Brief profile of James Pyemont by Matthew Reed

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Player:

JP Pyemont

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DateLine: 22nd November 2005

 

A king pair on debut was not an auspicious start to James Pyemont’s First-class Derbyshire career. It probably wasn’t nerves to blame, as he had already played a number of First-class matches as captain of Cambridge University. A duck in his next match (in the middle of a spell of four wickets in four balls by Vasbert Drakes) must have made him wonder what he did had done to anger the cricketing Gods, and when Pyemont finally pushed a single in his next innings the cheers from the crowd were ironic but good natured. He enjoyed most success playing for Cambridge, and he made his only First-class century in the 2000 Varsity match. Although his highest score for Derbyshire came in his last ever First-class appearance against a strong Indian XI, his four seasons in the East Midlands had shown only occasional evidence that he would make it in the professional game. His last act in the First-class game was dismissing Shiv Sunder Das as the aforementioned tourist game spluttered to an unremarkable end, after Virender Sehwag had earlier, and inevitably, launched some devastating blows off his off-breaks. Pyemont is not the first nor last player to enjoy an unsuccessful career in Derbyshire colours, but the unique start to his career means his name will always have an unwelcome footnote next to it.

 

(November 2005)

 

(Article: Copyright © 2005 Matthew Reed)