vic's Derbyshire Story

Disappointing, interestingly poised match that.

16th July - Challenge Trophy: vs Hampshire (A)

Changes: Lingham comes out for Cleary, while Sherbourne takes Dean's place. Dean has been a bit unfortunate, but we need to start planning for the future. And the recovered Dean Casey takes the spot of Nethercott, who is in wonderful form, but has yet to bring that across to the shorter form, thus making way.



This is of course down to the final 8, and a big day for the Derby boys. They lost the toss on what look to be good conditions, and were forced to bowl. Sherbourne captured the important wicket of Pietersen, after the initial breakthrough. Bridge later took the two set batsmen, MacLeod and Key, in 3 balls, to really open the game up. He was saved for the final overs, and did a wonderful job as Derbys kept the required total to not much above 200.

What followed was pretty digusting, and the standard set by Hussey. His 1 from 18 balls was horrible to watch, and the impetus was never found for the innings. Goddard and Casey both got in, but gave away their wickets as soon as they tried to slightly up the run rate. It was a very disappointing ending to the Challenge Trophy campaign.

17th July - National League: vs Yorkshire (H)

Changes: Kevin Dean comes in for Jack Sherbourne, who has been selected for the England squad in their current series. A big congratulations to him, a great achievement in only his second season.



After winning the toss, Yorkshire went about their business in a very professional manner, going at a fast pace early and maintaining it throughout. Bridge was one who was especially targeted, but it was another spinner in Solanki whom was best with the ball in hand. He's become quite a valuable all-rounder for us in one day cricket, with 13 wickets at 32 - not bad for a fifth bowler.

His batting wasn't valuable today though, out for 1 early on. In fact, none of the top order did their job, and it was like being back at the start of the season again, as we were 6/92. Cleary came out and embarrassed a few of those above him, scoring 47 from 43, and Goddard was left stranded as the tail had a go at the total to no avail.

18th July - Twenty20 Cup: vs Hampshire (H)

Changes: Casey comes into the side for France, while the bowling undergoes a big makeover. Sherbourne is still on duty, thus in comes Dean. Jefferson is forced to subside for Bridge, while Lungley is sent to the seconds while Jones struts his stuff.



Against the same team that cruelled our chances in the Challenge Trophy only two days ago, this was a chacne for revenge. Early wickets made it hard for Hants, but a good partnership through the middle made 150+ look likely. However, an excellent last four overs from Dean and Cleary kept the score at a chaseable level.

The top order finally stood up in a run chase though. Pearson nearly saw the chase through, and batted responsibly, while Hussey and Khalid (33 ball innings) went particularly hard at the bowling. Through to the last 4!

20th July - County Championship: vs Middlesex (H)

Changes: Casey in for France, and Sherbourne is still out for Dean. Sutton was given a chance after good form in the 2nds.



Dalrymple came out blasting us, after Middlesex won the toss, and was 99* at lunch. Further partnerships developed, and we couldn't get the run on we needed. Jones really busted his gut, and bowled really well, while Bridge was always threatening.

We got off to a pretty poor start, with Hussey burning Solanki. The turning point was the injury to Nethercott, who had to retire hurt. After that, we capitulated, and were left 98 runs behind the follow-on mark.

The second innings was a better affair. However, the downfall was the inability of someone else to accompany Khalid, as we needed two hundreds if we were to challenge. Khalid running himself out also didn't help.

Any doubt of the result was erased with Ellery's innings, where he went at better than run a ball in the chase. A poor result for us.

24th July - National League: vs Northamptonshire (A)



Cleary's efforts during the middle overs were the obvious highlight. His second spell was particularly outstanding, as Northants had two set batsmen at the time who looked like taking the score past 220. Not enough support for those batsmen who did get a start.

The reply was convincing, and it started with the opening partnership. A few quick wickets afterwards could have spelt panic, but Khalid and Casey were forthright in their partnership, and ended up doing with ease, and five overs remaining.

30th July - Twenty20 Cup: vs Lancashire (A)

Changes: Ben France comes in for the injured Nethercott.



