Standout performer Ben Coad, who returned wickets and runs in defeat against Nottinghamshire today, reflected on Yorkshire’s frustrations at Welbeck.
The Vikings missed an opportunity to start their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a second successive Group B win, but the Outlaws recovered from 60-5 batting first to reach 209 all out before bowling Yorkshire out for 126.
Coad was excellent with 4-14 from 10 overs, a career best return in List A cricket, before hitting 31 down the order in reply – the top score in Yorkshire’s innings.
This was a fixture played out in bowler-friendly conditions, and while there’s no doubt Yorkshire’s task of chasing 210 was always going to be tricky against bowlers of the quality of six-wicket seamer Brett Hutton, they should have made a better fist of things on the edge of Sherwood Forest.
Coad said: “It was doing plenty out there.
“We bowled pretty well up front and got them into a position where we should have bowled them out for less than what we let them get to in the end.
“But we should be chasing that, to be honest.
“They were 50-5, and then they got a few away when we went a bit shorter. There’s always a partnership, but it shouldn’t have been as big as what they got.
“180 is more what we should have been bowling them out there. But we got nowhere near that anyway. Not a great day for us.”
Coad’s individual performance was clearly bittersweet.
“I was very happy,” he said. “It’s a club ground, so the wicket’s going to do quite a lot first thing in the morning. I just had to put it in the right areas, and thankfully I did that.
“I don’t think 50-over cricket is too far away from red ball cricket. First up, you just have to be tight on your lengths and lines.
“If there’s a bit in the pitch, great. There certainly was today.”
Coad bowled his 10 overs unchanged having taken the new ball.
“I’m enjoying bowling up at the top and helping the young lads,” he said.
“We’ve got a great side. This is just a little blip. We played really well at Surrey. I don’t think it’s a problem. I think we’ll come back and be really good for the next four home games.
“Hutton’s a very good bowler, and he’s done similar to what I’ve done there. He’s hit his line and length and nipped it both ways.
“It’s tough, but I’d just like us to be a bit more positive and take it to them when it’s doing something like that because you can’t just sit there. You’re bound to get one with your name on.
“Today wasn’t the day to be slogging across the line and trying to get 400.
“We could have just been a bit more positive with our feet movement and coming down the pitch to try and put them off their line and length.”
Yorkshire’s next Group B fixture is against Sussex at York on Wednesday.
