Derbyshire Challenge

[cde]

Derbyshire v Somerset,
Challenge Trophy Semi-Final, CC ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, L. Reece, J. Gow, T, Lingham, W. Madsen, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, H. Hosein, S. Abbot, S. Conners , M. Cohen

Somerset
T. Blanton, T. Lammonby, S. Smith, T. Abell,
N. Curry, G. Bartlett, L. Gregory, E. Byrom, R. van der Merwe, V. Philander, C. Overton


Somerset 250 all out
T. Blanton 92, S. Smith 42
M. Cohen 4-42, F. Hudson-Prentice 3-61

Derbyshire 229 all out
B. Godleman 87, W. Madsen 69no
C. Overton 4-32, R, van der Merwe 2-51

Somerset win by 21 runs


Reece and Madsen return from the 100 but the Somerset team we face looks very different from the one we beat in the group stage and we will have to play very well to get past them. The inclusion of Smith at three is worrying in itself.

We win the toss and put them in to bat with the conditions favouring the bowlers. We struggle to contain them and to keep them under five an over throughout, though having the option of another bowler in Reece helps us manage to keep them to 250.

We set off but slip behind the run rate quite quickly. We pull it back but not without it costing us wickets and with ten overs left it is clear we aren’t going to make it.

Disappointing but not unexpected. A better finish than I was reasonably expecting and the bones of a OD side are visible.

[Jamesy1984]

Did well to get to a semi final so should be seen an achievement

[cde]

Surrey v Derbyshire
T20 Cup Quarter-Final, The Oval

Surrey
J. Roy, H. Amla, D. Short, B. Foakes, L. Evans, M. Stoneman, J. Sheen, R. Clarke, T. Curran, M. Nesser, M. Morkel

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, B. McDermott, L. Reece, W. Madsen, T. Lingham, J. Gow, M. Critchley, F. Hudson-Prentice, S. Abbot, M. Cohen, B. Aitchison


Surrey 190-7
J. Roy 59, H. Amla 36
B. Aitchison 2-27, M. Cohen 2-29

Derbyshire 177 all out
T. Lingham 71, W. Madsen 35
M. Nesser 5-25, D. Short 2-33

Surrey win by 13 runs


We are missing du Plooy through injury, a big blow to our batting attack, while Cohen comes in thanks to his great run in the OD matches. They look too strong. There may be a chance if we make early inroads into their batting but they just look too strong.

They choose to bat first and for quite a while it looks most unlikely we will take a wicket, Roy especially giving us a hiding. We pull them back and wickets fall quickly once they put their foot down but the total looks far more than we are likely to be able to chase down.

They take early wickets before Lingham and Madsen rally but we simply don’t have the firepower.

Again, disappointing but not surprising.

[cde]

Did well to get to a semi final so should be seen an achievement

It did feel like a decent achievement!

If there is an up side to the 100 it is a flattening of the field in the OD competition. It has much more of an effect than Tests or other internationals during the domestic season and is more akin to something like the effect the 6 Nations has in rugby (especially in Wales!) where the strongest teams can lose practically their entire first team to call-ups. It’s great for the group stages in that it gives you a chance but once you get to the knock-out stages you can immediately face a far stronger team.

[cde]

Durham v Derbyshire, Riverside Ground

Durham
A Lees, C. Bancroft, N. Eckersley, D. Bedingham, J. Burnham, F. Behardien, S. Steel, B. Raine, B. Carse, C. Rushworth, M. Salisbury

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, L. Reece, J. Gow, W. Madsen, N. Priestley, T. Lingham, H. Hosein, F. Hudson-Prentice, T. Palladino, M. Cohen, B. Aitchison


Derbyshire 378 & 139-3 dec

Durham 196 & 307

Derbyshire win by 14 runs


With du Plooy still injured Lingham comes in. I toy with Critchley instead of H-P and Rampaul instead of Aitchison but H-P is going well and Critchley has little to offer in FC cricket while Rampaul‘ storm is awful.

There are patches of rain on day two and the end of day three so batting first and getting them in on day two would improve the chances of a win dramatically.

We win the toss and bat first, putting in a good performance. There is no big individual score but 60s for Madsen and Priestley and 40s for Godleman, Lingham, Hosein and H-P take us to a strong total. We also now have them coming in the most bowler friendly conditions we could hope for. With five seamers at our disposal we give them plenty of trouble and even stop them gaining a batting point.

We decline to enforce the follow-on and after adding a few more declare with just under a day to play and 322 the target. This seems a bit tight but I have been too cautious so far this year. We take most of them cheaply but Lees (81) and Bedingham (126) give us a bit of a fright and it feels like it is drawing away from us. Once we have Bedingham we take some quick wickets and it is clear it will come down to the wire. In the end the pitch conditions and new ball bowing of Cohen and Palladino probe too much and they fall 14 runs and 3 overs too short.

