Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Explained

Gloucestershire CCC
Oneday Name:Gloucestershire
Coach:Mark Alleyne
Od Captain:Jack Taylor
Overseas:Cameron Bancroft
Curtis Campher
Beau Webster
Zafar Gohar
Founded:1870
Ground:Seat Unique Stadium
Capacity:7,500 – 17,500
First Fc:Surrey
First Fc Year:1870
First Fc Venue:Durdham Down, Bristol
Title1:Championship
Title1wins:0 (unofficial Champion County 4 times)
Title2:One-Day Cup
Title2wins:(2)
Title3:FP Trophy/NatWest Trophy
Title3wins:(5)
Title4:Benson & Hedges Cup
Title4wins:(3)
Website:gloscricket.co.uk
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H Title:First-class
A Title:One-day
T Title:T20
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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. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire has always been first-class and has played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. The club played its first senior match in 1870 and W. G. Grace was their captain. The club plays home games at the Bristol County Ground in the Bishopston area of north Bristol. A number of games are also played at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival at the College Ground, Cheltenham and matches have also been played at the Gloucester cricket festival at The King's School, Gloucester.

Gloucestershire's most famous players have been W. G. Grace, whose father founded the club, and Wally Hammond, who scored 113 centuries for them. The club has had two notable periods of success: in the 1870s when it was unofficially acclaimed as the Champion County on at least three occasions, and from 1999 to 2006 when it won seven limited overs trophies, notably a 'double double' in 1999 and 2000 (both the Benson and Hedges Cup and the C&G Trophy in both seasons), and the Sunday League in 2000.[1]

Honours

See also: List of the competitive honours won by county cricket clubs in England and Wales.

First XI honours

Runners-up (6): 1930, 1931, 1947, 1959, 1969, 1986

Runners-up (2): 1988, 2003

Division Two (2): 2002, 2006

Semi-finalists (5): 1968, 1971, 1975, 1987, 2009

Finalists (1): 2001

Semi-finalists (1): 1972

Finalists (1): 2007

Semi-finalists (1): 2003, 2020

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 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.[3] 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.[3]

Dr Grace's club played Gloucestershire's initial first-class match versus Surrey at Durdham Down in Bristol on 2, 3 & 4 June 1870.[4] 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".[3] The Cheltenham club was wound up in March 1871 and its chief officials accepted positions in the hierarchy of Gloucestershire.[3] 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.[3]

What is certain is that Dr Grace was able to form the county club because of its playing strength, especially his three sons W. G., E. M. and Fred.[3]

Club history

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 was very successful 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.[1] Gloucestershire's overall knockout record between 1999 and 2002 was 28 wins and seven losses from 37 games, including 16 wins from 18 at the Bristol County Ground.

The club's run of success started by defeating Yorkshire to win the Benson & Hedges Super Cup in 1999 before then beating neighbours Somerset in the 1999 NatWest Trophy final at Lord's. 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.[5] His figures in the first innings were 3–68, including a wicket in his 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,[6] the club failed to win any major trophies for a decade.

In 2013 Gloucestershire stopped using 'Gloucestershire Gladiators' as its limited-overs name.[7]

Gloucestershire 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 Lord's. 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.[8]

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. In the past, Somerset played first-class matches at venues in the south of Bristol.[9] [10]

Grounds

See main article: List of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club grounds.

The club's debut home match in first-class cricket was played at Durdham Down in the Clifton district of Bristol.[11] This was the only time the county used this venue for a match.[12] 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.[13] 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.[9] [10]

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,[14] 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

Current squad

No.NameNatBirth dateBatting styleBowling styleNotes
Batters
4Cameron Bancroft  19 November 1992 Right-handed Overseas player
1012 November 1991 Right-handed Captain (List A & T20)
1520 January 1991 Left-handed
249 November 2003 Right-handed
6419 November 2000 Left-handed
7112 April 2005 Right-handed
8811 January 1996 Left-handed
All-rounders
1222 August 1990 Right-handed Club Captain

UK Passport
194 April 2003 Right-handed
2026 September 2004 Right-handed
301 December 1993 Right-handed Overseas player
532 January 2000 Right-handed
5528 December 2000 Right-handed
6712 June 2001 Right-handed
77Zafar Gohar  1 February 1995 Left-handed Overseas player
85Curtis Campher  20 April 1999 Right-handed Overseas player
Wicket-keepers
25James Bracey  3 May 1997 Left-handed
Bowlers
51996 1, df=yes Right-handed
629 August 1987 Right-handed
14David Payne  15 February 1991 Left-handed White ball contract
1712 March 1999 Right-handed
28Archie Bailey 28 June 2005 Right-handed
368 July 1994 Right-handed
393 July 2000 Right-handed
8323 October 2000 Right-handed
90Marchant de Lange  13 October 1990 Right-handed UK Passport
Source: Cricinfo

