Head Coach John Sadler is challenging his younger players to convert their potential into positive results on the field next season.
Sadler, who was instated as Head Coach in June, believes that his young side have the capacity to win competitions but must continue to work hard during the forthcoming winter months if their potential is to equate success in 2017.
“We can keep improving and progressing if we keep believing in what we’re doing,” said Sadler. “We’ve got an incredible pool of young talent coming through.
“Harvey Hosein’s worked really hard in the last 12 months and particularly in the winter – he’s going to be a super cricketer.
“Will Davis has been a breath of fresh air coming in at the second half of the season. Tom Milnes has had to fight really hard for an opportunity and when he’s come in he’s done well with both bat and ball, and is another example of the good prospects we have.
“It’s just important that we keep working hard and make that potential come to fruition.”
He added: “You look at the tables and it doesn’t make for good reading. But you’ve got to look at the experience that some of these youngsters have earned. The experience is learning from these results and the opportunities will put them in good stead years down the line.”
Derbyshire went in to the last group fixture in the NatWest T20 Blast still within a shot of claiming a quarter-final place, but defeat at Durham ended hopes of a first knock-out spot since 2005.
“It’s a sign of progression even though it doesn’t mean much now when you look at the table,” said Sadler.
“The club, fans and spectators would’ve loved to have got to the knock-out stage. We missed out on the Twenty20 by one game – if we had won that last game against Durham we would’ve qualified.
“The 50-over competition was very disappointing. Half-way in the competition we were top of the league, we needed to win two in the last four games and unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”
