Unlike John Winn we headed south rather than north to sample the opening day delights of cricket at Derby. Fortunately we too were aware of the rather last minute dictat from the ECB enforcing a sensible early 10.30 start, but one would have thought they could have announced this much earlier.
Derbyshire were taking on our 'local' team - Leeds/Bradford University in fine and dry conditions, but with something of a chill breeze to greet the sixty or so hardened enthusiasts sitting outside at the start. The total number of spectators increased to around the hundred mark with many taking advantage of the permanent, heated marquee where food and drink was readily available.
Leeds/Bradford fielded a good few new names in their side, most of whom have either county second eleven or Minor Counties experience. Last year's skipper, Steve Bullen, now in his fifth season, was down as twelfth man and the side was captained by new boy Angus Dahl from Surrey. One notable newcomer is former Yorkshire Academy wicket keeper Johnathan Read. Cantwell, from Durham, and Neal from Hertfordshire were the opening bowlers.
Derbyshire batted with skipper Billy Godleman and Louis Reece, another famous Leeds/Bradford old boy to go with the likes of Gubbins, Roland-Jones and Scott, now all playing for Middlesex. Godleman himself of course also started with Middlesex, many moons ago now, but I remember seeing him as a fifteen year old at the Bunbury Festival in Nottingham when David English told me he was the one to watch for the future.
The opening pair made a sensible start on what looked to be a rather green wicket and had put on 39 before Reece hooked a ball from Neal in the direction of long leg where the other opening bowler Cantwell held on to a good catch. Godleman looked to have played himself in when he rather surprisingly edged one from Holling, a Yorkshireman, to Ashraf at first slip who again held a good catch. So the University side must have been quite pleased with the opening hour, but Wayne Madsen, the county's South African stalwart for so many years now, aided and abetted by Tom Lace, who joined last season from Middlesex soon had matters under control.
These two put on 64 for the third wicket before Lace was caught behind by Read, off Cantwell who had returned for a second spell, for a well made 30. Madsen, who took his time to play himself in played a proper, controlled innings never in a hurry. He lost his next partner Alex Hughes very quickly when he hit the ball straight to cover point Cornall off Holling for no score, but young wicket keeper batsman Harvey Hosein joined the proceedings in fine style. We remember seeing this young man keeping wicket for Derbyshire seconds at Barnsley at the tender age of 15.
The pair were still together at tea with Madsen having completed his 25th century for the county and Hosein well past the fifty mark. The University bowlers seemed to have tired somewhat at this stage, with four seamers and two spinners, Haynes and Dahl, doing their best to keep things under control.
We left at the tea interval to take on the ever increasing traffic on the M1 northbound, which did involve a diversion to avoid an accident at one stage.
Hosein went on to complete his century after tea with Derbyshire well in command and over the three hundred mark. So two centurions on the first day of the season was not a bad start and the day was all the better for meeting several cricketing friends from far afield, who had all felt like us that we should make the effort to travel despite such an early start to the season. By this time we had learned that Madsen was not the first to the century mark as Cook and Westley for Essex and Eskinazi for Middlesex had all got there before him. Hildreth of Somerset and Will Smith for Durham also reached the landmark before the day was out. So a good day for the county batsmen and no doubt it will be the bowlers turn today.
No comments:
Post a Comment