Worcestershire Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes gives his reaction to the seven wicket defeat at Scarborough, Ross Whiteley's century and the battle to stay in Division One of the LV = County Championship to BBC Hereford-Worcester's Dave Bradley.
Question: You put up a good scrap?
Steve Rhodes: "Our lads can hold their heads up high. They’ve put up a game effort against a very good team.
"They would have been a bit worried at 44-3 after the run-out of Gale, but Bairstow played an incredible knock again.
"I thought Lees played well to be there at the end for the second game on the trot against us. He’s a good cricketer.
"If we can keep up that sort of effort then this relegation battle is going to be terrific.
"If we can fight like we did in this game after an awkward first day then the other teams around us are going to have to play well. If we can keep up that sort of effort, we’re going to do well."
Question: You are not going to come up against Yorkshire's attack every week?
Steve Rhodes: "That’s a Test attack and they’ve steamrolled a few of the other sides in this division.
"We scored 585 runs in this game and kept them out there for six sessions which was a game effort from what are meant to be the whipping boys.
"We’ve proved once again we can fight in games and try and mix it with the best of them.
"Sadly for us, this is a very good team and one that knows how to win. When you know how to win things seem to go for you.
"I look back at the follow-on and being one run short. When you’re top of the league and champions that tends to go your way.
"Similarly when you’re down the bottom fighting relegation things go against you. That’s the way it goes. The important thing for our team is to be keep the efforts going. We've been at it all year and I'm sure they'll be at it to the very end.
"That's the message I've given them post match in our little chat.
"Individually I thought Ross Whiteley was fantastic in the second innings and that will do him the world of good.
"He is a real talent and we've been desperate for him to come off in four-day cricket with the bat. I thought he played a very mature innings but also with some sporadic bits of aggression which was fantastic to watch.
"I think that hopefully it will go a long way towards him learning a lot about four-day batting."
Question: You've needed that bit of experience in the middle order and Ross has that?
Steve Rhodes: "He has and he is actually quite a late developer with his batting. He was an all-rounder at university and possibly more of a bowler than a batter.
"His batting has really taken over. He hits the ball very sweetly. I think some of the four day problems he may have had with Worcestershire in cementing his place has been about through learning. He is just a late developer with the bat.
"He is starting to learn nicely now and I think his best years are still ahead of him with plenty of runs in one-day and four-day formats."
Question: You've got two of the bottom sides to play at New Road. Does that come into your thinking. Do you target them?
Steve Rhodes: "No, we tried to win this game. When we set off on the first day, we wanted to win this game.We've done that all season. We've got two wins out and had many times in great positions to win games and we haven't done it.
"Hampshire and Sussex are down there with us and if we keep up these same effort levels and belief, because the lads do believe we can win. If we can this up, then Sussex and Hampshire are going to have to play really well to try and get ahead of us."
