Rhodes: Let's not get too excited (From Worcester News)

Rhodes: Let's not get too excited

7:30am Monday 26th April 2010 in Sport

STEVE Rhodes has been at pains this season not to get carried away by how his Worcestershire side have begun the season.

After the 2009 campaign which saw the New Road outfit go without a first-class victory — the first time since 1928, the County have already beaten Middlesex in LV= County Championship Division Two and Leeds/Bradford MCCU in their university clash.

And in those victories their have been some impressive displays from young bowlers Richard Jones and Jack Shantry and teenage wicketkeeper Ben Cox.

The New Road director of cricket has never doubted the young talent that he has within his ranks.

“But they will have some sticky periods this year and it is how they deal with them is the big test of character,” Rhodes pointed out.

“However, these lads don’t have any scars, they haven’t suffered big defeats — all they know is going about winning games of cricket.”

And Worcestershire’s crop of young players did suffer some difficult times at Surrey last week.

“It was a learning curve for them,” Rhodes said. “Richard Jones is a great example of that.

“He will have days when he’ll learn a lot and that first day at Surrey was one of them.”