Perfect wicket is ideal way to remember Kev

EVEN though he has decided the time is right to go, Kevin Dean will certainly be missed at the County Ground.

Thankfully, there was the chance for the Derbyshire public to see him in action one more time following the announcement of his retirement and the 32-year-old did not disappoint in his farewell performance against Warwickshire last weekend.

too hot for trott: Kevin Dean and Jamie Pipe celebrate after the left-arm bowler made Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott the final victim of his Derbyshire career.

Dean was the most economical of the Phantoms bowlers and perhaps deserved more than his one wicket.

Appropriately, however, that wicket was an ideal way to bow out. Think of a typical Dean dismissal and we should all have an image of the left-arm bowler swinging the ball into a right-handed batsman and getting the lbw.

Playing the game of cricket was always a joy for Dean and there was no greater pleasure for him than seeing another 'lbw Dean' written into the scorebook.

"I think I'd like to be remembered as someone who enjoyed playing and enjoyed even more getting people out lbw," he said.

"To me, that was always the perfect ball because it meant you had deceived the batsman and when the umpire raised his finger, that meant someone else agreed with you that you had bowled the perfect ball.

"That's a great feeling."