Dent & Fuller predict successful Royal London Cup campaign ahead of first game with Northants Sunday
24 July 2014
Chris Dent (pictured) and James Fuller are backing Gloucestershire for a successful Royal London One-Day Cup campaign ahead of their first match in the new 50 over competition this Sunday (July 27).
The game against Northants brings the curtain down on this year’s 2014 Brewin Dolphin Cheltenham Cricket Festival and tickets are still available by clicking here.
Dent returned to form with a stunning 55 not out (in just 23 balls) to help beat Essex in the Natwest T20 Blast last week. And he is promising more excitement for Glos fans in the other short form of the game.
He said: “Although it is 50 over cricket I don’t think it will be like international matches where the first 40 overs of an innings are often irrelevant. I think it will be more like an extension of the Yorkshire Bank 40 over competition where sides go for it from the outset and we should see some really high scores.
“I think with the squad we have we will probably be better suited to the slightly longer format and it is a competition we can do really well in.”
The game offers Gloucestershire supporters in the north of the county a last chance to watch the club on their doorstep this season.
And Dent is urging them come to the College Ground and recreate the electric atmosphere of the T20 Blast games against Surrey and Essex last week.
He said: “It is a small ground at Cheltenham, with small boundaries and that makes for really exciting cricket. The crowd is really close to the pitch and there was a fantastic atmosphere for both the T20 games.
“I guess for quite a lot of people it is their only chance to see live cricket during the year and they seem to get into it even more than at some of the other grounds we play at. I hope they will get behind the boys again on Sunday and we can repay them with a win.”
Dent’s optimism in the Royal London One-Day Cup- which replaces the Yorkshire Bank 40 over competition – is shared by injured fast bowler James Fuller.
The 24-year-old said he thinks the new format will suit Gloucestershire well and could provide them with a chance to end the season with some silverware.
He said: “We are really targeting this format as something we can win. We have a well-balanced team that can take two new balls and have the batters to bat the full 50 and really capitalise in the power plays.”
Buy tickets in advance for great savings on match day prices, adult £20, 18 and under £3.
To watch an interview with James Fuller and Gareth Roderick on the new Royal London One-Day Cup click below.
