Madsen keen to end his meagre record against derby rivals Notts

MAD FOR RUNS -- prolific batsman Wayne Madsen in action for Derbyshire against Nottinghamshire.

Derbyshire's premier batsman Wayne Madsen is determined to improve on his meagre record in matches against close rivals, Nottinghamshire, when they clash again this Sunday.

Since first signing on at the County Ground back in 2009, the South-African born strokemaker has been victorious only twice in 13 competitive games when facing Mick Newell’s green and golds. And both of those successes have come in the quickfire 20-over format.

Now Madsen is keen to put things right by notching his first victory in List A cricket against their near-neighbours when they meet at Welbeck’s Sookholme Lane home in their next Royal London Cup 50-over contest.

It’s a desire intensified not only by Derbyshire’s flying start that sees them currently top of the North Group standings after four games. He also wants to satisfy the club’s fans who will be making the short trip across the border but who have so often suffered against Notts in recent years.

“It’s a game to look forward to on a number of levels and, for me, it’s personally exciting because I’ve never played at Welbeck before,” said Madsen. “There is definitely a derby rivalry that we are aware of as players, so to beat our neighbours from just up the A52 is always a great achievement.

“We lost out to Notts in the quarter-finals two years ago when James Taylor played a fantastic innings (scoring 146no) to take the game away from us and help them into the semis.

“The supporters want bragging rights with people they work with. There is always banter between the two sets of fans. It doesn’t quite have the rivalry of a Forest v Derby football match, but there is still that rivalry, so we’d love to win it for our fans and keep the good start in the competition going.”

Madsen is not surprised that Derbyshire have started so well in the Royal London Cup, with Hamish Rutherford and Ben Slater scoring centuries to help secure seven-wicket wins against Worcestershire and Durham respectively, while there have been two weather washouts.

He says the signs of improvement were on the cards last season, even if results were not always forthcoming, as the team finished bottom of their group, losing ten of their 14 matches.

Madsen said: “We should have qualified fo the quarters last year with the type of cricket we were playing. It’s a format that we do play well in, so we want to kick on and book a spot in the last eight this year.”