Head Coach Robert Croft paid tribute to retiring captain Jacques Rudolph and reflected on the signs of improvement shown by his charges during this year\'s NatWest T20 Blast campaign.
“I was very pleased with the fighting spirit the team showed," said Croft.
"We were under pressure from the first six overs with the bat and the first six overs with the ball, but fair play we fought back in both innings.
“We’ll assess what happened in this campaign. I was proud of the spirit and maturity the team showed this year, but we’ll have to improve for next year.
“The boys can walk away with their heads held high, but equally it’s about winning medals and trophies, so we need to use this experience as inspiration and motivation to get better."
Croft praised the contribution of Jacques Rudolph, who led from the front in the semi-final, with his score of 65 only bettered by Sam Hain in the last game of Finals Day. Rudolph's efforts ultimately were in vain as his career concluded without the fairy tale ending of lifting the T20 Blast trophy.
"He’s led the team well on the field as a captain and with the bat in hand he’s been one of our integral players," commented Croft.
"I’ve always believed the captain-coach relationship is vital to any team to go in a positive direction and Jacques has been a dream to work with as a coach."