A good match that was closer than it should have been!

[cde]

Derbyshire v Glamorgan, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, L. Reece, J. Gow, W. Madsen, N. Priestley, T. Lingham, H. Hosein, F. Hudson-Prentice, T. Palladino, M. Cohen, B. Aitchison

Glamorgan
N. Selman, C. Hemphrey, M. Labuschagne, C. Franks, B. Root, C. Cooke, D. Lloyd, B. Cotton, R. Smith, T. van der Gugten, M. Hogan


Glamorgan 208 & 207

Derbyshire 205 & 211-4

Derbyshire win by 6 wickets


Asked to bowl first we get stuck into them and they do well to limp to a batting point. Feeling on top we set out to bat and promptly do no better than they did and we are still half way through day two.

Our aim is to attack the second innings but not too aggressively so that we don’t end up chasing a high total. They manage about the same again but we have almost five sessions to chase the total and so we set off to erode rather than chase the total down. Gow, on 97, looked to smack a four to win the match and reach a hundred but is denied by a wide.

A good win, batting with care in the second innings. It has taken us to the second promotion place. This is not through winning more matches but through drawing more than we have lost.

[cde]

Worcestershire v Derbyshire, New Road

Worcestershire
H. Rutherford. J. Libby, T. Fell, R. Wessels, M. Ali, J. Dell, B. Cox, E. Barnard, C. Morris, J. Tongue, P. Brown

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, L. Reece, J. Gow, W. Madsen, N. Priestley, T. Lingham, H. Hosein, F. Hudson-Prentice, T. Palladino, M. Cohen, B. Aitchison


Worcestershire 459 & 137-9 dec

Derbyshire 332 & 71-6

Match drawn


Asked to bat on a pitch offering little we are taken to town by Rutherford (90 from 106 balls) and Cox (169 from 235) and everyone in between. It is a constant struggle to stop each batsman just smashing us. We come in to bat with the intention of being aggressive but lose Reece and Gow very quickly and decide early on that we are probably playing for a draw here. We simply can’t get out of second gear without immediately losing a wicket so a draw is our goal and we set out to take as long as we can.

Once bowled we act as if it’s a one day match, knowing the last day is overcast with some rain we bowl like it’s a one day match and they eventually declare on the final morning. We lose lots of play to rain, which is just as well for us as we see the game out to an undeserved draw.

We are now third in the table just 12 points ahead of Sussex but only 2 behind second place Notts and 7 behind 1st place Middlesex. The effect that first innings has on our bowler’s form might male all the difference here.

[cde]

Derbyshire v Middlesex, CC Ground

Derbyshire
B. Godleman, L. Reece, J. Gow, W. Madsen, L. du Plooy, T. Lingham, H. Hosein, F. Hudson-Prentice, T. Palladino, M. Cohen, B. Aitchison

Middlesex
S. Robson, N. Gubbins, S. Eskinazi, P. Handscombe, N. Underwood, J. Simpson, D. Lincoln, J. Harris, T. Rolland-Jones, T. Murtagh, M. Cummings


Middlesex 287 & 283-4 dec

Derbyshire 237 & 39

Middlesex win by 294 runs


The last time we played the team at the top of the table it didn’t go too well, so here’s hoping for a better outcome. Du Plooy returns and Priestley makes way. I thought maybe it should be Lingham but we need a more aggressive lower middle order player and he is doing ok.

We are asked to bowl first, which makes a win somewhat less likely but then we have them 77-4 by lunch and anything looks possible. Cohen goes on to take 5-63 but 18 year Noah Underwood starts cheating. This mostly takes the form of hitting the ball with a wooden object over the rope. Twice he cheats by edging the ball into a place that has only just been vacated by a fielder. Once he goes so far as to hit it to a man who is certainly going to drop him, though by this time he is on 127 and can only keep his dastardly underhand methods up for another 18 runs. That is 145 FAKE runs in just 199 balls. We bowl them for what should be a very pleasing total but then collapse in a rather pathetic heap with only 75 from H-P to offer any hope.

We try to contain them and keep the score down but they accumulate runs at a decent enough rate and declare with two and a half sessions remaining. This, I feel, is too late and we should be able to see out a draw. My batsmen, however, bat as if the ball is invisible and we are properly humiliated.

