Will Gloucestershire's Glory Last?

Gloucestershire Glory

Congratulations to Gloucestershire for winning the Royal London Cup this weekend. The domestic one-day climax used to be the highlight of the cricketing calendar for me. Sadly in recent years it has been overshadowed by the T20 Finals Day. This is a shame because Michael Klinger’s unfancied county deserves many plaudits for going all the way and giving Gareth Batty et al a good hiding!

It has to be said that the arrival of Michael Klinger mid-season transformed the fortunes of Gloucestershire, at least in one-day formats. In particular, the Aussie’s unbeaten 137 at Headingley swept Yorkshire aside in the semis and the coaching team of Ian Harvey and Richard Dawson must have been delighted when Klinger agreed to fly back to London for the final.

Ironically, his inning lasted a mere three balls, but 39 year-old Geraint Jones stepped up to the mark in his very last match by making a brisk 50. Jade Dernbach produced a devastating hat-trick at the end to turn the game. The total of 220 didn’t look sufficient to beat a useful Surrey side, albeit missing Zafar Ansari.

Needing barely four runs an over, Surrey’s hard-hitting openers Roy and Davies reined in their attacking instincts. Even when replaced by Kumar Sangakkara and Rory Burns, preserving wickets rather than whacking sixes was the main focus. At 143-2, it seemed a sensible strategy. However, once James Taylor removed those two, the wheels came off the Surrey bus.

17 year-old Sam Curran hit 37 in 39 balls but wickets fell steadily at the other end, without enough runs in the bank. Seven from seven balls with three wickets remaining set up an exciting conclusion, with Surrey still favourites. Step forward, David Payne, who dismissed both Curran and skipper Batty with the first and third deliveries of the final over. Amazingly, Gloucestershire had won.

The retiring Jones was particularly ecstatic. Klinger spoke of this being just the beginning of a new era for the county, which has struggled just to stay alive as the developers circled to take over their Bristol ground. When Gloucestershire lost both Alex and Will Gidman last year, I really feared for their fortunes in 2015.

With a game to go, they sit sixth in Division Two, which is hardly a symbol of success. Nevertheless, their young bowling unit has shown potential. Payne, Liam Norwell, James Fuller, Taylor and all-rounder Benny Howell have scooped a lot of wickets this summer. Sadly the batting has not kept pace. Hamish Marshall and Garth Roderick have been inconsistent while openers Chris Dent and Will Tavare have not been as prolific as last season. If only both halves of the squad can click simultaneously, Gloucestershire could be contesting the promotion places. As ever these days, finances are the problem. The rich are becoming richer, while the poorer shire counties are struggling.

For all Klinger’s optimism, the reality is that the aforementioned bowlers will probably be lured away by bigger teams, possibly even those in the second tier. That’s why the likes of Essex, Northants, Leicestershire and Derbyshire never seem to escape Division Two, at last not for more than the occasional season. Interestingly, neither Gidman did well for their respective new counties in 2015, spending more time injured or in the Seconds than the first elevens. I hope Gloucester can Kling – I mean, cling - on to their young talent for a few more years. Then we can really gauge the impact of their excellent fifty-over campaign.