CHESTERFIELD

By Brian Sanderson

Myself and Bob Procter decided to go an see the Second Team  semi-final between Derbyshire and Surrey on Friday.
As I was parking the car I saw Tony Hutton  coming to collect his chairs. So we all settled down to watch the match next to the pavilion. The weather was rain showers which made it hard to watch the match  in the first thirty overs of the Surrey batting.

We were able to obtain some coffee and a piece of cake for £1.20 ,excellent value. The Surrey innings was dominated by two partnerships. The first between Chris Green ,who was born in Natal and has played for New South Wales and Bradley Erasmus who was born in Chertsey Surrey. They put on 76  and the second partnership was between Green and Tim Linley . They put on a partnership of 56.

Green went on to score 101 in a total of 241.The two best Derbyshire bowlers were Taylor and Milnes taking five wickets for seventy seven in twenty overs. The feeling was that the score was short of at least forty runs. by this time the sun was out and some people were buying  ice cream.

Derbyshire started quickly with Will Durston who put on 72 in eleven overs which set up Derbyshire to win the match by five wickets and five overs to spare.

I was asked  why I liked this ground so I enclosed two photographs which can not be seen on any other County ground.

The miniature railway running round the lake

The second one when the ball got lost in the bushes. There is talk of reducing the Champion matches next year and grounds like Chesterfield would be deprived of matches which would be a shame.