It feels like in the last two matches we have tipped into huge dip in performances. Cohen’s 5-for may suggest otherwise but it is just as well we have just the one match against 7th placed Leicestershire left to play

[cde]

Leicestershire v Derbyshire, Grace Road

Leicestershire
J. Malan, H. Azad, C. Ackermann, A. Supple, N. Welch, M. Cosgrove, M. Hill, A. Lilley, G. Griffiths, D. Klein, W. Davies

Derbyshire
S. Jayasuriya, L. Reece, W. Madsen, L. du Plooy, N. Priestley, T. Lingham, H. Hosein, F. Hudson-Prentice, M. Cohen, T. Palladino, R. Rampaul


Leicestershire 347 & 21-0

Derbyshire 138 & 230

Leicestershire win by 10 wickets


Abbot is injures so we can pick Jayasuriya and Godleman makes way as he is in poor form. Gow has nose-dived again so Madsen moves up to 3 with Priestley coming in at 5. An in-form Rampaul pushes His way in too. Quite how Leicestershire are 7th with such a good opening pair to start them off I am not sure and it is with a heavy sigh we take to field to bowl first.

We keep them to a par score but despite the changes made to the batting we are awful. Just awful. A crushing loss.

[cde]

Season Review


County Championship

Played 14
Won 6
Lost 4
Drew 4

Batting points 26
Bowling points 35

Total points 177


A season of two halves. If the tale of the first six games before the LO matches began was of batsmen over performing then the last five after the LO matches was of cliff-face decline.

While we have finished third in D2 we are in no way anywhere near putting together a team that could compete in D1. This was not a case of just missing out but of just clinging on. The top two team, Middlesex and Notts both gave us a good thrashing and finished with 217 and 198 points respectively while just 20 separated us from 6th place Sussex.

There were always going to be issues, if only because if your team is mostly made up of low 30-something averaging batsmen and bowlers then you need two or three of them to out perform their average every match. If, like in the last matches, they do not then you can find yourself in all sorts of trouble.

There have been some encouraging performances from some of the younger players and du Plooy has indeed been a rock at 4 but it there are big issues throughout the team.


First the openers and at the start of the season Gow looked like a prospect to get excited about given his 2nd XI figures and he did put up a big double hundred and fell just short of another 150 and a century but if you remove his top three scores he is averaging 25.6. It may seem churlish but that is just not good enough at three, let alone opening. He will need another season at three and work on his technique to see if he is a long term prospect. Reece has performed just above average but Godleman well below. Their averages just aren’t good enough if we want to get to D1 and compete while Wood failed to impress in the 2nd XI.

The middle order of du Plooy and Madsen were a great combination, especially when the top order managed to get something on the board but Priestley was disappointing and Lingham failed to impress, though coming into a team in retreat is not easy and he could do much better if given better circumstances to bat in. The other youth prospect Dominic Winters has a decent 2Nd XI average and could push Priestley out.

Only Hosein kept wicket and his seasonal was lower than his career average.

Of the all rounders few were given a chance either because their form was so poor they would have been a walking wicket or the would not bring much to the side. Hanson-Prentice proved to be the most reliable despite fading out of form at the start of the season.

Of the bowlers the experienced trio of Palladino, Rampaul and Reece did well but the others either failed to take their chance or in the case of Cohen to perform well enough over the season to secure his place.

The team still needs strengthening in all areas and going into the second season there is only Gow who is certain of a place next season and there is a serious amount of rebuilding to do. There is also the issue of no spin attack at all. If that is not addressed we will continue to struggle. As it is we can only seem to win when batting first on a bouncy wicket.

For next season we need, well, everything, but a more aggressive middle order batsman, seamer and most importantly a spinner are top of the list.

[cde]

Challenge Trophy

Position: Semi-finalist

Played 9
Won 6
Lost 3


If there is any benefit in the 100 at all it is that it allows a county like Derbyshire the opportunity to get much further in the Challenge Trophy than they otherwise would. You could argue that it gives players a chance they would otherwise not have but it is against weak opposition and in no way prepares them for the knock-out phase of the competition let alone the far greater international standards.

We did well but were also fortunate. The game plan is to bowl first and keep the score comparatively low so that our weakest area – our batsmen- have a chance. This was helped on a couple of occasions by the conditions favouring bowlers in the first innings before clearing for the second. We also built something vital for success – momentum. Once we got a few under our belt form improved but if we had started off with a couple of losses the likelihood is form would have dipped and the end result would have been very different.

There were some encouraging performances. Cohen and Abbot did well to keep the run rate low in the power play and put the pressure on the batsmen. H-P did consistently well, taking two or three wickets a match. Critchley was good at the death but could go for quite a few earlier in the innings.

The top order did well but they were batting in low-pressure situations. That may sound churlish but when the highest strike rate for the top half of the batting is 86 there is no surprise that we couldn’t chase down Somerset’s total in the semi final.

Most of these players will do for the OD team but only if I am happy to only reach the knock-out stages.

If there is anything to prioritise it is going to be an opener and another middle order batsman – we used Hughes to essentially make up the numbers rather than an active choice.

