Luke Fletcher has joined Derbyshire on a month’s loan as he continues to compete for a place in Nottinghamshire’s bowling line-up.

The 27-year-old is due to play five matches during this period, starting against Gloucestershire on Sunday and continuing with fixtures against Glamorgan, Northamptonshire, Sussex and Essex.

Fletcher previously utilised the loan system to spend time at Surrey in 2015, taking eight wickets in three matches at an average of 19.37, ironically including match figures of 6-79 against Derbyshire.

He returned to the Nottinghamshire team to face Worcestershire but was injured after three overs, before his final appearance of the campaign heralded figures of 2-40 in a rain-shortened fixture against Warwickshire.

Nottinghamshire are well stocked with pace bowling and an attack of Brett Hutton, Jake Ball, Jackson Bird and Harry Gurney starred in the recent Specsavers County Championship victory over Surrey.

Stuart Broad is available to face Lancashire in the next game, while Luke Wood, Will Gidman and Fletcher each provide additional options that Director of Cricket Mick Newell believes will all be required during the course of the season.

“We’re still going to need fit and firing fast bowlers when Stuart and Jackson are long gone back to their national teams, right up to the last games in September,” said Newell.

“The players understand that there are three formats of cricket and we’re going to need each of them across six months of the season.

“Luke is very much a part of that and by playing some competitive cricket, he’ll return to Nottinghamshire more prepared to play in the first team.”

Fletcher, who has 213 career first class wickets to his name, says the opportunity to play first team cricket whilst remaining close to his family in the East Midlands is too good to refuse.

“It's an opportunity to play some four day games, take wickets, hopefully contribute to victories for Derbyshire and ultimately push my case to find a way back in to the Nottinghamshire team,” he said.

“I did it last year for Surrey, put in a couple of performances and got back into the Notts team on the back of it, so I'm hoping for more of the same.

“It's an ideal loan move because, particularly after recently becoming a Dad for the first time, it means I can still be based mostly at home rather than a completely different part of the country.”

 

The excitement of NatWest T20 Blast returns to Trent Bridge on Friday 20 May as Notts Outlaws face Birmingham Bears in the first of seven home matches in the competition.

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