Sharp sees reasons to be hopeful after defeat - The Worcester Observer

Sharp sees reasons to be hopeful after defeat

Worcester Editorial 17th May, 2018   0

WORCESTERSHIRE head coach Kevin Sharp admitted the 32-run loss to Essex was a ‘difficult one to take’.

The Pears’ defeat means they have lost four out of their first five Championship games and, lying at the foot of the Division One table, are already 23 points behind seventh-placed Hampshire.

Overseas star Travis Head hit 61 as Worcestershire were bowled out for 182 chasing a 215 target.

Sharp felt his charges hadn’t done much wrong during the game and felt the final result could have gone either way.




“Since the poor performance here against Notts, we went to Surrey and played particularly well and we’ve played some fabulous cricket in this game on a pitch that has done a bit all match,” he said.

“I thought just before lunch on the second day that we had got ourselves into a fantastic position, 140-2, and then Travis (Head) was given out caught behind, and then we lost Coxy (Ben Cox) just before lunch and (Ed) Barnard straight afterwards and it evened the game up again.


“We fought hard and we just weren’t able to do it. At one point it looked like we could and everyone is really, really disappointed.

“There are lots of good things to take from it. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with the champions and finished just short.”

The Pears chief felt the batsmen needed luck on a surface which offered plenty for the bowlers but praised the 63-run partnership between Tom Lawrence and James Foster for the visitors which ultimately took the game away from Worcestershire.

“I thought those two played really well and it was a fine innings from Lawrence,” he said,

“What was said in meeting after game? It’s not been a post mortem because it’s not been a poor performance.

“We’ve done things well. There are obviously little bits of discipline that we could have managed a bit better but what we’ve good at this year in the debriefs is discussing our strengths and where we need to get better.

“In this match particularly it is just disappointing to lose it but it’s not the same feeling as against Notts.

“We were really, really under par and outplayed in that game but this has been a different kettle of fish.

“The team themselves will have a couple of days off now. It has been a long, long four weeks, a lot of cricket. They will be back at the end of the week to practice for the 50-over game on Saturday.

Sharp praised the contribution of Head and labelled the Australian an entertainer.

“Travis is a fine young player. He is a good player to watch, he plays some fantastic shots and he is learning how to play in English conditions,” he added.

“For all the shots he can play, he knows also how to build an innings and he is finding out how to play in some quite difficult English conditions.”

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