CHESTERFIELD SUFFER QUICK DEFEAT TO DARLEY DALE

CHESTERFIELD 2XL V DARLEY DALE 1XL
DERBYSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE DIV 4N @ QUEENS PARK
5 JUNE 2016 --- 1.30PM

OVERVIEW OF QUEENS PARK WITH THE CROOKED SPIRE JUST IN VIEW

A red hot afternoon at Queens Park saw Chesterfield feel the heat too when they suffered a comprehensive loss to visitors Darley Dale by 10 wickets.
As ever a bit more on the match shortly but a little about the ground and surrounds and the blog has to say its always difficult to cover any sporting ground near to home base because you tend to miss out things that when visiting grounds further a field you describe so hear goes.
Chesterfield is famous for St Marys Church otherwise known as The Crooked Spire, for obvious reasons, its also the gateway to the Peak District with its many attractions and of course its beautiful Queens Park.  Todays journey was a short 10 minute bus ride and was the opportunity to cover this lovely arena on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  The park marked the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 with the park establishing in 1897.  The cricket side of the park is surrounded by a slightly banked former cycle track that runs around the small but well maintained outfield.

THE PAVILION AT QUEENS PARK

The pavilion is dominant and after a recent facelift Chesterfield welcomed back Derbyshire County Cricket club for an out ground festival in 2006 and indeed next Sunday Yorkshire will be in 'the park' for a one day game.  Previous to this the county side had done a 100 year stretch from 1898 before retiring back to Derby for an 8 year break away from the north of the county. 
The old terracing to the left, as you look towards, of the pavilion is now replaced and stages temporary hospitality for DCCC games while to the right a part bench seated terracing remains.  In the sunny days of the 70's when the blog was a regular for the cricket the old wooden staged seating sections sat atop the tarmacked running track which offered a days viewing, if somewhat uncomfortably.  The green and black scoreboard remains but is now remotely operated with digital display prominent.  The two bowling ends being the pavilion end and the romantically named lake end of which a few players have launched a maximum into the depths. 
The blog well remembers the tourists matches were allocated to Chesterfield an as a youngster meeting many of the West Indian players from the great days and of course Sir Geoffrey Boycott.  There were many others who have graced the turf and today was a nice chance to pop along and see a Chesterfield Cricket Club game albeit today was a 2ndxl game that is a Saturday fixture being played on a Sunday.

STEEP AND NARROW ENTRANCE TO THE PAVILION STEPS

What do football referees do in the summer well some play cricket and here was a chance to catch up with Jamie O'Connor.  More or less immediately on arrival I caught up with Jamie and within a few minutes I had managed to get an invite upstairs onto the balcony which offered a good opportunity to have a catch up chat and take some picture of the Town Hall and Crooked Spire from a height.  In a sign of the times moving on in the blogs younger years these could be viewed from ground level but now with tree growth they are not as clearly visible even from the balcony.  The changing rooms are now upstairs, I believe previously they were downstairs, I guess the new room gives more room but its a tight steep narrow stairway to descend with all your padding on for any new batsman. While 'up top' was a little discussion of the former BBC presenter Peter West who I well remember presenting John Player League Sunday matches from the balcony at 2pm on TV or at the ground looking up towards this TV star presenting.  In the heady days of collecting autographs, which doesn't seem to be as popular now at county grounds, amongst the people I captured were Richie Benaud and Jim Laker while commentating the latter had Queens Park as one of is favourite grounds.

On to todays proceedings and Chesterfield lost the toss and were invited to bat and they were soon in a mess something that never stabilised all afternoon finally being dismissed for 83 with a top score of 22 from opening bat Chris Worthy the total was made slightly more respectful with a last wicket stand of 15 as well.

It didn't seem enough for Chesterfield to defend but cricket, like most sports, is a funny old game and the home side could hope for a tight finish.

After the obligatory tea break Chesterfield hoped for a positive start with referee O Connor opening the bowling from the pavilion end.

JAMIE O CONNOR OPENS THE BOWLING

But after 2 overs the score was set fair for Darley Dale at 23 without loss and the game was only going one way.

By the half way stage of the 11th over it was all over 84 for 0 with Briggs [D] scoring 31 to go along with bowling figures of 4 for 31.

So just before 5pm it was all over in a short afternoon for both sides but a happy afternoon for Darley Dale one of whose players had commented during the latter stages of Chesterfields innings that they thought they may have been chasing leather round this afternoon probably expecting a total in the 200 plus mark.
A steady 3 hours or so close to base and a good chance to see some cricket in a fantastic setting.