Barnsley CC captain Jason Booth says he is 'as encouraged as I could possibly be after losing the first three games of the season'.
The Shaw Lane skipper has taken positives from the defeats at Aston Hall in the Yorkshire South Premier on Saturday and Treeton in the League Cup on Bank Holiday Monday, but is concerned that his side conceded a huge 43 extras in both matches.
He called the loss of opening batsman Jon Trower to a dislocated ankle sustained on a charity assault course on Sunday, which is likely to put him out for the season, a 'devastating blow' while overseas batter Harpreet Singh is still involved in the Indian Premier League and at least a month away from arriving.
Barnsley are hoping to bolster their squad with at least one experienced signing while frontline seam bowler Nathan Firn is closer to returning from injury.
"If you could take a defeat as a win, then it would be on Monday at Aston Hall," said Booth.
"All the players and coaches were really enthused by how we played. I'm as encouraged as I could possibly be after losing the first three games of the season. We're not panicking at all. We've got a very tough game next against the champions Wakefield Thornes but we're quietly confident that we will be in the top half by the time we have played ten games."
Barnsley conceded 45 wides and 29 leg byes over the Bank Holiday weekend, mainly from their fast bowlers. Booth said: "If you look at the distances we lost by and the number of extras we conceded, it is easy to work out where we are going wrong. Aston Hall got to 70 without loss very quickly and more than 30 of those runs were extras.
"It is a massive lack of discipline by our quick bowlers, but they are young lads who know where they are going wrong and they will work hard to put it right. Our spinners did really well to wrestle it back for us. Ali Jahangir and Oliver Jackson are bowling as well as I have seen club spinners bowl, and Steven Nuttall is supporting them nicely."
On Saturday, Aston Hall's openers put on 72 for the first wicket then were 152 for three before slipping to 165 for seven but a late flurry of runs saw them post 212. Nuttall took four wickets for Barnsley with Jackson claiming three. In reply, Barnsley struggled to 43 for four but Booth led a recovery before falling four runs short of a half-century. The skipper had put on 77 with Jahangir who, after two more wickets fell, added 55 with Jackson (26 not out). But the visitors fell 27 runs short on 185 for seven with Jahangir 58 not out.
Two days later, Treeton made a huge 327 for eight with their number six Sam Drury smashing a brilliant 151 not out off 91 balls with 13 fours and ten sixes. Booth said it was 'as good a knock as I have seen in club cricket'. Beck Frostick took four wickets for the Shaw Laners, who then fell short on 305 all out.
Tom Whittaker was drafted in from the second team to open the batting and made a superb 98 off 78 balls with five sixes and 11 fours before just missing out on his first century for the first team. He lost opening partner Stevie Walters off the fourth ball of the innings but then added 140 with Frostick (54) from 20 overs.
Barnsley began to lose regular wickets, with youngster Lewis Pike out for a duck and captain Booth dismissed off the first ball, as they slipped from 209 for three to 210 for six in the same over. Number eight Dan Waldron smashed 65 off 55 balls but his side fell 22 runs short.
