Hopkins 'bitterly disappointed' after CL T20 exit ? Cricket News - Bettor

Hopkins ?bitterly disappointed? after CL T20 exit ? Cricket News Update

Auckland Aces? skipper, Gareth Hopkins, has conceded that the team is bitterly disappointed at not making the semi-stage of the Champions League T20 following their failures against Perth Scorchers last night. ?

The skipper nonetheless, praised the efforts of his team after making the tournament proper for the first time following an unlucky run last season where a defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders cut short their progression to the main draw. "If we look back in a few years we'd probably say that making the main draw was good," Hopkins said. "But given our position and the belief in the team at the moment, we believed we could make the semis and then the final. We're bitterly disappointed."

The Aces entered the event fully prepared to make most of their outings after lifting the New Zealand T20 championship back home. They breezed past the three-team qualifying group, where strong contributions from the likes of Kyle Mills, Martin Guptill and Azhar Mahmood ensured that they defeated Pakistan and England T20 holders, Sialkot Stallions and Hampshire respectively, to book their place in Group A.

After starting in fine fashion, where they beat old-nemesis KKR in the opening game, they struggled to make an impact in their remaining matches. They were defeated by Titans by a handsome margin of 59, before a washed out game meant that they needed a win in their last outing against the Scorchers, who had not won a single game so far.

However, their hopes of qualifying to the semi-final stage were dashed after they fell 16 runs short of the 141-run target. Despite being disappointed, Hopkins was keen to talk about the positives the team will take back home, and praised the performances of their overseas player Mahmood, who remained the side?s leading run-getter and wicket-taker. ?

?"Winning was definitely a highlight," he said. "I enjoyed seeing my mates' successes on the park - things like Azhar Mahmood's innings against Hampshire and the team performance against Kolkata. That was one particularly sweet because they beat us off the last ball in the qualifiers last year so we got our own back this time. We were really happy with that."

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Hopkins-bitterly-disappointed-after-CL-T20-exit-Cricket-News-Update-a197250

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