Promotion Euphoria

[procswrongfoot]

Massive congratulations to me beloved county.

After 15 seasons in Div 2, I was starting to lose any faint hope of ever seeing us getting promoted. Feel so proud of our young and largely home grown team. Whilst we can immediately give the Player of the Season award to Ryan Higgins, promotion has been achieved through collective team spirit and effort. Quite unbelievable haul of 72 batting/bowling bonus points (with an amazing 11 centuries scored).

Staggering achievement, considering our threadbare squad (number of loans needed) and lack of overseas contribution. The following stats are rather sobering:
Overseas contribution in CC: Played 7 Bowling 13 wickets for 580 runs. Batting 57 runs scored.
Loan players contribution in CC: Played 12 Bowling 42 wickets for 1082 runs. Batting 137 runs scored.

As for Gabriel.....well I applauded the club for showing some long awaited ambition by signing a test class opening bowler to give us a promotion boost for the final stages of the season. Great shame that it turned out so poorly. Similarly, I was excited over the signing of Bancroft in 2017. Probably proves that despite the best of intentions, such signings can sometimes become rather hit and miss.

Thinking back, the Cheltenham Festival absolutely lit up our season with the thrilling and very tense victories over Leics and Worcs.

Personally, I don't subscribe to the view that all Div 1 players are somehow a different class apart. The reality is that most of those teams probably have 4/5 top performers, with the remainder of the team made up of the more average county cricketer. Definitely a better standard of overall cricket and more intense most certainly..

Totally unrealistic view to think that somehow we can recruit a whole batch of new players for next season.However, a really decent overseas bowler plus a domestic run machine would be my minimum hope, but much easier said than done. Never pleased to hear the football supporter type mentality. " Oh we have lost a match badly, so let's sack everyone in sight "

Thought our white ball cricket this season was exciting and competitive and criticism of our efforts seem particularly churlish and well wide of the mark.

The difficulty of winning a 4 day match at Bristol remains a worrying issue for next season. Also a potential cloud on the horizon is that the Yorkies are seemingly in open revolt over the achievements of their team this season..."sack the coach" demands. Not sure who they would like to go for, but the possible implications are obvious.

Anyway, massive smile on my face today. Can't wait for the fixture list for next season to come out.

Really well done Glos.

[rackjussell]

Sept 26, 2019 13:56:25 GMT procswrongfoot said:

Massive congratulations to me beloved county.

After 15 seasons in Div 2, I was starting to lose any faint hope of ever seeing us getting promoted. Feel so proud of our young and largely home grown team. Whilst we can immediately give the Player of the Season award to Ryan Higgins, promotion has been achieved through collective team spirit and effort. Quite unbelievable haul of 72 batting/bowling bonus points (with an amazing 11 centuries scored).

Staggering achievement, considering our threadbare squad (number of loans needed) and lack of overseas contribution. The following stats are rather sobering:
Overseas contribution in CC: Played 7 Bowling 13 wickets for 580 runs. Batting 57 runs scored.
Loan players contribution in CC: Played 12 Bowling 42 wickets for 1082 runs. Batting 137 runs scored.

As for Gabriel.....well I applauded the club for showing some long awaited ambition by signing a test class opening bowler to give us a promotion boost for the final stages of the season. Great shame that it turned out so poorly. Similarly, I was excited over the signing of Bancroft in 2017. Probably proves that despite the best of intentions, such signings can sometimes become rather hit and miss.

Thinking back, the Cheltenham Festival absolutely lit up our season with the thrilling and very tense victories over Leics and Worcs.

Personally, I don't subscribe to the view that all Div 1 players are somehow a different class apart. The reality is that most of those teams probably have 4/5 top performers, with the remainder of the team made up of the more average county cricketer. Definitely a better standard of overall cricket and more intense most certainly..

Totally unrealistic view to think that somehow we can recruit a whole batch of new players for next season.However, a really decent overseas bowler plus a domestic run machine would be my minimum hope, but much easier said than done. Never pleased to hear the football supporter type mentality. " Oh we have lost a match badly, so let's sack everyone in sight "

Thought our white ball cricket this season was exciting and competitive and criticism of our efforts seem particularly churlish and well wide of the mark.

