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After England’s World Cup final at Lord’s, the Cheltenham Cricket Festival takes centre stage

Cheltenham > Sport > Cricket

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Monday, 15th July 2019, 10:00

This year’s Cheltenham Cricket Festival runs from 15th-28th July This year’s Cheltenham Cricket Festival runs from 15th-28th July

After Eoin’s boys’ heroics at Lord’s and with The Ashes still to come, English cricket is right back centre stage on the sporting landscape in this country.

That has not always been the case in more recent times. Rather like the UK’s so-called ‘Special Relationship’ with the US, it has appeared to lose some of its relevance in the 21st century.

But the feelgood factor is certainly back now after England’s remarkable World Cup final win over New Zealand and for cricket fans around these parts the good times are set to continue over the next couple of weeks or so.

That because today is day one of this year’s Cheltenham Cricket Festival, a festival that sees Gloucestershire play two County Championship games and two T20 matches.

Leicestershire are the visitors today for the start of a four-day that still has plenty of significance for the home side even though they have lost their last two Division Two games.

The fact that three teams will be promoted at the end of the current campaign means there is still all to play for even though the top two – Lancashire and Glamorgan – have opened up a bit of gap on the remaining eight teams.

Gloucestershire have dropped to ninth – Leicestershire are bottom – but they are only 22 points adrift of third-placed Derbyshire and a couple of wins at Cheltenham could turn things around dramatically.

Worcestershire, who are level on points with Chris Dent’s men, are the visitors to Cheltenham for the second championship game, a match that starts on Sunday 21st July.

Gloucestershire will be without James Bracey for the game against Leicestershire. The 22-year-old has been rewarded for his excellent early-season form with a call-up to the England Lions side which is currently playing Australia A in a four-day game at Canterbury.

All-rounder Ryan Higgins, who has been outstanding for Gloucestershire since joining from Middlesex for the start of last season, was also in the England Lions squad although he was not included in the starting XI and was expected to play against Leicestershire today.

The match is also likely to see a first game in a Gloucestershire shirt for seam bowler Ethan Bamber, who has been signed on a month’s loan from Middlesex and for whom the 20-year-old has made a handful of appearances.

Gloucestershire’s T20 campaign gets under way on Friday against Glamorgan and they host Middlesex on the following Thursday, their final game at this year’s Festival.

But after that there’s a bit of a bonus for cricket fans in Cheltenham because England’s Under-19s, whose head coach is former Gloucestershire seamer Jon Lewis, will be bringing their ODI Tri Series with India and Bangladesh to the Cheltenham College ground from 26th-28th July.

England’s young guns will take on India on the Friday before playing Bangladesh two days later, with India and Bangladesh playing each other on the Saturday.

And anyone who doubts the importance of those games should maybe reflect on the fact that three of the youngsters who played in the Under-19 World Cup in 2010 are World Cup heroes today – Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Joe Root.

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