[cde]

T20 Cup

Position: Quater-finalist

Played 14
Won 8
Lost 7


A win ratio of just over 50% seems about right. It would have been good to have made it as far as we did last year but we came up against a far better team.

Our strongest area was the bowling with Abbot effective at the start and death, Critchley proving adept at moping up lower order wickets and Reece doing well in the middle overs. Aitchison took his opportunity with both hands and we now have a core attack for next year. The only real disappointment was that Cohen missed all but the QF and his OD performance suggests he could be good in the T20s too.

Of the batsmen Madsen did particularly well, as did McDermott while the others hit about their averages. Lingham has a good few games when given the chance too.

Depending on what happens with Abbot the main area we need to strengthen is our batting with more aggressive batsmen needed in particular. Despite McDermott’s performance this year his strike rate is not dissimilar to Reece or Godleman’s even if his average is better so the question is if we need a more aggressive signing rather than one with a better average.

[Jamesy1984]

Spinners will always be hard to find in England so may be worth going that way for overseas

[cde]

Squad Review


Batsmen

Noor Ali Zadran, 32

T20: 7 runs at an average of 7 and a strike rate of 77.8

Signed as a back up but not really needed.


Justin Gow, 20
Aggressive Opener

FC: 1002 @ 43.57, 2 100s and 2 50s
OD: 274 @ 34.25 & 83.0, 2 50s
T20: 13.17 @ 127.4

FC bowing: 14 wickets at an average of 31.83 and an economy of 4.33

A good first season in FC cricket with a double hundred and should have converted one of those 50s to another 100 but lots of low scores in between the big ones. Some useful, if expensive bowling too. Needs technique training to see if he can become more consistent. Having a player who can score the occasional big total can be great in the side but it requires those around him to have consistently good scores. OK in OD cricket without being impressive but very weak in T20s. Will carry on at 3 in FC and OD cricket next year and may fill a slot in the T20 side if need be. This is an area that will hopefully improve.


Billy Godleman, 31
Defensive Opener

FC: 545 @ 22.71
OD: 432 @ 48 & 71.8, 4 50s
T20: 353 @ 25.21 & 108.9, 3 50s

A poor FC season despite some promising early scores. Hit his LO averages and is in no danger of being pushed out of the OD side. A T20 opened with a strike rate of 108.9 tells of one of the areas we have been failing.


Thomas Wood, 26
Defensive opener

OD: 233 @ 33.29 & 65.4

Thankfully only had to be used in the OD matches.


Leius du Plooy, 25
Average Agression batsman

FC: 1100 @ 64.71, 3 100s & 1 50
T20: 252 @ 22.91 @ 138.5, 1 50

A fantastic FC season but disappointing in the T20s. Missed all the OD matches. Our no4 for a long time to come


Wayne Madson, 36
Average Aggression batsman

FC: 1194 @ 51.91, 4 100s & 5 50s
OD: 69 @ 69 & 86.2
T20: 767 @ 54.79 & 140.2, 5 50s

A golden season by the veteran. If I was him I would retire now while the going was good. Hope he doesn’t though. High T20 average because of the high number of not outs but a rock in the middle order..


Ben McDermott, 26
Defensive batsman, OD & T20 opener, Occ. Wicket Keeper

T20: 440 @ 36.67 & 125.7, 3 50s

Good season with the bat but iffy with the gloves. Steady rather than impressive strike rate but could be kept on for next year if the price is right.


Neil Priestley, 20
Defensive batsman

FC: 558 @ 29.37, 3 50s

Benefited from a lack of competition. Disappointing but usually came in at 6 and he is very much not a lower order player. Will have to improve greatly to have any future prospects.


Dominic Winters, 22
Defensive batsman, T20 and OD opener

2nd XI: 52.26
OD: 43.85 @ 65.3
T20: 37.31 @ 106.6

The first of the two batsmen promoted from the youth team.Will have to become more aggressive if he wants to stay, there is simply no space for another plodder in the team. With good averages he may be kept on if there is little else on the market.


Tony Lingham, 21
Aggressive batsman

FC: 204 @ 25.50
OD: 441 @ 110.25 & 80.3, 2 100s
T20: 98 @ 49 & 192.1, 1 50

A lot of not outs skew the figures but a promising playe, especially in LO formats. Poor FC figure weren’t helped by coming into a team in free-fall. Will be kept on for a couple of years.

[cde]

Wicket Keepers

Brooke Guest
Average Aggression batsman

Thankfully unused.


Harvey Hosein, 24
Defensive batsman

FC: 413 @ 22.94, 2 50s
OD: 87 @ 46 & 71.9, 1 50
T20: 0 @0. 0

2nd XI T20: 27.13 @ 109.1

When he did bat he was not much good. Two ducks in his two T20 innings. At least he is reliable behind the wicket and had to play the T20s because McDermott is not.