Billy Godleman admits that Derbyshire’s defeat to Gloucestershire was a frustrating one, but says they had to risk defeat to have a chance of victory.
Having declared with 49 overs left in the match, Derbyshire were beaten by eight wickets as the visitors managed 263-2 on the final day at The Pattonair County Ground.
Godleman says that the defeat was a tough one to take, but says that trying to force the win is something Derbyshire had to do when playing at home.
Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, Godleman said: “Although the Gloucestershire batsmen played really well on the fourth day, we definitely needed more runs to defend.
“We believed that there was enough skill in our armoury to take the ten wickets, with it being a Day Four pitch, there was quite a lot of rough, but they played really well.
“We have to force wins, particularly playing at home. Our nature, when we have batted first and there is a bit of moisture in the wicket, is sometimes you have to risk defeat to try to gain a victory.”
Tom Lace scored his third century of the season in the defeat, and Godleman was quick to praise the batsmen for his performance in the second innings.
“For Tom Lace to make the most of his start and score another century was excellent. As a unit, we played really well in the third innings. When you have played so much good cricket, it is difficult to swallow.”
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