Preview: Bears v Rapids, Vitality Blast (2023)

Mark Robinson heaped praise on his side, as Thursday night’s win against the Yorkshire Vikings made it four wins on the spin.

matc

2023-06-23T14:49:49.000Z

Mark Robinson heaped praise on his side, as Thursday night’s win against the Yorkshire Vikings made it four wins on the spin.

Labelling the win as a ‘character performance’, the First Team Coach was delighted with how the Bears coped with such a demanding week.

Having beaten Worcestershire on Friday night, there was short rest before Tuesday’s win at Durham and limited downtime ahead of the following trip to Headingley.

Nevertheless, the Bears passed their examination with flying colours, ensuring they stay on top of the table ahead of Friday’s Derby Day.

“I think tonight was a big win and it felt like it too as it’s been a tiring run,” said Robinson. “We played Durham on Tuesday, stayed, travelled and hung around the hotel so today was a long day. For me, that was a character performance.

“We know tomorrow that there will be a few tired bodies and minds, but in front of a big Edgbaston crowd, it should take care of itself. I’ve got no worries about them as the whole occasion will lift them. Tonight was more of a tricky one, but we got the job done.

“The wicket wasn’t straight forward and the short edge made it interesting with the wind going that way. I think it was a great game, with some strong ball-striking from both sides.

“We showed a lot of character and our spinners were fantastic for us. We’d have liked another heavy seamer on that pitch, but with the injuries and everything else, we’ve got what we’ve got. The variations of spin that we have protected the short side brilliantly and kept getting those vital wickets.

“I think we’ve just seen - well the best I’ve ever seen - catch live by a young 19-year-old running away. He’s a great athlete and has a good future ahead of him. He’s someone we’ve got to be careful with as he’s got a stress fracture which means he can’t bowl and his practice time is limited. But he’s a talent and although he didn’t get any runs he pulled off a world catch to help us win.”

Hassan Ali, who was at Headingley on Thursday but didn't play is likely to return for Derby Day.

"Hass should be back and he was a tad sore after the other night," Robinson added. "He’s got a Championship game on Sunday and a big game against Worcestershire to look forward to so there was a little bit of player management involved."

Squad

Alex Davies (C)Hassan AliEd BarnardChris BenjaminJacob BethellDanny BriggsEthan BrookesHenry BrookesJake LintottDan MousleyGlenn MaxwellWill RhodesChris WoakesRob Yates

How to follow

Members and supporters can watch the match live with our Bears Den TV live stream which will be available in our Match Centre at edgbaston.com.

The stream will be hosted by comedian and TMS commentator Aatif Nawaz, while commentary will once again be led by Adam Bridge, who will be joined by guests throughout the competition.

Supporters can get involved by sending their match day comments and thoughts on Twitter via @WarwickshireCCC and we’ll publish the best ones on our live text commentary in the Match Centre.

Supporters can also watch the Live Stream and get instant push notifications of all wickets, innings and match results via the Edgbaston app, which is free to download on iOS and Android.

Match updates will also be available across the Club’s social media accounts, simply search for @WarwickshireCCC.