Billy Godleman believes recruitment and retention are key areas for Derbyshire this winter and he’s pleased to see a number of key players commit their futures to the Club.
Five players have penned extended deals with Derbyshire in recent weeks, including home grown talents Alex Hughes and Harvey Hosein, with Godleman pleased to see a core group commit to Derbyshire.
He said: “All those guys [who have signed new deals] are integral and solid contributors, but we also saw key contributions from all the guys who came in to the side during the summer.
“Luis Reece, either side of his injury, was a massive contributor. As was Hamidullah [Qadri] when he came into the side.
“Alex [Hughes] is a real Club man and works hard to develop a position higher in the batting order as well as getting more experience bowling in red ball cricket. He again showed his importance to the side.
“It’s important at any Club, and even more here, that we hold onto our senior professionals and our best home-grown talent. The guys who have signed extensions and committed their futures to the Club is very much in line with that.
“Recruitment is very important, but as important is keeping your better players which we have thankfully been able to do.”
After an improved Specsavers County Championship campaign, which saw Derbyshire enjoyed their best season since 2014, Godleman is now looking forward to continued development under Head of Cricket Dave Houghton.
He added: “The nature of our performances on the whole, although there were areas to improve, the manner when we won or claimed a draw showed a marked improvement over the last two or three years.
“From a captaincy point of view, my sole focus was making sure that we’re getting better each day as individuals and as groups. I still believe that if you have that mindset, then you give yourself the best chance to get more wins and more points on the board.
“I believe we’re very fortunate as a Club to have Dave back. First and foremost, he’s a really good person who cares deeply about Derbyshire. He’s got a wealth of experience across various roles, both nationally and in county cricket, and it’s a level of experience that I think is unrivalled.
“Dave wanted to get someone with bowling expertise involved in the set-up and I think that’s an excellent decision which will also give me someone else’s knowledge to draw upon in my role as captain.”
Thank you for your support this season. Club Membership for 2019 will go on sale in October. We hope to see you at The 3aaa County Ground next summer.
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Derby’s biggest and best fireworks display, hosted by Capital Breakfast’s Dino, Pete and Tyles, returns to The 3aaa County Ground on Saturday 3 November. Buy your tickets in advance and save.
