Rain has had an unwelcome role in the first batch of RLODC matches played by these two counties, although two of the three games played by Gloucestershire and Derbyshire have brought results.
Both the finished games involved Derbyshire. In their first tie at Taunton they easily defeated Somerset in a rain-affected affair. After a late start, Derbyshire posted 134/7 from 14 overs with Wayne Madsen hitting 45 from 27 balls. The hosts were then bowled out for 74, after they had been set 104 to win from ten overs. On Monday at Derby the Midlanders lost to Yorkshire by seven runs. Set 197 from 29 overs Derbyshire ended on 189/9 despite a spirited 56 from Hamish Rutherford.
Gloucestershire travelled to Scarborough on Sunday to play Yorkshire. The Bristol side did well to bowl the Tykes out for 227 in the 50 overs with Craig Miles taking 4/29 from nine overs. However the rain arrived as Gloucestershire had just started their innings and the match was abandoned.
Key Men
Most of the bowling plaudits for Gloucestershire this season have been taken by Craig Miles and Liam Norwell, but it may be that third seamer James Fuller is striking form at just the right time for the 50 over competition. He has taken 16 Championship wickets at 35 apiece and 13 T20 scalps at 28. These aren’t the most striking statistics but the 25-year-old Kiwi bowls at an impressive pace which often has batters playing a shade late. Accuracy has often suffered as a result, however, eight wickets in the two recent Championship matches at Cheltenham and 3/45 from eight overs at Scarborough on Sunday suggest he is gaining some much-needed consistency.
When Derbyshire played at Bristol earlier in the season they were blown away by a terrific match-winning double century by Martin Guptill. Since then Guptill has been replaced by 26-year-old fellow New Zealand Test batsman Hamish Rutherford. Rutherford may not possess the firepower that his fellow Kiwi demonstrated at Nevil Road, but his 16 Tests have shown him to be a solid batsman capable of building strong foundations in 50 over cricket. He made his maiden century for Derbyshire at Chesterfield earlier this month and is averaging 45 in red-ball cricket for the Midland county.
Team News
Gloucestershire have added Will Tavare and Liam Norwell to the team that played at Scarborough on Sunday.
Gloucestershire squad: Michael Klinger (c), Chris Dent, Gareth Roderick (wk), Benny Howell, Geraint Jones, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Jack Taylor, James Fuller, Craig Miles, Tom Smith, David Payne, Will Tavare, Liam Norwell
Derbyshire are likely to travel to Bristol with the following squad, which includes Ben Slater and Greg Cork, absent from the game against Yorkshire.
Derbyshire squad: Wes Durston, Billy Godleman, Hamish Rutherford, Ben Slater, Chesney Hughes, Wayne Madsen (C), Alex Hughes, Shiv Thakor, Tom Poynton (wk), Matt Critchley, Greg Cork, Ben Cotton, Mark Footit
Weather and conditions: Cloudy and dry.
Date: July 29th 2015.
Time: 10.30
Venue: Nevil Road, Bristol
Umpires: Jeff Evans and Alex Wharf.
Odds: Gloucestershire 4/5, Derbyshire 1/1.
