Dawson calm about three way challenge ahead
19 July 2016
Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson isn't getting wound up by talk among the spectators at the Brewin Dolphin Cheltenham Festival this week that Gloucestershire could follow up their success in the 2015 Royal London Cup with more silverware this summer.
A place in the quarter finals of the Nat West T20 Blast is already in the bank : there remains the possibility of a place in the last eight of this year's 50 over competition, and on Wednesday Leicestershire come to the College Ground for an important Championship fixture which could see Gloucestershire go to the top of Division 2, a situation made possible by Saturday's win over Essex.
"The result was outstanding considering the position when we started on Saturday morning, because the odds were that Essex would knock off the runs" Dawson said. "We're not burying our heads in the sand though. We didn't play as well as we could across the four days, especially with our batting, and we're always looking to raise the standard of our performance."
The match at the College Ground is the only one to be played this week. Gloucestershire go into the match in third place, four points behind Worcestershire and 11 behind leaders Essex. Leicestershire trail Gloucestershire by 20 points, so it's easy to see that a win for the Foxes is equally important, as it could push them right into the race for the one available promotion place.
"The table has tightened up and we have a game in hand, but the extra game is irrelevant if we don't play well " Dawson went on. "To get to the top, whenever that may be, we'll have to play decent cricket. The Essex result was a brilliant one but there are definitely areas that need sharpening up."
Squad :
It's easy to understand why Richard Dawson isn't looking to change too much at the moment. He has a winning formula in T20 cricket, and after the victory over Essex he will pick the team to face Leicestershire from the same 13 man squad. If Hamish Marshall retains his place, his final first class match at Cheltenham will be the 249th of his career.
From : Roderick (c), Dent, Van Buuren, Klinger, Marshall, Tavare, J.Taylor, Howell, Noema-Barnett, Miles, Payne, Norwell, Shaw,
Leicestershire lost at the Cheltenham Festival last year but their position in the table shows considerable strides have been made. At Grace Road rain severely disrupted a game that ended in a draw with both sides only batting once, but if the weather holds Dawson is confident there will be a result.
"The bounce means the bowlers are always in the game, and it's good for the batting side too which makes for a good spectacle" he said.
"We spoke a month ago about the schedule. It's been tough but different people have shared the workload, and there is a calmness in the dressing room at the moment which Michael Klinger is central to. Gareth (Roderick) and Chris (Dent) are comfortable opening together, and there has been a consistency in how we've approached games and picked our teams. "
"We give ourselves a chance of battling on three fronts if we continue to play as we have for the last week, but Leicestershire are not without a chance themselves. Their bowling attack is about more than just McKay and Shreck, and Cosgrove and Dexter have been in decent form with the bat."
So does Dawson looks at the table in any of the competitions ?
"No" came the firm reply. " I just want us to keep churning out the performances, and we'll be there or thereabouts."
Coverage :
You can follow the match via the live scorecard available on the website, or via Twitter @Gloscricket.
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