The difficulty of winning a 4 day match at Bristol remains a worrying issue for next season. Also a potential cloud on the horizon is that the Yorkies are seemingly in open revolt over the achievements of their team this season..."sack the coach" demands. Not sure who they would like to go for, but the possible implications are obvious.

Anyway, massive smile on my face today. Can't wait for the fixture list for next season to come out.

Really well done Glos.

Well put sir, totally agree.
Didn't find out until I got out of work at 18:30 and must have looked a right loon celebrating!
Excellent work boys you did us proud; roll on 2020 😁

[westdon]

Great achievement! Didn't expect it at the beginning of the season, after losing Norwell and Miles last year. We've got several exciting young batsmen, a situation unsurpassed in my 43 years of watching the Shire, and 2 quality all-rounders in Higgins and Howell. Our stretched bowling resources have performed brilliantly, particularly Payne and the much-improved Matt Taylor. I have to mention the elephant in the room, the 100. To capitalise on this success, and to get my friend and I to renew our memberships, the club have got to offer options that don't rely on charging us for that series, which we have no interest in, and will not be travelling to Cardiff to watch!

[hermes]

At long last, the Bristol Post has acknowledged there is professional sport based in Bristol other than soccer and rugby. After 4 months of abysmal coverage they actually reported Gloucestershire's nail-biting return to the top flight. Most of the time during the season they have ignored the county side. For instance there were no previews of the sell-out T20 clash with Somerset. Indeed Somerset has always got top billing, despite their HQ being 55 miles drive from Bristol. I realise the Post has a minimal circulation nowadays, but they do claim to be the paper of record for sport in Bristol. Some other thoughts: Why not spread the championship's final games over a weekend, rather than midweek when many potential supporters are at work or college? I also wonder if Norwell and Miles now regret leaving Glos, rather than becoming fringe players with Warwickshire. As for bolstering the batting, Middlesex's Dawid Malan might prefer a move to the West Country rather than joining Yorkshire, a county forever in cricketing turmoil.

[graham]

Sept 26, 2019 19:45:02 GMT westdon said:

Great achievement! Didn't expect it at the beginning of the season, after losing Norwell and Miles last year. We've got several exciting young batsmen, a situation unsurpassed in my 43 years of watching the Shire, and 2 quality all-rounders in Higgins and Howell. Our stretched bowling resources have performed brilliantly, particularly Payne and the much-improved Matt Taylor. I have to mention the elephant in the room, the 100. To capitalise on this success, and to get my friend and I to renew our memberships, the club have got to offer options that don't rely on charging us for that series, which we have no interest in, and will not be travelling to Cardiff to watch!

Agree with the congratulations.

As for the so called elephant in the room, it has never occurred to me that GCCC membership might include a new ECB non county based competition. I have always assumed it will be all pay. Maybe the women's version, some games of which will be played in Bristol, will be included in membership as with the current KSL.

[scrumpjob]

Great result getting promotion.

Will be interesting to see how the squad shapes up for next season. I think we have the bare bones of a solid side and just need to supplement a couple of top performers into the side. Dent, Bracey and Higgins should remain reliable run scorers and I'm sure the three will all be aiming to get the attention of the England selectors though Dent's boat may have sailed with Crawley and Sibley getting called up.

Shaw, Taylor, Higgins and Payne should give us a solid pace battery but there isn't much variety there. Do we need a genuine fast bowler or a decent spinner to supplement them?

[procswrongfoot]

Some interesting comments on this thread. I have just picked out a few points, to add my personal thoughts:

'Two quality all- rounders in Higgins and Howell'
Trouble is Benny really doesn't bowl that much in Championship cricket (97 overs in 10 matches). His real forte of course is in T20 cricket. Compare that to workhorse Ryan Higgins who bowled a staggering 453 overs, in featuring in all of our 14 Championship games.

