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52 Warwickshire in 1919 four wickets to a scratch side raised by H.K.Foster, after being bowled out for 87 in their first innings; lost by an innings and 203 to the AIF side; and lost by an innings and 96 in the return with Somerset, their innings totals being just 67 and 78. So only Derbyshire could face the Bank Holiday fixtures with any confidence. The scene is set ... Day 1 - Monday 4 August 1919 The forecast for both Derby and Birmingham was for typical Bank Holiday weather: cloudy or dull with some rain, and only moderate temperatures (The Times) . At Derby at least, the forecasters were spot on. It was not really a day for cricket there at all, but there was a Bank Holiday crowd to be entertained: “Had it not been desirable to conciliate a Bank Holiday crowd of 4000, it is doubtful if the players would have been on the field half the time they actually spent there. With rain falling persistently, the conditions were really unfit for first-class cricket. Fielders found the wet and greasy ball difficult to hold, and catches that would have been brought off easily in normal conditions escaped the grip, while the batsmen were led into miscalculations of which they might not ordinarily have been guilty.” Nevertheless, play at Derby started on time in what were described as “ideal conditions”; it must have been a little later that the weather took a turn for the worse. Warwickshire won the toss and batted. The second ball of the match was to prove costly, Len Oliver dropping Len Bates in the slips. Oliver also missed a hard chance from Tiger Smith when he was 14, but after these early escapes the openers enjoyed themselves. They added 137 in 90 minutes before the first wicket fell when Smith was caught at point for 72, with eight fours, “relying principally on hard drives interspersed with some delightful late cuts”. Willie Quaife was out at 201, by which time “stoppages for rain [had] consumed so much time [that] less than four hours’ play remained, with the possibility of further interruptions; there was, consequently, a great inducement to the rest of the side to take risks and force the pace. The policy they adopted was right spirited and commendable, even if it was not achieved with entire success in every instance”. In execution of this policy, Warwickshire went from 201-1 to 236-5 (when Bates left for 119, which included only eight fours) and 287-8, before late flurries took them to an all-out score of 359, made in 4 hours 20 minutes (The Field) at a commendable - especially in the conditions - run-rate of 3.72 runs per over. For Derbyshire, the bowling honours went once again to 44-year-old Bill Bestwick, whose analysis of 44.2-4-178-8 took him to 20 wickets in three innings against Warwickshire this season. His accuracy is demonstrated by the fact that 15 of those 20 wickets were ‘bowled’ dismissals. Warwickshire’s innings ended at 6.15 pm (Manchester Guardian) , but with the long playing hours in operation in 1919, Derbyshire still had time