Gloucestershire head into this year’s eagerly-awaited Cheltenham Cricket Festival with everything to play for.

Mark Alleyne’s men kick-off with a T20 Blast game against Sussex tomorrow (4pm) and even though they lost their first five group games they could still squeeze into the quarter-finals.

Cheltenham College will then play host to two County Championship fixtures – against Lancashire (Tuesday 22^nd July) and Middlesex (Tuesday 29^th July) – before Gloucestershire begin their One-Day Cup campaign against Derbyshire on Tuesday 5^th August, the final day of the Festival.

Fourth-placed Gloucestershire can still claim one of the two County Championship Division Two promotion spots and vice-chairman and former captain David Graveney told The Local Answer: “There’s something riding on every game at this year's Festival.”

There certainly is and a big crowd is expected when they go toe-to-toe with Sussex in what is a must-win game for both sides.

The sixth-placed south coast club are two points and one place above the cup holders in South Group and anything other than a win for Gloucestershire would spell the end of their title defence.

But if they can overcome Sussex, a win in their final game against Somerset in Taunton on Friday (6.30pm) would be enough to finish in the top four if both Kent (26 points from 13 games) and Glamorgan (24 points from 13 games) lose at home to Essex and Middlesex respectively.

Gloucestershire currently have 20 points from 12 games and their net run rate is inferior to that of both Kent and Glamorgan.

“It’s quite remarkable that we can still make it into the quarter-finals after the start we made,” said Graveney.

Four wins in a row gave them some hope but then a couple of indifferent performances, particularly against Middlesex, put them on them on the back foot again before their emphatic 40-run win over Glamorgan in Cardiff on Sunday.

“We were much-improved in that game,” said Graveney. “When we do things right we look a really good side.

“Marchant de Lange coming back has made a difference, his yorkers at the end are very successful.”

The 34-year-old South African fast bowler, who won two Test caps more than a decade ago, took 4-20 as Glamorgan were skittled for 135 in 18.1 overs.

Left-arm seamer David Payne picked up 3-16 and Graveney is a huge fan of the 34-year-old.

“He was exceptional when we won the T20 last year,” said Graveney. “The opposition just try to play him, they realise he’s the major threat.

“We’re still not getting enough runs but it was good to see that we reached 175 against Glamorgan even though Cameron Bancroft and D’Arcy Short missed out. There were some good contributions from the other players.”   

Ben Charlesworth made 55 while skipper Jack Taylor contributed 39 and Miles Hammond 37.

Short and Bancroft made just six between them – Bancroft got a first-baller – and the two Australians will certainly be hoping to entertain the fans at Cheltenham.

It will be the first chance that a good number of supporters based in the north of the county will get to see opening batsman Short, who has been in the runs in recent weeks.

“He’s a really dynamic player,” Graveney said of the left-hander who also bowls left-arm spin. “He’s played one-day internationals and T20s for Australia.

“It’s very difficult to bring someone out of their winter and drop them into the T20. He hadn’t had any match practice which is why he batted in the middle order at the start.

“It took a bit of time but he’s getting runs now, opening is his best position.”

And if the 34-year-old does get going tomorrow, expect the ball to fly to all parts.

“The outfield will be like glass, so I’m expecting a high-scoring game,” continued Graveney. “You can always add on a few more runs at Cheltenham, both teams have got plenty to play for.”

And Gloucestershire certainly have plenty to play for in the County Championship, too, despite winning only one of their opening nine games.

They’ve drawn six and picked up plenty of bonus points along the way but Graveney admitted: “We need to start winning games, it would be great if we could win both games.

“I think Cheltenham is a ground where the players feel comfortable playing, there’s more bounce.

“The opening block of seven games produced some exciting cricket but it was hard work for the bowlers.

“Cheltenham produces entertaining cricket, you just have to look at last year’s tie with Glamorgan which was extraordinary.”

Australian off-spinner Todd Murphy is expected to feature for Gloucestershire in both four-day games at Cheltenham, with Lancashire, who were relegated last season, arriving two places and nine points adrift of the home side in the eight-strong division.

But they have picked up since the departure of former Gloucestershire head coach Dale Benkenstein at the end of May.

They’ve enjoyed a good T20 campaign and will also be able to call on the services of England legend Jimmy Anderson, which is sure to attract a few extra fans to the ground.

Middlesex, meanwhile, are one place and three points below Lancashire but like Gloucestershire and Lancashire will believe that a good run of form over the final five games will see them in the promotion frame.

The structure of the domestic season means that four-day cricket and T20 cricket is the priority for counties, but Graveney remains a fan of the One-Day Cup and is keen to see Gloucestershire make a winning start against Derbyshire.

“It’s a good tournament to win,” he said. “It’s a bit like the League Cup in football. At the start people say, ‘Why are we playing in this?’, but if you get to the final rounds people say, ‘We want to win it’.

“It’s an opportunity to play some of the younger players and for supporters to see some of those players coming through.”

And there are also plenty of players starting to come through Gloucestershire Women’s team, who will play twice at this year’s Festival.

They take on Sussex tomorrow at noon ahead of the men’s game before facing Middlesex on Sunday  (2.30pm) and Graveney is hoping that plenty of people go along to watch them.

They have won one of their six T20 games this season and Graveney said: “This is a new team and we’ve got a lot of young girls playing, we have to be patient.

“They are learning their craft and they are improving all the time, David Payne does a lot of work with them.”

A lot of work has also been put in to try to make this year’s Cheltenham Festival a big success.

The Festival has been going for more than 150 years – it’s the oldest in the country – but Gloucestershire chairman Peter Matthews warned recently that the club can’t run the event long-term at a loss.

“We need to get behind the Festival,” said Graveney, who made his debut for Gloucestershire against Lancashire at Cheltenham in 1972.

“I know a lot of people are looking forward to it and with fair weather there should be a lot of entertaining cricket.

“It’s a lovely place to play and watch cricket and we tend to play good cricket at Cheltenham.

“The return of the white marquees will give it a more of traditional feel, the menu is really, really exciting.

“We want the ground full of people.”