Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

Gloucestershire CCC
One-day name: Gloucestershire
Captain: Australia Michael Klinger
Coach: England
Richard Dawson
Colours:                              
Founded: 1870
Home ground: Bristol County Ground
Capacity: 7,500 – 17,500
First-class debut: Surrey
in 1870
at Durdham Down, Bristol
Championship wins: 0 (unofficial Champion County 4 times)
One-Day Cup wins: 2015
Pro40/ECB 40 wins: 2000
FP Trophy/NatWest Trophy wins:
  • 1973
  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2003
  • 2004
Benson & Hedges Cup wins:
  • 1977
  • 1999
  • 2000
Official website: gloscricket.co.uk

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. There is uncertainty about the exact date of the club's foundation, due to a merger with another club, but 1870 is generally accepted. The club played its first major match in June of that year. It was founded by the Grace family and W. G. was its first team captain. With that association, Gloucestershire has had major status since inception: i.e., classified as an unofficial first-class team by substantial sources from 1870 to 1894;[1][2] classified as an official first-class team from 1895 by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the County Championship clubs;[3] classified as a List A team since the beginning of limited overs cricket in 1963;[4] and classified as a major Twenty20 team since 2003.[5]

The club plays its home games at its headquarters, the Bristol County Ground, in the Bishopston area of north Bristol. Each season a number of games are also played at the Cheltenham cricket festival held at the College Ground, Cheltenham. In recent years, matches have also been played at the Gloucester cricket festival at The King's School, Gloucester.

Gloucestershire CCC is best known as the county of W. G. Grace, whose father founded the club, and Wally Hammond, who scored 113 hundreds for the county. The club has had two notable periods of success: first, in the 1870s when it was unofficially acclaimed as the Champion County on at least three occasions; more recently, from 1999 to 2006 during which it won nine limited overs trophies, winning a "double double" in 1999 and 2000 (both the Benson and Hedges Cup and the C&G Trophy, in both seasons), while also winning the Sunday League in 2000.[6]

The club's traditional badge is the coat of arms of the City of Bristol, the club's home since being founded in 1870.

Honours

First XI honours

Runners-Up (6) – 1930, 1931, 1947, 1959, 1969, 1986
2 Divisions since 2000 (2000–2003 D2, 2003–2005 D1, 2006– D2)
Division 2 – 2003 – 3rd – Promoted to Division 1, 2005 – Relegated to Division 2
Semi-Finalists (6) – 1968, 1971, 1975, 1987, 1988, 2009
Division Two (2) – 2002, 2006
Finalists (1) – 2007
Semi-Finalists (1) – 2003
Finalists (1) – 2001
Semi-Finalists (1) – 1972

Second XI honours

Earliest cricket

Cricket probably reached Gloucestershire by the end of the 17th century. It is known that the related sport of "Stow-Ball" aka "Stob-Ball" was played in the county during the 16th century. In this game, the bat was called a "stave". See Alice B Gomme : The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland.

A game in Gloucester on 22 September 1729 is the earliest definite reference to cricket in the county. From then until the founding of the county club, very little has been found outside parish cricket.

Origin of club

In the early 1840s, Dr Henry Grace and his brother-in-law Alfred Pocock founded the Mangotsfield Cricket Club which merged in 1846 with the West Gloucestershire Cricket Club, whose name was adopted until 1867, after which it became the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.[8] Grace hoped that Gloucestershire would join the first-class county clubs but the situation was complicated in 1863 by the formation of a rival club called the Cheltenham and Gloucestershire Cricket Club.[8]

Dr Grace's club played Gloucestershire's initial first-class match versus Surrey at Durdham Down in Bristol on 2, 3 & 4 June 1870.[9] Gloucestershire joined the (unofficial) County Championship at this time but the existence of the Cheltenham club seems to have forestalled the installation of its "constitutional trappings".[8] The Cheltenham club was wound up in March 1871 and its chief officials accepted positions in the hierarchy of Gloucestershire.[8] So, although the exact details and dates of the county club's foundation are uncertain, it has always been assumed that the year was 1870 and the club celebrated its centenary in 1970.[8]

What is certain is that Dr Grace was able to form the county club because of its playing strength, especially his three sons WG, EM and Fred.[8]

Club history

Gloucestershire CCC in 1880.

The early history of Gloucestershire is dominated by the Grace family, most notably W G Grace, who was the club's original captain and held that post until his departure for London in 1899. His brother E M Grace, although still an active player, was the original club secretary. With the Grace brothers and Billy Midwinter in their team, Gloucestershire won three Champion County titles in the 1870s.

