Pre-Match Pack: Durham

Derbyshire have named a 14-man squad for their LV= County Championship fixture against Durham at Emirates Riverside, starting on Thursday 22 April at 11am. 

Tom Wood has been called into the squad after scoring a century against Northamptonshire for the Second XI, while opener Luis Reece will be hoping to replicate his century at Emirates Riverside last year.

Leus du Plooy and Wayne Madsen scored their first half-centuries of the season against Worcestershire, while Matt Critchley continued his fine form with bat and ball, passing 50 each time he’s batted so far this season, including one century, averaging 85 with a top score of 109, while also taking ten wickets.

Harvey Hosein has also scored half-centuries in his last three innings, he’s joined in the 14 by fellow wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.

George Scrimshaw comes into the squad for the trip up north, joining the likes of Sam Conners, Ben Aitchison, Michael Cohen and Fynn Hudson-Prentice as seam bowling options.

Dustin Melton misses out due to an abductor strain, while Australia international Billy Stanlake is due to join up with the squad later this month, after finishing his commitments with Queensland in the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup.

Derbyshire Squad: 

1. Billy Godleman (C)
10. Luis Reece
24. Tom Wood
76. Leus du Plooy
77. Wayne Madsen
20. Matt Critchley
18. Alex Hughes
16. Harvey Hosein
29. Brooke Guest
33. Fynn Hudson-Prentice
8. Michael Cohen
11. Ben Aitchison
59. Sam Conners
9. George Scrimshaw

Bite-sized Stats

Of their 29 meetings, Derbyshire have won six times against Durham, while this week’s hosts have picked up 13 victories.

Derbyshire’s last win at Emirates Riverside came in 2004 when a splendid hundred by Australian Jon Moss was at the heart of a fine 165-run win. There have been some close calls since, none more so than in 2019 when the home side won by 29 runs in a game which could have gone either way.

Durham’s biggest win – by an innings and 79 runs at Darlington in 2000 was followed seven weeks later by Derbyshire’s biggest win, by 232 runs at Derby in a game which saw Dominic Cork make a magnificent, unbeaten 200, the highest score ever made by a Derbyshire player batting at number eight.

Click HERE to read the full stats preview.

Pre-Match Talk

Ben Aitchison is pleased with Derbyshire’s unbeaten start to the 2021 campaign, and believes that they will pick up wins if their level of performance remains high.

After draws in their opening two fixtures against Warwickshire and Worcestershire, Derbyshire sit third in their LV= County Championship group on 26 points, six points behind the top two.

“We’ve played some really good cricket but not managed to get the result we deserved, which can happen, but as a bowling unit and a batting unit, we performed really well,” he said.

“At Warwickshire, we managed to fight our way into the game, despite having one off-day, and (against Worcestershire), we’ve only just come up short. If we keep playing that brand of cricket all season, we will definitely pick up some wins.

“I think we’ve played some really good cricket in our first two games, if we can keep that level going, hopefully we can get over the line and make it into one of those top two spots.”

How to follow

Derbyshire’s LV= County Championship fixture against Durham will be Live Streamed on the club website through our improved Match Centre.

With Live Streaming, in-play scorecards, ball by ball commentary, clips, statistics and so much more, you can put yourself at the heart of the action, even from the comfort of your own home!

Clips and updates will also be provides via our social media channels, so make sure you’re following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, so you never miss a moment of the action.

Safety Regulations

Due to current safety and capacity regulations, Derbyshire’s away fixture with Durham will be held behind closed doors. We urge supporters not to travel to Emirates Riverside.

Coverage of the fixture will be provided via the club website in our Match Centre, as well as our official social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Secure priority entry with 2021 Membership.

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Membership is the best value way to follow Derbyshire as we celebrate the historic 150th anniversary of our first match, with a host of other Member Exclusives included too.

Club Membership for the 2021 season is on sale now, priced at just £199. Members to have priority entry and all Memberships backed by our new guarantees.