vic's Derbyshire Story

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18th September - National League: vs Hampshire (A)

The early bowling from Hampshire was solid, as no-one but Solanki managed to get on top early. Once he fell, we were 4 down before the end of the 15th, but a good partnership between Wilcox and Casey developed, and Casey saw the side through to the end of the 45, with assistance from Goddard who did an OK job at the death.

Hants were too measured in their reply, and we couldn't make any of the necessary early indents into their batting line-up to run through them.

 

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21st September - County Championship: vs Durham (H)

Another well compiled first innings by the Derby boys. Unfortunately, a number of players fell just short of milestones, including two in the 90s. However, a number of solid partnerships throughout gave the side a substantial total with which to start the game. The bad news was the fractured arm sustained by Graeme Bridge as he tried to fend away a short ball. Yet another injury, we've had our fair share this season.

In Bridge's absence, it wasn't necessarily the usual suspects who filled the breach. Both Casey and Solanki broke through for important wickets, and at the end of the day Durham needed 35 more to avoid the follow-on, while Derby needed 3 wickets. Sherbourne took those three remaining wickets the next day, and gave Derby the chance to make Durham bat again.

Our second innings bowling effort was just as impressive. Despite Wood's best efforts from the opening position, we were able to dismantle the man down the other end more often than not, especially thanks to Lungley's spell. Casey chimed in for three late wickets, as we romped into victory, and in doing so, somehow managed to avoid relegation!

 

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Ladders as of 25th September (End of Season)

 

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Season Player Statistics

First Class Batting

1. S. Khalid: 1540 runs @ 53.10. 10x50; 4x100.
2. D. Casey: 1126 runs @ 48.96. 7x50; 2x100.
3. J. Pearson: 874 runs @ 39.73. 6x50; 1x100.
4. L. Goddard: 834 runs @ 39.71. 5x50; 1x100.
5. V. Solanki: 743 runs @ 30.96. 3x50; 2x100.
6. M. Hussey: 712 runs @ 37.47. 4x50; 1x100.
7. K. Nethercott: 555 runs @ 46.25. 1x50; 2x100.

One Day Batting

1. S. Khalid: 691 runs @ 40.65 (SR 82.25). 6x50.
2. J. Pearson: 661 runs @ 31.48 (SR 89.67). 3x50; 1x100.
3. M. Hussey: 576 runs @28.80 (SR 78.15). 2x50; 1x100.
4. D. Casey: 531 runs @ 44.25 (SR 75.51). 5x50.
5. V. Solanki: 451 runs @ 23.74 (SR 78.69). 2x50.
6. L. Goddard: 399 runs @ 57.00 (SR 78.54). 4x50

First Class Bowling

1. S. Jones: 53 wickets @ 36.75. 2x5WI. BB 6/120.
2. G. Bridge: 37 wickets @ 27.97. 1x5WI. BB 6/85.
3. J. Sherbourne: 34 wickets @ 33.00. 1x5WI. BB 5/84.
4. M. Cleary: 34 wickets @ 39.21. BB 4/66.
5. K. Dean: 25 wickets @ 44.32. BB 4/90.
6. T. Lungley: 19 wickets @ 36.00. BB 3/52.

One Day Bowling

1. S. Jones: 33 wickets @ 21.85 (ER 5.08). 2x5WI. BB 7/31.
2. M. Cleary: 29 wickets @ 25.00 (ER 5.11). 1x5WI. BB 6/43.
3. J. Sherbourne: 27 wickets @ 15.74 (ER 3.95). BB 3/14.
4. G. Bridge: 20 wickets @ 28.45 (ER 4.98). 1x5WI. BB 5/33.
5. T. Lungley: 19 wickets @ 21.58 (ER 5.72). 1x5WI. BB 6/44.
6. K. Dean: 18 wickets @ 21.44 (ER 4.39). 1x5WI. BB 5/32.
7. V. Solanki: 17 wickets @ 38.53 (ER 5.99). BB 3/56.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Recruiting Period

It is with much sadness that Derbyshire hear of Vikram Solanki's retirement. He has been a very loyal and well respected member of our team since he was recruited, and has been a stalwart of our batting side. We wish him all the best in future endeavours.

