DERBYSHIRE'S visit to New Road this week highlights the perennial issue of pitches.

Their own surface has proved unreliable -- Worcestershire bowled them out twice earlier this season to win by an innings. Gloucestershire dismissed them for 89 in the first innings of their most recent match.

Bad surfaces undermine confidence as well as making ordinary bowlers look good.

Derbyshire's batting is bolstered by two overseas batters, but they have not been immune to the batting malaise. Their visit to Northampton did not help where the home team picked three spinners and the pitch was spinning and bouncing erratically before lunch on the first day.

Derbyshire managed 266 in two innings, yet there was no pitch penalty.

New Road is not without its own problems. Northants would no doubt point the finger at the number of wickets falling here if they themselves were accused of poor pitch preparation.

Undoubtedly, self-interest is a factor, but I would say that Worcestershire, in trying to introduce more pace and bounce, are moving cricket in the right direction.

In this respect it is interesting to look at the relative bowling performances of Matt Mason and Steve Harmison in the last home game. Mason was the match-winner with 10 wickets -- Harmison produced unplayable balls, but took fewer wickets. Am I presenting an argument for Matt Mason's inclusion in the next Test squad? Well, that's not my point.

Harmison will get bounce on any surface enabling him to dismiss any batsman, international or otherwise. That's why he is so valued. Bounce exploits faults in even the best players' techniques -- that's why it should be encouraged in all pitch preparation at county level.

Mason generates bounce and at a lively pace. He has looked rhythmic and dangerous this year. Significantly, he is taking wickets in match-winning batches rather than ones and twos, moving the ball away from the bat from a chest on approach.

The pitches at New Road suit him, they are prepared for Worcestershire's pacy or tall seamers. Is this a bad thing? Yes, if there's too much sideways movement to go with the bounce.

The coarse grass necessary to withstand the floods and root in New Road's hard clay surfaces can produce lavish sideways movement. But I maintain that the intentions are correct and it is that which pitch inspectors should be looking at not just how the pitch plays.

To find out just how far Mason's bowling has progressed we will have to see how successful he proves to be on flatter, drier pitches. These should prevail in high summer and come closest to Test match surfaces. Not that I've noticed it being particularly cool or damp recently!

Natural and rhythmic with the ball he might look, but not so with the bat where Mason's short-arm swings look more baseball than cricket, but it is effective and he has made a major contribution to Worcestershire's growing success.

Result pitches designed to satisfy the ambitions of clubs and coaches as a short cut out of the second division are bad for the game. I do not want to sound 'holier than thou', but I think New Road is approaching being a quality surface. As a quality player, Ben Smith certainly was able to thrive in the last game and play the decisive innings.

Clubs have a responsibility for the state of cricket and cricketers in this country. Derby's pitches and others like them do the game a disservice. It is important, therefore, that the pitch inspectors both know and do their stuff.