Spriegel left to rue the few that got away

Matthew Spriegel was both pleased and disappointed after he fell three runs short of what would’ve been a maiden first-class century in Northamptonshire colours.
A dejected Matthew Spriegel departs after making 97 against DurhamA dejected Matthew Spriegel departs after making 97 against Durham
A dejected Matthew Spriegel departs after making 97 against Durham

The left-hander, who was 20 not out overnight, produced a fine effort to reach 97 before edging Usman Arshad behind to Phil Mustard.

And while happy that he’s made a mark, Spriegel couldn’t hide his frustration at the three runs that never were.

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He said: “If somebody had offered me 97 at the start of the day I would probably have taken it but I’m thinking about the three runs that I didn’t score rather then the 97 that I did.

“That’s something that I’ll probably be thinking about this evening but when I reflect on it I’ll be pleased with my contribution to the team.

“I felt a lot more fluent today and whereas I was hitting the gaps a lot last night, today I missed the field a lot more and the outfield’s nice and fast.

“You get good value for your shots so it was mainly a case of getting back in.”

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But for the glut of injuries suffered by the County, Spriegel would probably have sat this fixture out but one man’s misfortune is another’s good luck as the man himself alluded to.

He continued: “I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if we didn’t have as many injuries as we’ve got but that’s the nature of sport and sometimes you’re unlucky to miss out and sometimes you’re fortunate to be in.

“All you can do is to try and take your opportunity and thankfully I did that today.”

As for the team’s performance, Spriegel was relieved that the slide from 231-3 to 268-6 didn’t develop into something more serious.

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“As well as we played yesterday, it was important that we backed it up today,” he said.

“Newts (Rob Newton) would’ve been kicking himself for getting in then getting out and we lost three wickets which meant there was a chance of a wobble.

“But it was important to get as close as we could so we wouldn’t be too far behind when we had to bowl again.”

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