David Griffin's images of the season

Despite only lasting 29 days, Club Photographer David Griffin managed to capture enough highs and lows of the 2020 summer to be able to present his favourite dozen images from the shortened season.

Here, listed in ascending order, are his favourites from 2020.

The Captains

My usual position at the toss is a couple of feet away from the captains; Covid-19 regulations and protocols meant this shot had to be captured from the boundary edge at Trent Bridge on the first morning of the season. No more handshakes in 2020, just elbow touches for captains Billy Godleman and Steven Mullaney.

Madsen’s Landmark

During the final match of the summer, Wayne Madsen batted in his 500th innings for Derbyshire at Headingley. I’ve had the privilege of watching and photographing all 500 over the course of 12 seasons during which time he has become one of the outstanding players in the modern game, and one of the leading run-scorers in Derbyshire’s history. This image was taken at Leicester when he scored the 30th first-class hundred of his Derbyshire career, moving level with Denis Smith, leaving just Kim Barnett and John Morris ahead of him. With an additional six List A hundreds to his name, the raised Madsen bat has been an enduring feature of the past decade.

Wood’s Opportunity

Tom Wood has been a leading club cricketer for some time while his performances for Derbyshire’s Second XI have demonstrated that he is a cricketer of promise. Returning to the staff this summer after being released, he played a dynamic and classy innings in the final T20 game of the season against Yorkshire at Headingley. I particularly like this image because it shows power and style all in the same shot.

Sanitize

A permanent feature of the summer was this sanitisation interlude every six overs. At some grounds, players trotted off to hand sanitizer stations on the boundary, but in the main it was the 12th man who raced on wearing a mask and gloves, clutching a hand sanitizing dispenser.

Madsen’s Trademark

Wayne Madsen reached 2,998 career runs in T20 cricket for Derbyshire this season, agonisingly short of becoming the first Derbyshire player to reach 3,000 runs in this format. This shot has become his trademark over recent years, generally finding the boundary for a four or six, timed to perfection and leaving bowlers baffled. This shot did result in a boundary, but he also injured his leg which is unsurprising given that the weight of his body is on his feet and ankles.

The Power

Every bowler has a different action – some may copy others or try and bowl in a classical fashion, but ultimately each bowler has to work out what works for them. This image of Michael Cohen was taken at Chester-le-Street and amply demonstrates the effort which goes into his bowling action.

Critchley’s Celebrations

Like another Derbyshire leg-spinner, Imran Tahir, Matt Critchley’s wicket-taking celebrations are becoming a thing of great energy and excitement. And 21 wickets this summer – the most by any Derbyshire bowler – meant these were fairly frequent occurrences. This shot was taken at Leicester as Critchley ripped through the Leicestershire batting on the third and final day to take career-best figures of 6-73. Not for Critchley a handshake and a high five – or elbow touch; rather, he enjoys a triumphant charge around the outfield. Any why not?

Hughes’ Record

Alex Hughes had been gradually making his way up the Derbyshire T20 leading wicket-takers list for a couple of years, and finally overtook Tim Groenewald with this 52nd wicket, taken at Leicester. Hughes is great to photograph when he’s bowling because he’s a good fielder off his own bowling so there’s always a chance of him diving to field or catch the ball, and his appeals – like this one – are generally loud with plenty of facial expression.

Aitchison Catch

Before he was injured, Ben Aitchison looked impressive with the ball having made his debut at Trent Bridge. Tall and with a high action, he looks very promising and it was a pity that the shortened season was curtailed even more for him. This image was taken at Chester-le-Street when he caught and bowled Bedingham and I was fortunate to be in an ideal spot to capture this photo.

Conners’ Delight

I spend a lot of time trying to capture the expressions of delight on the faces of our cricketers and removing Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings with the first ball of the match at Aigburth drew a suitable response from Sam Conners. These shots are subject to the luck of the draw – if he’d bowled from the other end, this image would never have come about.

That Winning Feeling

Dustin Melton probably felt that he’d drawn the short straw when he was asked to bowl the final over of the T20 game at Leicester with the home side needing ten to win with two batsmen set and six wickets in hand. Nevertheless, with remarkable calmness, he conceded a mere five singles off the over to give Derbyshire victory by four runs. His roar of relief and delight as the match ended was perfect for a photographer.

Making History

My favourite shot of the summer again highlights the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time. The Covid-19 protocols restricted photographers to the lower tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand at Trent Bridge. Accordingly, when Fynn Hudson-Prentice struck the winning run to secure Derbyshire’s record-breaking run chase against Nottinghamshire in the opening Bob Willis Trophy game, it was fortuitous that he was running and leaping in my direction. If I’d been in almost any other position on the ground, this shot would not have been possible.