Pearson threw the bat early, but Khalid struggled throughout his innings, and only kicked on late. Nor could anyone else really smash it around for a while, hence a massive score being beyond us, and a very reachable score for Lancs being posted.

Lancashire paced their innings well in reply, but a few tight overs from Bridge in the middle stretched them a bit. Flintoff was seeing them well early, and in the end, they needed 9 an over from their last four.

Jones' last over went for 9, and this left Sherbourne to bowl the last two from one end, and Cleary one from the other. When Sherbourne's went for 11, this gave the Lancs a real sniff, and then Cleary's went for 10 - leaving them only six to take off the last. Ainscow took two from the first ball, and then a single off the next. With 3 needed to win, and 4 balls remaining, Flintoff took a single. Sherbourne then delivered a dot, and then another under enormous pressure. Lancs needed 2 off the last ball to win. It was skied out to deep cover, where Simon Jones took the catch. We got up by a run, and we're through to the final!

31st July - Twenty20 Cup: vs Worcestershire (A)

Changes: Dean comes in for Sherbourne, whom is once again required for England duty.



After losing the toss and being sent in, Derbyshire's Twenty20 batting all came together at the perfect time. Hussey came out of the slump he'd been in and laced them from the start - Pearson helped them get off to a flyer as well - while Khalid took up where he left off from. It is the highest score I've been involved with in a Twenty20 that I can remember, a huge effort. Hussey scored his runs off 55 balls, Khalid from 48.

Worcs threw everything they had at us. After four overs, they were well above the required run-rate, but the introduction of Simon Jones changed everything. At the end of his first two overs, he had 5/9. That was the end of the game as a contest, as Derbyshire won their second Twenty20 Cup. It was a great achievement, after only just sneaking into the knockout stage.

Well done Jacko, top stuff.

3rd August - County Championship: vs Essex (A)

Changes: France in for Nethercott, who is out for 5 weeks.



Once again, it was starts aplenty amongst the top order, without anyone failing to go on. The factor that really hurt the total was both Casey and Khalid going out without getting a bigger score than what they did.

The bowling side of things got off to a horrid start, with Simon Jones getting injured. Four half centuries didn't make our going any easier, although Cleary hurt Batty, which was handy, if a little "unfortunate".

Scoring at pace was a message drummed into the batsmen, and back themselves they did. Solanki scored a quickfire 50, while Casey, France and Goddard all contributed. It was enough to give the bowlers something to defend, leaving Essex with 220 to win, and our bowlers 2 sessions and 1 hour to bowl them out.

However, despite a couple of early Cleary breakthroughs, Wayne Fuller was impenetrable, and guided his side to victory.

Well Done mate, you look like you've really got the team going. Well played in the 20/20 cup

7th August - National League: vs Essex (A)

Changes: Lingham in for the injured Jones.



A really good batting performance by the boys after being sent in. Tudor was targeted successfully, as Pearson played his finest knock of the season, while Khalid continued his good form.

Cook and Laxman looked like taking Essex all the way, and only 4 an over was needed over the last 10. However, Dean and Cleary combined to let only 27 runs from the last 8, and freezed the run rate sufficiently to allow Derbys to get over the line. Bridge also bowled really well.

10th August - County Championship: vs Yorkshire (H)

Changes: The injured Jones is replaced by Lingham, whom was battling with Lungley for a spot. While Bassano is in for France. Bassano is coming off a ton in the seconds, and France has struggled for a while.



Yorkshire came out with intent after winning the toss, Marcus North going at run a ball for his 50. We kept on taking wickets before they ever got really on top, but it was the 8th wicket partnership that took the total from a win to us, to them being on top.

Hussey anchored our innings beautifully, and the others maintained the impetus of attack, and while it was disappointing that no-one else could go on and make another hundred with Huss, it helped us produce a decent score. A brave declaration, behind the total still by 71 runs, on the third morning left the game in a precarious position for both sides.

