Skipper Wakely rues Northants' '˜loose' showing at Gloucestershire

Alex Wakely admitted Northants put in a '˜loose batting performance' on the first day of their County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire.
Alex Wakely (picture: Peter Short)Alex Wakely (picture: Peter Short)
Alex Wakely (picture: Peter Short)

The County will go into Monday on 134 for seven, with none of their top four bastmen having been able to get past the 20 runs mark.

Steven Crook eventually provided some resistance, registering an unbeaten 43 from 54 balls.

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But Crook aside, Wakely knows the display his men put in was a microcosm of their campaign, which has seen them fail to win any of their first five four-day matches.

“It was loose batting performance from us,” said the skipper, who was out for four. “The top five all fell to poor shots on what was not a particularly difficult wicket.

“The pitch was tough to score on, but we chased a few wide ones and Gloucestershire caught well. It was the story of our season so far in many ways.

“We are making the same mistakes over and over. It was the first toss I have won and we took the decision to bat, intending to make a good fist of it.

“At least Steven Crook has put us in a position where we are not out of the game, but we need to get more runs in the morning and then bowl very well.”