Since then Gloucestershire's fortunes have been mixed and they have never won the official County Championship. They struggled in the pre-war years of the County Championship because their best batsmen, apart from Gilbert Jessop and briefly Charlie Townsend, were very rarely available. The bowling, except when Townsend did sensational things on sticky wickets in late 1895 and late 1898, was very weak until George Dennett emerged – then it had the fault of depending far too much on him. Wally Hammond, who still holds many of the county's batting records formed part of an occasionally strong inter-war team, although the highest championship finish during this period was second in 1930 and 1931, when Charlie Parker and Tom Goddard formed a devastating spin attack.

Outstanding players since the war include Tom Graveney, "Jack" Russell and overseas players Mike Procter, Zaheer Abbas and Courtney Walsh.

Dominance in one-day cricket (1999–2004)

Gloucestershire established a dynasty in one-day cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s winning several titles under the captaincy of Mark Alleyne and coaching of John Bracewell. The club operated on a small budget and was famed as a team greater than the sum of its parts boasting few international stars.[10] Gloucestershire's overall knockout record between 1999 and 2002 was phenomenal: 28 wins and seven losses from 37 games, including 16 wins from 18 at the Bristol County Ground.

The club's incredible run of success started by defeating arch-rivals and neighbours Somerset in the 1999 NatWest Trophy final at Lords. In 2000 Gloucestershire completed a hat-trick of one-day titles, winning all the domestic limited overs tournaments, the Benson and Hedges Cup, the C&G Trophy and the Sunday League in the same season. The club maintained its success winning the C&G Trophy in 2003 and 2004, beating Worcestershire in the final on both occasions.

Recent years (2006–present)

The club's captain for the 2006 season, Jon Lewis, became the first Gloucestershire player for nearly 10 years to play for England at Test Match level, when he was picked to represent his country in the Third Test against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge in June 2006.[11] His figures in the first innings were 3–68, including a wicket in his very first over in Test cricket, and he was widely praised for his debut performance.

Following the retirement of several key players, such as "Jack" Russell and Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire's fortunes declined. The club subsequently stripped back its playing budget as it looked to finance the redevelopment of the Bristol County Ground in order to maintain Category B status and secure future international games at their home ground. Performances suffered and despite reaching the final of the 2007 Twenty20 Cup, losing narrowly to Kent,[12] the club failed to win any major trophies for a decade.

In 2013 Gloucestershire stopped using 'Gloucestershire Gladiators' as its limited-overs name.[13]

Gloucestershire CCC won their first major silverware for 11 years in 2015, overcoming favoured Surrey to win the Royal London One-Day Cup in the final at Lords. Captain Michael Klinger, who flew back from Australia to play in the semi-final win over Yorkshire, was named the tournament's MVP scoring 531 runs at an average of over 106.[14]

Rivalries

Gloucestershire contest one of English cricket's fiercest rivalries, the West Country derby against Somerset, which usually draws the biggest crowd of the season for either team. Traditionally, the boundary between the counties is drawn by the River Avon. Although Gloucestershire CCC's home ground is in Bristol, which straddles the Avon (and has been a county in its own right since 1373), many people from south Bristol favour Somerset CCC despite the fact the club plays its home games much further away in Taunton. However, in the past Somerset have played first-class matches at venues in the south of Bristol.[15][16]

Grounds

The Bristol County Ground
A tablet of W.G. Grace at the Grace Gates of the Bristol County Ground

The club's debut home match in first-class cricket was played at Durdham Down in the Clifton district of Bristol.[17] This was the only time the county used this venue for a match.[18] The following year Gloucestershire began to play matches at the Clifton College Close Ground in the grounds of Clifton College in the same part of the city, and this remained a regular venue for the county until the 1930s, hosting nearly 100 first-class matches. In 1872 the county used a venue outside Bristol for the first time when they played at the College Ground in the grounds of Cheltenham College. This venue has continued to be used regularly for the county's annual "Cheltenham festival" event, which in the modern era incorporates additional charity events and off-field entertainment.[19] In 1889 Gloucestershire began to play matches at the Bristol County Ground in Bristol, which has subsequently served as the club's main headquarters and hosted the majority of the county's matches. It was here that the club played its first List A match in 1963 against Middlesex, and its first Twenty20 match forty years later against Worcestershire. Somerset have played first-class matches at other venues in the city.[15][16]

In the 1920s Gloucestershire ceased playing at the Spa Ground in Gloucester, which had been in use since 1882, and switched to the Wagon Works Ground in the city. This ground remained in use for nearly 70 years, hosting over 150 first-class matches, before its use was discontinued in 1992. In 2012 the club investigated the possibility of returning to the Wagon Works Ground and making it their permanent headquarters after being refused permission for extensive redevelopment of the County Ground in Bristol,[20] but ultimately this did not occur. In 1993, the club moved its base in Gloucester to Archdeacon Meadow, a ground owned by The King's School. This venue was only used for first-class matches until 2008 but was used for four Twenty20 matches in 2010 and 2011, the most recent county games to take place in the city. All subsequent matches have taken place in either Bristol or Cheltenham.

Players

For more details on this topic, see List of Gloucestershire CCC players.

