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Derbyshire gain advantage with careful batting

17 April 2016

A patient innings of 96 from Chesney Hughes was the foundation for an unspectacular day's batting by Derbyshire in the opening Championship fixture of 2016 at the Brightside Ground.

Hughes had grafted away for four and three quarter hours when he tried to pull Jack Taylor to mid wicket and played on of a bottom edge. His wicket - only the third of the day - was a bonus for Gloucestershire shortly before the second new ball became available.

There was to be no further breakthrough, however, as an attritional half century from Wayne Madsen, supported by Neil Broom, took Derbyshire to 242-3 at stumps after captain Hamish Rutherford called correctly at the toss having declined the opportunity to bowl under the new 2016 regulations.

Listen to skipper Gareth Roderick's thoughts on the day here:

Gloucestershire made one change to the team beaten at Essex last week, bringing back David Payne after a finger injury in place of Tom Hampton and hoping the left arm seamer would have some success against the three left handers at the top of the Derbyshire batting line up.

Payne and Liam Norwell shared the new ball, and it was twelve overs before Slater struck Norwell through the covers for the first boundary off the bat. Hughes had made only three when Gloucestershire skipper Roderick made a double change and brought on Josh Shaw and Kieran Noema-Barnett, and Shaw had an lbw apppeal against Hughes turned down almost immediately as he started to move the ball through the air.

Further fortune favoured Hughes as he saw a leading edge drop safe at extra cover off Noema-Barnett, and Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson could have few complaints about the bowlers keeping Derbyshire on a tight rein, with only five boundaries and 43 runs in total coming in the first 20 overs.

The remainder of the morning session proved to be the most lucrative of the day for Derbyshire as Slater and in particular Hughes opened up, the latter passing his partner on the scoreboard with two fours in a over off both Payne and Norwell in their second spells.

The introduction of Jack Taylor before lunch failed to stem the flow, the previously becalmed Hughes collecting two further boundaries to take Derbyshire to 96-0 without loss after the morning session.

Gloucestershire couldn't afford to let the visitors re-start with the same imputus and although Hughes completed his half century off 87 balls with nine fours, Liam Norwell's double breakthrough rebalanced the innings within six overs.

First Slater (42) pulled a short ball straight to Jack Taylor at mid wicket, and then Derbyshire captain Hamish Rutherford was caught behind by opposite number Gareth Roderick for a single.

The remainder of the afternoon saw Wayne Madsen keep Hughes company although the scoring rate returned to that of the first hour with Madsen adopting an ultra cautious approach. His timing was far from perfect, and with consumate patience he made only nine from 91 balls. Hughes also reverted to his morning persona, and with some cloud cover overhead Norwell, Shaw and Noema-Barnett all caused some anxious moments with movement through the air.

Gloucestershire skipper Gareth Roderick rotated six bowlers in a session that produced only 45 runs, with Hughes going to tea having batted throughout all 64 overs for his unbeaten 79.

With blue skies again overhead, Derbyshire advanced from 141-2 and took advantage of a couple of loose overs from Josh Shaw to collect a handful of boundaries, including Madsen's first, a thick edge along the floor through gully.

Jack Taylor, who bowled briefly before tea, continued to contain although Hughes moved into the nineties with a leg glance off Noema-Barnett. A century of greater use to the team than grace in it's construction looked inevitable until the Leewards Islands left hander bottom edged a pull to mid wicket off Taylor onto his middle stump for 96. His stand with Madsen had been worth 71 in 38 overs.

New Zealand one day international Neil Broom then joined Madsen and Gloucestershire sought to break the stand quickly with Payne and Norwell recalled as soon as the new ball was available.

Initially there was no joy for either as Broom played two text book straight drives off Payne and Madsen showed the two hours playing himself in had been a worthwhile exercise as he accelerated his own score, particularly off the back foot.

His half century - a reward for concentration and determination across more than three hours and 167 balls - came with a clip through mid wicket off Noema Barnett as the burly Kiwi and Josh Shaw strove for further reward before stumps.

It never came, and Derbyshire closed on 242-3, having added 56 runs in the final sixteen overs of the day against the second new ball to put them in a strong but not necessarily dominant position after a slow scoring day. Much will depend on what happens on the second morning.

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