Bournemouth's dropped catches are becoming 'annoying'

Wicketkeeper batsman Park was one of a number of Lions' players guilty of spilling chances during their dramatic one-wicket defeat to Hampshire Academy on the Isle of Wight last time out.

And he is looking for a vast improvement when they host fifth-placed St Cross at Chapel Gate on Saturday (11am).

Park told the Daily Echo: “You have the fielding which keeps haunting us – we just keep dropping catches. This season I just can’t remember how many catches we have dropped, it’s just so annoying.

“Catches win matches and all those age-old clichés. It’s hurting us at the moment and that needs to change.

“Luke Webb last week had two chances at slip that he was thinking ‘right, I should be catching one out of two of these’ but he dropped both of them.

“Tom Robinson dropped a caught and bowled and it hit him straight on the forehead – he had a big mark on his head. I dropped two catches – both of which I should be catching and it’s just annoying that I dropped both of them. Adam Davies on his debut dropped one at square-leg which was a hard chance but maybe he could have caught it.

“You just think, ‘oh dear, when is it going to change?’. But we have got to keep working, improving and thinking about it.

“Hopefully we can improve and get better.”

Bournemouth sit second from bottom of the pile, with one victory in five completed fixtures. Only winless Alton have picked up fewer points.

“We are nearly halfway through the season and we need to start winning some games,” said the Lions skipper.

“These young lads turn up every Saturday and are full of energy – they seem to just forget what’s happened the week before.

“Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing I’m not sure but we need to start learning some lessons fast.

“Batsmen all need to find some form and increase these starts of 20s into half-centuries and hundreds.”

Dan Conway, Nick Park and Jake Hurley are all set to return for Bournemouth.