Pre-Match Pack: Nottinghamshire

Derbyshire have named a 13-man squad for their LV= County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire at The Incora™ County Ground, starting on Thursday 29 April at 11am. 

Derbyshire come into the game against their local rivals unbeaten in their first three red ball fixtures, with Matt Critchley and Harvey Hosein in good form with the bat.

Wayne Madsen scored half centuries in both innings at Durham and he will be looking to build on that performance alongside, which saw him pass 11,000 first-class runs for the club.

Brooke Guest also showed good temperament at Emirates Riverside, twice steadying the innings with Hosein, while Fynn Hudson-Prentice will be aiming to make a similar impact to his match-winning heroics at Trent Bridge last year.

Sam Conners claimed a maiden first-class five-wicket haul against last week, taking him to nine wickets for the season. George Scrimshaw also got off the mark with the ball at Emirates Riverside, and he joins Ben Aitchison, Michael Cohen and Fynn Hudson-Prentice as pace bowling options.

Australia international Billy Stanlake has arrived in Derbyshire to begin his stint with the club, however Covid-19 restrictions prevent him from playing in this fixture, while fellow quick Dustin Melton misses out as he continues to recover from a abductor strain.

Derbyshire Squad: 

1. Billy Godleman (C)
10. Luis Reece
24. Tom Wood
76. Leus du Plooy
77. Wayne Madsen
20. Matt Critchley
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

These two local rivals have been playing each other almost since Derbyshire stepped foot into first-class cricket in 1971. Their first encounter, and just Derbyshire’s 11th first-class match, was at Trent Bridge in 1875, the hosts winning by 93 runs.

In all, there have been 205 scheduled games between the two counties, although 4 were abandoned without a ball bowled; Derbyshire have won 45, Nottinghamshire 66, with 90 draws.

Derbyshire’s three-wicket win over Nottinghamshire in 2020 broke a record for the club’s highest fourth-innings chase against a fellow first-class county, with Fynn Hudson-Prentice taking centre stage as Derbyshire achieved the target of 365.

Click HERE to read the full stats preview.

Pre-Match Talk

Head of Cricket, Dave Houghton, believes Derbyshire have shaken their underdog tag when it comes to their rivalry with Nottinghamshire, and says the squad come into the game full of confidence.

Derbyshire have drawn their opening three first-class fixtures, with the likes of Matt Critchley, Harvey Hosein and Sam Conners all starting the new campaign strongly. Conversely, Nottinghamshire are currently bottom of Group One, with two draws and one defeat.

Houghton says spirits are high in the camp after a positive start, and he believes the traditional roles of Nottinghamshire as the side confident of a result and Derbyshire as the underdogs are reversed for this fixture.

“There was a time where you would see us unsure of ourselves and Nottinghamshire full of confidence, I think this time it’s the opposite,” he said.

“We play that tough brand of cricket now and we feel like we can win this game. It’s going to be a tough game, of course, but we are looking for a win over Nottinghamshire, because it would be a fantastic boost for everyone.

“It should be a good game, the weather is set fairly well, we should have another good wicket, because our ground staff produced a belter for the game against Worcestershire.”

How to follow

Derbyshire’s LV= County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire 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!

Please note that Derbyshire, along with all 18 First-Class Counties, will be taking part in a social media boycott from 15:00 BST on Friday 30 April to 23:59 BST on Monday 3 May. 

In taking part in this boycott, we want to show solidarity with football and amplify its message that nobody should have to suffer abuse, racism or harassment on social media because they play, or are involved in professional sport.

This will mean that no match coverage will take place on social media throughout this period, although the Live Stream and commentary will still be running through our Match Centre for the entirety of the game.

Safety Regulations

Due to current safety and capacity regulations, Derbyshire’s home fixture with Nottinghamshire will be held behind closed doors.We urge supporters not to travel to The Incora County Ground.

Coverage of the fixture will be provided via the club website in our Match Centre.

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.

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