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The Red Rose return to their training base at Chester for their final pre-season warm-up game against a county whom they have many links with on both the playing and coaching staff.

Lancashire enjoyed a very useful, competitive workout against Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley on Friday and Saturday having played an intra-squad game of the same length at Chester last week.

This game was originally scheduled for today and tomorrow, only moved due to a poor weather forecast today.

It will be a midday start and a planned 7pm finish.

Captain Dane Vilas and assistant coach Mark Chilton are planning to give their players most likely to feature in Saturday’s Bob Willis Trophy clash with Leicestershire another workout.



OPPONENTS
This is Derbyshire’s only schedule two-day game against opposition ahead of the start of the competitive four-day matches.

Their playing staff includes ex-Red Rose players Luis Reece and Mattie McKiernan, although the latter did not make his first-team bow for the county. Another all-rounder, Matt Critchley, is Lancashire-born.

Derby’s coaching staff includes former Lancashire batting favourite Mal Loye, while their former head coach Karl Krikken is now on the Red Rose backroom staff.

Derby finished last season’s County Championship Division Two campaign in seventh position, winning four of their 14 games.

Captained by opening batsman Billy Godleman, their batting is underpinned by the excellent and experienced Wayne Madsen. The pair scored 1,008 and 794 Championship runs respectively last year.

Left-arm seamer Reece led the way in terms of four-day wickets, claiming 52, while former West Indies Test quick Ravi Rampaul claimed 44.

While Lancashire cancelled a four-day overseas deal with New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman BJ Watling, Derbyshire did similar with Australian seamer Sean Abbott, although they have agreed a deal with him to play for the county in 2021.

PREVIOUS MEETING
Lancashire completed the Championship double over Derbyshire on the way to last season’s Division Two title, starting with a 10-wicket away win at the County Ground in late-June when Graham Onions claimed his 700th First-Class wicket in a three-day win.

In mid-September, Lancashire won by an innings and 45 runs at Emirates Old Trafford, also in three days, to clinch promotion. And Josh Bohannon was the star!

Derbyshire, having elected to bat, posted 244 in their first innings, with Billy Godleman making 111. Richard Gleeson did the damage, though, with 5-64.

Bohannon’s maiden First-Class century, 174 batting at number three, then underpinned Lancashire’s strong response of 418 before Tom Bailey, Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Parkinson all claimed three wickets to bowl the visitors out for 129 deep into the third day.

The victory confirmed Lancashire’s promotion back to the top-flight.