Gloucestershire under GrahamB (story)

[GrahamB]

Having chosen to bat first, Glamorgan made the most of the good batting conditions by going past 300. Three dropped catches (two in the slips, one in the outfield) didn't help our cause.

In reply, only Graeme van Buuren and Ian Cockbain made good contributions, as we were rolled for a disappointing total. Timm van der Gugten starred for the visitors with a bag of five wickets.

As in our previous FC match, our winning hopes lay on dismissing Glamorgan for a low score and having a realistic target to chase down.
And remarkably, our bowlers delivered yet again, with only a stubborn middle order partnership between Chris Cooke and David Lloyd threatening to thwart our hopes.

We were left with just over 300 to achieve victory, but with the pitch going downhill, this wasn't necessarily going to be easy.
However, a wonderful century from Miles Hammond set the stage for us to the others to get us home. Comeback kings once more.


Glamorgan - 343 (D.Lloyd-63, M.Labuschagne-54, C.Cooke-50)

Gloucestershire - 231 (G.van Buuren-83, T.van der Gugten-5/45, M.de Lange-3/61)

Glamorgan - 193 (D.Lloyd-87, D.Worrall-4/46, R.Higgins-4/57)

Gloucestershire - 308/6 (M.Hammond-114)

Win to Gloucestershire by 4 wickets.

[GrahamB]

Our next FC match could be important to our chances of promotion. We're off to play Middlesex, who currently top the points table.

With bad weather expected to interfere later in the match, winning the toss and batting first could be crucial.
Tom Smith makes way for Benny Howell, while young James Bracey takes over keeping duties from Gareth Roderick.
Bracey has had a horrid season with the bat, so taking the gloves might help his concentration levels and hopefully benefit his batting.

Gloucestershire: M.Hammond, C.Dent, B.Howell, G.Roderick (captain), G.van Buuren, J.Bracey (wk), T.Hellawell, I.Cockbain, R.Higgins, D.Payne, D.Worrall.

In beaking news, we've won the toss and will bat first.

[GrahamB]

I guess that we were overdue to come a cropper, and we surely did against the powerful Middlesex side.

Batting first proved to be a poisoned chalice, as the home side's pace attack of Toby Roland-Jones, James Harris, Reece Topley and Tim Murtagh tore us to shreds. Out for our lowest total of the season to date.

In reply, we had Middlesex at 77/2, but then Sam Robson and Eoin Morgan came together to put on 250 for the third wicket.
After Robson fell for 139, Morgan carried on to complete an unbeaten 223, his highest ever FC score, before the declaration came.

With a deficit of 364 runs and the weather starting to turn, it was going to take a miracle for us to get out of jail.
Sadly, we were again dismantled by their deadly pace attack, and we fell to a huge defeat.


Gloucestershire - 140 (T.Roland-Jones-4/37, J.Harris-3/37)

Middlesex - 504/5 declared (E.Morgan-223no, S.Robson-139, D.Malan-58)

Gloucestershire - 149 (J.Harris-4/40, T.Roland-Jones-3/32)

Middlesex win by an innings and 215 runs.

[GrahamB]

We get a chance to redeem ourselves at home against the visiting Leicestershire side.

With unsettled/overcast weather expected throughout the match, it should be an interesting challenge.
James Bracey is injured and is out for three weeks, which is probably just as well, as he was going to be dropped anyway.
Benny Howell returns to the second team, and in come George Hankins and James Taylor to strengthen the batting.

Gloucestershire: C.Dent, M.Hammond, G.Roderick (captain and wk), G.Hankins, G.van Buuren, T.Hellawell, I.Cockbain, J.Taylor, R.Higgins, D.Payne, D.Worrall.


In other news, a couple of players have been promoted from the youth team. Sadly both look way out of their depth, so will likely be condemned to second team duties.

[MarksNotts]

Look forward to my morning read of your story Graham, How has Ryan Higgins performed with bat and ball? Also I'm curious about young seamer Matt Taylor, IRL he took 50 wickets at 23 last season.

[GrahamB]

Look forward to my morning read of your story Graham, How has Ryan Higgins performed with bat and ball? Also I'm curious about young seamer Matt Taylor, IRL he took 50 wickets at 23 last season.

I've not tried Matt Taylor at all, as his second team form hasn't warranted it.

Ryan Higgins has been outstanding -

[GrahamB]

We batted first against visiting Leicestershire and when we'd crumbled to 158/8, I thought, "Oh no. Here we go again!"
Then Ian Cockbain and David Payne put together 139 runs for the ninth wicket to help us get to 297 all out.

The visitors were similarly precariously placed at 46/4 and then 122/6, before a partnership of 84 between Arron Lilley and Gavin Griffiths was instrumental in seeing that their side only conceded a first innings deficit of 42 runs.