We'd also like to congratulate Jack Sherbourne on his Test debut, in which he gained Man of the Match honours, and his One Day International debut. Here's hoping that they are both the first of many matches in English colours.

The following players were signed:
Abdur Razzak: international player, from Bangladesh. Left arm spinner whom can also bat down the order.
Phil Jaques: Australian opener. The history of left hand openers from Australia contines.
Marcus Marsden: has had some pretty good wraps on him. From the youth team last year.
Anthony Miller: 26 year old recruit. Has potential, but conversion rate from 50s to 100s has really hurt him.
Richard Clinton: former Surrey opening batsman. A Solanki type recruit, who still has a few good years left in him.
David Sales: Batsman, who is getting on. Taken as a stop gap selection, if anything goes really wrong.
Carl Pearce: all-rounder, poached from another team's youth program after a fall-out. Hopefully he can reach his potential here at Derby.

The following players were let go:
Michael Hussey
Mark Cleary
James Bryant
Chris Bassano
Chris Paget
Tom Jefferson

As well as Vikram Solanki retiring.

Onto 2012!

 

[_Ed_]

Good luck! Looks like you've signed some useful individuals. Razzak has killed heaps of my teams. Hate the guy tbh.

 

[vic_orthdox]

13th April - County Championship: vs Leicestershire (A)

Starting Team:
Jaques
Pearson*
Khalid
Casey
Nethercott
Clinton
Goddard+
Razzak
Lungley
Jones
Sherbourne

We took the bold move of appointing James Pearson captain for the season. He still has many years in front of him, and we see him as providing stability as a leader over the future years. We hope he can repay us in kind.

On what looks to be a pitch that will favour bowlers throughout, we won the toss and batted. Jaques fought valiantly, while Weatherall took a wicket with his first ball in first class cricket. Nethercott was the star, and despite a push from up high to have Sales batting at 5, the young player was given his place, and he rewarded the faith with a gutsy 100.

The bowling effort was brave, but a lack of support from the fielders, and a strong lower order effort from Leics, saw us have a deficit of over 100 once we took all 10 wickets. The pitch was only getting worse on which to bat on, and these wickets would prove vital. And to prove that although the season had changed, other things hadn't - Simon Jones got injured.

However, positive batting saw Jaques and Pearson share a three figure opening stand, and by the time that the fourth day rolled around, we had a lead of over 100. After Nethercott notched up his 50, the declaration came. This left Leicestershire with 241 to win, and just over 1 and a half sessions in which to do so.

After an early wicket, Carey came to the crease and played a very aggressive knock of 50, to leave Leics with 150 to get in a session - very doable. Once again, 39 year old David Robinson was amongst the runs, while the Derbyshire side relied on Razzak to run through them. He produced chances, but again we failed to hold onto them. After having a crack at the total, Leics eventually decided to play it safe, and were happy with the draw in an even match-up.

 

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17th April - National League: vs Somerset

Starting Team:
Jaques
Pearson*
Khalid
Casey
Nethercott
Wilcox
Goddard+
Razzak
Lungley
Sherbourne
Dean

It was a substandard batting effort in perfect conditions for runs. Once again, starts were a plenty, but it was only Wilcox at the end of the innings who could go on with it. Tight bowling at the start saw us at 1/7 after 6 overs, which was always going to make it hard to get a score above par on the board.

What followed though was a fantastic bowling effort against a quality line-up. After Sherbourne and Dean were easily seen off, Lungley and Razzak combined to keep things really tight, and took some wickets too. Razzak ended up with 2/21 from his allotment of 9, while Casey did a fantastic job early. However, he tired, and went for runs late as Somerset got a sniff of a victory. This was staved off with the return of Lungley, however, and Sherbourne and Dean saw the victory through.

