Greg Smith is a South African born allrounder who has settled in England on a Kolpak deal. Part of South Africa's squad at the Under-19 World Cup in 2001-02, he was briefly courted by Griqualand West before heading north and squeezing into Derbyshire second XI in the 2004 season. By 2007 he had become an established member of the senior side, batting in the lower middler order and bowling both seam and offspin. That year, he struck a violent 79 in the Twenty20 cup against Leicestershire and put in a Man-of-the-Match performance in the Friends Provident Trophy win over Scotland. Consistent performances, particularly in Twenty20 cricket, followed in 2008 and that season he struck an unbeaten 100 against Yorkshire at Headingley to set up a 47-run win. In 2009-10 he appeared in the Stanbic Bank Twenty20 tournament in Zimbabwe as overseas player for the victorious Mountaineers side. Though he contributed little with the bat, he was effective with the ball and picked up career-best figures of 5 for 27 in the competition. He returned the following season for another, slightly longer stint, playing in the Logan Cup and 40-over competition as well as the Twenty20s. In between his travels, he played a full season for Derbyshire and as a consistent, if unspectacular, performer, looks set to remain part of their set-up and a regular on the county scene for some time.
Liam Brickhill