Worcestershire Rapids top-order batter Gareth Roderick reacted with honesty after his side saw were handed a six-wicket defeat away at Northants Steelbacks, in a game where the scorecard didn’t tell the full story.
Batting first, an untimely rain interruption midway through the Rapids innings stalled their progress and cost the visitors two overs of their allotted 20, as a valiant late charge to reach 154 still looked under par at the halfway mark.
Roderick had pre-cursed the efforts of Sikandar Raza (36) and Ethan Brookes 19 with a top-score of 47 from 32 balls, benefitting from some clean striking late on in his cameo.
However, restricting the Steelbacks to seven an over was always going to prove challenging, with a game changing blitz from opener Chris Lynn eventually separating the sides as the group leaders made it six wins from six.
“It was quite a strange game in truth”, said Roderick.
“It is always difficult when the rain comes in, but we were probably short in truth, and they got off to a flyer, which is what Chris Lynn can do to you.
“You never really know in those situations because you don’t face them too often, but on reflection maybe another 20-runs may have put us in a better position.
“That is the game ultimately.
“I thought we did a really good job to drag it back in the middle with our spinners, who have been excellent for us all year.
“On the scoreboard it looks like quite a wide margin, but it certainly didn’t feel like that for long periods.”
In what has been a mixed bag for the Rapids in the first half of the group stage, Worcestershire have won three and lost three of their opening six matches in the 2026 Vitality Blast T20 Central and West group.
With a return to red ball cricket imminent, Roderick says he hopes the break will do his side good when the Blast returns in three week’s time.
“I started poorly, but I felt like I kicked on towards the end.
“In T20 we know as a top-six we need to be kicking on and getting big scores and we have addressed it as a group, going on and getting that score.
“We are working on it, but it is very rare that not one bloke comes off and it clicks, because that is all it takes to win you a game.
“We have had a couple of poor performances, and I don’t think this counts as one of those, but we have been in plenty of games and have had opportunities, but we know the proof is in the pudding and if we don’t win enough games to get us through then we won’t.”
