Statistical Preview: Nottinghamshire

Derbyshire play their sixth game of the LV County Championship season against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, aiming to gain revenge for defeats at home and away in 2021.

Heritage Officer David Griffin previews the match and looks at the statistical highlights of the past.

With Vitality Blast T20 cricket beginning on Friday 27 May, red ball cricket will be mothballed for three weeks following this game and so Derbyshire will be looking for a strong showing at their near neighbours.

This will be the 208th scheduled meeting between the two counties in first class matches, and the 100th to be staged at Trent Bridge. Derbyshire have won 45 times and Nottinghamshire 68, with 94 draws, four of which were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Derbyshire’s last win came at Nottingham in 2020 when a superb hundred by Leus du Plooy was the highlight of the game, while Nottinghamshire last won the corresponding fixture in 2021.

Derbyshire’s highest innings total has been made twice; 572 all out at Derby in 2001 and 572 for seven on the same ground in 1991.

That game in 2001 also produced the highest aggregate number of runs in any game involving Derbyshire. A total of 1,655 runs were scored in the match as Nottinghamshire made 526, Derbyshire replied with 572 and then Nottinghamshire scored 557 for five. Most spectators – despite the statistical highlights – considered the game to be a disappointing – and boring – draw, not helped by the uncomfortably scorching hot conditions.

Nottinghamshire’s best innings score came in 1901 when they made 661 in a drawn game at Derby.

Derbyshire’s innings total of 16 at Trent Bridge in 1879 is their lowest against any opponent and resulted in a heavy defeat by an innings and 99 runs.

Nottinghamshire’s lowest total came in 1983 when they were dismissed for 53 at Derby as Michael Holding, Ole Mortensen and Paul Newman shared the wickets in their sides’ 100-run win.

Derbyshire players have recorded 84 hundreds in these games, with a best of 264 by Pat Vaulkhard at Trent Bridge in 1946, the third highest individual score in the county’s history. Kim Barnett, Charlie Elliott, Arnold Hamer and Denis Smith also scored double centuries against Nottinghamshire.

John Morris scored six individual hundreds against Nottinghamshire, Hamer and Stan Worthington five, while of the current squad members, du Plooy and Billy Godleman have both reached three figures.

Nottinghamshire players have scored 12 double hundreds against Derbyshire with William Gunn’s 273 at Derby in 1901 leading the way; the most recent was 218 by Alex Hales at Derby in 2017.

Derbyshire’s second highest partnership of 349 between Charlie Elliott and John Eggar was made against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1947

Derbyshire’s bowlers have produced 98 five wicket innings against Nottinghamshire with a best of nine for 71 by Arthur Morton at Blackwell in 1911 while Fynn Hudson-Prentice was the most recent to take five in the game at Nottingham last year.

Arnold Warren, a formidable pace bowler in the first decade of the twentieth century, took five wickets on eight occasions against Nottinghamshire, although Arthur Morton took 10 wickets in a match more times than any other bowler, performing the feat four times.

Warren, however, holds the record for the best match figures, taking 15-112 at Welbeck in 1904, the third best match analysis in Derbyshire’s history.

Hat-tricks have been taken by Frank Davidson, at Derby in 1898, and by George Pope at Ilkeston in 1947.

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With a formidable top-order, backed up by an exciting crop of bowlers, the Falcons are ready to go again in 2022.