Billy Godleman to continue as Derbyshire red-ball captain under Mickey Arthur

Godleman, who made 530 runs in the County Championship last year, will begins his Division Two campaign against Middlesex, his former county

Billy Godleman will captain Derbyshire in the LV= Insurance County Championship, Mickey Arthur has confirmed.

Godleman has been the county's red-ball skipper since 2016 and will continue in the role under Arthur, the club's new head of cricket.

Their relationship will begin with a friendly against Lancashire, ahead of further pre-season fixtures against Nottinghamshire and Oxford UCCE.

"I've been impressed with Billy during my time here, he's led well and he's certainly got the backing from the dressing room," said Arthur.

"Billy has an authority and an aura about him, so he will lead us in red-ball cricket this year and I'm confident he will do it well. We've had a lot of shakeups around the club, but it's important that we have this one constant."

Godleman, who has scored more than 6,000 runs for Derbyshire in first-class cricket since joining from Essex ahead of the 2013 summer, praised Arthur for his "incredible impact" on the squad since his arrival.

"Some of the ideas and experience that he's sharing with us is really beneficial," he said. "You can see the positivity he's brought to the whole club, whether that's players, staff or the members that I'm close to."

Godleman made 530 runs in the County Championship last year, including a single century. Derbyshire begin their Division Two campaign against Middlesex, his former county.

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