We now had to bat through the most difficult conditions of the match on Day 3, with very cloudy conditions and then the wicket taking sharp turn.
We probably declared later than we needed to, but I wasn't prepared to see a possible two straight losses.

Leicestershire had over two sessions to survive, and they played very carefully.
Although our bowlers kept chipping away and taking wickets, it looked as though our opponents would hold on for the draw.
As our key spinner, Graeme van Buuren needed a break, we gave the ball to part-time spinner James Taylor. In his first four overs he took two wickets and was entrusted with bowling the final over in the match, with just one wicket left to fall.
Imagine our joy when he trapped Mohammad Abbas in front with the first ball to wrap things up!


Gloucestershire - 297 (I.Cockbain-81, D.Wayne-63, D.Klein-5/96)

Leicestershire - 255 (A.Lilley-81, G.Griffiths-68, D.Worrall-4/67, D.Payne-3/66, R.Higgins-3/71)

Gloucestershire - 283/4 declared (M.Hammond-131no, T.Hellawell-74no)

Leicestershire - 135 (J.Taylor-3/8, R.Higgins-3/32)

Gloucestershire win by 190 runs.

[GrahamB]

Next up is our first T20 game.

[MarksNotts]

Higgins stats look excellent, especially his bowling, I'd give him a season of Batting Tech training and I reckon you will have a very good All-Rounder on your hands.

[GrahamB]

T20 Game 1

Not the best start. Still learning.


Glamorgan - 164/6 (A.Brine-48no, S.Marsh-30, R.Higgins-3/32)

Gloucestershire - 138 (M.Hammond-48, G.Wagg-3/27, B.Root-3/29)

Win to Glamorgan by 26 runs.

[GrahamB]

We have a catch-up FC match to play, home against Worcestershire.

Unsettled/very cloudy/rainy weather is expected, so Benny Howell comes back in as fourth seamer, while Chris Dent has been given back the captaincy.


Gloucestershire: M.Hammond, C.Dent (captain), B.Howell, G.Roderick (wk), G.van Buuren, T.Hellawell, I.Cockbain, J.Taylor, R.Higgins, D.Payne, D.Worrall.

[GrahamB]

We were beaten fair and Square by Worcestershire, who had to chase a sizable victory target under very difficult conditions.

The visitors took their option of choosing to bowl first.
Initially Miles Hammond held things together well, but his dismissal sparked a collapse that left us at 150/6. It was mainly due to the efforts of Ian Cockbain and Jack Taylor that enabled us to recover and post a good total.

Brett D'Oliviera and Moeen Ali were the main contributors, as Worcestershire struggled through to a disappointing reply.

With a first innings lead of 118, and despite the weather conditions deteriorating further, we were well in the box seat.
However, superb bowling under the very cloudy skies from Joe Leach and Josh Tongue reduced our innings to tatters at 26/6!
Fortunately Jack Taylor stopped the rot, and with support from Cockbain and Higgins, he saw us through to 163 all out.

Worcestershire needed 283 to win under atrocious conditions, and we were rightly confident of victory.
Then Daryl Mitchell and Callum Ferguson blunted our bowling attack to take their side to 150/3. Any hopes that we still had left were then taken away by a classy knock from Oliver Westbury, who with support from others took his side to an impressive win.


Gloucestershire - 325 (I.Cockbain-69, R.Higgins-65no, M.Hammond-55, E.Barnard-4/89, P.Brown-3/45)

Worcestershire - 207 (B.D'Oliviera-75, R.Higgins-4/26, D.Worrall-3/41)

Gloucestershire - 163 (J.Taylor-80no, J.Tongue-4/39)

Worcestershire - 283/5 (C.Ferguson-78, O.Westbury-75no, D.Worrall-3/74)

Win to Worcestershire by 5 wickets.

[GrahamB]

Going into ten straight T20 games, we've been hit by an injury to Miles Hammond, one of our best performing batsmen.
Life is going to be tough for a few weeks!

[GrahamB]

T20 Match 2

Gloucestershire - 118/8 (G.van Buuren-37no)

Middlesex - 119/4 (E.Morgan-54no, A.Hunt-50no)

Win to Middlesex by 6 wickets.

[GrahamB]

T20 Match 3

Getting better. Sadly, their number 11 batsman, Jamie Porter hit the final ball of the innings for 4.


Gloucestershire - 157 (B.Howell-77, J.Porter-4/16, S.Cook-3/24)

Essex - 161/9 (B.Wheater-52, F.Zaman-37, R.Higgins-3/27, B.Howell-3/28)

Win to Essex by 1 wicket.