Worcestershire Seconds return to Championship action tomorrow (Wednesday) with coach Kevin Sharp insisting the accent will always be on trying to achieve a positive result on the final day.
The Seconds went down by three wickets to their Warwickshire counterparts in their opening Championship game at Flagge Meadow after both teams breathed life into a game that appeared to be meandering towards a draw.
Warwickshire were eventually set a target of 291 in 61 overs after the two sides agreed a target and a see saw game could have gone either way.
Sharp believes it is important to have such game situations for players to learn how to react under pressure whether batting, bowling or fielding.
Now the Seconds take on MCC Young Cricketers in a three-day match at Barnt Green (11 am start) – also their opponents today (Tuesday) in a Trophy clash at Kidderminster.
Sharp said: "The Warwickshire match was a cracking game and our philosophy in three day cricket is, if there is not a natural result as in bowling teams out twice, then you look to try and play a game of some substance on the last day.
"Warwickshire were up for that and we managed to get a good game on from lunch. We left them 291 in about 61 overs and it ebbed and flowed.
"It could have gone either way. They did play well and we bowled okay and fielded okay but they just managed to get over the line in the last over. It was win-win in that respect.
"It is obviously nice to win games – but the really important thing in second eleven cricket is always to make sure there is an element of competitiveness to the last day if there is not a natural result so they can learn to bat and bowl under pressure and field."
Batsman Tom Fell will play for the Seconds and paceman Alex Wilkinson will make his first appearance of the summer.
Seconds:
Rhodes (c)
Westbury
Fell
Kervezee
Hepburn
Dell
Malik
Twohig
Dodd (w)
Brown
Wilkinson
