Billy Godleman says that a defeat to Essex on Finals Day should not get in the way of a good Vitality Blast campaign for the Falcons.
Derbyshire made their Finals Day bow after winning four matches in-a-row, before suffering a 34-run defeat to Essex at Edgbaston in the semi-final.
The Falcons won seven of their group matches, before beating Gloucestershire in the quarter-final to make history by booking their first-ever Finals Day appearance.
Godleman says that the team should be proud of their achievements, and hopes that the success of the campaign will be apparent once time passes.
“To have made it to Finals Day, having never been before, is something we are very proud of. Equally, it’s quite a bitter pill to swallow with the final and potentially the trophy so close,” Godleman said.
“I’m very proud that we have made it to Finals Day and after the next 24-48 hours have passed by the context of what we’ve achieved as a club will come through.
“We have given opportunities to a lot of home-grown, talented cricketers and to be able to beat a lot of the bigger counties home and away to get to Finals Day is something we are very proud of.”
Having finally played two quarter-finals in the last three years, Godleman believes that Derbyshire should be looking to replicate their success in future years, and hopes that the players can learn from the experience.
“I think the context is important,“ Godleman added.
“It was only two years ago that we reached the quarter-final and got beaten quite badly by Hampshire. This year, we made a quarter-final and won convincingly.
“I think that some of the guys that played in that game a couple of years ago gained from that experience. So hopefully in the next 24 months we can make another Finals Day and learn from this experience.”
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