'David Malan might prefer a move to the West Country'
Someone like the calibre of Malan would be an absolutely brilliant signing. However, on the presumption that he still hankers over a test re-call, my firm expectation would be that he potentially moves to a so called "fashionable" club.
On reflection, considering the injury problems to our overseas bowler over the last two seasons, l do wonder if the club will be tempted to go the less risky route, by going for an overseas batsman. Travis Head (Sussex) and Nathan Lyon (Hants bound ) would suggest that Australian cricketers are potentially available for the whole of next season. If so, Marnus Labuschagne might be very worthy of consideration. Very much proved himself in English conditions and a mere short hop across the bridge from Glamorgan. Added bonus is some handy leg break spin bowling to help provide a bit of variety to our attack.

'Wonder if Norwell and Miles now regret leaving Glos'
After a promising start, a badly torn hamstring effectively ruined Norwell's season.
With long-term injuries to Norwell and Olly Stone, you would have rather expected that Miles would have taken centre stage for Warks. However, he saw limited appearances (7) over the three competitions. Not sure if he also suffered an injury.
I wonder if the old adage "the grass is always greener.............." applies yet again.

'Shaw, Taylor, Higgins and Payne should give us a solid pace battery'
Personally think that we need a minimum of two more quick/medium pace bowlers. Harry Hankins does not appear ready, with Stuart Whittingham a complete unknown with his very worrying injury plagued background. Perhaps we could tempt young Ethan Bamber from Middlesex, who looked decent on loan when he featured for us at Cheltenham. Stil leaves us with the hardest task of all, in finding a reliable and durable wicket taking strike bowler.

Footnote:
Following the end of his initial three-year contract, Andrew Gale (Yorkshire coach) now remains in post on a rolling one-year contract. So ends my previous and obviously premature speculation about this role.

[scrumpjob]

Have to agree about Whittingham. Would love to see him come good but cant help but feel that we signed the wrong Scottish bowler. Chris Sole left Hampsire last summer and is a consistent 85-90mph bowler which would have offered our attack another dimension as I dont think we have anyone else hitting those speeds. Without a spinner as well, our attack is perhaps a bit one dimensional with Charlesworth, Higgins, Taylor, Shaw and Payne all in that medium to medium fast bracket in my opinion. All useful mind.

[rcotswold]

My thoughts are along the same lines; a serious quickie , decent spinner [known or potential wkk taker], opening bat and a middle order solid batsman. Surprised at Liddle offered another year; and I would put question marks against the Taylors [that will cause angst among the ranks..] and dare I say it the coaches too. Gabriel was a serious waste of money and questions should be asked.
The Eng vs Aus passed me by [far too expensive even with GCCC early bird discount] - they are pricing themselves out of the market. Definately boycotting he 100 - shambolic mess instigated and run by a 'shopkeeper'!

[procswrongfoot]

Rather think that some of us need to swallow a rather large dose of realism.

Firstly, we simply don't have a budget to compete with the "big boys".(Money bags Surrey can easily hoover up the likes of Reece Topley and merely add him to their already bloated squad).

Secondly, potential domestic signings seem particularly threadbare. Probably exemplified by a selection of the following: Peter Trego, Ollie Rayner, Samit Patel, Tom Barber (Middlesex), Karl Carver (Yorks), Abi Sakande (Sussex) and Haseed Hameed (Lancs), plus a few ex-academy released players that we have probably never heard of. Add in Malan and continued rumours that he might be Yorkshire bound. Of those, Hameed is probably the most intriguing. Really hope that some county takes a punt on him and somehow manages to spark him back to his classy best.

Not surprisingly, leaves me very pessimistic regarding the thought of any domestic signing. Presumably results in us trying to chase a Higgins type player who is presently under contract. Someone with plenty of potential and an excellent attitude, who finds their current pathway and opportunities blocked.

Will be absolutely intriguing as to who we go for as our overseas signing. Which then leaves us with the possibility of going down the additional route of a Kolpak signing. However, for obvious reasons, l am not entirely sure whether his route remains open into the future or what impact there might be.

Interesting but very difficult times on the potential signings front.

[procswrongfoot]

Boom!!!

Well, as l was saying...........what impeccable timing.

Anyway, a warm welcome to George Scott.

[scrumpjob]

You nailed it mate.

Looks like his batting is a bit more developed than his bowling but it's encouraging to see that Fraser and Middlesex seem very disappointed to lose him.