Setting the scene: You can draw some stark contrasts between Essex and Derbyshire over the winter. The Midlands county cleared the decks in the close season with relatively new coach John Morris bringing in Rikki Clarke from Surrey to captain the side plus many others (see below). Optimism was high pre-season so it was a surprise to see them skittled for 124 by Gloucestershire in their first innings of the campaign. Only rain prevented an opening defeat. It also scuppered their Friends Provident game on Sunday. Essex made more modest changes but have cantered to victory in both their four-day and one-day games this season which is perhaps in contrast to pre-season predictions. But no-one on this website is complaining.
 
Suggestive stats: Well the most important numbers from a Derbyshire perspective are the six players in, the two they could not get and the 10 leaving. Nayan Doshi (Surrey), John Sadler (Leics), Akhil Patel, Dominic Telo (Kolpak) and Chris Rogers (overseas) all came with Clarke. In addition, Wavell Hinds and Mahela Jayawardena were prevented from arriving. The leavers were: Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Chris Taylor (Yorkshire), Hassan Adnan, Ant Botha (Warwickshire), Phil Weston, Travis Birt, Simon Cusden, Michael Dighton, Ian Harvey, Richard Hodgkinson, Simon Katich and Graeme Welch. The last of those came to The Ford County Ground as bowling coach.

Top batsman/bowler: 2007: Essex - Ravi Bopara 849 @ 60.64, Danish Kaneria 74 @ 22.2.
Derby - Simon Katich 1284 @ 75.52, Tom Lungley 59 @ 26.35
  
Men in form: Rogers' century plus 60s from Jamie Pipe and Telo got Derbyshire out of a hole in the second innings against Gloucestershire last week. Captain Clarke debuted with 4-87 with the ball. For Essex, Gallian and Bopara got big hundreds against Northants in Championship, Pettini reached three figures against Kent in the FP Trophy on Sunday. Bopara was a run short. Nel, Masters, ten Doeschate and, yet again, Bopara have all-contributed three-fors with the ball. The latter two have already shown their ability to break partnerships.
  
Team form: Essex are 100 per cent, Derby have amassed a draw and washout. Not that much to go on there so let's continue with our perusal of those pre-season predictions about the opposition.
 
'2008 could be a year to remember for long-suffering Derbyshire fans', BBC Sport; 'There are too many gaps to fill and their main target, despite apparently promising youngsters, will be wooden-spoon avoidance', Independent; 'There's a buoyant mood after a big turnaround in personnel. For all that, promotion in either four-day or one-day competitions would be a big achievement', Times.

What the website says: "There are some positives to take from the Gloucestershire game and there are one or two things we need to take out and make better," Coach Morris told the Derby Evening Telegraph.  "I'm pleased how we've fought and got back into the game because it would have been very easy to collapse in the second innings and for the game to be over in two days. We didn't bat well enough in the first innings. It was a good toss to win from their point of view but 124 is not good enough because you are never in the game. "

And another thing: Telo signed a two-year deal at the start of the month. The 22-year-old hit 648 runs in eight matches for Western Province last season at an average of 58.90. However he did not win an international call-up. Therefore it has been reported he is trying to qualify for England via residency. At the time of his signing, compatriot Charl Langeveldt was linked with a move to Derby too. It never materialised.