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Gidman fires Finals Day warning

Alex Gidman fired a verbal volley in the direction of those critics who rate the county rank outsiders to beat Lancashire in the Twenty20 Cup semi-finals at Edgbaston.

Written off by many commentators in the national media, the Glo'sters are also given little hope of beating the red rose county by the nation's bookmakers.

"They could be making a very big mistake indeed," said the 25-year-old, whose match-winning performances this summer have helped secure his side a second finals day appearance in four seasons.

"We're used to people writing us off in the press and on the TV and radio. It's the same old people saying the same old things.

"Whenever they do it, we tend to prove them wrong by winning. It doesn't seem to make a blind bit of difference, even when they end up with egg on their faces.

"It doesn't bother us anymore. If anything, it just makes us even more determined to go out there and prove the critics wrong."

A member of the Gloucestershire side that achieved back-to-back C &G Trophy triumphs at Lord's in 2003 and 2004, Gidman knows a thing or two about success in one-day cricket. He recalled: "We were made out to be the underdogs before both finals and we ended up winning them easily.

"It's been exactly the same this week. I've read what they've been saying in the national newspapers and on the TV and it just spurs me on. We've learned down the years that the only positive media we get is locally.

"At least those guys watch us on a regular basis and know what they're talking about."

Team-mate and fellow middle order batsman Chris Taylor describes Gloucestershire's perennial underdog status as a "standing joke".

He said: "No matter how many trophies we win, people still seem prepared to dismiss us. We've won nine trophies since 1999 and been losing finalists on two other occasions. Surely a record like that cannot be entirely down to luck.

"No one from outside of the county boundary seems to give us any credit for playing well and it's gone past the stage where it worries us. It's become a standing joke in the dressing room. I wouldn't say the things that are written or said about us are even a motivating factor anymore.

"Given our recent record in one-day cricket, we have every reason to feel confident in our own ability.

"We may not have any big-name superstars in our team, but I'm prepared to bet Lancashire would have rather played Sussex or Kent than us when the semi-final draw was made."

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