Rao Seeing the Improvement of His Young Side Despite Defeat to Leinster Lightning

North West Warriors Coach Bobby Rao says his young North West Warriors will take a lot of positives from today's game, despite losing to the Leinster Lightning by 4 wickets.

Rao said his young team got excited at the prospect of a first innings lead and took their eyes off the ball, paying dearly for that.

He is looking forward to the Warriors next match in Colraine, a 50 over encounter with the dangerous Northern Knights.

Barry Chambers: Bobby a good fight back?

Bobby Rao: Yes Barry, I mean over these three days, yesterday was a bad day for us. Though we got more positives than them, till now, you have seen it. So we take more positives than them. But unfortunately the way the game is, we lost the game. It doesn't matter, it gives us a lot of heart going forward to build on that.

Barry Chambers: John Mooney paid tribute to your work over the winter, he says he can see a different, although maybe the scorecard doesn't show it, but a different Northwest type of batting, more application?

Bobby Rao: Definitely, yesterday, I know it's a young team and a young captain, they got very excited that they were going to get a lead. They took their eye off the ball. They didn't know they have to take 10 wickets to finish that.

And after that a wee bit of a lull and the heads dropped a bit. But again today they showed their character, you know, they batted and got about 80 runs, the rest of the five, and then we can then see how hard they fought back.

And it's a good team in the making, patience, another year or two years time, we'll be back, definitely that's my hope will be. We've got very young players, and hopefully with the support of everyone I feel we can build a good team for the future.

Barry Chambers: And very exciting to see Craig Young, that was as good a spell of fast bowling as many people here have witnessed?

Bobby Rao: Yeah actually I was with Craig last Thursday, and we had a workout here, and I believe he's going to dedicate that to me, because, and he bowled very well.

And the two pros, I would compliment them, because they came and they showed good enthusiasm and good body language, and they were really fitting well in the team. So it's nice to see that.

Barry Chambers: And it's a great format, isn't it, the three day game. It's where players really learn cricket?

Bobby Rao: It is, because by the end of this year our boys will learn a lot. Because constantly transforming from Twenty20 and 50 over for them, and they're young, and it's great, because you have to have a different type of attitude towards the three day game.

You play in sessions when you bat, you bat in sessions. And bowling the same thing, you know, so they're going to learn. Hopefully we will build on this. I know it's a bad result, but it doesn't matter to us at the minute, as long as we build and show, and win a few games.

Barry Chambers: And it's been great to see the way the North West have bought into the whole series, the fact that maybe Andy and Craig, Stuart Thompson have kicked onto the Irish Team. They can see that it's not a closed shop, there are opportunities there.

Bobby Rao: Yeah like for the boys now, they know if they perform and do well, they have an opportunity to make a career for themselves, a professional career is there. And they are nice role models, these three lads for the rest of the youngsters.

Like the Academy is coming through, and I have seen some of the boys here watching. So it's altogether, you know, and we have to even thank the Northwest Board and the people putting faith in this system, and they are very supportive. And it's great, you yourself have seen, and all of them are seeing what a change we have made. Hopefully just around the corner we will win a few games.

Barry Chambers: And just to mention you've got a big game coming up, the Northern Knights, 50 Overs at Coleraine?

Bobby Rao: Yes it is at Coleraine, and they are a strong batting side, because they've got a few pros. But hopefully we did well in the first game, we learned a bit from that. Hopefully our boys will put up a big score and hopefully that will be our first win.