Next generation join players and coaches at annual media day - with photo gallery
14 April 2015
Gloucestershire’s players posed for the first official team photo in their eye-catching new T20 kit the club’s annual media day.
For the first time the squad will be wearing purple and black in the NatWest T20 Blast, a stark contrast to last year's yellow and blue.
The players took part in a photo shoot on the outfield of the Bristol County Ground before speaking to journalists from across TV, radio and the written press ahead of the start of the season.
The club also invited its junior members – renamed Marshall Members in honour of long-serving batsman Hamish Marshall – to a special Q and A event with the former New Zealand international. More than 40 young people aged 4-18 attended and were also ‘capped’ by their hero, receiving a bright yellow Marshall Members cap.
For more on the Marshall Membership launch - including interviews with Hamish and the "Marshall Members" click below.
Also in attendance were more than 100 players from the county’s 11 age group squads. During the afternoon the youngsters and their parents took part in a series of workshops run by Gloucestershire first team players, coaches and staff from the Gloucestershire Cricket Board in the first event of its type.
These included a talk on having a winning mind set with 2005 Ashes winner and club captain Geraint Jones, a batting workshop with academy director Owen Dawkins and stretching with club physio Steve Griffin. Each junior squad also took part in a 15 minute Q and A session with members of the first team including new signings Peter Handscomb and Kieran Noema-Barnett.
Geraint said: “If we can inspire half of the guys and girls out there to carry on playing cricket, and carry on playing for Gloucestershire, then our job is done and it’s all worthwhile.”
Parents heard from first team fitness coach Chris Bodman on nutrition while GCB head of performance Tim Hancock talked to them about the player pathway and the vital role they play in their child’s cricketing development.
For more on the player and parent enrichment day click here.
Gloucestershire Cricket’s head of marketing Emily Salvidge said: “It was a fantastic day and it was great to see so many people here from the media. Their presence reflects the excitement and optimism everyone connected with Gloucestershire Cricket is feeling at the start of the new season,
“It was brilliant to have our Marshall Members and county age group players come down and interact with the players. We want all of our members, junior players and supporters to feel they are part of the club and we hope they will come down and cheer us on during the summer.”
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