Derbyshire weekend talking point - the how and the why

Yorkshire v Derbyshire

Back at the end of July – yes, as recently as that – you would have got few takers, at even the best offered odds, on Derbyshire playing cricket in division one of the county championship next year.

Arguably the lowest point of the season had been reached, as the side was demolished by Yorkshire at Chesterfield. The white rose county racked up 617-5 as Derbyshire’s bowlers, with the notable exception of debutant Peter Burgoyne, struggled to maintain line and length and were punished on a small ground with a fast outfield.

Our batting was little better, although a brave innings by Tom Poynton extended the first innings while a century of brilliance by Wayne Madsen gave us an element of respectability in the second, before we slid to an ignominious defeat inside three days. At that stage, we had drawn three and lost seven of our ten games. Relegation appeared to be a formality, as we appeared short on fight, luck and talent. Our overseas player was injured too. Nothing was going right.

So what happened?

A month later, we have beaten two of the best three teams in the country by some distance, probably should have beaten one of our relegation rivals and then disposed of the other. In sixteen days of cricket we have seen a reprise of the aggressive, fearless displays of 2012. Some may disagree with the word ‘aggressive’ but I don’t interpret it in its widest sense. You don’t have to play silly shots and score at five an over to be aggressive.

Sometimes you just have to make it clear that you’re not going to step back, or fold under pressure. The opposition comes at you hard and you give it back with interest. We’ve started to do that. Maybe that dressing room song should change to Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down…

A change of personnel did help and Karl Krikken made it clear at the end of that Yorkshire game that he was unimpressed by some of the body language he had seen from the side. As a player, Krikken was someone who you knew would always give 100%. As a coach, he does the same, but from the sidelines, pacing up and down and playing every ball with his team. He cares about his job and the club and wants to see similar passion from the team.

Shortly after that game came the news of Ross Whiteley’s departure to Worcestershire. It seemed like little was going right at that time from a fan’s perspective, but there was little point in the club keeping a player who didn’t want to be there. Ross is a good lad, but it would be a surprise if his disenchantment at the club’s refusal to allow him to go to Australia in the winter wasn’t simmering in the background and being somewhat counter-productive to team spirit.

From that situation – and the laudable, decisive action taken by the club – came a new-look team, with Alex Hughes, Ben Slater and Matt Higginbottom being given runs in the side. All have done well. Hughes has played several good innings, fields very well and offers useful medium pace when the conditions favour him.

Slater has emerged from largely irrelevant opportunities at number six to play some innings of high promise in the opening berth to which he is more accustomed. Higginbottom took good wickets but crucially bowled with control, something that had been sadly missing at Queens Park and on other occasions. Peter Burgoyne has batted, bowled and fielded well when required and the enthusiasm of the new boys have, I think, been a major boost for the captain.

Wayne Madsen has led with authority, performed to the very highest levels and remained an excellent figure-head for the club. It would be hard to find someone who had a bad word to say about the man and he’s now got the confidence to bowl himself on occasions- a tactic that has proved more than worthwhile.

He has been helped with a rich vein of form from Tim Groenewald, while Mark Footitt has had his best season in the first-class game, having been encouraged to run in hard and bowl quickly. He’s done so with increased control too and is a potent weapon for the captain. No one likes facing a bowler who can reach and exceed 90mph and when he comes in at an unusual angle (few left-armers have ever bowled at that speed) he brings variety to the attack.

A fit Tony Palladino is also good to see and the captain and coach must both feel that they can match whatever is thrown at them in the field over these last two matches.