By Geoff Leonard
October 10 2008
In interviews published in the Bristol Evening Post, Jon Lewis gave a number of reasons why Gloucestershire had such a poor season but curiously enough did not mention his own patchy form. He also didn't highlight his wretched, uninspired captaincy which clearly led to despondency amongst his bowling colleagues which quickly spread like wildfire throughout the team and long-suffering supporters.
Although he is right to say the recruitment was not good enough, how is it that many supporters and pundits were saying this before the season had even begun? If it was obvious to us, how was it possible for officials not to realise something was amiss until the season was virtually over?
It’s also correct to say that Marshall and Gidman had poor seasons with the bat, but the latter was apparently distracted by his own indecision and media speculation about his future with the club. This must not be allowed to happen again but I wish transfers of this nature could be restricted to off-season.
Lewis also stated that "Our batsmen are a bit more flamboyant and better suited to one-day cricket. That's one of the reasons why we have struggled in the Championship." For me this is a ridiculous comment. Professional cricketers should be able to adapt to all formats of the game. If they cannot they should not be playing cricket for a living. It also fails to explain why if that is the case we didn’t do much better in one-day cricket!
No, our batsmen clearly lack the consistency and patience required in the championship. Flamboyancy has nothing to do with it. They need a more disciplined approach and also a leader who inspires by example. Sadly this is not Jon Lewis and neither is it Alex Gidman. Good captains do not come around too often. Gloucestershire have had some good ones. Tony Brown, Mike Proctor and Mark Alleyne all led by example and the latter proved a great tactician. In fact, he was so good we didn’t realise how hard he was to replace until he had gone.
However, a successful captain also needs a good squad of players and Gloucestershire clearly need some serious strengthening. We must hope that Ian Saxelby and Richard Dawson are good signings. Saxelby certainly looks promising but Dawson seems to lack confidence after time out of the game. Hopefully coach Bracewell, himself a former off-spinner, can put this right when he arrives in a few months time. Another fast bowler is a must. Too often the pressure was lifted when Lewis and Kirby finished their opening spells because the change bowlers were not up to standard. It remains a mystery why Greenidge was given another season with the team, having already proved not good enough in all formats of the game.
I also think it’s nonsense to blame defeat at the hands of Yorkshire in the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy for a downturn in fortune, as Lewis claims. You cannot set your sights on winning one trophy and then giving up when that doesn’t work out only a couple of months into the season. This is where I blame lack of leadership. A captain needs to inspire on and off the field but especially on the field when things are going badly. Lewis failed to do this and I’m afraid he must go.
Who is to replace him? I’ve already decided that Gidman is not the man – he can’t even get it right when he wins the toss – but there is no obvious candidate. Whereas I’m normally reluctant to hand the job to a player from overseas, maybe since Hamish Marshall has committed his future to the club, he is the right man for the situation?
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