Clearly, after being dispatched in the first innings, set to atone himself by taking two poles in his first over. However, throughout the Yorks innings, every time we got a breakthrough they were able to settle, not allowing us to get the run on we needed to keep ourselves to a small chase. Gale, unluckily for us, had scored his only two scores for the season over 50 in the one match against us! With only two overs left in the day, Bridge took a couple of wickets to seal the innings, leaving us 402 to win, in one days worth of cricket.

The first session was a great session of cricket. Hussey stroked a fine half century, while Solanki and Bassano fell in the pursuit of quick runs. Casey came in and looked comfortable from the get-go, as the score of 3/159 at lunch indicated that the game had much life in it for both sides. The second session was no less exciting, starting with Khalid being dropped second ball after the interval. Casey and Khalid continued to play well, but when Casey and Pearson fell quickly, it left 180-odd to get with 5 in hand. Goddard and Khalid successfully negotiated the period leading up to tea, from where Derby needed 108, and Khalid was 104*, and clearly the key to victory.

Things looked rosy after an hour of the final session, and with 61 minutes to play, 57 were needed to complete the chase. However, with 38 minutes left, and 43 to get, disaster struck: Khalid, who had been clearly tiring and struggling to turn the strike over, was knocked over by Siggins, whom at this stage had taken 5 of the 6 wickets to fall. A wonderful knock of 143 from 206 was completed, and Clearly walked in to the cauldron. He was out after notching up 9, leaving 29 to win, in 29 minutes, with three wickets in hand.

Bridge was next in, but it was Goddard whom left next. This proved a quandary - with only Dean to come afterwards, do Lingham and Bridge go for the runs, or shut up shop and ensure some points towards getting out of the relegation zone.

It was decided that we'd come too far to give up now, and victory was the goal. 24 to win, 24 minutes left, 2 wickets in hand. Siggins by this stage had 7/66, a huge effort. Ferraby stood up the next over and knocked over Lingham. Only one in hand now, with Dean at the crease. Yorkshire took the new ball at this stage - another hurdle for Derbys to overcome. Numerous tight overs came after that, and the situation was thus: two overs left, 16 runs needed, one wicket in hand. Unfortunately, the bowling was too good for us to get close, although with one ball remaining, there was a huge appeal for LBW - which was turned down. An amazing finish, although both sides left unsatisfied, although few supporters at the ground were.

14th August - National League: vs Nottinghamshire

Changes: Pearson and Khalid desperately need a rest. I've brought in Bassano and Bryant to replace them. Dean will also have a rest, and Lungley will get a run.



Notts went about savaging our attack from the start, and if it weren't for 3 early Lungley wickets, the damage could have been huge. As it was, a big 4th wicket partnership took the game from our hands, as the fourth and fifth bowlers were taken to big time. Lungley and Cleary finished the innings reasonably well though, considering what could have happened. Lingham was also economical.

The reply wasn't all that bad, although it was saved in "junk time" by Goddard and Lungley. Too many starts from the batsmen up top, without anyone going on to build a big score that could have given the side a chance.

24th August - County Championship: vs Northamptonshire (A)

Changes: Simon Jones comes in at the expense of Lingham, while Dean gets the lemon and sarsparilla for Tom Lungley after his efforts in the last one dayer.



On a bit of a bunsen, we chose to bat first, and all was OK until the introduction of spin. Our middle order really struggled against it, but Pearson stuck firm and played a fine knock. However, with his dismissal we weren't out of the wood yet, but a handy partnership of 54 for the last wicket got us upto a more competitive total.

Once again, the introduction of spin changed the game during the Northants innings, with Lungley following up after Bridge took some quick wickets. However, the partnership between Emerson and Shafayat was crucial, as were a number of dropped catches, as they established a first innings lead.

The pitch had deteriorated a lot by this stage, and once Mike Hussey got in he continued to work hard to give the bowlers a total to defend. This too was helped by Dean Casey, whom contributed his most important score since returning from injury. The declaration was made, leaving a bit over two sessions for Northants to chase 262 to win.

Jones claimed the first innings hero Emerson for a duck just before lunch. He claimed Sales after lunch, but it was tough going after that, as Bangladeshi opener Ahmed batted superbly, and Bridge was fairly ineffectual. 122 needed to win at tea, with 7 wickets in hand.

