Derbyshire confident on Chesterfield Week

By Andy Wilson

Derbyshire remain confident that the Chesterfield Festival will go ahead as planned. The first of six days of county cricket at the picturesque Queen’s Park ground is on Sunday (July 15), when the Falcons take on Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

They will then face Yorkshire in a key LV County Championship clash which may have a huge bearing on the Division Two promotion race, starting on Wednesday July 18, before the week is completed by a CB40 match against Yorkshire the following Sunday.

Chesterfield Week is a highlight of the season for many Derbyshire supporters and a large number of Yorkshire followers are expected to swell the crowd.

Though the playing area has stood up well to the constant rain of the past few weeks, the fact that most of the parking is on grass in the public park creates a real problem.

But Derbyshire chief executive Simon Storey still believes they can make the festival a success, if the weather is kinder. “It’s all systems go and we are very much planning for the festival at Chesterfield,” said Storey.

“We are keeping an eye on the weather, of course, but we have been working closely with the Chesterfield club and the borough council to make sure the ground is ready for Sunday.”

Derbyshire do have the option of switching one or more of the fixtures to the County Ground in Derby, as they did in the last exceptionally wet summer, in 2007, with a County Championship fixture against Somerset.

But Storey added that taking a game away from Queen’s Park will only be done as a last resort. “Derby is there as a back-up but we don’t have to make that decision yet,” he added.

“Parking is a concern and we all saw the challenges at Silverstone last weekend but, assuming the weather doesn’t deteriorate, the situation is in hand.”


Date: 10/07/2012 10:36:40 by Andy Wilson
In: Today | Derbyshire |