Gloucestershire under GrahamB (story)

[GrahamB]

Just got offered the managerial role at Sussex, but I'll stick with Gloucestershire.

[GrahamB]

Leading FC Stats - Gloucestershire 2020

Batting

Tom Hellawell - 1075 runs @ 56.58
Miles Hammond - 1155 runs @ 46.20
Anthony Hunt - 735 runs @ 43.24
Ferisco Adams - 599 runs @ 42.79
Benny Howell - 624 runs @ 41.60
Ryan Higgins - 347 runs @ 38.56
Ian Cockbain - 911 runs @ 36.44
Gareth Roderick - 575 runs @ 33.82

Bowling

Oliver Robinson - 54 wickets @ 23.52
Ferisco Adams - 54 wickets @ 24.84
Ryan Higgins - 37 wickets @ 35.49
David Payne - 23 wickets @ 29.22
Graeme van Buuren - 18 wickets @ 31.44

[GrahamB]

Turns out that the only time the pitch at Durham showed any sign of life was on the first day when we were batting.

Our plan was always to bat through the first day and then declare, putting the home side in to bat during the very cloudy/rainy second day.
However, at 121/6, our plans were in complete disarray.
Fortunately, Ferisco Adams and Ryan Higgins came to our rescue, allowing us to declare at 305/7.
It was cruel to leave Adams on 95no, but plans are pplans.

Alex Lees and Cameron Steel got Durham off to a solid start, putting on 81 for the first wicket.
When the innings was at 168/4, with Ben Stokes back in the dressing room, we were still looking for that important first innings lead.
But the pitch was dead and the ball wasn't moving around as much as we'd hoped.
Durham batted all through the rain interrupted second day and into the third.
Almost all of the batsmen down to Mark Wood at number 10 contributed, as our bowlers tried everything without reward.
When Durham were finally all out for 496, it was us fighting to avoid a loss!
James Weighall, Ned Eckersley and Ben Raine all scored half centuries, while Ferisco Adams stood alone amongst our bowlers, finishing with 6/125.

Miles Hammond and Benny Howell steadied our nerves with an opening partnership of 82, but once Howell had gone, Ian Cockbain was hit flush on the helmet and had to retire hurt with only one run to his name.
Hammond stood firm and went on to complete his fourth FC century of the season. He got good support from 19 year old Ben Charlesworth in particular.
With no real chance of winning, we batted through to safety at 402/9 declared and then let our bowlers torture the Durham openers for half an hour.


Gloucestershire - 305/7 declared (F.Adams-95no, R.Higgins-51no)

Durham - 496 (B.Raine-84, J.Weighell-83, N.Eckersley-73, F.Adams -6/125)

Gloucestershire - 402/9 declared (M.Hammond-135, B.Charlesworth-64, A.McBrine-3/130)

Durham - 32/0

Match drawn.





Wow! Promotion - just!

[GrahamB]

Good luck Graham. A very good toss to win. Hopefully you can nullify the influence of Stokes and your strong seam attack can rip through their brittle, albeit long, middle/lower order.

Leicestershire and Glamorgan wouldn't happen to be playing against each other?

Cheers mate.

No - Glamorgan are playing away to Kent while Leicestershire have a home game against Lancashire.

[bryce87]

Good luck Graham. A very good toss to win. Hopefully you can nullify the influence of Stokes and your strong seam attack can rip through their brittle, albeit long, middle/lower order.

Leicestershire and Glamorgan wouldn't happen to be playing against each other?

[GrahamB]

FC Match 14 - Away v Durham

Well, we're off to Durham for the most important match of my time in charge.
The bad news is that it looks as though there are going to be weather interruptions throughout the second day.

One change to our playing eleven, with pace bowler David Payne replacing spin bowler Mark Watt.


Gloucestershire

M.Hammond
B.Howell
I.Cockbain (capt)
T.Hellawell
A.Hunt
B.Charlesworth
G.Roderick (wk)
F.Adams
R.Higgins
O.Robinson
D.Payne


Durham

A.Lees
C.Steel
G.Clark
B.Stokes
J.Weighell
A.McBrine
R.Greenwell
N.Eckersley (wk)
B.Raine
M.Wood
C.Rushworth


We've had good fortune with the toss recently (it all evens out though). We won the toss and will bat first against a pretty mean attack.
I'm really surprised that Durham are as low as they are on the points table.

[GrahamB]

Another good toss to win. Perhaps things are destined to go our way.

Miles Hammond and Benny Powell laid the platform for a big score, with an opening partnership of 194 runs.
Hammond went on to score a big hundred, but Howell got a ripsnorter of a yorker on 96.
Half centuries from Ian Cockbain, Tom Hellawell and Ben Charlesworth all helped in allowing us to declare at 511/5.

