When John Bracewell was appointed head coach of Gloucestershire ahead of the 1998 season the county had gone 21 years without any silverware, and that didn’t look like changing anytime soon.
Under John Bracewell’s stewardship, Gloucestershire created a blueprint for limited-overs success and won an unprecedented eight trophies in six seasons, despite boasting few star names. Rob Johnston speaks to three key men from the glory years.
At the end of his first year in charge, the New Zealander made some significant changes, as the contract of West Indian veteran quick Courtney Walsh was not renewed and the Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey was recruited in his place. Bracewell pushed his charges to become one of the fittest teams in the country and devised an innovative game plan for one-day cricket. Over the next six seasons, Gloucestershire won eight one-day trophies.
TH: I was an average county player at best and we all had to battle away for what we got. Some of us had quite long careers and were having the time of our lives. It’s something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life.
JR: I look back at that time with such fondness because you can be the richest person on Earth, be Bill Gates or whoever, but you can’t buy that experience. It was something I will take to my grave as some of the greatest days o f my life. I loved every minute of it.
First published in 2016
