Kent Spitfires skipper Sam Billings was proud of his players after their last-gasp defeat at Surrey.
Against a star-studded line-up full of international players, Kent took Surrey to the last ball at The Oval in the Vitality Blast on Thursday.
While the defeat was tough to take as the game swung back and forth in the closing stages, Billings was left with a sense of pride.
“I’m incredibly proud of the guys,” said Billings. “Joe Denly got injured at the halfway mark so I didn’t have another bowling option really.
“I’m extremely proud of how the lads did there to peg it back.
“I wanted us to be aggressive throughout those middle overs and try and take wickets.
“Obviously, I had to play around with my bowling changes and kind of burn my two overseas bowlers a little bit earlier than I would have liked.
“But everyone just kept on coming, kept on trying to change the game.
“And look, fine margins again, dropping Laurie Evans. Unfortunately, he’s made us pay twice in a row, so we dropped him at Canterbury, but it is what it is.
“Like I said, I’m really proud of the guys to kind of take a team of that quality to the last ball.”
Billings also praised spinner Matt Parkinson, who put his hand up to bowl the final over, despite leaking runs in his only previous over of the night.
“He wanted that last over as well and that’s the kind of character we want,” added the Kent skipper. “You want those kind of characters in any sport.
“As a team, you look to guys like that in big moments to step up and he nearly did it brilliantly. That last one perfectly went in the gap when it could have easily been a tie or even a win.”
Billings felt there was more to come from the Spitfires and while that meant they came up agonisingly short on the night, it’s a sign of encouragement that they pushed Surrey so close when not playing at their best.
“Joe Denly played beautifully again and probably had a difficult start as well,” added Billings. “I think Chris Jordan nearly bowled a maiden at him.
“So, that experience to soak up the pressure, to then put it back on. Look, we know we can play better than that as well.
“As a team, I think, for our standards, we weren’t quite at it.
“There was a period, obviously, through the middle where we really struggled and they tied us down. That was probably the difference of getting 180 or 190.
“We haven’t played that well and we’ve taken practically an international team to the last ball at The Oval when it’s a chasing-friendly ground as well.”
The tough games keep on coming for Kent as they make the trip to Taunton on Sunday to face a Somerset side who boast a 100 per cent record in their opening five games.
The Kent skipper is hoping to mark his 34th birthday with a victory.
Billings noted: “If you look at the schedule, and this is with no disrespect to any of the other teams in the group, but obviously played Surrey, Hampshire last game, Surrey previously – we’ve played some really strong teams and Somerset are one of those teams that are always at the top of the group.
“We’re getting these really difficult fixtures in a row. The win against Hampshire the other night was incredible against one of the better teams and hopefully we can do the same against Somerset.”
Billings is a big admirer of Taunton and added: “I love that ground, I’ll be honest, I love their support. I love what their whole club’s about, actually.
“I’ve got huge respect for how they produce their own players. Just how, for a non-test match ground, they really run the show well.
“If we rock up, as we’ve shown in the last couple of games, and put our best foot forward, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
“I’m really looking forward to that and it’s obviously Father’s Day and my birthday on Sunday, so hopefully a birthday present too.”
