Ole Mortensen was a big, burly, brisk seamer who was a member of the Derbyshire side for more than a decade from 1983. A tax inspector from Denmark, he was established in the Danish national side by the time he first played for Derbyshire's 2nd XI in 1981. Two years later he made his first-team debut, enjoying a memorable debut season, taking 66 wickets including a career-best 6 for 27 (match figures of 11 for 89) in a narrow win over Yorkshire. Accurate and economical, he was particularly effective in the one-day game and was a key part of Derbyshire's 1990 Sunday League success, and his 1 for 41 was crucial in their six-run defeat of Lancashire in the 1993 B&H final. His batting was usually restricted to a determined forward-defensive thrust (although he claimed to have made a double hundred in Denmark) but the presence of Devon Malcolm in the county XI meant he was often promoted to the dizzy heights of No. 10. He bowed out in 1994 with a benefit, and county matches that summer saw a proliferation of Viking helmets, a tribute to the his popularity. For Denmark, Mortensen appeared in four ICC Trophy tournaments (1979, 1986, 1990 and 1994), claiming 63 wickets at 10.41, including 7 for 19 against Israel in Nairobi in 1994. He coached Denmark in the 2001 ICC Trophy.
Martin Williamson