?) but in the four day game there were spells that were embarrassingly inept .

I've never seen worse bowling than he produced in the second innings at Durham at this level, certainly not by someone of international reputation. It turned what should have been a formality of a win into a dreadful defeat, on a wicket where line and length were sure to bring results.

Clubs sign Kolpaks because they offer more than is available on the domestic circuit and effectively offer another quality overseas player. There are plenty of shining examples of their worth on the county circuit, but at this stage Hardus isn't one of them.

That's harsh, but true and I am sure that unless there is a massive turnaround this summer, it will be his last at Derbyshire. I can't see us renewing on the rumoured terms, for sure, but he has every incentive to attract future interest from the circuit in 2019.

If he can bowl in a similar manner to Sharjah through a long summer, he could be the difference between Derbyshire doing well and being among the also-rans. The effectiveness of Logan Van Beek will be enhanced if there is aggression and pressure at the other end, because batsmen will just 'sit on their bats' and play him out if they can get away at the other end.

Too often last season, Derbyshire had to use Tony Palladino as the one man who could bowl wicket to wicket when we lost Luis Reece to injury. With the fitness and form of Ravi Rampaul in question, Palladino gave crucial control and it was no coincidence that he took wickets, backing up good deliveries with ones where the batsmen couldn't score and creating pressure.

If Hardus arrives in the Spring in good form and with his radar locked on, we could have a decent summer. If we can force home a few of these winning positions from last year, top three in the four-day game should not be beyond us.

But it will depend on getting runs on the board, which I think we will do with Dave Houghton's input. Then bowling sides out twice.

If the real Hardus Viljoen turns up, that could happen too.

Will he?

Derbyshire sign Logan Van Beek as overseas

There are a few reasons for me to applaud the signing of Logan Van Beek, the New Zealand A and Netherlands international, announced by Derbyshire yesterday.

For one, it must have snuck under the radar of most people in the county game. I had seen his name on score cards in New Zealand, but profess to knowing little about him, something I have in common with most, if they are honest.

Yet good judges in New Zealand, among them John Wright, rate him highly and there is a lot to like in a player who will know a good English summer will have serious career prospects. If he bowls the full English length (as opposed to breakfast) that Dave Houghton mentioned yesterday, he will enjoy our early season tracks. There will also be a novelty value in that few will know anything about him, which is never a bad thing.

One would assume that he will be a more affordable option than many too, with a reputation to be made, rather than one on which to coast. At 28 he should have done his filling out and one can only hope that he gets through the summer as free of injury as possible.

He looks to bowl at a decent pace, if nowhere near that of Lockie Ferguson, and will look to bring his career bowling average south of thirty, rather than slightly above it, as it currently is. He strikes me as a late developer and his recent statistics suggest that to be the case, but he will also lengthen the county batting. An average over 25 with the bat suggests a man who can handle the willow and he should be an asset across the formats.

It is a risk, but then most overseas signings are. It is better to under promise and over deliver and the player will not be weighed down with expectation as were some in our not too distant past. He goes for just under ten an over in T20, but again it is something to improve on in 2019.

I assume that he will be playing for us on a European passport, because he doesn't yet have the full international cap that would let him play here as a Kiwi.

That might not be far away though and he will be aware of the effects a good 2019 could have on his career.

What it does for Derbyshire is lengthen the batting and promise a lower order, with Hardus Viljoen and Tony Palladino, that can contribute valuable runs in a counter attack. With Luis Reece hopefully fit, the final place in the side could go either to a young seamer or one of our two spinners, Hamidullah Qadri or Matt McKiernan.

It would leave a likely first choice line up of

Godleman
Lace
Reece
Madsen
Hughes
Critchley
Hosein
Van Beek
Viljoen
Palladino/Rampaul
?

All very interesting and I wish Logan all the best, as I am sure you do too.

I'm very impressed with the way that Dave Houghton has so far gone about his work. We have key players with renewed deals, a good loan signing and now our overseas player in place, all before Christmas.

Finally, the news broke yesterday of the release of Callum Brodrick which had been 'out there' for a week or two.

At 20 he can hardly be said to have had infinite chances, but in a rebuilding job there will always be casualties. He didn't make the most of limited opportunities, but may come again if his health allows his cricket to prosper.

He must look at Tom Wood, Tony Borrington and Colin Tunnicliffe for examples of players who overcame early rejection to make it in the county game. Weight of runs in local cricket will always make people sit up and take notice, so I hope he does just that.

He is a nice player to watch and I wish him well in his future endeavours.