Stand-in skipper Geraint Jones admitted Northants “executed their skills” better than Kent Spitfires in the 29-run Yorkshire Bank 40 defeat on Sunday evening.

The Steelbacks piled on the runs on a flat track to post an imposing 263-4 before some stifling bowling and lapses of concentration at key moments saw the hosts slip to 234 all-out with two balls remaining at Tunbridge Wells.

Jones – captaining the side as James Tredwell is on England duty – said: “I’m disappointed because we lost. They played well in key areas. To have a guy get a hundred and another retire hurt on 90-odd, they batted well and at crucial points took advantage of us.

“When they bowled at the back end, they got the yorkers in – they executed their skills a lot better than we did.”

He added: “260 was a good score and they had an experienced bowling unit.
“Our guys are young, they’re learning. They also had the chance to learn from our bowling innings, they bowled straight and changed the pace a lot.

“We were still in a decent position and were about 130-1 after 24 overs, so we got into position where we could have taken advantage but it didn’t quite happen.”

Jones added: “Sam Northeast started up the top well with Sam Billings. We got some starts. I felt we got in positions where as a team learns and grows, they’re the sort of things you need to learn to grab hold of.

“They batted controlled and accelerated at the right time. They went at Adam Riley at the end of his spell and did well during the powerplay. At key times, they just executed their skills better than we did.”