County set for mouthwatering clash

By Sam Chambers

Leicestershire will take the confidence gained from an outstanding win at table-topping Essex when they welcome Gloucestershire to the Fischer County Ground in another crucial match in the Specsavers County Championship on Monday (11am start).

The four-wicket success at Chelmsford will live long in the memory of all those involved, particularly as - after losing a full day's play on day two and 10 overs to bad light on the final day - the draw looked to be the likeliest result.

Instead, a tremendous display from the Foxes' bowling attack, led by destroyer-in-chief Clint McKay, set up a scintillating finale, which saw Leicestershire chase down 159, hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over.

Elite Performance Director Andrew McDonald was impressed with the focus and determination of his players, who have remained positive during a season that has seen them get into many commanding positions to then fall victim to the weather.

McDonald said: “It was a great win at Essex, and I can’t speak highly enough of this group, we were tested again by the weather, losing a full day and more, and to win at the league leaders in that context speaks volumes about where we’re at.

“It’s a great reward for the way they’ve kept applying themselves after being in strong positions in a number of games and then being on the wrong side of the weather.

"We have been on the wrong side of the weather, but there's nothing you can do about that. The guys have remained positive, they’ve kept preparing themselves in the right way, and they got their reward for the way that they've applied themselves.

"We've been in good situations in games - but that's not to say we'd have won those games either - but we were in strong positions so it just gets a few points on the board that the boys probably deserve and a result that they thoroughly deserve.

"You put in the hard work and you play and you prepare, but it seems like an age ago that we won that first game at Glamorgan.

"The way the guys have remained positive and they way they've kept preparing throughout those rain delays and breaks is full credit to them and they got their just deserts on Wednesday.

“It's a fantastic reward for the group, all I can say is congratulations to the boys who went out and put in that fantastic effort.”

Essex resumed on day four on 22-1, with a lead of 47, and it wasn't long before Clint McKay removed nightwatchman Matthew Quinn. Along with Ben Raine, Rob Taylor and Charlie Shreck, he tore through the Essex batting line-up to leave them 133 all out.

McDonald hailed the cohesive bowling unit and their application in the match. He said: "They're a disciplined attack. There's a real team pack mentality with that bowling group.

"We've seen that over the last couple of years whether the wicket's got some juice in it, or whether the wicket's dry and flat, these guys keep coming. The last day at Hove, I thought, was probably our most impressive day, but the final day at Chelmsford was also right up there to get the reward of 133 all out.

"To function as an attack, and for no-one to stray from the gameplan, is outstanding. Rob Taylor chipped in there and it's good to see him doing well as he's worked hard to get his spot back."

Needing 159 to win, from only 33 overs it would be no mean feat, and McDonald also heaped praise on his batsman, led by Angus Robson's 56 off 75, and their selfless display of hitting.

He said: "I really loved the selflessness that the guys played with. It's easy in those situations to think, 'I've got to be not out here', but they went out there and attacked that total.

“Players like Aadil Ali and Ned Eckersley put the team before themselves and that's a massive tick in the box. It was a great effort and as I said, the way the boys played in that selfless manner was a great positive for me."

Gloucestershire arrive at the FCG sitting in joint-third along with the Foxes and both sides will be looking to peg back the other in the promotion race.

The County attack will have to deal with the considerable talents of Australian Michael Klinger, who leads the Division Two batting averages with 125 from his three innings so far. He is someone the Foxes' faithful know plenty about, having blazed 129 from 124 balls here at the FCG in 2014.

However Leicestershire possess the joint-leading wicket-taker in the competition in McKay, who has 31 victims alongside Essex’s Graham Napier and Kyle Jarvis of Lancashire.

In-form Robson, meanwhile, will be looking to continue his fine record at home to Gloucestershire, averaging 51.75 from their previous visits to the ground.

Leicestershire could hand a ‘second debut’ to Richard Jones, who rejoined the club on loan from Warwickshire for a second time on Friday. Jones joins 11 of the players that travelled to Chelmsford with Ben Raine rested after a busy start to the all-rounder’s season.

Squad (from): Horton, Robson, Dexter, Cosgrove (capt), Pettini, Eckersley (w/k), Ali, Taylor, McKay, Shreck, Jones, Sykes

* Thanks to Ed Melia for the photograph of Andrew