A day at Denby

Posted by Tony Hutton

Tuesday 3rd September and off to deepest Derbyshire where the county second eleven were playing a friendly game with Middlesex seconds at the delightful Denby ground just north of Derby.
I have been a regular visitor to this excellent venue for many years now, always for county second eleven games and usually with plenty of runs being scored. Today was no exception on day two of this four day game and a very strong looking Middlesex side, having dismissed Derby for 219 yesterday, were piling on the runs.

Middlesex started the day on 13-0 with the experienced pair of Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins, regular opening batsmen in championship cricket, but obviously surplus to requirements in the present T20 competition. Gubbins, who has not been in the best of form this season surprisingly stepped across his wicket to be bowled leg stump by Taylor for 10 and he was soon followed by another product of Leeds/Bradford MCCU, Andersson a prolific scorer at the University, caught behind by Hosein off Hutchinson for 5.

The ground at Denby looked in excellent condition in the morning sunshine.

By this time Robson was well into his stride and occupied the crease until mid-afternoon in a partnership with Max Holden which put on 166 runs for the third wicket. Robson was finally out lbw to the new South African signing Dustin Melton, who played against Australia for the county first team last week. Robson made a fluent 122 with nineteen fours and two sixes. Holden, the left hander, was somewhat more circumspect, but he too went to his century later in the day. The young man from Afghanistan, Hamidullah Qadri, toiled away without reward for much of the day bowling his off spin and finishing the day with figures of 0-99.

Robson straight drives Qadri for four.

Despite a fresh breeze blowing across the ground, which is situated in a bowl enabling spectators to watch from the top of a bank on one side of the wicket, the sun shone for much of the day before the cloud came down later on. Middlesex had relied on the experience of another first teamer to bowl Derby out yesterday as Tim Murtagh had excellent figures of 5-25. Unfortunately Derbyshire had no such experience among their rather limited bowling attack. The close of play score was 351-4 with Holden still going strong on 151 not out.

First team scorer John Brown takes a busman's holiday to watch from the boundary.

A most enjoyable day with half a dozen Middlesex youngsters who had played for the under nineteens side at Todmorden on our recent visit there. We were rather disappointed not to see one man named on the scorecard, who we had heard much about, in Dan Lincoln, a non-league football goalkeeper and hard hitting club batsman who has recently joined Middlesex. In fact he had been playing for Berkshire as they won the Minor Counties West Division during the first two days of this game. However he did apparently turn up the following day, taking Murtagh's place and scoring 34 runs as Middlesex took their total to 474 not out.

The Denby pavilion in the background.

Middlesex went on to win the game by bowling out Derby for 261 in their second innings, despite a fine century by Mattie McKiernan, who we had seen doing so well for Cumberland in the past. He was finally dismissed for 134 by the very occasional bowling of Sam Robson, who managed to finish with figures of 3-17 and probably surprised himself in the process. Despite losing Gubbins for nought, Middlesex knocked off the seven runs required for victory by nine wickets.