The first-team coach offers his thoughts following the Bears convincing win at Wantage Road.
Warwickshire first-team coach Jim Troughton saluted “a great collective effort” which lifted his team to an innings-and-48-run victory over Northamptonshire at Northampton.
The Bears’ season is up and running in earnest after they completed the most emphatic of wins inside three days.
They made light of the loss of injured front-line bowlers Olly Stone and Keith Barker as Ryan Sidebottom and Henry Brookes came into the side and had excellent games.
It was a great collective effort.
Jim Troughton
Sidebottom finished with match figures of ten for 96 while Brookes took three wickets and scored a match-changing 70 with the bat.
“It was a good, solid three days of hard work and good cricket by the guys and they thoroughly deserved the win,” Troughton said. “It was a great collective effort.
“Ryan and Henry came in and responded with excellent performances along with Matt Lamb who batted very well to thwart the Northants bowling attack at a crucial time . Matt laid a platform, along with Sam Hain and Will Rhodes, which allowed Tim Ambrose and Henry to bat us into a really strong position.
“I’m also really happy for Jeets for getting his first win as captain. He bowled really well too and we had to work for it on the last day. Josh Cobb and Adam Rossington put on a partnership that kept us waiting but we kept our cool and kept hammering away. Chris Wright put in a great shift for us and created openings just before lunch and tea. Everybody did their jobs.
“We all know what happened last year and we have talked a lot about that and how we need to put it to bed. This win is a start. That’s all it is, a start, but we have a good, solid points haul and also scored 400 runs which, on that wicket, was a really good effort.”
