I don’t think it takes Sherlock Holmes to find out that Blair Tickner is coming back to Derbyshire. As soon as it became common knowledge that it was Bowler who was ‘returning’ to the county, my thought was that it had to be him indeed. This is why I wrote most of this not long before the news broke. Actually September.
There were times last season when he looked like a good bowler and he would certainly have had much better figures if our slip code (and surprisingly Brooke Guest) had not missed so many chances off his bowling. It’s unclear whether it was the start of the season, cold hands or an unexpected nip, but the New Zealand international created the opportunity. He can’t even be on the other side to ‘police’ them.
Despite this, he ended his spell early with just eight wickets for 61 runs each. With decent close defense, the average would have been down to the mid-30s and even improved on late-season pitching. He was full of energy and what was undeniable was that he enjoyed the experience and gave it his all as his wife’s illness took its toll on his spirit. He seemed like a nice guy who would stay in the dressing room and have a good time. He certainly had a smile on his face, and it must have been a challenge for everything that happened in his life.
You may have changed your situation, but it’s important to understand that sometimes the type of player you want is in short supply or out of your price range. A county with one of the two smallest playing budgets in the country can only do so much. He’s been here for the season and that’s always the preferred option. If you have a T20 specialist of your choice, you can adopt a ‘horse for the course’ approach to the competition.
So the Tickner is back. I think this means his wife is making good progress. That in itself is great news, and we can only hope that Blair Tick Project 2 is a better sequel than the original.
Fingers crossed and I hope he’s in good shape when he returns.
And this time we’re not collectively using Teflon hands…
