Pre-Match Pack: Essex

Derbyshire have named a 13-man squad for their LV= County Championship fixture against Essex at The Incora County Ground, starting tomorrow (11am). 

Matt Critchley will continue as captain for the final group one game, while Billy Godleman remains unavailable for selection. Harry Came could make his first-class debut for Derbyshire, while the likes of Tom Wood, Brooke Guest and Leus du Plooy will all be looking to get valuable red ball runs before the second phase of the competition.

Harvey Hosein is expected to keep the gloves against the reigning County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy holders, while Michael Cohen, Ben Aitchison and George Scrimshaw will be hoping to make an impact with the new ball.

Wayne Madsen, Alex Hughes, Dustin Melton and Sam Conners are among the first team players currently sidelined due to injury.

Derbyshire Squad: 

10. Luis Reece
4. Harry Came
24. Tom Wood
29. Brooke Guest
76. Leus du Plooy
20. Matt Critchley (C)
16. Harvey Hosein
33. Fynn Hudson-Prentice
21. Mattie McKiernan
15. Alex Thomson
11. Ben Aitchison
8. Michael Cohen
9. George Scrimshaw

Bite-sized Stats

This will be the 184th meeting of these two sides, one of which was abandoned without a ball bowled at Buxton in 1953.

Derbyshire have won 31 times, Essex 79 times with 72 draws.

Derbyshire largest margin of victory was by an innings and 227 runs at Chesterfield in 1967 when Derek Morgan scored 52 and took 11-66, and David Smith made 114. Morgan’s feat of scoring a half century and taking ten wickets against Essex, matched the effort of Les Townsend a generation earlier when he scored 85 and took 11-65, on the same ground.

Click HERE to read the full stats preview.

Pre-Match Talk

Dave Houghton was frustrated by the manner of Derbyshire’s heavy defeat to Nottinghamshire in the LV= County Championship, and is looking for a better showing against Essex. 

The loss, Derbyshire’s fifth in nine first-class matches, saw the visitors lose by an innings and 36 runs and Houghton was frustrated by the heavy defeat, and says a lack of form and confidence is affecting how the players approach their innings.

“It was a very disappointing game for us. We’re playing really poor cricket at the moment,” he told BBC Radio Derby.

“Our bowlers were the bright sparks for us again and our catching was excellent but we batted poorly and you can’t compete in this game if you can’t put a score on the board.

“The ball was swinging a bit but if you can’t play a swinging ball you shouldn’t be playing at this level. We’ve got out cheaply twice, we haven’t even got an individual fifty within the game and we were no competition for the opposition.

“Our batting has been poor all season and I can’t put a finger on why. It’s just one of those rolls you get on and the confidence goes. They are going out there almost looking for a good ball and they are getting it.”

How to follow

Derbyshire’s LV= County Championship fixture against Essex will be Live Streamed on the club website, through our improved Match Centre, delivered in partnership with Purpose Media.

Multi-angle replays put you at the heart of the action, The Match Centre also includes in-play scorecards, ball by ball commentary, clips and statistics, everything you need to stay up-to-date, no matter where you’re following from!

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.