 

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24th April - National League: vs Leicestershire (A)

It was a really disciplined bowling effort, with Lungley coming on at first change and proving the difference. Casey and Razzak supported him really well throughout the middle overs, and by the time that the last few overs came around, Leics didn't have the wickets in hand to capitalise.

Pearson and Jaques took a while to get going, but in the end the win was rather comfortable, with a few overs remaining. Khalid also supported the chase well.

 

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27th April - County Championship: vs Essex (H)

The first hour was disastrous, after winning the toss, losing four wickets for very few runs. However, Clinton came out and was very positive, and helped pull a bit of momentum back towards Derby; he eventually reached his 50 from only 63 balls. His second 50 was a fair bit slower, however he reached it just before tea, having combined with Nethercott for a vital partnership. However, he was out soon after the break, and it looked as though a sub-300 score was inevitable. A crucial 9th wicket partnership between Razzak and Sherbourne however got the score up to a much more competitive mark.

After an early wicket, a few of the gun Essex bats looked to try and put the game out of our reach. However, at 1/124, the game changed, and from then on there were no serious partnerships, as our bowlers continued to chip away at their line-up.

The second innings would have been horrific if it weren't for Khalid, whom compiled a vitally important 80. However, there was insufficient support, and what should have been a hand lead soon became a saving grace, as we set Essex only 236 to win, on a pitch that was still in good condition.

Goddard dropping Jenkins in the second over wasn't really required, and by the end of the third day the opposition had knocked 44 runs from the chase for no loss. Again, two more dropped chances ruined any chance we had of winning the game, and despite a good spell from Lungley, Essex reached the required target comfortably. When defending such a mediocre total, missing chances is a cardinal sin.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Commited.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Commited.

That all you got?

 

[vic_orthdox]

2nd May - National League: vs Durham (A)

Changes: Dean out for Stanton, as the pitch at Durham looks to be taking some turn.

The fourth and fifth bowler really copped a hammering for us. Stanton looked well short of a run, as he got pounded, while Casey didn't do a good enough job during the middle overs. At the 28th over, Durham were going at 6 an over, however Razzak and a good closing partnership from the openers meant that the total was kept to something that could possible be chased.

What followed was an awesome innings from Jaques. He raced to 50, and there was little support from either end, as Khalid and Pearson both chewed through dots early in their innings. Khalid ended up picking the pace up a little, and once he was out it was our game to lose. That wasn't going to happen as long as Jaques stayed in, and he ended up 159* from 142 balls, a supreme knock.

 

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3rd May - Challenge Trophy: vs Dorset (A)

Changes: Dean in for Stanton, and Jones in for Lungley.

Dorset played very well with the bat. The opening partnership was worth 80, and this gave them the base to go on to post a very defendable total. Jones was disappointing with the ball, while Casey got a few wickets at the death to make his effort look a bit more commendable.

In reply, Jaques and Pearson batted superby. Despite getting off to a slow start, they went paced their innings perfectly, and the only wicket to fall was due to Jaques burning Pearson.

 

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6th May - County Championship: vs Hampshire (A)

In conditions that should favour the bowlers throughout, we won the toss, and a pair of 67s from the openers displayed that runs weren't going to be easy to come by. Unfortunately, there were four people who got past 50, but still no-one could notch up that big score that would have pushed the team's total past 400.

Hants' innings was much the same, with a number of starts. Sherbourne did a fantastic job, while Lungley was expensive but took a number of important breakthroughs.

James Pearson then played the perfect captain's knock. Despite wickets falling all around him, he batted throughout the innings, and took responsibility as the tail came in to stonewall and hold the bowlers out, as he took up valuable time which would make the task for Hants harder. The declaration came halfway through the morning session of the fourth day, with Pearson finishing 131* from 352 balls. This left Hants with 301 to get.

