Croft: \"It was important for us to go out on a high\"

27 Sep 2018 | Cricket
Head Coach Robert Croft believes his side’s win against Leicestershire was important to build confidence ahead of next season.

Glamorgan ran out convincing 132-run winners at Sophia Gardens in their final game of 2018 with Croft happy that his team were able to finish on a high after a tough Specsavers County Championship campaign. 

“They fought really hard, nothing more than I’d expect from a Leicestershire team,” said Croft. “I thought at one stage there towards the end that Klein may do something similar to what Marchant [de Lange] did against them earlier in the season. 

“It was really important for us to finish on a high, but by no means does it wash over the way we’ve played this season for the large part in Championship cricket. It’s important for the players, support staff and most importantly the members to see us go out on a bit of a high. 

The Welsh county fielded twelve pathway players throughout the campaign and Croft wants the win to act as catalyst to kick off a productive off season for the county. 

“It gives us something to feed off, this isn’t excuses about the middle of the season, this is about trying to look forward and making sure people have something to take off into the winter with and think there could be a spark of light there. 

“When I think of the season, I’m really pleased that we’ve had a clear opportunity to see what our next generation are made of, they’ve had time in the middle to show their wares. 

“Going forward we are sure in our minds of where they stand, how we can help them get better and that’s what it is about,” added Croft. “Every player we have on our staff is going to be here next year so it is our responsibility to make them into a better shaped cricketer come next season. 

“It’s important that we do recruit well and bolster what we have, not to play instead of but to bolster, create competition and produce a higher performance ultimately. From my perspective if you play professional sport, you’ve got to be prepared for a fight for your spot."