SIR Elton John sang something about ‘sorry’ seeming to be the hardest word – but all of us have to say it sometimes.
And that’s why I went on Twitter to apologise to our loyal supporters at the end of the Steelbacks’ campaign in this season’s Vitality Blast.
Victories in two of our last four matches – against Derbyshire and Leicestershire – made the final showing a little more respectable, but as I said then we were nowhere near good enough in all three disciplines during the competition as a whole. Although it was nice to finish on a higher note it basically counted for nothing because we remained rooted to the bottom of the North group table and failed to mount a serious challenge for a place at finals day.
Offering excuses is the easiest thing in the world but that’s not what we’re about at Wantage Road. I can promise an awful lot of hard work will go into making sure we’re back up where we belong in the Blast’s 2019 edition.
The nature of the English domestic season means there’s a very short interval between putting away the coloured clothing and donning the whites again as we resume the less frenetic business of the County Championship. This year we signed off from the T20 on a Friday night and picked up the red ball just two days later, tackling the 2016 champions Middlesex at the County Ground.
And if we needed our spirits lifting a bit then Ricardo Vasconcelos duly obliged with a superb first-day century – his first for the club. Reaching a maiden hundred is an occasion imprinted on the memory of every cricketer fortunate enough to achieve the feat. It happened for me at Cardiff back in 2009 when, aged 20 (like Ricardo), I managed an unbeaten 113 for Northamptonshire against Glamorgan. Wisden, cricket’s standard reference book, reckoned I was ‘tall and obdurate, but quick to pull.’ Read into that what you like!
Ricardo’s innings can be summed up in two words – pure class. Conditions were very different from those in South Africa where he learned his cricket but he adapted brilliantly and thoroughly deserved his success. I’m told his knock was enjoyed and appreciated by the club’s former players who had gathered in the Lynn Wilson Centre for their annual get-together that day. It’s always excellent to see some of Northamptonshire’s all-time greats back on the ground and pleasing to give them something to applaud in between swapping anecdotes.
Our newest centurion is one of those cricketers who represents the future of our club, and batsman Ben Curran is another. County supporters won’t need convincing of his pedigree as the son of all-rounder Kevin – who captained Northamptonshire – and the brother of Surrey and England bowlers Tom and Sam. Ben has joined us on a two-year contract and we hope he enjoys a long and productive career here.
Although September is upon us we still have plenty of Championship cricket left to play – and my thanks in anticipation of your continued support.