Derbyshire Challenge

[cde]

A quick FC game next, just to break the rhythm.

Sussex v Derbyshire, CC Ground

Sussex
P. Salt, T. Haines, S. van Zyl, T. Head, R. Bopara, B. Brown, D. Weiss, C. Jordan, O. Robinson, W. Beer, D. Briggs

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, L. Reece, J. Gow, L. du Plooy, W. Madsen, N. Priestley, H. Hosein, M. Critchley, R. Rampaul. T. Palladino, B. Aitchinson


Sussex 244 & 338

Derbyshire 340 and 243-2

Derbyshire win by 8 wickets


A spinning pitch and since Critchley is going well in the T20s he is given a chance while Aitchinson makes his first FC start this year as Moulton’s form slumps.

Hosein drops Haines on 1 which makes his 63 all the more galling given their low total. Critchley takes 2 at over 4.5 an over. Godleman and Reece are our cheaply but Gow digs in and his 141, along with half centuries from Madsen and Hosein takes us into a commanding position.

Our lack of spin attack comes around to bite us again as we struggle to take wickets, Head (136) and Weiss (76) giving us particular trouble. They don’t, however, manage to pull ahead enough to put pressure on our batsmen and we chalk up our first win on the road.

A very good win, mostly thanks to Palladino’s 4-37 in the first innings and in particular two wickets in his opening spell. By contrast Critchley took 2-68 across both innings on a turning pitch.

[cde]

Next a couple more T20s

Derbyshire v Warwickshire, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, B. McDermott, S. Jayasuriya, L. Reece, W. Madsen, L. du Plooy, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, R. Rampaul, T. Palladino, B. Aitchinson

Warwickshire
D. Sibley, E. Pollock, S. Hain, A. Hose, T. Ambrose, M. Burgess, C. Green, T. Bresnen, O. Stone, J. Patel, O. Hannon-Dalby


Warwickshire 185-6
C. Green 48, D. Sibley 36
L. Reece 2-22, M. Critchley 2-28

Derbyshire 179 all out
B. Godleman 52, B. McDermott 45
O. Hanson-Dalby 5-33, C. Green 3-33

Warwickshire win by 6 runs


Abbot is called up for Australia so Jayasuriya joins us and the options shuffle again.

They start well, we pull them back but a couple of awful overs from Jayasuriya let them pull away again. We chase hard but fall short with two balls left. Close but the batting not powerful enough down the order.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Leicestershire, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, B. McDermott, S. Jayasuriya, L. Reece, W. Madsen, L. du Plooy, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, R. Rampaul, T. Palladino, B. Aitchinson

Leicestershire
J. Malan, N. Welch, H. Azad, G. Delany, M. Cosgrove, H. Dearden, L. Hill, A. Lilley, C. Parkinson, G. Griffiths, D. Klein


Leicestershire 174-8
N. Welch 48, H. Dearden 30
L. Reece 3-26, B. Aitchenson 3-32

Derbyshire 178-3
W. Madsen 74, S. Jayasuriya 65
D. Klein 3-34

Derbyshire win by 7 wickets


We struggle to hold them back and loose some cheap wickets in the chase but after an underwhelming first match for us Jayasuriya and Madsen combine to power us to a good win.

[cde]

Then another FC match

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire, CCG

Derbyshire
S. Jayasuriya, L. Reece, B. Godleman, J. Gow, L. du Plooy, W. Madsen, N. Priestley, H. Hosein, T. Palladino, R. Rampaul, B. Aitchienson

Nottinghamshire
B. Slater, S. Mullaney, J. Lawlor, J. Clarke, S. Patel, H. Hameed, T. Moores, S. Broad, L. Fletcher, J. Ball, M. Abbas


Nottinghamshire 309 & 229

Derbyshire 209 & 206

Nottinghamshire win by 125 runs


Notts are top of the table and while the batting looks beatable the bowling attack is likely to cause us more trouble.

They win the toss and bat first. They can only build small partnerships but they come steadily with half-centuries for Slater, Clarke and Moore and I am happy with keeping them to 309. All the top order make steady starts but can’t kick on before Fletcher takes 4 of the lower order in quick succession to put them in the boss seat.

We keep their run rate down with Rampaul taking 5-41 and Jayasuriya 3-40. The total is a stretch with the pitch conditions favouring their bowlers but there is a day and a bit remaining to chase down the runs. Jayasuriya makes a good 107 but the batsmen struggle to hang on, the lower order cleaned up smartly by Broad and Fletcher to win them the match comfortably.