Sherbourne got a couple of early breakthroughs, but Brown made a rapid score which had Hampshire on the way to victory. An important breakthrough by Lungley slowed down proceedings, while Razzak really tied things up from one end. However, Sadler was the man who refused to go down without a fight, and at tea Hants needed only 120 to win, with 4 wickets in the tank.

Razzak continued on the attack after the break, but fatigued. Jones got a crucial wicket, and this left us with 20 minutes to get the last wicket. Two dropped catches in the last session proved crucial, as Tremlett and Tennison managed to bat the game out, much to the distraught of the Derby players.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

That all you got?

Hey, at least I'm actually reading the thread. You can't expect too much from me itbt.

 

[vic_orthdox]

11th May - County Championship: vs Kent (A)

Changes: The dreadfully out of form Simon Jones was dropped for Kevin Dean.

After losing the toss, a successful first session was rounded off with a run-out last ball before the break, leaving Kent 6/134 at lunch. Sherbourne had taken three to that stage. Dean and Razzak combined after the break to wrap things up.

After losing the openers quickly, Khalid batted well, despite burning Casey, and Nethercott batted with the tail and deserved a 100. A lead was very important on a wearing pitch.

What proceeded was disastrous, as Kent poured on the runs. A fine rearguard knock from Carberry saw them to a large total. At one stage, they were effectively only 4/114, but a fine collective batting effort, and some dropped catches, saw the required total to win end up being 380. Razzak bowled 43 overs for his 5 wicket haul, a great effort, while Sherbourne battled hard also.

The chase got off to a bad start with Jaques running out Pearson. We never got the real big partnership required to win the game. Nethercott and Casey were looking good, however with the resumption of play on the 4th morning, Nethercott and Clinton fell in quick succession, thus so did our chances of winning. Casey batted well throughout, and heading towards tea saving the game looked likely. However, both he and Lungley fell within two overs of the break, and the game was wrapped up soon after tea.

 

[vic_orthdox]

15th May - National League: vs Gloucestershire (A)

Changes: Jones is out for Lingham, while Goddard and Jaques will have a rest. Their spots will be taken by Sutton and Clinton respectively. Nethercott is to be replaced by Marsden, who has been making runs by the truckload in 2nd XI.

A substandard bowling effort, with Casey, Lingham and Lungley all getting a bit of tap. Trott batted superbly, and was supported by a number of quick cameos, as we faced a daunting total without our strongest batting line-up.

The batting effort from the top order was lacklustre. Clitnon threw the bat early, while Pearson struggled. Soonafter, a few quick wickets saw Derby languishing at 5/84, and needing 6 runs an over. Sutton and Wilcox let themselves get settled, but the runrate kept climbing. Eventually they got in their groove, but this looked to be to no avail, as they needed 90 from their last 10.

However, they both continued to find the boundary regularly, and just after Sutton fell, there were 31 runs required from 3 overs. A good over saw that fall to 18 from 2. Amazingly, Wilcox cut loose, hitting three boundaries in a row and taking 16 from the over, as he won the game off his own bat. He also brought up a well deserved hundred during this time, as Derby chased down a great victory. Wilcox ended up 103* from 90 deliveries, once again delivering on his promise in the short form.

 

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17th May - Challenge Trophy: vs Sussex (A)

Changes: Pearce comes in for Marsden, while Jones takes the place of the fatigued Sherbourne. Jaques will also replace Clinton.

Against a high quality bowling attack, we were OK. A tough start was covered up by good knocks by Casey, Sutton and Pearce, who finished the innings off well on debut.

He followed this up with a fine display of attacking spin bowling. Razzak tied them up down one end, while Lingham bowled well early. It was a good win against a quality outfit.

 

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24th May - National League: vs Scotland (A)

Changes: Clinton in for Pearson, who is injured for three weeks.

A good batting effort. After a slow start, Khalid got 74 from 70, while Jaques notched up his 3rd century for the year in the shorter form.

After a 79 run opening stand, things turned around with the introduction of Pearce. He and Razzak once more combined to do the business, and notch up a comfortable win for the boys.