Brief profile of Michael Deane by Matthew Reed

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Player:

MJ Deane

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DateLine: 22nd November 2005

 

Michael Deane was signed by Derbyshire for the 1999 season after spending much of 1998 in the Second team. Controversially, skipper Dominic Cork named Deane as one of four players on the staff he didn’t think were worth contracts (although younger than the other players Cork named, Deane had only taken 16 wickets at 46.81 in the Second XI Championship). However, he did make it into the First team, and his debut for an injury hit Derbyshire came at The Oval in May 1999 against a strong Surrey line-up. Despite nerves causing him to bowl several big wides early on in his spell, his first scalp was Alistair Brown (who made just 2), and in also dismissing Mark Butcher and Darren Bicknell he finished with the impressive figures of 3-42 as Derbyshire won comfortably. His First-class debut came a week later and although he was the most expensive member of the Derbyshire attack he swung the ball enough to dismiss future and past Test players in Anthony McGrath and Richard Blakey. Deane had done enough to be trusted in a key 4th Round Natwest match against Gloucestershire, although he had little chance to impact with the ball after Derbyshire had been bundled out for 112. An injury in his next Championship match was unfortunate, as a flat pitch meant he’d have done plenty more bowling than his mere 7 overs in the match. Although he led a desperately weak scratch attack against a New Zealand XI in a one-day match in July 1999, he went at 9 an over as the tourists top order ran amok, and he was never seen again. Deane now plays for Denby in the Derbyshire Premier League, and was part of the Derbyshire Premier League team which retained the LCC President’s Trophy in September 2005.

 

(November 2005)

 

(Article: Copyright © 2005 Matthew Reed)