Gloucestershire
Plenty to smile about in Bristol
It was easy to look on 2013 as a disappointment but there was progress on the field and a new pavilion to be proud of
Gemma Wright
02-Oct-2013
I can't decide if my Gloucestershire tankard is half empty or half full. It's been one of those seasons. There are plenty of positives to reflect on as the nights draw in and the thermos flask and membership pass are packed away for the winter. But with no silverware or promotion to celebrate, this season has not been a resounding success either.
We fell short of the six Championship wins John Bracewell targeted at the start of the season, although the weather has dampened more than a few games into draws. Had the sun shone on us, who knows, promotion could have been ours. As it is, we have finished mid table, a position recognisable to us in the Yorkshire Bank 40 as well, and we nestled lamentably at the bottom of the Friends Life t20 table.
But let's not forget that I do have half a tankard to celebrate with. Off the field, the highlight of the summer was the opening of the new Bristol Pavilion, an impressive structure that signifies much more than just a building. It is our key to international fixtures, starting next season with England v India. To me it epitomises the advances that we are making as a club, and our long-term ambitions to be one of the top teams in the country.
Full postSpruced-up Gloucs can look positively at the future
With a new Pavilion opened and a good Yorkshire Bank 40 campaign completed, there is plenty to feel pleased about in Bristol
Gemma Wright
28-Aug-2013
Past Present and Future. That was the theme at the launch of the new Bristol Pavilion on Bank Holiday Monday. And as players of the past, the present and the future lined up on the balcony of the new building, and brightly coloured paper streamers flew into the air, it seemed the perfect statement to launch a new era at Nevil Road.
Players of the past, including Jack Russell, Chris Broad and Mark Alleyne symbolised the success that we have seen, and strive to achieve once more. Players of the present were a reminder of the progress we've made this season, and the young cricketers of the future, along with our new facilities and ability to host international matches, rounded off the symmetry nicely.
As a Gloucestershire fan and a Bristol resident, I'm not alone in being cock-a-hoop at the new Pavilion, it being the first and only international sporting venue in the city. The ten-month build was delivered on time and on budget, a rarity in the modern trend of ambitious refurbishments that land counties in debt in the quest for lucrative international fixtures.
Full postGloucs benefit from Aussie rule
Michael Klinger's upsurge in form means that spirits are high for Gloucestershire's T20 campaign
Gemma Wright
05-Jul-2013
Us Gloucestershire fans face a dilemma. With the Ashes imminent, we should be chucking out our vegemite and removing Home and Away from series record on our digital TV recorders. It's time to loathe everything Australian. But then there is our antipodean captain, Michael Klinger…
I've shared in previous blogs my early doubts over our new captain. But he's rapidly washing those away with the seemingly endless flow of runs from his bat.
Having been thoroughly outplayed in our first Friends Life t20 away to Northants, we turned the tables on Worcestershire in our second game. Klinger carried his bat on a sunny afternoon in Bristol to see us home in stylish fashion, and, despite him starring in the Big Bash League down under, we were privileged to witness Klinger's first ever T20 century, completed off a mere 61 balls. His perfectly paced 108 controlled the innings and demonstrated the power and talent that earned him his position at the helm at Nevil Road in the first place.
Full postGloucestershire building steadily through Klinger
After some scepticism about his worth, Michael Klinger has begun to produce with the bat and Gloucestershire are developing around their new skipper
Gemma Wright
17-May-2013
Since his arrival at Nevil Road in early April, I've heard conflicting opinions on our new captain Michael Klinger. So far, feedback has been wholly positive from the players, and mixed, erring on negative, from journalists and some fans. I must admit that I was sceptical of his ability in the early part of the season, after several low scores with the bat - 18, 23, 1, 9 in his first four innings in the Championship - and some questionable captaincy decisions.
But he is finally delivering the type of performances his earlier career stats promised, the same stats that were no doubt hugely influential in his appointment. So strong was his batting for South Australia that he became their captain within two years of arriving at the club, and he is now displaying that full potential with the bat in Bristol.
Leading from the front at the top of the order is exactly what we need to develop the rest of the team, setting up each of our innings, allowing our middle order to be calmer at the crease. He led us to victory over Leicestershire in the Championship with his first century of the season and then contributed 163 to the 400 against Hampshire, before declaring with the final batting bonus in the bag, in just shy of 100 overs.
Full postHard hats at Gloucs after bumpy start
The building work at Nevil Road is all too representative of Gloucestershire's young, developing side
Gemma Wright
30-Apr-2013
There is a standard kit for the hardy county cricket fan. A packed lunch, full thermos flask, comfy seat cushion and, for Gloucestershire fans this season, a hard hat. After an excruciatingly long wait, we Gloucs followers finally got our first glimpse of cricket at Gloucestershire in week three of the new season, amid the extensive redevelopment taking place at Nevil Road.
It is an almost unrecognisable setting from the quaint ground of previous years, and it's not until a match day that you realise quite how much of the old stands have been pulled out for the refurb. There is plenty of seating to accommodate the modest crowd that the Championship draws, but barely a third of the ground now houses spectators.
Watching the Gloucs struggling against an impressive looking Northants bowling attack after new captain Michael Klinger opted to bat, supporters congregated around the Pavilion End of the ground. With hammering, drilling and sawing reverberating in our ears, we viewed the action on the pitch against a less than attractive backdrop of two large cranes soaring into the sky from the building site at the Ashley Down End.
Full postThe only way is up
Gloucestershire's 2013 prospects previewed by the ESPNcricinfo Supporters' Network
Gemma Wright
27-Mar-2013
It's been a busy winter at Gloucestershire after a less-than-successful 2012 season in which they finished bottom of Division Two in the Championship, third in their group after lacking consistency in the CB40, and were knocked out of the T20 quarterfinals in a high scoring game with Sussex. New faces have arrived at the club, and some familiar faces have declared their departure.
Shortly before Christmas, Gloucestershire announced the signing of Michael Klinger as both overseas player and the new captain. The South Australia batsman succeeds Alex Gidman, who stepped down as captain at the end of last season, no longer enjoying the role and feeling a negative impact to his personal game.
It's hoped that, at 32, Klinger has the experience needed to lead the Gladiators to success, and his previous role as captain at SA should stand him in good stead. One of the stars of this year's Australian Big Bash T20 tournament, Klinger will be available for all three formats of the game and joins us in April.
Full postShowing 1 - 6 of 6