June 2015: Mark Footitt

On the radar, radar on

Left-arm fast bowler Mark Footitt had a standout 2014, taking 83 wickets in Derbyshire’s County Championship campaign, prompting whispers of higher honours. Jim Hindson discovered why things went so right…

I had barely lifted the bat before the ball whistled over my head at 90mph. Spinning around to now track its path, I was not alone. The wicketkeeper and slips were doing the same as the delivery disappeared over the horizon. Mark Footitt, with a wry look and a shrug of the shoulders, walked back to his mark.

Not only was that ball fast, it was also a beamer and this was a ‘Version 2009 Mark Footitt’, and not atypical. Although he was on Nottinghamshire’s books, he was playing as a professional in the local league. Safe to say, the only link between then and now was pace.  

Footitt would agree that it was that commodity which bought the 29-year-old time on the professional circuit. His five seasons at Trent Bridge saw him take only 23 first-class wickets, setting the clock ticking to an end date rather than lift-off. A move down the A52 to Derbyshire saw Footitt produce similar results, snaffling 49 wickets from 18 games in the next three summers.

“Staying on the field was key,” said Footitt, placing his coffee back on the table as he sought to make sense of those unproductive years. “I’ve always been talked about as having the potential, but remaining fit has been a massive boost. I used to do a lot of heavy weights, deadlifting and squatting, which was putting tons of pressure on the discs in my back. Once I removed that stress it worked wonders.”

Promotion at the end of 2012 saw Derbyshire playing in the top flight for the first time since 2000. The club struggled on its return. Bridging the gap took Derbyshire time it did not have to adjust to the higher standard, with relegation as a consequence. It proved an eye-opener for Footitt, who saw it as an opportunity to assess at first hand what was required to reach cricket’s next level, let alone Test level.

Collateral damage came in the replacement of county stalwart Karl Krikken as coach by former allrounder Graeme Welch.

He made an immediate impact. “Graeme returned in January 2014 and primarily gave me the freedom to express myself,” Footitt said. But more importantly, he states that it was Welch who instigated a simple technical change that saw raw pace allied to a new-found accuracy. “When I used to run in I focused on the front line as a way to reduce the risk of bowling no-balls. ‘Pop’ [Welch] said to keep my head up and keep looking at the stumps. I know this sounds bizarre – to look at where I was bowling – and unsurprisingly it made a massive improvement in where the ball was directed. I wish I’d been told this when I was 19.

“Team-mates started saying I was now giving them nothing to hit, meaning they were having to take risks to score where they hadn’t in the past. That positive feedback was a big boost going into the season.  And because I started well, taking early wickets, that confidence grew and grew. Every day felt like a potential five-wicket day.”

With 11 of the above now under his belt, Footitt finished the season with 82 wickets in the Championship, taking six of those five-wicket hauls along the way.

He then found himself named as one of the players in the England Performance Programme for the winter, participating in ECB’s fast-bowling camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa, alongside the likes of Yorkshire’s Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks.

Selection signified Footitt is on England’s radar. And the public’s as well, his name cropping up in any number of instances as potential changes necessary if England were to win back the Ashes after a disastrous winter. “England are keen to have an extended group of seamers available,” said Footitt, his feet firmly grounded in the here and now. “I know that I’ve got to start well for Derbyshire and if I do that, I just hope that the selectors will take notice of it. It is the dream to play for England. I believe you should keep dreaming unless someone tells you otherwise.”

Now only two wickets away from 200 first-class scalps at 26.37 apiece, Footitt is also optimistic about Derbyshire’s prospects. “I’d describe 2014 as a slow start and fast finish for the club. We beat some big teams and deservedly so. As a group of players we would love to go all the way to a Lord’s final.”

While every club inevitably fancies their chances in the golden glow cast by the pre-season build-up, Derbyshire have backed up ambition with new signings. Overseas stars in Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan, New Zealander Martin Guptill and Australian fast-bowling Twenty20 specialist Nathan Rimmington should give the side added depth and belief; and allrounder Shiv Thakor has signed from Leicestershire.

Modestly, Footitt is also keen to stress the credentials of his new team-mate. “Shiv is one to watch this year. There has been plenty of talk about him on the circuit in the past and I can now see why. He has lots of talent, is 21 and I can see him progressing into becoming an England cricketer.” Now low-flying beamers appear a thing of the past for Footitt, maybe Thakor will not be alone. 

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