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Jones backs Big Ben

Sreffan Jones leapt to the defence of team-mate Ben Phillips after a crucial mis-field in a thrilling finish that saw the Steelbacks crash out of the Twenty20 Cup.

Sreffan Jones leapt to the defence of team-mate Ben Phillips after a crucial mis-field in a thrilling finish that saw the Steelbacks crash out of the Twenty20 Cup.

Needing six runs off the last over to win Somerset got there with a ball to spare in a pulsating quarter-final played out in front of a packed Wantage Road crowd.

But it could have been nine runs needed off the last over if Phillips hadn't let the ball slip through his grasp on the long-off boundary for a four.

Jones refused to blame Phillips on a night when the Steelbacks made too many mistakes in the field and with the bat.

"If anybody blames Ben Phillips I'll smack them," said the fiery Welshman. "But nobody will ever blame Ben for that, because he has been absolutely awesome. He is one of the few athletic fielders we have.

"That is nothing to do with Ben Phillips, because he has been a phenomenal fielder for us and the rest of us have been shambolic.

"We bowled well, but once again our fielding was pretty shoddy. Our fielding must be up there with one of the worst around I imagine."

The Steelbacks made 154 for eight after deciding to bat first, despite reaching 85 for two after nine overs. And Jones feels they should have made more after such a good start, but on a slow wicket the Sabres also found run-scoring difficult.

Jones said: "We were 20 or 30 runs short with the bat. Though you can't really fault the batters, our fielding is what let us down in the end."

Last night's four-wicket defeat ended a terrible weekend for Northamptonshire, seeing their season virtually ended in the space of 48 hours.

On Saturday they suffered elimination from the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy with a 33-run defeat against Yorkshire at Headingley, and now they have missed out on the lucrative Twenty20 Cup finals day.

And Jones feels a hectic month of one-day cricket finally caught up with Northants and their small squad.

Jones said: "It has been a dreadful weekend. Three weeks ago we would have won them both, nobody could beat us in the one-day stuff – we were flying.

"But after that Warwickshire loss in the last Twenty20 Cup group match, we've been struggling, our confidence has gone and we're not the same really."

With Northants winless in the Frizzell County Championship one place from the bottom in division two and 14 points adrift of Essex Eagles at the totesport League Kepler Wessels' side realistically have only their one-day first division survival to play for now.

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