Graeme Welch says there are lots of positives to take from the drawn match Bristol, but is looking for an improved bowling performance for the visit of Glamorgan, starting on Sunday.
Welch was pleased with Derbyshire’s batting performance in the draw at Gloucestershire, with Chesney Hughes (137 not out) and Wayne Madsen (150) both scoring centuries and useful contributions from Hamish Rutherford (78) and Tom Poynton (53).
As Derbyshire look towards their first home game of the 2016 campaign, Welch is keen to see more from his bowlers as the county seek a first win of the season at a new-look 3aaa County Ground.
Welch said: “We need to bowl better against Glamorgan. We were a fraction short against Gloucestershire. I think we just got the lengths wrong against some of their batsmen and they cashed in.
“I think the reason for that is the lads chomping at the bit for four months, but we have had a chat about it and we will learn from it ahead of Glamorgan.
“I thought we got better as the game went on. We bowled well in patches but we didn’t bowl well enough as a bowling unit overall and we will be out to rectify that.
“In the end the Bristol pitch was the only winner. It didn’t offer much for the seamers or the spinners even at the end. We will go again on Sunday.”
There were a number of impressive batting performances at Bristol, not least that of Hughes who struck 96 in the first innings before going on to secure an unbeaten century in the second innings.
“Chesney Hughes played well to get very close to two hundreds in the game and he also got three wickets,” he added.
“We have always known that Chesney is a good player. I think in the past he has struggled with shot selection and concentration.
“He’s clearly shown improvement in both those areas in this game to get close to 250 runs. To be on the field for most of the game shows how well he is playing, how good his technique is and how fit he is.
“Also in the runs was Wayne Madsen and I think he is good enough to play for England; the way he applied himself in this game was top class.”
Attentions now turn to Sunday when Derbyshire will play their first Specsavers County Championship match at The 3aaa County Ground and Welch will assess his options before deciding on a squad.
“I will be talking to our Head Groundsman, Neil Godrich, to see how the pitch will play out for Glamorgan. I shall sit down with the Captain and John Sadler to see if and where we can improve.
“Obviously we need to improve with the ball so we will have a chat about team selection over the next couple of days.
“We have a good record against Glamorgan in the past so we are looking forward to the match starting on Sunday. It would be good to hit the ground running at home.”
Derbyshire CCC Membership for 2016 is on sale. Purchase online at derbyshireccc.com, in person at The 3aaa County Ground or by calling 0871 350 1870.
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