Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, prediction and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire
Venue: Trent Bridge
Dates: Sunday, July 4, 2021 - Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Derbyshire are bottom of the pile, having mustered just 60 points so far this season, while Nottinghamshire - after a lengthy period in the red-ball doldrums themselves - have won three games so far, playing some fine cricket. Peter Moores' men are third in a tight battle for a spot in the top tier once the conferences split in two rounds' time.
They are just five points behind leaders Warwickshire and three behind reigning champions Essex. Derbyshire, meanwhile, have been cut adrift and are almost certain to finish the season in the bottom division. Alongside Kent, Dave Houghton's men - who have been hindered by a lengthy injury list - are the only side in the competition not to have tasted victory yet, a disappointment given a promising performance in the Bob Willis Trophy last year.
Who's in form?
Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed have both made more than 500 runs each in red-ball cricket this season, so will be keen to return to business after the inconvenience of the T20 Blast. Hameed was rewarded for his efforts with an England recall.
Steve Mullaney, Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett also passed the 400-run landmark in the opening stretch of fixtures, giving Nottinghamshire a regular stream of competitive totals for their bowlers to work with. And few in the country have done that more effectively this year than Luke Fletcher; the seamer has 38 wickets at 13.36 apiece, while South African Dane Paterson has chipped in with 24 in seven appearances.
Derbyshire will be able to call upon off-spinner Alex Thomson for his first-class debut, having initially joined on loan ahead of the T20 Blast. He has since signed permanently and will add to a spin armoury starring Matt Critchley, who has enjoyed a terrific personal start to the campaign.
Ben Aitchison, so impressive in his short professional career, is close to returning to fitness and will add to a seam attack that has been shorn of the services of Sam Conners, Derbyshire's leading wicket-taker in this season's County Championship since being sidelined through injury.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Nottinghamshire: DLLWW
Derbyshire: LLDLL
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 202
Nottinghamshire wins: 67
Derbyshire wins: 45
Draws: 90
Abandoned: 6
What's the team news?
The home side have announced a 13-man squad to head to Trent Bridge tomorrow.
Nottinghamshire: Zak Chappell, Ben Compton, Ben Duckett, Joe Evison, Luke Fletcher, Haseeb Hameed, Brett Hutton, Lyndon James, Steven Mullaney, Dane Paterson, Liam Patterson-White, Ben Slater
Matt Critchley's side have named a 12-man squad to head to Nottingham. Ben Aitchison, the seam bowler, returns to the first class side, a welcome reinforcement to the bowling attack.
Derbyshire: Luis Reece, Harry Came, Tom Wood, Brooke Guest, Leus du Plooy, Matt Critchley, Harvey Hosein, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Alex Thomson, Ben Aitchison, Michael Cohen, George Scrimshaw.
Latest Nottinghamshire news: Click here
Latest Derbyshire news: Click here
Who's said what?
Ben Slater will be facing his former employer and will be keen to impress despite his previous loyalties.
"It’s mixed emotions playing against them! It's great to see a few familiar faces and friends, but the focus is on getting the win, to make sure we stay at the top of the group.", Slater told the Nottinghamshire website.
Dave Houghton, Derbyshire's Head of Cricket, know that his side still have an opportunity to the next round, should they take all the points available against Notts and then Essex.
"“It’s not all doom and gloom yet," he affirmed. "In 2019 we finished seventh in Division Two, which is effectively 15th in the country. If we go into the third group in this year’s competition and finish first or second, we will be 13th or 14th in the country, and that to me is actually progress."
What's the weather forecast?
Days one, three and four will likely see stop-start action but day two is forecast to be rain free.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Trent Bridge: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Nottinghamshire will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets: Tickets are available for this match. For more information click here
Travel
Address: Trent Bridge, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 6AG
Car Parking: Car parking for all LV=Insurance County Championship matches is available at Notts Sports Ground (Lady Bay, postcode NG2 5AA), priced at £3 (£2 for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Members)
By Bus: Regular bus travel is available to the ground, with bus stops situated on Bridgford Road and Radcliffe Road.
By Train: The ground is approximately a 20-minute walk from Nottingham Train Station towards West Bridgford and over the bridge, with regular buses also along the route.
On foot: If you live locally and you’re not sure of the best route, try www.walkit.com, select ‘Nottingham’ from the drop-down menu and type ‘Trent Bridge Cricket Ground’ into the destination box. It will give you directions and suggest the most efficient route.
Prediction?
Nottinghamshire have had a fine start to the campaign across both formats and will fancy their chances of extending that run against a Derbyshire side struggling for results and missing key players to injury.
OTHER ROUND 10 MATCH PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Gloucestershire v Middlesex
Group 3
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