BOBBY SALUTES SUMMER OF PROGRESS

From the very start of his tenure as North West Warriors Head Coach, Bobby Rao has always been very clear on his objectives in the Interprovincial series.

He had his heart set on building from the bottom up despite the very real possibility that in doing so his charges would be thrown in way beyond the deep end for the first season at least.

Rao however had faith not only in his own ability but also a belief that he could bring together a select squad of young North West cricketers and give them the direction they needed to take their game to the next level.

In an interview with CricketEurope in June 2013 he admitted that the first season would be a learning curve for his charges but that we would see a big improvement in the second term and by 2015 the Warriors would be ready to compete for trophies.

Last week at Eglinton he watched with great satisfaction as his side beat the Northern Knights by 44 runs to close out their Interprovincial summer on another high, but Bobby had a very valid reason for doing so.

"Despite enjoying a vastly improved season it was vitally important for us to win the game as it now means that we have won in all three formats. Prior to this we struggled in the 3-day games but the boys battled really well even though we hampered ourselves with another bad start".

There were some big performances in this match, not least from the Donemana trio of Ricky-Lee Dougherty, Gary McClintock and of course skipper Andy McBrine who claimed 5 Knights wickets in the second innings.

"They all played really well and the skipper did what he has done all season and led from the front. Gary's knock in the first innings was unbelievable quality given the match conditions and both Ricky-Lee and Johnny Thompson helped push us to a winning total. The truth is though that all the players we have used at various times his season have all came in and gave their best.

"It is a fantastic group of players to work with but there is no secret in it. They know each other's game and most importantly they get on really well with each other. They are their own biggest critics and they never need me to tell them when they have played badly either individually or as a team. They want to play for the Warriors- that is the key".

Reflecting on the season as a whole the boss was delighted to have a trophy to show for his efforts but he was quick to point out that there would be little rest.

"Obvously the squad needs a break now as it has been a long season but we must keep working with the newer faces and continue with the very successful Academy this winter. There are young players out there who can come into the squad over the next 12 months and we have a responsibility to get them ready for that. We are beginning to see the belief that comes with working together as a unit and getting results like this week will only make them stronger".

Looking ahead to 2015 Bobby felt that continuity was essential if progress was to be maintained. "We have a good network in place and although it may need a few tweaks here and there we're on our way. We have had good support from a lot of people including Andrew Fleming, Peter McCartney, Marshall Kilgore and Billy Henderson and we need that to continue.

"Competition for places is very healthy and we are aware of areas where we are weaker than we want to be so it will be nice to have options as well".

And if he had a choice between winning one of the two remaining trophies next season or be guaranteed another year of development in the squad?

"Always development wins that contest. We have a young skipper and the nucleus of a very young side and that was always our plan. It is an easy choice for me because if they develop more in the next 12 months then winning trophies will take care of itself" he smiled.

INDIAN BATSMEN HAVE AWAY DAY BLUES

Another area that the former Test cricketer is well versed to comment on was the performance of his beloved India against England this summer and the Strabane man was in no doubt where the visitors' problems lay.

"India under-performed in those Tests and there seems a fairly obvious reason for that. In the past, great batsmen like Sunil Gavaskar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and of course even the greatest of them all, Sachin Tendulkar all played County cricket in the UK at some point in their careers.

"That will have given them experience of playing in English conditions which are easily the most demanding on the Test circuit. Conditions in the Caribbean or Australia or India can change maybe after three days wear on the pitch but in England they can change hour by hour.

"When VVS played with Lancashire in 2009 we talked a lot on the phone. He was amazed at how quickly conditions changed but the biggest difference he encountered was the lateness of the swing. He had to work hard at trying to counteract that by playing the ball as late as possible but it took time. The eperience served him well when he played Tests there however.

"Although Ashwin, Kohli, Dhawan and Pujara are all very good players technically, they lack the experience of English conditions and that found them out. Dhoni has led the team really well and in terms of captaincy he is as good as any in the world. He has led India to T20 success, World Cup success and to the Number 1 Test ranking as well so his record will stand the test of time.

"His biggest problem however is that for current International players, BCCI and IPL contracts mean that there isn't the same time available to play County cricket for the summer any more. It is impossible to replicate English conditions anywhere else so if they are to be competitive in the longer format in the UK again in the future, India need to find a way of dealing with that".