Derbyshire CCC vs Durham CCC
It’s time to dust off the whites, dig out the red balls and return to Championship cricket as the LVCC returns after its high Summer hiatus and with that Derbyshire welcome Durham to the Incora County Ground as both hope to finish the season on a high.
Derbyshire have three games remaining and Durham four and both counties will be hoping a strong finish will see them with a chance of promotion to Division One, now we know that the Championship structure will remain as is for next year.
So far this season Derbyshire have won three compared to Durham’s one and the hosts sit fourth in the table 30 points above their visitors. When looking at bonus points Durham have secured two more batting points than Derbyshire, however surprisingly with Chris Rushworth in their side Durham have amassed seven bowling points less than Derbyshire which gives an insight to the difference in position of the two sides.
Both sides have recently made announcements about next season, Derbyshire announcing that overseas Shan Masood will be leaving at the end of the season to go to Yorkshire and Durham have announced that James Franklin will be leaving his position of Lead High Performance Coach. Both counties will be hoping to send them off with success, however with the forecast, a draw is probably the most likely outcome here.
Key Players
Derbyshire
With overseas star Shan Masood missing Derbyshire will be looking for someone to replace those missing runs at the top of the order. If they are to do so then skipper Billy Godleman will be key. Godleman has had a tough season so far, although he appeared to be returning to form with 87 last time out against Northants in the Royal London One Day Cup and will be hoping for an even better return in this match. Along with his runs, Godleman also offer his experience and leadership and this will again be key with Masood missing.
Durham
Is there a player more key to a county’s success than Chris Rushorth, his wickets are quite simply vital to the success of this club. So far this season he has claimed 31 scalps in First Class cricket at a touch over 27 at 2.78 economy rate. On top of his wickets and his miserly economy rate, he also offers experience and confidence to the other bowlers and the success of Durham is highly dependent on the performance of Rushworth. With the forecast for the week, expect the ball to swing and seam and Rushworth to be in his element
Team News
Derbyshire
The home side have named a 12 man squad shorn of overseas players with Shan Masood selected by Pakistan being unavailable and other previous overseas signings returned to their domiciles, it will be a purely domestic side put out by Derbyshire. The side has been bolstered by the short term signing of Scotland spinner Mark Watt following a successful white ball spell with the county. Expect Luis Reece to move back to open alongside skipper Billy Godleman and Harry Came to slot in lower down the order.
Derbyshire squad: Billy Godleman (c), Luis Reece, Harry Came, Brooke Guest (wk), Wayne Madsen, Leus du Plooy, Anuj Dal, Mark Watt, Sam Conners, Ben Aitchison, Nick Potts, George Scrimshaw
Durham
Durham squad (tbc)
Weather and Conditions
Pack your coats and umbrellas if you are going to the ground. There is a mixed forecast for all four days with sunshine, showers, heavy showers and thunder storms forecast throughout the week. The pitches at the Incora this season have been good for batting and seen plenty of runs scored and don’t expect anything different this game after last week seeing a high scoring Under 19 Test Match played on the ground.
Date: 5th September – 8th September
Time: 10.30 am
Ground: Incora County Ground, Derby
Odds (SkyBet): Derbyshire 10/11 Durham 4/5