The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). There are currently twenty teams in minor county cricket: nineteen representing historic counties of England, plus the Wales Minor Counties Cricket Club. Of the thirty-nine historic counties of England, seventeen have a first class county cricket team, nineteen have a minor county team, while Huntingdonshire, Rutland, and Westmorland have neither, due to their small population.
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Falcons in reference to the famous peregrine falcon which nests on the Derby Cathedral. Founded in 1870, the club held first-class status from its first match in 1871 until 1887. Because of poor performances and lack of fixtures in some seasons, Derbyshire then lost its status for seven seasons until it was invited into the County Championship in 1895. Derbyshire is also classified as a List A team since the beginning of limited overs cricket in 1963; and classified as a senior Twenty20 team since 2003. In recent years the club has enjoyed record attendances with over 24,000 people watching their home Twenty20 fixtures in 2017 – a record for a single campaign. The local derby versus Yorkshire at Chesterfield now regularly sells out in advance.
Kim John Barnett is a former English cricketer. Barnett was a batsman who played internationally for England between 1988 and 1989.
Robert William Taylor is an English former cricketer who played as wicket-keeper for Derbyshire between 1961 and 1984 and for England between 1971 and 1984. He made 57 Test, and 639 first-class cricket appearances in total, taking 1,473 catches. The 2,069 victims across his entire career is the most of any wicket-keeper in first-class history. He is considered as one of the world's most accomplished wicket-keepers. He made his first-class debut for Minor Counties against South Africa in 1960, having made his Staffordshire debut in 1958. He became Derbyshire's first choice wicket-keeper when George Dawkes sustained a career-ending injury. His final First Class appearance was at the Scarborough Festival in 1988. He remained first choice until his retirement except for a short period in 1964 when Laurie Johnson was tried as a batsman-wicketkeeper.
John Morris is a former English cricketer, who played for England in three Tests and eight ODIs from 1990 to 1991. He played first-class cricket for Derbyshire from 1982 to 1993, for Durham from 1994 to 1999 and for Nottinghamshire in 2000 and 2001.
Gordon John Lord is an English cricket coach, coach educator, and retired first-class cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman who played for Warwickshire and Worcestershire, but who despite a promising start in which he played three youth tests for England never fulfilled this promise and retired well short of 100 first-class games.
Kevin Bertram Sidney Jarvis is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Kent and Gloucestershire. He was an out-and-out bowler and poor batsman who almost always batted at number 11.
Stephen ("Steve") Oldham is an English former first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1974 to 1979 and from 1984 to 1985, and for Derbyshire in the intervening years 1980 to 1983.
Alan John Mellor is a former English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1978 and 1979.
Iain Stuart Anderson is a former English cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1978 to 1987 and for Boland, South Africa, in 1983/84.
John Richard Eyre is a former English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire from 1963 to 1967.
John Drennan Eggar was an English schoolmaster and first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University and Hampshire in 1938 and for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1954.
George Hay was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1875 and 1886.
Keith Stevenson is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1974 to 1977 and for Hampshire from 1978 to 1984.
John Alan Claughton is a former Chief Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham (K.E.S.), and a former English first-class cricketer. Claughton was a right-handed batsman, who bowled slow left-arm orthodox.
Raymond "Ray" Charles Tolchard was an English cricketer and umpire. Tolchard was a right-handed batsman. He was born in Torquay, Devon.
Philip Robert Oliver is a former English cricketer. Oliver was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire.
James Frederick Sykes is a former English cricketer. Sykes was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born at Shoreditch, London and educated at Bow Comprehensive.
Neil Anthony Riddell is a former English cricketer. Riddell was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born at Staindrop, County Durham.