Jones: We can't wait for it all to start
9 April 2015
Gloucestershire completed a widely expected victory over a Cardiff MCC Universities XI at the Bristol County Ground but not before the students had shown much more resistance in their second innings.
Resuming at 59-2 chasing 463 to win, only three wickets fell before lunch - two of them to Craig Miles in a four over stint - and another two in the afternoon session. Wicket keeper Cullen typified the determination of the visitors by scoring only 23 between lunch and tea.
In the end it took the second new ball to wrap things up, Gareth Roderick taking his seventh catch of the match to remove Leverock off Payne for 25, and the left arm seamer then trapping Bull lbw for a duck. The margin of victory in the end was 217 runs.
Skipper Geraint Jones had rotated his bowlers in order to even out the workload, and Norwell and Miles each finished with three wickets , but Brand and Cullen in particular - each stayed for well over two hours - extended the day well beyond the time where a result seemed likely when play began.
Speaking to the website at the close, Jones said "The wicket was flatter today so the situation in the game challenged the bowlers to get wickets on a pitch that wasn't offering them as much help as in the first innings."
" We've talked about the style and consistency in our bowling and I thought as a group they carried that through against a team that fought really hard. If you didn't want to play a lot of shots it was hard to get out so I was proud of the way the bowling unit operated and we got there in the end."
The Championship season starts on Sunday and the new Gloucestershire captain admitted it would be an interesting team to select.
"A lot of guys have put their hands up" he said. "We've got more people who have done that than there are spots available, so it's a good headache for me. We'll certainly take a spinner to Northampton, historically it has taken turn, but we'll also take a full armoury of quick bowlers as well so that if the wicket is green we can combat that as well."
Wrapping up the pre-season schedule with a win, Jones felt the programme over the last few weeks has gone as well as he could have expected.
"We've improved with every game" he went on. "As each week has gone by I've challenged the players further and I'm really happy with where they are going into next week. Our preparations have gone well. The bowlers are where I want them, the batsmen have had time in the middle and we can't wait for it all to start."
Geraint Jones is sponsored by SSC Laser Cutting