Of course, the concern was that the pitch would not worsen, but we needn't have worried, as Kent slumped to 105/5, courtesy mainly of three quick wickets to Oliver Robinson.
Ex-Gloucestershire player, Jack Taylor, had done little for Kent this season, but today he chose to rub it in our faces.
Taylor and Sam Billings put on 156 for the sixth wicket before part-time spinner Charlesworth trapped Billings in front for 89.
Taylor continued on to make 91, as we dismissed our visitors for a respectable 320.
Oliver Robinson finished with 4/98.

We spurned the chance to enforce the follow-on, instead preferring to let the pitch deteriorate a bit further, then setting up a chase that might entice some false strokes from the Kent batsmen.
Batting had indeed become tougher, as we struggled to score much over 2 runs per over.
We declared at 110/3, once Howell had reached his 50.
Kent would require 303 to win, as they ventured forth 40 minutes before lunch.

However, batting was the toughest it ha been for the whole match, and we ran through the Kent line-up to have them all out for 107 before the tea break!
Ryan Higgins has had a disappointing season with the ball, but he was the star today with 5/40.


Gloucestershire - 511/5 declared (M.Hammond-162, B.Powell-96, T.Hellawell-76, I.Cockbain-69, B.Charlesworth-62no)

Kent - 320 (J.Taylor-91, S.Billings-79, O.Robinson-4/98)

Gloucestershire - 110/3 declared (B.Howell-50no)

Kent - 107 (R.Higgins-5/40)

Win to Gloucestershire by 194 runs.





So a three-way race for the two promotion spots going into the final game!

[GrahamB]

FC Match 13 - Home v Kent

The pitch for this game looks like it could be kinder to the batsmen.
It might to be hard work for the seamers, with the sun likely to be beating down throughout.
Perhaps the spinners might get a lot of work.

Despite this, we've retained the same playing eleven for this important game.


Gloucestershire

M.Hammond
B.Howell
I.Cockbain (capt)
T.Hellawell
A.Hunt
B.Charlesworth
G.Roderick (wk)
F.Adams
R.Higgins
O.Robinson
M.Watt


Kent

M.Renshaw
S.Dickson
J.Denly
H.Rodgers
H.Kuhn
J.Taylor (ex-Gloucestershire)
S.Billings (wk)
G.Stewart
F.Klaasen
H.Podmore
A.Riley


We've won the toss and will bat first.

[GrahamB]

The decision to bat first against top-placed Leicestershire proved to be a good call, as after one session of comfortable batting conditions, the pitch slowed down and became increasingly difficult.
Miles Hammond and Benny Howell set things up nicely for us with a century opening stand.
However, despite solid contributions from Ian Cockbain and Anthony Hunt as well, the visitors bounced back to have us at 271/7.
Hammond was cruelly dismissed on 98, just short of what would have been his third FC hundred of the season (remembering he scored five last season).
Thankfully, Ferisco Adams and Ryan Higgins added what would prove to be useful runs, Adams taking an aggressive approach for his 83.
All out for a great total of 398 and considering the pitch situation, Leicestershire were already up against it.
Of the visiting bowlers, Gavin Griffiths was the pick of the bunch with 3/94, while Arron Lilley bowled 40 overs to finish with 3/113.

After Harry Dearden fell early, the Leicestershire top order fought back, with a lovely innings from the promising youngster Morris West being the highlight.
As had happened with Miles Hammond, West too was denied his century, trapped in front for 98.
The innings then fell away and ended at 288 all out.
Ryan Higgins finished with 3/70 and we had a handy first innings lead of 100.

Batting was getting really tough now and only a determined captain's knock from Ian Cockbain was holding us together.
Gavin Griffiths and Dieter Klein were bowling with ferocity and Arron Lilley was very difficult to negotiate on the now sharply turning pitch.
When Cockbain was dismissed for 49, we were 127/7 and the match could well have gone either way.
Again, our all-rounders, Ferisco Adams and Ryan Higgins, dug us out of our predicament, and we were able to declare early on Day 4 at 221/8.
Griffiths and Klein finished with three wickets each, while Lilley took 2/38 from his 28 overs.

Leicestershire needed 331 to win, with pretty much all of Day 4 to achieve the runs.
Morris West again stood out amongst the top order and it was a relief when Higgins had him LBW for 54.
At 130/6, our job was almost done, but wicketkeeper Paul Rattee had other ideas.
With stubborn support from Lilley and Griffiths, Leicestershire progressed through to 250/7.
Could they possibly pull off an unlikely come from behind win?
But no! A beautiful ball from Higgins moved late and got the edge of Ratte's bat and Gareth Roderick safely snaffled the catch.
The last couple of wickets fell quickly afterwards and victory was ours!
Oliver Robinson, Higgins and Mark Watt all took three wickets.