Bridge bowled well after the break, as did Jones, but to no avail. However, after Bridge removed Afzaal, Lungley struck twice, getting rid of Ahmed importantly. At this stage, there were 3 wickets left to take, 41 to win and 35 minutes left in the day. After Bridge took another wicket, Khalid dropped an easy chance. With 11 runs to win, and 2 in hand, Lungley dismissed Exley, with 13 minutes left to play. With one over remaining, Bridge was forced off the ground with exhaustaion, having bowled unchanged for 28 overs. The ball was tossed to Simon Jones to get the elusive breakthrough. Northants only needed two to win.

Jones comes around the wicket to Panesar. His first ball is a dirty full toss, which Panesar edges - Solanki takes a hanger! What an awesome win!

30th August - County Championship: vs Lancashire (H)

Changes: Mark Cleary is the unlucky one who is dropped at the expense of the returning Jack Sherbourne, who has been 12th man for England in three consecutive Tests. Bassano has been dropped for Bryant.



After the euphoria of the last win, it seemed as though minds weren't on the job as the batsmen collapsed terribly. Once again, too many starts, although Bryant showed promising signs in his return to the side. Cale was excellent for Lancs, doing the damage early. It was a substandard effort in perfect batting conditions.

And this was further exemplified by the Lancs batsmen, who absolutely obliterated our attack. Two centuries, and Flintoff being declared upon when 93* (don't know how happy he'd be about that!) as the flat pitch was exploited to the maximum by a quality line-up.

So, 305 runs behind and the team owed each other plenty. However, the top order played far too recklessly, and again it was Cale who was ripping through us. However, the tail showed some real fight, and assisting them was Pearson, whom played probably his greatest knock in the longer form of the game, keeping Lancs at bay for over 6 hours, and 364 deliveries before being the last man out, a gallant effort. But we didn't get far enough in front to make a game of it, unfortunately.

Ladders as of 3rd September

4th September - National League: vs Lancashire (A)

Changes: Cleary in for Sherbourne, who is off on duty again.



Off to a bit of a flyer, with Hussey out too early though, and following him was a quick procession of wickets which left us at 4/80 after 20. Wilcox never got going in his 20, but Khalid, after a circumspect start, got the side up to a competitive total. Cale once again troubled us.

Lancs were never really troubled in their chase, with Sean Ervine being the main instigator in making the chase as comfortable as possible.

11th September - National League: vs Northamptonshire (H)



Ahmed was once again in fine form against us. Casey got hit about early but fought back well, and Jones found a little bit of form. But a challenging total faced us.

Our reply was really well paced though. Despite not getting off to a flyer, we kept wickets in hand. Hussey was eventually out for 30-odd, and then Pearson came in and upped the tempo. He made a really good run-a-ball 50, while Solanki got progressively quicker as he went on, and the two virtually sealed victory with their partnership.

14th September - County Championship: vs Kent (A)

Changes: Nethercott, who has recovered from a fractured jaw, comes in for Bryant.



A great day for Derbyshire on the first day was somewhat soured when Shaftab Khalid was bowled for 99 with two overs remaining. He and Nethercott put on a great partnership, and Solanki was great early in the day as they set about establishing a large first inning total. The next morning continued in much the same fashion, as Derby were only 2 runs away from 500 in 4 sessions, and still only 4 down. Casey continued to see the ball like a pumpkin, and with 20 minutes left in the 5th session of the day, the declaration was made.

Things looked as though it could be a procession early on in the Kent innings, but it was a wonderful debut hundred from Andrew Tong, as the resistance finally came. However, it never really looked in doubt that Kent would be following on, and that they were with one hour left in day 3.

Kent again struggled in their second innings. Sherbourne claimed some early ones, and when Bridge removed Tong it took the score to 6/138, and virtually put it completely out of Kent's reach. Wayne Law battled hard, and the catching wasn't always pretty, but eventually the game was closed out, a win for the good guys.