It was a fine team but it had to give best to Derbyshire over Whitsun at the County Ground. It was cut and thrust throughout; Warwickshire, 267, gaining a first innings lead of four which could have been more but for Harry Elliott’s unbeaten 72. Copson then dismissed Kilner and Bates before retiring with a strain but Worthington and Mitchell rose to the occasion and Derbyshire needed 179. Storer (79) and Denis Smith (45) set them on the way with a third-wicket stand of 98 and although the middle order faded, they got home by two wickets. There was another evenly-balanced return at Edgbaston, where Derbyshire led by 21 on the first innings before rain intervened. The 1934 season found Derbyshire in third place and Warwickshire fourth but that was as high as Warwickshire got, eighth in 1935 being followed by lower-half positions for the rest of the decade. Instead it was Derbyshire who continued a rise which is without parallel in the history of the Championship. Almost on the point of going out of the competition in 1920 and last again in 1924 when they failed to win a match, their home-grown team finished second in 1935, first in 1936 and third again in 1937. It was a remarkable side, forged under Cadman’s coaching and the captaincy of Jackson and his successor Arthur Richardson, with Harry Elliott as senior pro. The batting, with Smith, Stan Worthington and Les Townsend, was more than adequate and the variety of the bowling, pace from Copson, incisive fast-medium from the Pope brothers George and Alfred who could also make runs, sorcery from Mitchell and medium-paced off spin from Townsend, formed the best-balanced attack in the club’s history. Yet they yielded to Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1935, defeated by six wickets after Mayer, Paine and Hollies had wrecked the first innings and Wyatt’s medium pace claimed five for 30 in the second. At Derby in August Townsend and Santall made hundreds and there was some good bowling from Hollies and Mitchell before Derbyshire sealed victory by 77 runs. In 1936, Derbyshire’s Championship season, the holiday fixtures reverted to the pre-war pattern with Warwickshire meeting Worcestershire and Derbyshire facing Essex. Rain marred the Whitsun games; a crowd of 5,000 turned up at Derby on Whit Monday but the Worcester match was a financial loss. The weather also intervened at Edgbaston but Derbyshire had better luck at Chelmsford. They had led the table since defeating Warwickshire during Chesterfield’s first-ever cricket week in July but tension was mounting. An added ingredient was the strength of the Essex pace attack. Nichols, Farnes and Stephenson were all of international quality and they lost no time in making an impact. Five Derbyshire wickets were down for 29 and the whole side out for 80, Farnes taking five for 20. Copson and Alf Pope hit back but the close of August Bank Holiday Monday found Derbyshire on 195 for seven, only 56 ahead. They were all out on the final morning for 240, leaving Essex 102 to win. At 57 for three they were cruising but Mitchell changed the course of the match. Using the googly to full advantage he took six for 25 in five overs. Essex lost their last seven wickets for 24 and Derbyshire won by 20 runs. In 1937 they returned to Chelmsford at Whitsun, the game ending on the Monday in Derbyshire’s favour although Peter Smith took 11-121 for Essex. Smith was again among the wickets at Ilkeston during the August holiday, Essex winning by six wickets despite 151 from George Pope in the second innings. As for Warwickshire, they were defeated by Worcestershire at Edgbaston, despite promising performances from two future stalwarts Tom Dollery and Jimmy Ord. Breaching the Big Six 84