All-rounder Matt Coles admits he was disappointed not to have seen the Kent Spitfires into the Quarter Finals of the Royal London One Day Cup.
The 25 year old from Maidstone starred with bat and ball and almost pulled off the most remarkable victory for the Spitfires against Surrey at The Oval.
With the hosts having been bowled out for 273 just inside the 50 overs, Kent looked on course for their passage into the last four, but losing early wickets in their innings, a rain break that led to a revised target and then more wickets saw the Spitfires collapse to 101/7 needing 251 to win.
What happened next was nothing short of remarkable as Coles along with Darren Stevens and then Mitch Claydon guided the side to 169/9. At that stage all still seemed lost with Matt Hunn in at number eleven.
However, Coles was up for the fight and following on from his three wickets, he bludgeoned a century including 7 fours and 9 sixes to take the side to 233.
Trying to hit one more lusty blow, Coles fell exactly on 100 to leave the side 17 runs short on the Duckworth Lewis method and the all-rounder was disappointed at the end not to have been able to see the side home:
“I’m proud of the way I played, but so very disappointed to fall short at the end. In a way, I’d prefer it if we had lost by 40-odd runs, or something, rather than getting that close.”
“It was a full toss that I skied to get out, and I’d also missed out on a few in previous overs, but it is nice to show that I can bat and that, in one-day cricket, nothing is impossible.”
“At the start of my innings I just tried to knock it around to get Darren Stevens on strike, and give myself a chance of getting in, and then when he got out I tried to take over that main role while Mitch Claydon and then Matt Hunn hung on with me.”
“I thought the right approach was to keep as much of the strike as I could, and try to hit fours and sixes, and it almost paid off.”
On this showing and with the England selectors surely watching, Coles must be one step closer to international recognition.