Date-stamped : 06 Sep97 - 06:08 Adams` absence noted again By Neil Hallam at Derby First day of four: Northants (104-1) trail Derbyshire (192) by 88 runs OH, WHAT a tangle Derbyshire have got themselves into over Chris Adams. Their overseas batsman, Dean Jones, decamped in June and Adrian Rollins, their only player with more than 1,000 runs in first- class cricket this season, is nursing a broken kneecap. Again, however, there was no place for Adams, third-highest run-maker in the land last summer and scorer of seven centuries in all competitions this season, as they gave another flimsy bat- ting performance against a Northamptonshire side who had claimed fewer bowling points than all but Hampshire. Derbyshire`s submission for 192 in 60.5 overs could be excused to only a limited degree by the movement available through the air and off the pitch for Northants` seamers. Poor defensive tech- nique and er- ratic shot selection also took their toll, a point underlined as Northants grafted to 104 for one with the minimum of alarm. And the reason for Adams` continued absence? "He is not play- ing because his situation is currently under review," said acting coach Andy Hayhurst, fuelling an assumption among members that Adams will not reappear this season and will, after four years of trying, be granted his release with a year of his contract unex- pired. Chairman Vic Brownett, who is attempting to persuade an uncon- vinced committee that Adams` departure would serve the club`s best interests, insists: "He will have to be replaced by a bats- man of similar quality." The question yesterday was whether one such player would be enough. Michael May smeared to mid-on in only the second over, Dominic Cork and Kim Barnett were both dislodged by late movement and only while Tim Tweats and Vince Clarke were sharing a fourth- wicket stand worth 68 and Phil DeFreitas was laying about him did the innings re- veal any substance. Andrew Fordham demonstrated the virtue of concentration in reaching his fifty off 80 balls, including eight fours, and sharing in an opening stand of 89 - by five runs Northampton- shire`s best of the season. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Perplexing day for Derbyshire By Neil Hallam at Derby Third day of four: Derbyshire (192 & 59-1) trail Northants (334) by 83 runs DERBYSHIRE`S ability both to perplex and disappoint their sup- porters was amply demonstrated during a day on which Northamp- tonshire improved their prospects of a third championship victo- ry. Rumours insisting that Phil DeFreitas had resigned the cap- taincy spread with the announcement "Welcome to Derbyshire, led by Karl Krikken" over the Tannoy as the team, DeFreitas in- cluded, fol- lowed the wicketkeeper on to the field at the start of play. Only after tea did chairman Vic Brownett admit to a "breakdown in communi- cations". "DeFreitas had a sore elbow and wasn`t expected to take the field at the start, but his treatment was quicker than expect- ed," ex- plained secretary Stewart Edwards. As for Dominic Cork`s absence from the field after lunch, when he was seen in earnest discussion with the chairman, Brownett claimed: "He was off with a stomach upset so I took the opportu- nity for a chat." The impression persists, however, of a club in turmoil and there was little to challenge this view on the field as Northants, re- suming at 104 for one after a second-day wash- out, reached 334 to claim a lead of 142. Alan Fordham, Rob Bailey and David Sales fell when apparently settled but Kevin survived a return catch off a no-ball and a sharp chance to mid-on in a grafting 86 before being given out caught off a glove. Devon Malcolm and Matt Cassar denied Northants any tail-end heroics but Derbyshire were forced further on to the defensive when Michael May jaywalked into a straight one in the second over. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Spinners hasten Derbys decline By Neil Hallam at Derby Final day of four: Northants (334 & 51-1 bt Derbys (192 & 189) by 9 wkts A WOEFUL assortment of the cack-handed and the ill-conceived marked Derbyshire`s feeble submission to Northamptonshire` tyro spin- ners, an eighth defeat of the season underlining the par- lous state of affairs at the County Ground after a season of upheaval which contin- ued yesterday with the release of batsman Chris Adams. Northants, for whom this has hardly been a summer of high achievement and buoyant morale, looked comparatively inspired in scuttling Derbyshire for 189 before making 51 to win by nine wickets, their sixth consecutive championship success against them. A year ago this weekend Derbyshire were top of the table, but the dispiriting effects of three months of internal division were all too evident yesterday as they capsized from 99 for one with a glazed incompetence which suggested that they had never enountered spin bowling before. Left-arm spinner Michael Davies and off-spinner Jason Brown have mustered only nine first-class matches between them, and the pitch offered them no more than occasional gentle turn, but the re- sult seemed a foregone conclusion from the moment Dominic Cork be- trayed 2.5 hours of exemplary discipline with an im- moderate lunge at the former`s first ball and was stumped by a distance. Any prospect of denying Northamptonshire vanished when Tim Tweats fell without offering a stroke, Kim Barnett darted at a wide one and Matt Cassar`s bafflement ended with an anxious probe down the wrong line. Karl Krikken, who was startled by some extra bounce, had a reasonable excuse but there was none for Phil DeFreitas, Vince Clarke or Simon Lacey as they perished on the heave to leave Davies (five for 46) and Brown (three for 23) with the best re- turns of their careers. Alan Fordham carved Devon Malcom`s second ball to second slip, but Northants` only other anxiety came with a sharp shower be- fore they completed victory with two hours to spare in a game re- duced to three days by a wash-out on the second day. Derbyshire`s "reluctant" release of Adams, who has been seek- ing his release for more than three years, comes with a year of his contract unexpired and with Kent believed to be in waiting with the of- fer of a three-year deal. "He will be available as a contested, list one registration," said Derbyshire`s secretary, Stewart Edwards. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)