Dawson Calls For 16 Days of Maximum Effort
27 August 2013
Richard Dawson has challenged Gloucestershire’s players to forget the disappointment of losing to Somerset and concentrate on what can be achieved from the four remaining LV=County Championship fixtures.
The club’s one-day coach was as disappointed as anyone by the narrow failure to reach the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals, but believes there is still a lot to play for this season.
Gloucestershire start the first of three successive Championship home games against Essex tomorrow with a 32-point gap to close on second placed Northamptonshire over the final four fixtures.
Dawson said: “There are 16 days of cricket left in our summer and who knows what we can achieve.
“We will be asking for 100 per cent effort from every player. We must park what happened against Somerset and move straight on to the scrap for promotion in the Championship. I’m sure that will be the case.”
One player looking to impress for personal reasons over the final four Championship fixtures is left-arm spinner Tom Smith, who built on the excellent impression he has made since signing on loan from Middlesex by claiming a hat-trick in the Somerset game.
Smith has already had his loan extended until the end of the season and admits that he would relish the chance to become a Gloucestershire player for next summer.
He said: “I’m really grateful to Angus Fraser at Middlesex and John Bracewell for agreeing the extended loan and now it is down to me to keep putting the performances in.
“I have really enjoyed my time with Gloucestershire. The club have looked after me fantastically well and given me the opportunity to show what I can do.
“I have taken my chance so far, but there is still a lot of cricket to go. If things go well there could be a scenario where signing for Gloucestershire suits all concerned and I will be very happy if that proves the case.”
Smith finished as Gloucestershire’s leading wicket-taker in the Friends Life t20 tournament with 11 victims and also had the best economy rate with 6.19 runs per over.
He has also claimed 14 victims in Championship and YB40 cricket and director of cricket Bracewell has been enthusiastic about his performances.
Michael Klinger will lead an unchanged side from the last Championship game at Kent against Essex, with Will Gidman for Ian Cockbain and Liam Norwell for James Fuller the changes from Monday’s YB40 game.
Gloucestershire: M.Klinger (capt), C.Dent, G.Roderick (wkt), A.Gidman, H.Marshall, B.Howell, W.Gidman, T.Smith, D.Payne, C Miles. L.Norwell.
