Darren Maddy praises Warwickshire team effort

Sep 24 2008 By Brian Halford, Birmingham Mail

WARWICKSHIRE’S promotion back to Division One of the championship has been hailed by captain Darren Maddy as a “real collective effort”.

Maddy was today leading the Bears in their last match of the season, against Glamorgan at Edgbaston.

Promotion is assured and they will go up as champions if they complete the near formality of gathering four points from their final game.

With a squad in transition, this was expected to be a season of consolidation as the new coaching regime bedded in. Instead, abetted by rain and, it must be acknowledged, some fairly ordinary cricket from opposing counties, Warwickshire are set to finish top.

The captain rightly takes pride in that achievement – and has paid tribute to a team who have fought every inch of the way under his control.

“I think it is well deserved,” Maddy said. “We played outstanding cricket to clinch promotion at Essex but that was the culmination of a lot of good cricket throughout the season.

“I am very proud of the players. It’s an old cliche but true: everybody has contributed.

“Everyone has played a part, taking crucial wickets or scoring crucial runs.

“At times we have had to dig deep and we have done that. It has been a real collective effort.

“Promotion was the goal we set ourselves at the start of the season and to secure it with a game to spare is a fantastic achievement.

“We are going into the final game of the season unbeaten and promoted and it doesn’t get any better than that. I have just asked for one final push and reminded the lads of the high standards we have set all season.

“Hopefully we can get another win and finish on a real high at Edgbaston although if it’s a draw I would be quite content that we have finished top of the table and stayed unbeaten.”

Warwickshire should manage that against a Glamorgan side which they beat comfortably in Cardiff. Rikki Clarke is at last making his home debut against a visiting team including former Bears David Hemp and Adam Shantry.

For evidence of the deep transition through which Warwickshire have passed of late, meanwhile, just look at their team last time Glamorgan paid a championship visit, only three years ago.

Of the Bears’ 11 then only two players, Jonathan Trott and Neil Carter, are in the squad this week.