ROBIN Peterson turned on the style when Derbyshire head of cricket John Morris had the chance to see his big winter signing in action for the first time.

Morris took a short holiday in South Africa after Christmas and combined business with pleasure by going to see Peterson (right) play for Cape Cobras in a 40-over match against Eagles at Paarl.

He watched the 30-year-old hit 78 not out off 47 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, batting at number five before bowling eight tidy overs of left-arm spin for 2-30 in a 115-run victory.

That was not a one-off for Peterson this season.

He is averaging 42.57 with the bat and has taken 19 wickets at 29.73 in six first-class matches, while his one-day batting average is 49 to add to 11 wickets.

Peterson, who has played six Tests, 35 one-day internationals and five Twenty20 internationals for South Africa, will join Derbyshire at the start of next season as a Kolpak signing.

Morris was glad to get the chance to know the player a little better before then.

"I didn't go out there especially to see him but it was nice to get the chance to meet him face-to-face for the first time and to see him play," said Morris.

"He performed well. He batted beautifully and did his job with the ball.

"His figures have been good for Cobras this season and, hopefully, he can reproduce that for Derbyshire next season as well.

"We knew when we signed him that he is a talented cricketer in the four-day and one-day game.

"He knows what his role is and the fact that he is having a good season for Cobras is encouraging for us.

"He also seems a genuinely nice lad. Like most people from that part of the world, he is very respectful and has a strong sense of what he wants to achieve.

"We have quite a solid dressing room at Derby where everybody gets on well and I can see him fitting in, no problem."

Morris also met up with former Derbyshire favourite Charl Langeveldt, who is playing again for South Africa and Cobras after a serious shoulder injury ruled him out of a return to the County Ground in 2009.

"I had a good chat with Langers and it was nice to see him playing again," Morris added.

"He was really sorry about not being able to come over to us last season and felt as if he had let us down but I was able to assure him that was not the case and these things happen.

"He's back in the South Africa squad and he's looking forward to, hopefully, being selected for the trip to the West Indies for the World Twenty20s in April and the one-day series after that."