[cde]

Then back again to finish off the T20 group stage

Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire, Trent Bridge

Nottinghamshire
A Hales, B. Duckett, R. van der Dussen, T. Moores, J. Clarke, S. Mullaney, H. New lands, S. Patel, S. Broad, L. Fletcher, M. Carter

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, B. McDermott, L. Reece, W. Madsen, L. du Plooy, T. Linghan, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, S. Abbot, T. Palladino, B. Aitchinson


Nottinghamshire 180 all out
B. Duckett 51, R. van der Dussen 30
S. Abbot 5-19, M. Critchley 3-35

Derbyshire 160-4
B. McDermott 62, W. Madsen 63
S. Broad 2-27, M. Carter 1-37

Nottinghamshire win by 20 runs.

Abbot is back so slots back in and Tony Lingham, a new aggressive batman from the youth team comes in.

With a bowler taking 5-19 you would expect the match to go your way but Abbot was the only one able to exert a measure of control as Duckett in particular gave us what for. We chased hard but just couldn’t manage.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire, CCG

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, B. McDermott, L. Reece, W. Madsen, L. du Plooy, T. Linghan, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, S. Abbot, T. Palladino, B. Aitchison

Northamptonshire
A Rossington, R. Levi, R. Vasconcelos, R. Keogh, E. Bay, M. Wall, M. Ravichandrakumar, G. Berg, T. Sole, B. Hutton, B. Glover


Derbyshire 177-5
B. McDermott 37, L. Reece 36
B. Hutton 2-18, B. Glover 2-46

Northamptonshire 154 all-out
R. Keogh 70, R. Levi 38
M. Critchley 3-29, B. Aitchison 3-30

Derbyshire win by 22 runs

As for us last time out so it is for Northamptonshire this time.

The win sees us take third place in the group and into a quarter-final against Surrey.

[cde]

And so the OD and 100 tournaments roll around. We lose the bedrocks of our FC and T20 teams, Reece, du Plooy and Masden with Rampaul joining them. There are some players who will certainly play and have preferred batting slots so form the spine of the team sheet:

Godleman
?
Gow
?
Critchley
Hudson-Prentice
Hosein
?
Abbot
Palladino
Cohen

Cohen has returned from injury and has the best of the 2nd XI OD averages of the young bowers, Gow has a decent 2nd XI average but I would prefer to have him build experience from 3 for a season or two.

Tony Lingham did well enough in his only T20 outing to earn a place so will have to come in at 4. If Gow isn’t opening then there is, in reality only one other option so Wood starts. His strike rate could cause us issues. I don’t much like the look of the other options for the last spot but Hughes is in good form and his OD batting average is no worse than the other options.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Glamorgan, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, T. Palladino, M. Cohen

Glamorgan
D. Lloyd, C. Brown, N. Selman, M. Labuschagne, B. Root, A. Salter, T. Cullen, R. Smith, T. van der Gugten, M. Hogan, R. Walker


Glamorgan 214 all out
M. Labuschagne 83, B. Root 53
M. Critchley 3-45, F. Hudson Prentice 3-55

Derbyshire 218-5
H. Hosein 46no, J. Gow 40
R. Smith 2-29, R. Walker 2-40

Derbyshire win by 5 wickets


A reasonable bowling display keeping them to a low total. No big innings but reasonable contributions carry us through with plenty to spare.

[cde]

Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire, Trent Bridge

Nottinghamshire
R. Sharks, B. Slater, P. Trego, J. Lawlor, H. New lands, H. Hameed, Z. Chappell, L. Patterson-White, S. Budinger, S.Broad, T. Fallon

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, T. Palladino, M. Cohen


Derbyshire 232-8
T, Lingham 100no, T. Wood 35
L. Patterson-White 3-41, Z. Chappell 2-54

Nottinghamshire 233-9
H. Hameed 65, H. Newlands 54
M. Cohen 4-23, F. Hudson-Prentice 3-47

Nottinghamshire win by 1 wicket


A close finish in terms of wickets but they had another four overs left. A maiden 100 off 102 for Lingham is a good sign but there was little support, especially from the lower part of the order, a problem that could hurt us again in the future. The bowling is less than ideal too.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Yorkshire, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen

Yorkshire
O. Andrews, W. Fraine, J. Wharton, J. Tattersall, T. Loten, M. Waite, E. Barnes. R. Ashwin, N. Paul, B. Coad, M. Pillans


Yorkshire 177 all out
W. Fraine 44, O. Andrews 43
M. Critchley 4-19, F. Hudson-Prentice 3-36

Derbyshire 178-4
B Godleman 52, T. Wood 47
M. Waite 2-48, N. Paul 1-37

Derbyshire win by 6 wickets


We replace Palladino for Conners. A very different looking Yorkshire face is, one who immediately look there for the taking. Only Ashwin has more than 22 OD starts under his belt. It takes a while to get the first wicket but they struggle to get runs – which in turn leads to wickets falling. We knock off the runs without leaving first gear.