Current squad

No. Name Nat Birth date Batting Style Bowling Style Notes
Batsmen
2 Michael Klinger*   Australia 4 July 1980 Right-handed — Overseas player
ListA captain
4 William Tavaré*  England 1 January 1990 Right-handed Right-arm medium
9 Hamish Marshall* double-dagger  New Zealand 15 February 1979 Right-handed Right-arm medium
15 Chris Dent*  England 20 January 1991 Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
28 Ian Cockbain*  England 17 February 1987 Right-handed Right-arm medium Acting FC captain
— Brandon Gilmour  England 11 April 1996 Left-handed Right-arm medium
— George Hankins  England 4 January 1997 Right-handed Right-arm off break
All-rounders
10 Jack Taylor*  England 12 November 1991 Right-handed Right-arm off break
11 Kieran Noema-Barnett*  New Zealand 4 June 1987 Left-handed Right-arm medium UK passport
13 Benny Howell*  England 5 October 1988 Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
34 Craig Miles*  England 20 July 1994 Right-handed Right-arm medium
Wicket-keepers
17 Gareth Roderick*  South Africa 28 August 1991 Right-handed Right-arm medium
54 Peter Handscomb*  Australia 26 April 1991 Right-handed — UK passport
— Patrick Grieshaber*  England 24 November 1996 Right-handed —
Bowlers
6 Tom Smith*  England 29 August 1987 Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
14 David Payne*  England 15 February 1991 Left-handed Left-arm fast-medium
16 Tom Hampton*  England 5 October 1990 Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
24 Liam Norwell*  England 27 December 1991 Right-handed Right-arm medium
36 Matthew Taylor*  England 8 July 1994 Right-handed Left-arm medium-fast
68 Andrew Tye  Australia 12 December 1986 Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast T20 Only
88 Miles Hammond*  England 11 January 1996 Left-handed Right-arm off break
— Chris Liddle  England 1 February 1984 Right-handed Left-arm medium-fast

Source: Cricinfo

International players

Among the international players who have represented Gloucestershire are:

Club captains

WG Grace dominated the club's early history. He made 22,808 runs and took 1,339 wickets for the county.

Records

Most first-class runs for Gloucestershire
Qualification – 20000 runs

PlayerRuns
Wally Hammond 33664
Arthur Milton 30218
Alfred Dipper 27948
Ron Nicholls 23607
Martin Young 23400
WG Grace 22808
George Emmett 22806
Jack Crapp 22195
Charlie Barnett 21221

Most first-class wickets for Gloucestershire
Qualification – 1000 wickets

PlayerWickets
Charlie Parker 3170
Tom Goddard 2862
George Dennett 2082
Sam Cook 1768
John Mortimore 1696
WG Grace 1339
Tony Brown 1223
Reg Sinfield 1165
David Smith 1159

Bristol County Ground before redevelopment

Team totals

Batting

Best Partnership for each wicket

Bowling

Shirt sponsors

One Day / T20 Cricket

Season Kit Supplier Kit Sponsor
FC LA T20
2000 Avec Merchant Investors n/a
2001 GM
2002
2003 Surridge Acorn Recruitment
2004 Marston's
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009 Gray-Nicolls
2010
2011 Total Sitec
2012
2013

References

  1. ↑ ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
  2. ↑ ACS (1982). A Guide to First-Class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles. Nottingham: ACS.
  3. ↑ Birley, p. 145.
  4. ↑ "List A events played by Gloucestershire". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Twenty20 events played by Gloucestershire". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Cricinfo.
  7. ↑ An unofficial seasonal title sometimes proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted. Although there are ante-dated claims prior to 1873, when residence qualifications were introduced, it is only since that ruling that any quasi-official status can be ascribed.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rae, p.89.
  9. ↑ CricketArchive – match scorecard. Retrieved on 24 November 2008.
  10. ↑ Cricinfo - Reliving Gloucestershire's limited-overs glory days.
  11. ↑ "Swinging onto centre stage". Andrew Miller (ESPNcricinfo). 2 June 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Kent take Twenty20 in thrilling final". Andrew McGlashan (ESPNcricinfo). 4 August 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Talking Point: Should Gloucestershire County Cricket Club change their name?". Pete Orchard. Gloucestershire Echo. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  14. ↑ ECB - Klinger completes MVP double.
  15. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on Knowle Cricket Club Ground, Bristol (3)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  16. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on Imperial Athletic Ground, Bristol (9)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "First-Class Matches played by Gloucestershire". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Durdham Down, Clifton (1)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "Plans unveiled for 2015 Brewin Dolphin Cheltenham Cricket Festival". Bristol Post. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "Gloucestershire's future in doubt". ESPNcricinfo. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "Scorecard - Gloucestershire CCC vs Worcestershire CCC, 21-24 July 2014". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 July 2014.

External links

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Bibliography

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