Up but tailing off

If the season had ended in the first week in August the Tykes could have claimed it as their best since the days of Brian Close but five weeks later they had gone another 15 matches in all competitions and not won once. Promotion in the Championship, of course, was the priority but ending the totesport League eight points in front of Scotland was the pits. In this competition they did not beat a first-class side after May; in the C&G they made a ricket of their travel arrangements for the semi-final; and won only three matches out of eight in the Twenty20 Cup.

Muddled team selection, thin bowling resources, poor leadership and eccentric batting - Anthony McGrath apart - were reasons for such a sad sequence but thankfully Phil Jaques and Deon Kruis in particular had done enough in the early months to ensure they will play in the first division for at least one season.

"I think we played some steely cricket at times," says David Byas, who is expected to sign another three-year contract as director of cricket. "Twice we made 400 in the fourth innings to win and several times fought our way out of trouble. We fell away a bit in the last two games but lost only once in the Championship."

There are tough decisions ahead: is Craig White worth his place as an outright batsman, his bowling days behind him? Or as captain? Where are they going to find a wicketkeeper who can catch the ball now that Ismail Dawood has been released?

Player of the Year Deon Kruis carried the bowling with 64 wickets in 584 overs, a big burden for a quick.
High Making 406 to win at Leicester in May, a county record.
Low Letting Derbyshire off the hook four months later.