KEVIN Sharp says Worcestershire Rapids have a squad capable of again making “a real impact” in white-ball cricket.

Rapids topped the Royal London One-Day Cup North Group and reached the semi-finals last summer having made the last eight in 2016.

Now they launch their 2018 group programme at home to Derbyshire Falcons on Saturday (11am).

Head coach Sharp feels a new competition to get to grips with is well timed after a challenging start in Specsavers County Championship Division One.

He said: “We have a strong white-ball team and have been in quarter-finals and semi-finals in either the T20 or One-Day Cup in recent years.

“I’ve always thought with white-ball cricket we are dangerous and we are bringing in one or two players to add to things.

“It is an exciting squad. Unfortunately we just fell at the semi-final hurdle last year. We weren’t at our best on that day (against Surrey).

“But we are in a position to really make an impact in that white-ball cricket. These lads have played quite a bit of it now. They’ve had some experiences and are ready to really compete.

“A new competition at this moment in time is probably a good thing for us and I’m quite confident we will do well.

“We did some white-ball training in Abu Dhabi. We played a game out there and also five of the six batters played in a second team 50-over match just before the Surrey (Championship) game.

“Some of the bowlers have also had white-ball sessions in the nets over the last few days so there have been bits and pieces going on.”

Sharp was pleased with his side’s overall display in the last two Championship matches despite being edged out by 32 runs against Essex at Blackfinch New Road on Sunday.

He said: “The result was a huge disappointment because we played some excellent cricket and drove the game for huge parts of it. Not to get over the line was very disappointing.

“I’ve been really pleased with the lads in the last two weeks.

“We’ve really competed against Surrey and Essex.

“We got into one or two positions against Essex where I thought we could drive it home and probably didn’t have the rub of the green.

“The lads were really hurting afterwards because we really wanted to win and get our first result on the board and we didn’t do it.

“I know everyone will be disappointed with the outcome, none more so than us, and we really did want to come back here after underachieving in the Nottinghamshire game and put it right. I think most of the time we did.”

Rapids from: Mitchell, Clarke, Head, Fell, D’Oliveira, Whiteley, Cox, Barnard, Leach, Tongue, Morris, Brown.