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Houghton targeting return to red ball form

Friday 23rd July 2021
& News
Written by Stephen Martin
Photography by: David Griffin

Dave Houghton is expecting Division Three to be a tight group, but Derbyshire’s Head of Cricket says picking up momentum and ending the season on a high has to be the aim. 

Derbyshire have struggled in red ball cricket this season, going winless in their opening nine games, despite a number of promising individual performances in a developing squad. Matt Critchley has scored 721 runs, the fifth-most in the country, while Sam Conners, Michael Cohen, Ben Aitchison and Fynn Hudson-Prentice have all claimed maiden five-wicket hauls.

With the side’s final four LV= County Championship fixtures now announced, Derbyshire will face Middlesex, Leicestershire, Kent and Sussex, as they aim to turn around their first-class form in the third division.

Houghton says finding form will be the first challenge, but he believes any momentum built could feed into the team’s development moving forward.

“It’s a difficult group, the only thing similar with all of the teams is that we’ve had difficult seasons, we’re all in the same boat from that perspective,” said Houghton.

“There are some big clubs in Division Three and it’s not going to be a simple group, but if we can have a good run and finish in the top two, that will be a year of progression for us, and it will be great to have our Members with us for these games.

“The most important thing for me is that we’ve not won a game in four-day cricket yet, we should have got over the line against Worcestershire but we didn’t manage it. Our first priority is to pick up some wins, if that puts us at the top of the group then great, but we need to get back to winning ways above all.”

Derbyshire begin the second-phase of the competition away to Middlesex at Lord’s, a ground on which Leus du Plooy scored a century the last time out there in first-class cricket.

He is one of three players who will return to action for the Club after playing in The Hundred with Critchley and Luis Reece also taking part in the new competition.

Houghton want’s Derbyshire’s players to rise to the challenge of playing on the historic ground, and says the returning trio’s ability to adapt will be key.

“It’s a special treat to play at Lord’s, it’s the home of cricket, but you have to play well because Middlesex play pretty good cricket at their home ground,” he added.

“So, while it will be nice for the lads who haven’t been there before, it will be a tough game for us. Our players who are away for The Hundred will not have much time to get red ball practice in, but you have to hope that, with the way we change between formats in a season, they will be able to adapt.”

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