Halstead Cricket Club coach Phil Toogood described his team’s derby day defeat by Coggeshall as a “wake up and smell the coffee moment” for their players.

And he is demanding a better attitude and approach as they look to bounce back from a humbling nine-wicket defeat when they end the first half of their Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division one campaign by hosting Hadleigh today.

Just four Halstead batsmen made it into double figures as they set an underwhelming target of 127, which Coggeshall had no problems in chasing down inside 19 overs and Tootgood could find no excuses for the display.

“It was a day to forget,” he said.

“It was our worst performance by a mile.

“I will always find a positive somewhere.

“And from this performance the positive is to learn by our mistakes and strive for that ‘continuous improvement’ ethic we all need.

“Although we fielded a much weakened side through availability and injuries there are no excuses for that performance especially being a local derby.

“I have played in many over the years and they have always been extremely hard fought battles.

“I’m afraid this wasn’t.

“Batting first always provided a tougher challenge as we were short of some key top order batsman.

“And when we lost our two best batters for not many in just a few overs on a good pitch it was going to be a miracle to orchestrate a victory from then on.

“The two shining lights of the performance were Sam Walter and Ed Clark, who put on 60 runs when we were 67 for seven.

“It was a damp and miserable day and that was how I would describe the three disciplines of our cricket.

“It was a wake up and smell the coffee moment for the team and they need to be honest with theirselves in terms of contribution and ownership of their roles.

“We simply cannot afford to go into the next game with a similar mind set.

“I can assure all the supporters of Halstead Cricket Club that by the time this is printed, our attitude preparation and approach towards Saturday’s game will be well and truly sorted, whatever the outcome.”