Peter Moores admitted that he departed Sophia Gardens feeling like a winner after seeing his side escape with a draw.  

The Nottinghamshire boss saw his side extend their lead at the top of the LV= Insurance County Championship Second Division to 21 points after batting out the final day against Glamorgan to secure a share of the spoils.

“Understanding the context of the league is really important and, because of that, the draw felt like a win,” he said.

“Getting the draw and the eight points, and not giving the 16 to Glamorgan, keeps us in a really strong position in the division.

“We have to accept that we didn’t play our best cricket,” the Head Coach continued.

“Their seamers got more out of the pitch than we did and, certainly on the second evening, we would have liked to have bowled better and put them under more pressure.

“And, batting wise in the first innings, we set the game up without really taking the opportunity. Nobody went on and got a hundred.

“But being strong and resilient when you get behind the eight ball is something we have worked really hard on.

“We knew we had to fight hard to come out with the kind of result that we’ve been on the receiving end of at times, like we were with Middlesex holding on for a draw in our last game.

“It’s nice, in some ways, for us to do it to someone else and come out with a good haul of points.

“We went about it in the right way – built strong partnerships and managed to get over the line without it feeling like there were too many dramas.”

Ben Slater (48), Joe Clarke (95), Lyndon James (76*) and Steven Mullaney (28*) each had stellar parts to play in the Green and Golds’ rear-guard action – and Moores revealed that top-scorer Clarke had already, in fact, set the tone before a ball was delivered in anger.

“Prior to the start of the day, we felt that – if we could build partnerships – we had a really good chance,” said Moores.

“We knew that, with the moisture having gone from the pitch, that it had lost some of its guts – but that there would be some uneven bounce early on and that it would turn a little bit, so we would have to play well.

“I love the way Joe played because he came out with the mindset that he was going to bat the day, which is what he told us in the huddle he was going to do.

“It’s a good mindset for any batter to go in with. He looked an authoritative figure at the crease – and Ben Slater played equally well in a really important partnership before he was really disappointed to get out just before lunch.

“And Lyndon did what Lyndon does. He’s unflappable and he bats at a lovely tempo. He built really good partnerships with Joe – and with the captain, Steven Mullaney – to see us home.”

With Matthew Montgomery having top-scored with 80 in his maiden red-ball appearance for the club in the first innings, and Liam Patterson-White having secured his position as the leading spinner in the division, Moores pointed to a growth mindset five years in the making as critical in sowing the seeds of such success.

“If I look back to 2017 when I first became Head Coach, we pledged to create an environment in which people could get better – not just young players, but senior lads as well,” he recalled.

“Growth in players is the lifeblood of a club. With that in mind, to see Matt Montgomery come in and play so calmly on his debut was really impressive.

“Seeing the likes of Lyndon and Joey Evison progress is exciting – and that goes for the players themselves, but also for everybody else in the setup.

“Liam passed 30 wickets for the season and is going from strength-to-strength – and Toby Pettman bowled beautifully on loan at Derbyshire too.

“We’re seeing lads at different points in their careers all move their game’s forward and that is brilliant to see.”

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