SALTIRES cricket skipper Gavin Hamilton admits his side will have to draw on all their strength of character as they bid to quickly bounce back from a shocking 138-run defeat by Middlesex in the Friends Provident Trophy at citylets Grange.
The Scots, winless and at the bottom of Group B, are back in action tomorrow at home to Warwickshire with two further assignments, against Kent and Somerset, early next week.
Hamilton admits the only way is up for his team after they were rolled
over for 142 chasing a total of 280-4.
The target was largely taken out of reach due to a mid-innings collapse by the Scottish attack when Shaun Udal and Eoin Morgan smacked 67 runs between the 38th and 42nd over. The partnership was worth 85 and Udal – dropped six times in the field – went on to enjoy a stand of 67 with Neil Dexter.
Hamilton said: "I was going to say we were due one (a win) but we're not. It is a good test of character now.
"This is the lowest we have probably been performance-wise but it isn't worth dwelling on.
"(Coach) Peter Steindl and I made it clear at the start we were going to find personnel who are going to come with us over the next couple of years and this is when we'll find out about people's character."
If Hamilton was putting a brave face on a miserable display, which was all the former Yorkshire and Durham professional could realistically do, at least he could point to some green shoots of possible recovery.
For starters, former skipper Ryan Watson seems to be emerging from the deep trough in which he found himself culminating in a loss of the captaincy. His knock of 47 before being caught in the deep trying to bring up his half century in some style was the second consecutive innings in which he had top-scored for the Scots.
"That was the first time in recent times that Ryan has been striking the ball cleanly.
"If he can keep firing the top five can get back to where we were," said Hamilton in a reference to those heady days of four years ago when Scotland were the top side outwith Test status; that seems an eternity ago now.
Watson figured in a partnership of 53 with Fraser Watts, who was eventually caught behind for 20.
Forfarshire player Watson then hung around with hired hand Cameron Borgas, who made 29, but the lack of staying power in the middle order – Capital trio Simon Smith (0), Gordon Drummond (1) and Neil McCallum (5) made just six runs between them – again proved disastrous for the Scots, who were actually ahead of Middlesex's run rate at every stage only for dismissals to undermine them. "We were fantastic for 35 overs in the field and looking to be in the game and then got a little bit edgy and agitated. It went downhill from there.
"So far as our batting is concerned if we get six or seven individual performers against Warwickshire we will be in the game.
"Ryan and Fraser needed to stay together for another ten overs on top of the time (12.5 overs) they were together.
"Warwickshire will be no different to Middlesex in that they'll come here to play hard but we have just have to live or die by our efforts.
"There's a lack of preparation time but there's nothing else we can do," said Hamilton who was out without scoring to the final ball of the opening Middlesex over.
Steindl undertook a 30 minute dressing room de-brief with his side afterwards, emerging to remark: "It was a disappointing day in too many aspects.
"For the first 35 overs we were bowling very tight and then released the pressure with some under-performance in the field.
"We had performed well in recent games in the field but that was not the level we aspire to.
"That is something we have to work on.
"Ryan was timing the ball well and dominating but we failed to build from that.
"We have a squad of 13 and we'll have to decide on the day where we go."
Matthew Parker and Richie Berrington were the two players omitted from the team yesterday and will now come into serious consideration, although it is doubtful if the 11 on duty yesterday can collectively perform as badly again in terms of all-round performance.
