Robinson ‘chuffed’ as Bears secure three-day victory

Mark Robison says the dressing room is ‘chuffed’ as the Bears secured their fourth win in eight LV= Insurance County Championship games.

Speaking in front of a partisan dressing room singing karaoke, the First Team Coach was rightfully full of praise for his side following an impressive innings and 46 runs victory at Kent.

Having endured a difficult couple of weeks which saw an away defeat to Essex, followed by a heart-breaking Vitality Blast quarter-final loss, this success should banish those demons ahead of an exciting Championship run-in.

With 23 points in the bank, the Bears currently sit second with a game less than leaders Surrey.

“It was a hard-fought win with a kookaburra that goes soft very quickly,” said Robinson. “We worked hard on that first day to get them out for 170 and then we went big at a good tempo, which allowed us two days to bowl them out. Everybody’s chuffed.

“When batters left, such as Dom Sibley and Matt Lamb, we wanted to allow our own to grow and play. We know we’ll have some wobbles along the way, but at the minute we’re enjoying playing some exciting cricket.

“We had the hiccup against Essex where we were well beaten so this is brilliant. We’ve come here and done it the opposite way round and now we’ve got two home games coming up. Lancashire will be a proper match, they’re a very good team and then there’s Middlesex who have a few troubles of late. We won’t get ahead of ourselves, but we’ll prepare and play to win. You only think about the draw when you can’t get that victory.”

Whilst everyone chipped in, the story of the match is Rob Yates. The 23-year-old, who was capped last Thursday, struck a double-hundred before taking two valuable wickets in the final innings.

“He’s only been capped so that’s extra special,” added Robinson. “It was his first innings with the White Bear on his helmet and he went big which was sensational. I was more pleased with his couple of wickets, they were huge at the time with a good partnership, and he works so hard on his bowling. That was one of the reasons why we didn’t bring anyone else in as we used Maxwell to support him. We wanted Yates to get some overs in and he bowled a great little spell. He’s had a special game and the only thing he didn’t do was take a slip catch as nothing went his way. Two wickets, double-hundred. Sensational.”

Praise was forthcoming for Glenn Maxwell too. The Australia all-rounder made it clear that he wanted to play, especially once Danny Briggs’ diagnosis was confirmed.

“We’ve just said goodbye to Maxi too and he’s helped us out in this match,” added Robinson. “He rang me and said I want to play. I’m available. He ordered some white pads from his sponsors to be ready and he’s sat there now celebrating a great four-day win.

“He played an innings where he gave us energy and impetus to help get that extra batting point. He took a good catch, a wicket and it’s great we send him off with a victory following the disappointment of the quarter-final.”

A three-day win allows an extra rest day meaning the Bears have plenty of time to recover ahead of Wednesday’s hosting of Lancashire. With Hassan Ali departed and injuries in the seam ranks, Robinson admits they’re looking at their options.

“We’re a bit vulnerable in the seam department because if anything happens to Henry, Rushy and OHD we’re light,” the 56-year-old concluded. “Miles is on the comeback trail, but he’s still injured and Liam is still out although he’s working hard.

“We’re trying to get some cover in and we’re working hard to do that before the next game. We’ll just have to see what we can do.”