Now We Must Show Character Says Will
10 June 2014
Will Gidman sympathized with Gloucestershire’s younger bowlers after Surrey had run up 626-6 on the second day of the LV=County Championship match at Bristol.
An attack already without James Fuller, David Payne and Craig Miles through injury, plus the now retired Ian Saxelby, was put to the sword as the visitors built a massive first innings lead of 514.
But Will insisted that Gloucestershire had not bowled badly on a placid pitch and admitted he felt for Matt Taylor and Liam Norwell, who have sent down 59 overs between them in the innings.
He told this website: “It is hard for young bowlers in that situation and I was standing at third-man knowing exactly what they were going through.
“We are several bowlers light, but that happens over a long tough season and you just have to get on with it. In fact, the lads have hit pretty good areas on a pitch offering little assistance.
“It is a steep learning curve for Matt and Liam, but they will emerge stronger for it. As a team we now have to show some character and demonstrate how much resolve we have in our second innings.
“The batsmen have held their hands up and admitted they didn’t perform well enough in the first innings. But we are capable of batting through tomorrow and taking the match into a final day.
“We are not going to win it, but we can feel positive about our chances of building big partnerships. Surrey have shown what is possible and we need to go through a session without losing a wicket if possible.”
A brutal day for the Gloucestershire bowlers and fielders saw Zafar Anasari fall three short of a maiden century and Rory Burns just one short of a maiden double century before Jason Roy turned the screw with the fastest Championship hundred of the season.
Roy faced just 55 balls to reach his ton, which featured 7 sixes and 9 fours. By the close he had moved onto 121 and extended his boundary count to 8 sixes and 10 fours.
Will Gidman himself ended the day with respectable figures of 2-75 from 27 overs.
For more details of the day's play click on Cricket and then Match Reports.
