Graeme Welch provides his assessment after the drawn match versus Essex at Chelmsford, Derbyshire’s fifth successive draw in the Specsavers County Championship.
On a rain-affected final day, Hamish Rutherford (68) and Chesney Hughes (66 not out) both hit fifties as Derbyshire closed on 261-4, leading by three runs, when the two sides shook hands.
Elite Performance Director, Welch, however, is asking for more from his side ahead of the NatWest T20 Blast campaign, which starts on Saturday.
Welch said: “I’m quite disappointed with our start to the season, to be honest. We’re trying to save the game on the fourth day again, probably for the third or fourth time.
“We’ve dropped a few catches. Browne got 255 here after we dropped him on 49, and the same with Ed Joyce who got 250 last week. The lads are practising but the ball just isn’t sticking at the moment.
“But I think there is evidence of people coming into form. Things are moving forward.
“Hamish Rutherford has struggled a little bit this season but we’ve seen glimpses of him returning to form here. Obviously Chesney played well in the second innings.
“We need to score more runs in the first innings. We seem to be losing wickets in clusters quite a lot, but it is one of those things – we’ve identified it and now need to do something about it.
“Moving into the white-ball on Saturday might just take the shackles off a little bit and let the lads go and express themselves.”
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