Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the youngest clubs in the County Championship. They were formed in 1870 and played their initial First Class match the following year.
Unfortunately, Derbyshire has never really enjoyed a great deal of success. They have only won one Championship in their entire 132 year history (1936), and they were actually kicked out of the Championship for several years in the late 19th century due to a terrible run of form.
Even their one day successes have been few and far between: one Gillette/NatWest/C&G title in 1981, a Sunday League crown in 1990, and a Benson & Hedges Cup in 1993. That’s it.
I am not sure of if it has anything due with the lack of success, but the club has been quite the nomadic bunch over the years, as well. They have hosted First Class matches at 14 different grounds since their inception: Abbeydale Park, Bass Worthington Ground, Burton-on-Trent CC Ground, County Ground, Derby High Ground, Ind Coope Ground, Miners Welfare Ground, North Road Ground, Park Road Ground, Queen’s Park, Recreation Ground, Rutland Recreation Ground, Saltergate, and the Town Ground. That number bumps up to a shocking 21 when you add in List A and t20 matches.
However, the majority of their cricket has been played at two grounds: The County Ground and Queen’s Park.
Respectively:
The former ground holds 9,500 folks and features a brand new stand and a new marquee. It has hosted several ODIs, an FA Cup Final, and is the former home of Derby County Football club.
The latter holds 7,000 and was the home to Derbyshire from 1898 to 1998, and then again from 2006-Present after a major refurbishment. The ground is within the city limits of Chesterfield and looks to feature quite the picturesque setting.
Notable players? Well, Kim Barnett scored the most runs in Derbyshire’s history, with 23,854 over a nine year stint with the club from 1979-1998. However, his career was marred by contract disputes and his place on Mike Gatting’s rebel tour of South Africa.
Les Jackson took the most wickets for the club, with 1,670, playing for them from 1947 to 1963. He actually had an extraordinarily interesting life. The son of a miner in born in Derbyshire, his brother was killed in the Creswell colliery disaster in 1950, yet Jackson would work in the mines in the off season for most of his life. He was genuinely feared by batsmen, especially on uncovered county wickets. He could swing the ball both ways and employed a short run up, hence his longevity. He passed in 2007 at the ripe old age of 85.
And that, in so many words, is Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
Usual sources…blah blah blah…
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Back on the pitch, not a great deal happening. There actually is not single international match taking place today, so I will leave the chatter on the upcoming matches for another day. However, one programming note: the entire Bangladesh-Pakistan series is going to be available live on ESPN3. One t20, three ODIs, and two tests. Happy days.
Until next time.
Limited Overs 