Gloucestershire - 398 (M.Hammond-98, F.Adams-83, G.Griffiths-3/94, A.Lilley-3/113)

Leicestershire - 298 (M.West-98, R.Higgins-3/70)

Gloucestershire - 221/8 declared (G.Griffiths-3/58, D.Klein-3/64)

Leicestershire - 271 (P.Rattee-69, M.West-54, R.Higgins-3/52, O.Robinson-3/71, M.Watt-3/74)

Win to Gloucestershire by 60 runs.

[GrahamB]

FC Match 12 - Home v Leicestershire

This could be a tough one!

Graeme van Buuren has been dropped despite the pitch looking to take turn later in the game. We've rewarded Mark Watt with another start, following his good performances in the T20's. Ben Charlesworth also gets another chance, but this time back in the middle order, which is where he usually plays.
Ferisco Adams has returned from international duty.


Gloucestershire

M.Hammond
B.Howell
I.Cockbain (capt)
T.Hellawell
A.Hunt
B.Charlesworth
G.Roderick (wk)
F.Adams
R.Higgins
O.Robinson
M.Watt


Leicestershire

H.Dearden
P.Horton
C.Ackermann
M.West
T.Fell
N.Dexter
P.Rattee (wk)
A.Lilley
G.Griffiths
T.Taylor
D.Klein


We have won the toss. Based on the fact that Leicestershire didn't want to bowl first and that we were initially undecided, we're going to bat first.

[GrahamB]

Come on Graham! 2 wins from the last 3 Championship games and you'll be there I reckon

Any chance of qualifying going into the last T20 game?

Wasn't sure. In hindsight it doesn't look as though we did.

[GrahamB]

T20 Match 14

Well what a way to bring our T20 campaign to a close.
Our highest ever score, but only good enough to tie the match at Sussex.

Sussex batted first and put up an imposing 188/7.
Harry Finch, Sam Bishop and Michael Burgess were the main contributors, while Mark Watt claimed four wickets.

We got off to a horrific start and at 74/5 we looked dead and buried.
However, Gareth Roderick got good support from Anthony Hunt and Ben Charlesworth to get us back in the game.
Going into the final two overs, we were odds on to win, but needing two runs from the final ball, we could only manage the one.
Jofra Archer was the best of the Sussex bowlers with 3/37.


Sussex - 188/7 (H.Finch-46, M.Burgess-43, S.Bishop-34, M.Watt-4/39)

Gloucestershire - 188/8 (G.Roderick-56, J.Archer-3/37)

Match tied.

[DaveRobbo]

Come on Graham! 2 wins from the last 3 Championship games and you'll be there I reckon

Any chance of qualifying going into the last T20 game?

[GrahamB]

T20 Match 13

The news came through that Ferisco Adams had been called up to the South African T20 squad, so Indian overses reserve player Abrar Kazi came into the side.

Kent won the toss and decided to bat first.
Daniel Bell-Drummond and Hugh Rodgers got the innings off to a fast start after the early departure of Matt Renshaw.
Once Bell-Drummond was dismissed, Sam Billings helped Rodgers to keep up the good scoring rate.
The home fans seemed happy with their team's score of 175/6, and indeed it would pose a huge challenge for us.

Miles Hammond, Ian Cockbain and Benny Howell al got themselves established, but failed to kick on.
However, the required rate was kept well under control and Kazi and Ryan Higgins saw us through with four balls to spare.
It might have been different if Higgins hadn't been dropped with 26 runs still to get, but we've had our fair share of tough luck, so that's life!


Kent - 175/6 (S.Billings-52, H.Rodgers-51, D.Bell-Drummond-41)

Gloucestershire - 176/7 (M.Hammond-37, B.Howell-36, B.McCarthy-3/29)

Win to Gloucestershire by 3 wickets.

[GrahamB]

T20 Match 12

Somerset won the toss and elected to bat.
Ben Duckett got his side off to a good start and then later on James Hildreth saw to it that the momentum was kept going.
Spinner Mark Watt was the best of our bowlers with 3/28, as the visitors compiled a very useful total of 176/5.

We kept up with the required run rate, but at 78/5, hopes were fading.
Then Anthony Hunt and Gareth Roderick came together to take us to within one run of victory, at which point Roderick was run out.
Hunt scored the winning run in the 19th over.


Somerset - 176/5 (J.Hildreth-52, B.Duckett-40, M.Watt-3/28)

Gloucestershire - 177/6 (G.Roderick-53, A.Hunt-40no)

Win to Gloucestershire by 4 wickets.