'Proud of Somerset's boys turned men'

Chennai: Somerset might have lost a match that looked well within their grasp but skipper Alfonso Thomas prefers to count the positives after his side's semi-final exit from Champions League Twenty20 on Saturday.

The English County side lost by 10 runs to Mumbai Indians to bow out of the event but Thomas said there are positives to be taken at the end of their campaign.

"Definitely we are disappointed but it was something we hadn't imagined landing up just 24 hours before the first match, and reaching this far. There were a couple of boys in the side and they would return as men," he chuckled.

Somerset skipper Alfonso Thomas looked at the positives after his side\'s CLT20 semi-final exit.

Middle-over slackness was as much a problem as the late-over succumbs and Thomas lamented that one of their pinch-hitters Kieron Pollard was part of the rival team on Saturday night.

"We lost a bit in the middle overs, but that's usually the time Polly (Kieron Pollard) bats for us and he was playing for the other team."

"We wanted to go with the minimum amount of runs in the last over. But James Franklin bowled a spectacular over, and then (Lasith) Malinga was too hot to handle," he observed.

Overall, he was satisfied with his team's performance.

"The first Champions League (2009) launched my career, but we didn't perform particularly well in the series. But this time we have really fought hard and I'm proud of my boys."

"They have entertained right from the first match," he added.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)