We've laid foundations for season of progress

CHAMPIONSHIP cricket may be on the back burner for a few weeks but it is bubbling along nicely as we head into the Twenty20 break.

In fact, this could be the closest Division Two race in years and Derbyshire are in with as good a chance as any of their rivals to take one of the two promotion places.

No side has yet emerged as a candidate to dominate the division in the way Somerset and Nottinghamshire appeared a class apart from quite early in the campaign last season.

Warwickshire lead the way and were among the pre-season favourites, largely due to reputation and having just come down from Division One, but they have played a game more than everyone else and have won only two of their seven fixtures.

That is the same number of wins as every other county in the top six, including Derbyshire.

Having watched them play at the County Ground earlier this season, it is fair to say that Warwickshire are certainly nothing special.

Leicestershire have been the season's surprise packages and whatever your views on their recruitment policy, it works for them. They are a real danger.

But what of Derbyshire?

The innings defeat of Worcestershire was marvellous, built around superb bowling from Graham Wagg and Charl Langeveldt plus an explosive century from Jamie Pipe in a crucial eighth-wicket stand of 145 with Wagg.

It was their second victory, following the contrived last day against Essex which was not the gift some have suggested it was.

Of their three draws, they had the better of the match against Warwickshire and were grateful for help from the weather away to Gloucestershire and Glamorgan.

Their one defeat came to Middlesex in a contest that was in the balance at the beginning of the final day.

That has to rate as a decent start and, with Wavell Hinds now settling in, all the parts are in place to allow Derbyshire to go on to challenge for the top two, if they can.

As far as captain Rikki Clarke is concerned, the foundation is set for a team that will improve as the season progresses.

“We're at the beginning of June and we've only lost three games in all competitions this season,” he said. “We've got to be happy with that.

“Without wanting to sound bitter, we were very unlucky down at Middlesex because we could have won that and should at least have come away with a draw.

“We're playing good cricket, getting ourselves out of jail a few times, and this is a squad that is still merging together, which does not happen overnight.

“It's quite pleasing the direction we're going.

“Ideally, we want everyone to perform every time all the time but cricket doesn't work like that.

“We're getting a few individual performances now and before you know it, we will have a collective team performance where all the batsmen get runs and all the bowlers contribute wickets.

“A win like the one against Worcester is a starting point to take us into better things.”

Especially pleasing for head of cricket John Morris was that the Worcestershire match showed Derbyshire can win a game even when their more established players, such as Chris Rogers, Clarke and Hinds, do not contribute heavily.

It was also important to Morris that the team bounced straight back from the defeat at Lord's.

“We were in with a chance of winning the Middlesex game and if you give yourself a chance to win and you lose, there's no hardship in that,” he said.

“What we've done is bounce back and shown what we can do as well.

“There's nothing like winning because it becomes a good habit. I said that at the start when we went to Grenada.

“Charl got four wickets in the Worcestershire first innings but the rest of it has been dominated by English players, which is great from our point of view.

“The effect that Charl has had on our bowling attack has been immense and the way Waggy bowled here shows maybe he is learning from the master at the other end.

“If the players understand what is going on more, they are going to get better themselves.”