Brief profile of Christopher Paget by Matthew Reed

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Player:

CD Paget

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DateLine: 22nd November 2005

 

Regardless of what the rest of his career may hold, it will take some doing to knock Chris Paget out of the Derbyshire record books. When he was named to face Yorkshire in July 2004, he became the youngest player to ever play for the East Midlanders in the Championship, at just 16 years, 282 days. This opportunity had arisen after a very encouraging First-class debut against the West Indian tourists, where he took 3 top order wickets, scalps who were all right handers (rather than the southpaws who are often cited as being more naturally susceptible to off-spin). Paget also benefited from belonging to the academy of a county who had little to lose by blooding youngsters such as himself. In his appearances he kept a good length, only failing to do so as he approached the end of long spells, although he was unlucky in his Championship outings that he didn’t get to bowl later than the second innings of the match (thanks to those two inevitabilities of an English summer – rain, and a Derbyshire follow on). Paget is currently an A level pupil at the famous Repton school, although he later admitted that as he sensed the nearing of a first team opportunity so his interest in his GCSE’s had understandably waned. However, after no first team appearances in 2005, it is probably fair to say that Paget has fallen behind Jake Needham in the battle to understudy and replace Andy Gray as Derbyshire’s premier off-spinner. Paget still has more than enough time though to follow in the line of Kim Barnett and Dominic Cork as legendary Staffordshire born Derbyshire players.

 

(November 2005)

 

(Article: Copyright © 2005 Matthew Reed)