[cde]

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire, CC Ground

Northamptonshire
R. Levi, R. Vasconcelos, M. Wall, R. Keogh, E. Gay, C. Thurtson, T. Sole, F. Ashraf, B. Hutton, G. White, B. Glover

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen


Northamptonshire 153 all out
R. Levi 37, M. Wall 31
S. Abbot 4-30, M. Critchley 2-2

Derbyshire 154-3
J. Gow 63, T. Lingham 41
G. White 2-46, F. Ashraf 1-34

Derbyshire win by 7 wickets


A more experienced Northants side but we put them in to bat in heavily overcast conditions which favour our bowling attack. By the time we bat the clouds have cleared and batting is straight forward.

[cde]

Somerset v Derbyshire, County Ground

Somerset
T. Lammonby, N. Curry, S. Davies, G. Bartlett, J. Hildreth, S. Singh, M. Fanning, W. Sneed, D. Bess, J. Davey, M. Sutherland

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen


Somerset 221 all out
M. Fanning 55, J. Davey 30
M. Critchley 3-64, F. Hudson Prentice 2-23

Derbyshire 222-4
T. Wood 90no, F. Hudson-Prentice 42no
S. Singh 2-51, D. Bess 1-35

Derbyshire win by 6 wickets


We are into our stride and cashing in on some luck. This win over Somerset being typical of our game plan.

The key has been bowling first with Abbot and Cohen are bowing well at the open, keeping the run rate down if not always taking wickets. H-P and Conners take over and while the run rate is a bit higher they usually keep them down and maybe squeeze another wicket or two. Abbot comes back with Critchley who might take wicket but does tend to concede runs in the middle over. H-P and Conners finish their overs and if the run rate has been kept low opportunitiesopen to take wickets. Usually we have them five or six down with ten overs left so Critchley and Cohen have a good chance of taking wickets, something Critchley seems quite adept at.

If the score is low we can chase them down comfortably – the strike rate of the openers isn’t great but we can build into the innings. As long as we they don’t get past H-P in the batting line up we should win but if they do it all becomes a bit dicey.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Warwickshire, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen

Warwickshire
I Bell, L. Nelson, S. Hain, T. Ambrose, L. Banks, M. Burgess, A. Thompson, O. Stone, C. Miles, J. Patel, N. Norwell


Warwickshire 220-9
L. Banks 60no, S. Hain 53
F. Hudson-Prentice 2-38, M. Cohen 2-49

Derbyshire 221-3
B. Godleman 72, T. Lingham 42no
J. Patel 1-40, L. Norwell 1-50

Derbyshire win by 7 wickets


Another win to the same pattern, we now have 5 wins and are in a good position to make it to the knock-out stages.

[cde]

Leicestershire v Derbyshire, Grace Road

Leicestershire
N. Welch, H. Azad, H. Swindells, C. Ackermann, H. Dearden, S. Malik, A. Supple, T. Taylor, A. Lilley, G. Griffiths, D. Klein

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen


Leicestershire 241-8
C. Ackermann 83, H. Azad, 36
M. Critchley 4-63, M. Cohen 2-47

Derbyshire 239-4
B. Godleman 79, J. Gow 71
C. Ackermann 2-48, T. Taylor 1-31

Leicestershire win by 2 runs


A close match, Ackermann having a cracking match for them. The chase was going fine until Lingham and Critchley came in and were initially pinned down by Taylor and Lilley.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Surrey, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, T. Wood, J. Gow, T, Lingham, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, A. Hughes, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen

Surrey
H. Amla, M. Stoneman, R. Clarke, J. Sheen, J. Smith, J. Clarke, H. Adair, M. Nessar, G. Batty, A. Boris, M. Morkel


Surrey 223 all out
H. Adair 68, J. Sheen 63
M. Cohen 3-19, M. Critchley 3-62

Derbyshire 224-4
T. Lingham 109no, M. Critchley 33
M. Nessar 2-27, R. Clarke 2-49

Derbyshire win by 5 wickets


A stinking performance from Cohen against the stiffest opposition so far. The bowling would have been shredded if not for his miserly run rate – he entered the final over with 2-11. They took some quick wickets too but the total was low enough for us to build into the innings.

The last match of the group stage which we top, taking us straight to the semi-finals.