Derbyshire v Glamorgan Day 4
Glamorgan 410-9 declared
Derbyshire 252 and 281-3 (Rutherford 108, Madsen 79 not)
Match drawn
In the end, showing greater resilience than has been evident of late Derbyshire saved this game with relative ease. The quick loss of Billy Godleman and Chesney Hughes exposed the possibility of a loss, but Hamish Rutherford and Wayne Madsen got together to bat until after the tea interval to secure an honourable draw.
For both, they were welcome runs. The broken finger has disrupted the flow of the skipper's season and several weeks out takes some time from which to recover. He passed six thousand championship runs en route to his score and his return to form is both welcome and expected. Madsen is, quite simply, a batsman of the highest class. Even below par he is averaging just under forty, something that most batsmen would settle for in their prime.
As for Rutherford, it was proof that he can play the disciplined innings that was once the preserve of Chris Rogers or, to use a man from his own country, John Wright. He has got starts in almost all of his innings and his greater exposure to English tracks will only help him in this and aid his continued development.
After I watched him against Surrey, I suggested he would be a fine signing for next summer. Nothing I have seen since has changed my mind, as he has proven he can play the roles of anchor and dasher quite nicely. Averaging just north of fifty at this stage, he has let no one down and reinforced my view that New Zealanders rarely fail to be good value in the overseas stakes.
I hope we can build on this and gain confidence from it. As I wrote last night, there is individual talent in this side, but we need collective confidence that will come from a big score or two.
I hope it is the catalyst for improved form and confidence.