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Washout So Disappointing - Alex

14 July 2012

Alex Gidman has expressed his frustration over the rain which ruined the opening fixture of the Cheltenham Festival with Gloucestershire in a strong position.

The hosts were due to resume on 284-4 in their first innings against Essex when the final two days of the LV=County Championship match were washed out without a ball bowled.

Gloucestershire took five points from the game and Essex four, but Alex felt the outcome could have been so much better, even given play on the final day.

He told this website: "We would only have been playing for bonus points, but the aim was to get to 300 quickly and then take as many wickets as possible.

"The rain is a complete pain in the neck, particularly at Cheltenham, which is always such a special time in the season, and just when we were hoping to push our promotion challenge.

"We are still well in it and there is nothing we can do, but hope the weather changes quickly."

The Festival continues with a Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Essex at the College Ground tomorrow when the forecast in better.

But so much rain fell overnight that umpires Tim Robinson and S.Ravi abandoned any prospect of play on the final day of the Championship fixture more than an hour before the scheduled 11am start.

Alex added: "We need the rain to stop falling quickly to give the ground a chance to dry out for the CB40 game."

James Fuller will come into the Gloucestershire team for the 40-over game, which starts at 1.45pm, while Jack Taylor is also added to the squad.

The bad weather forced Alex to cancel a testimonial event involving a group of past Gloucestershire players, schduled for this evening at Cheltenham,

"It would have been a fun evening and we will definitely reschedule it," he said. "But that is minor thing compared to the problems the club are having with all the rain."

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