Statistical Preview: Nottinghamshire

Derbyshire return to The Incora County Ground at Derby for their sixth Royal London Cup game, against neighbours Nottinghamshire, a match originally scheduled to be played at Trent Bridge. Heritage Officer David Griffin previews the match and looks at the statistical highlights of the past.

These two counties have met on 62 occasions in List A cricket, Derbyshire winning 20, and Nottinghamshire 40, with two abandoned.

They first met at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield in 1969 in the inaugural Sunday League, known as the Player’s County League, since when Derby, Heanor, Ilkeston, Trent Bridge, Welbeck and Worksop have hosted matches.

Derbyshire’s highest innings total is 303-4 at Derby in 2017 when Billy Godleman (90), Ben Slater (72) and Wayne Madsen (66*) were the principal contributors. Unfortunately for Derbyshire, the match was interrupted by rain and Nottinghamshire’s 286-6 was sufficient for victory under the Duckworth/Lewis regulation.

Nottinghamshire’s highest total is 340-7 at Welbeck in 2016.

Derbyshire’s lowest all-out total is 97 in that opening game at Chesterfield in 1969, while Nottinghamshire’s lowest is 81 at Nottingham in 1972, a game which launched the career of Mike Hendrick.

Derbyshire batted first and made 147-6 from 39 overs and the home side never recovered from being 10-4 and 13-5.

David Wilde, playing one of his occasional matches for Derbyshire, had figures of 8-3-8-1, and Phil Russell’s analysis was 7-3-7-2, but it was Hendrick, who finished with 7.4-4-7-6 who stole the headlines.

Hendrick’s 6-7 remains the best bowling figures against Nottinghamshire and the third best for Derbyshire in List A cricket.

These sides have met frequently in the knock-out stages of one-day cricket; the quarter final of the Gillette Cup at Trent Bridge in 1975, the quarter final of the NatWest Trophy at Derby in 1981 and 1987, the semi-final of the RAL Cup at Derby in 1990, and more recently the quarter-final of the Royal London Cup at Nottingham in 2014.

Hundreds have been thin on the ground for Derbyshire’s batsmen; the first came in 1997 courtesy of Chris Adams, whose 121 at Trent Bridge remains the highest.

Chris Bassano and Matt Cassar also scored centuries at Trent Bridge, while the only one at Derby came from Billy Godleman, who made 116 in the last game between the two sides at Derby in 2019.

The highest partnership for Derbyshire is 184 for the first wicket between Bassano and Jon Moss at Trent Bridge in 2004.

Aside from Hendrick’s 6-7 there have been two other instances of bowlers taking five wickets in an innings, Russell, who took 5-54 at Trent Bridge in 1974, and Hendrick again, who took 5-30 at Chesterfield in 1975.

There have been only three hat tricks by Derbyshire bowlers in one day cricket and one came in the NatWest Trophy quarter final at Derby in 1987 when Martin Jean-Jacques ended the Nottinghamshire innings with three wickets in three balls.

That match was also notable for the appearance of a female streaker who, taking advantage of the televised game and the potential publicity arising from her race across the outfield, found herself making a topless appearance in a national newspaper several days later.

The PA announcer that day was the indomitable Les Hart, a man not given to extremes. As the young woman raced across the ground clad in just black briefs, he merely announced; “Come on love, we’ve seen it all before.”

Watch Derbyshire in the Royal London Cup!

50-over cricket returns to Derbyshire this month, with tickets on sale now for all home games, including the local derby against Nottinghamshire at The Incora County Ground and the fixture against Yorkshire Vikings at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield.