Derbyshire players Neil Broom, Ben Slater, Alex Hughes, Luis Reece and Matt Critchley are all playing cricket abroad over the winter. We catch up to see how they are getting on.
New-Zealand bound Broom is playing for the Otago Volts in their first-class competition, the Plunket Shield, after agreeing to be their overseas player for the 2016/2017 season.
The right-hander has, so far, amassed 354 runs in five matches in the four-day competition, at an average of 56, making him the fifth-highest run-scorer in the competition.
The Volts most recent fixture, against Wellington, ended in a draw after rain put paid to play on day three. Broom hit 24 in the first innings.
All-rouder Reece is featuring for Gosnells Cricket Club in the First Grade of cricket in the Western Australia Cricket Association this winter.
Playing in his third season for the club, Reece is currently the leading wicket-taker in the WACA First Grade competition, with 14 wickets at an average of 11.28.
The Gosnells opened their Premier T20 campaign this week with a six-wicket win over Perth CC. Opening the batting, Reece struck 35 off 31 deliveries including three fours and bowled two overs for 12 runs.
Kingston Hawthorn duo Ben Slater and Alex Hughes are continuing to build on their recent form in Melbourne. Slater is currently ranked eighth in the overall batting standings in the Victorian Premier League, having struck 339 runs across all formats at an average of 48.43.
Hughes, meanwhile, recorded his first half-century of the season as the right-hander top-scored with 79 against Franklin Peninsula – the match ending in a draw. Alongside his batting efforts, Hughes has taken eight wickets across all formats.
In their most recent fixture, Slater (54*) and Hughes (24*) steered their side to a nine-wicket victory against Footscray Edgewater in the ninth round of the first-grade competition.
As part of the ECB’s men’s International Pathway, leg-spinner Matt Critchley was awarded an Overseas Placement in Australia and is playing for Randwick-Petersham Cricket Club in the New South Wales Premier League.
In his most recent game for the Sydney-based team, Critchley contributed 1-14 from three overs as his side were narrowly defeated by two runs at the hands of Sydney Cricket Club.
Overall, the 20-year old has taken 6 wickets in nine matches and has struck 103 runs with a highest score of 44.
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