International players

Among the international players who have represented Gloucestershire are:

Club captains

Records

Most first-class runs for Gloucestershire
Qualification – 20,000 runs https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Gloucestershire/Batting_Records/Most_Career_Runs.html

PlayerRuns
Wally Hammond33,664
Arthur Milton30,218
Alfred Dipper27,948
23,607
23,400
22,808
22,806
22,195
21,221

Most first-class wickets for Gloucestershire
Qualification – 1,000 wickets https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Gloucestershire/Bowling_Records/Most_Career_Wickets.html

PlayerWickets
Charlie Parker3,170
Tom Goddard2,862
George Dennett2,082
1,768
1,696
1,339
1,223
1,165
1,159
Team totals

Batting

Best partnership for each wicket

Bowling

Shirt sponsors

One-day / T20 cricket

SeasonKit supplierKit sponsor
FCLAT20
2000AvecMerchant Investorsn/a
2001GM
2002
2003SurridgeAcorn Recruitment
2004Marston's
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009Gray-Nicolls
2010
2011TotalSitec
2012
2013
2014
2015SurridgeAmlin
2016D&B ScaffoldingD&B Scaffolding
2017Amber EnergyBrightside
2018SamuraiBluepoppy.co.uk
2019Hunter Selection
2020Cayman IslandsReform
2021
2022New Balance
2023

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Reliving Gloucestershire's limited-overs glory days. Espncricinfo.com. 29 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181002040310/http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/921321.html. 2 October 2018. live.
  2. 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.
  3. Rae, p. 89.
  4. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1631.html CricketArchive – match scorecard.
  5. News: Swinging onto centre stage . Andrew Miller . . 2 June 2006 . 5 May 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110803092638/http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/249258.html . 3 August 2011 . live .
  6. News: Kent take Twenty20 in thrilling final . Andrew McGlashan . . 4 August 2007 . 5 May 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140802234311/http://www.espncricinfo.com/countycricket2007/content/story/305547.html . 2 August 2014 . live .
  7. News: Talking Point: Should Gloucestershire County Cricket Club change their name? . Pete Orchard . . 20 March 2014 . 11 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140329080159/http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Talking-Point-Gloucestershire-County-Cricket-Club/story-20830840-detail/story.html . 29 March 2014 . dead .
  8. Web site: Klinger completes MVP double | England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - the Official Website of the ECB . 21 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151013060428/http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/klinger-completes-mvp-double . 13 October 2015 . dead . dmy-all .
  9. Web site: First-Class Matches played on Knowle Cricket Club Ground, Bristol (3) . CricketArchive . 3 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150703224032/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/561_f.html . 3 July 2015 . live .
  10. Web site: First-Class Matches played on Imperial Athletic Ground, Bristol (9) . CricketArchive . 3 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150704065732/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/355_f.html . 4 July 2015 . live .
  11. Web site: First-Class Matches played by Gloucestershire . CricketArchive . 7 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150708024316/http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/118/First-Class_Matches.html . 8 July 2015 . live .
  12. Web site: First-Class Matches played on Durdham Down, Clifton (1) . CricketArchive . 3 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150704031813/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/353_f.html . 4 July 2015 . live .
  13. News: Plans unveiled for 2015 Brewin Dolphin Cheltenham Cricket Festival. Bristol Post. 27 May 2015. 8 July 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714170758/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/PLANS-UNVEILED-2015-BREWIN-DOLPHIN-CHELTENHAM/story-26581356-detail/story.html. 14 July 2015. dmy-all.
  14. Web site: Gloucestershire's future in doubt. 11 January 2012. ESPNcricinfo. 10 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150801235229/http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2012/content/story/549003.html. 1 August 2015. live.
  15. Web site: Gloucestershire's record 706 for 6 leaves Leicestershire staring down the barrel . ESPNcricinfo . 26 May 2024 . 18 May 2024.
  16. News: Scorecard - Gloucestershire CCC vs Worcestershire CCC, 21-24 July 2014 . . 23 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140723092327/http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2014/engine/match/692971.html . 23 July 2014 . live .