Match Preview - Gloucestershire v Glamorgan
13 May 2019
Gloucestershire return to Specsavers County Championship action on Tuesday May 14th when they travel to Spytty Park, Newport to face Glamorgan.
Coach Richard Dawson will be hoping the team can carry some momentum from their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign, in which they won their last two games on the road, into the Specsavers County Championship.
Despite just missing out on the knockout stages of that tournament, Dawson is assured the team “doesn’t need any extra motivation. I think the one thing that we need to be sharp on tomorrow is getting back into the longer format of the game. Four-day cricket requires playing at a certain pace and we need to have the patience and concentration for that.”
Spytty Park, Newport will be the venue over the next four days, a venue that hasn’t seen first class cricket in 54 years.
“I know some of the lads have played here with the second team but we’ve not played first class cricket here so it’s a new experience,” Dawson said. “I’m expecting a decent crowd. It’s quite a compact ground so there should be a decent atmosphere.”
Batsman James Bracey started the County Championship with a solid 65-run performance against Derbyshire and has shown his value in diversity through his performances in the One-Day Cup which culminated in an unbeaten 113 on the final matchday against Essex.
Gareth Roderick led the team in runs scored in the opening two games scoring 115 (retired) against Oxford MCCU and unfortunately falling just two short of a century against Derbyshire. His form with the bat carried over to the shorter format where he hit 100 at home to Kent and a half-century at Sussex.
Captain Chris Dent has also been a consistent run scorer, picking up the most runs for Gloucestershire in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
David Payne returns to County Championship action after missing out on the opening match against Derbyshire due to a foot injury. His first start of the season came against Kent in late April and he managed to pick up nine wickets in the six games he featured in. His addition to the line-up immediately bolsters Gloucestershire’s bowling attack.
The players made the short trip to Newport this morning to train in preperation for the game. Tuesday's team will be chosen from the following squad of 13:
Dent (c), Hammond, Bracey, G. Hankins, Howell, Roderick, Higgins, van Buuren, Payne, M.Taylor, H.Hankins, J.Taylor, Drissell.
The injury that Dan Worrall sustained against Middlesex has put an end to his season, therefore he will not feature again this year for Gloucestershire. Read more here.
Glamorgan are the only side so far this season to walk away from the Bristol County Ground with a win and the Gloucestershire squad will be keen to become the first side to beat their Welsh opponents in the County Championship.
“We know that they’ve got some experienced players, some with international experience so its going to be a challenge. We’ve got to be switched on from the start and play to the best of our ability” said Dawson.
Glamorgan's 13 man squad:
Cooke (c), Bull, Carey, de Lange, Hemphrey, Hogan, labushagne, Lawlor, Lloyd, Root, Selman, van der Gugten, Wagg.
Play commences tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11am. Team news will be released at the toss.
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