A CockBain in the Ar$e

Rogers and Out describes the events of a promising start followed by an inevitable defeat.  This lead paragraph copied and pasted from last season. 

Our T20 campaign in 2015 opened with a seven wicket loss to Gloucestershire at a cold Nevil Road. After being put in to bat by our hosts, we made what appeared to be a creditable 175/3 from 20 overs, but this was total was quite easily reached thanks to the batting of Hamish Marshall and Ian Cockbain. 

My day started by going to the wrong house when attempting to pick up Seaxe Man. After locating his correct abode, we set off for Bristol via the M4. After dropping our gear off at the hotel, we took the bus to the Horfield area of the city only to find that my pub of choice, The Weliington, was closed for refurbishment.

We ended up getting to the ground early and discovered that Gloucester had won the toss and put us in to bat. Balbirnie, Rayner and Roland-Jones were omitted from the squad of fourteen.

Paul Stirling and Nick Compton opened the batting for us and after a quiet couple of opening overs, they both went into overdrive for the rest of the power play with a series of shots all around the wicket as we registered 63/0 from six overs, which I believe may be a club T20 record.

Stirlo had survived a chance which went down at long off, but he eventually perished in the seventh over for 39 when he was bowled by a full pitched delivery from Matt Taylor.

We were 65/1 and the wicket saw the introduction of Joe Burns. The loss of Stirlo meant that our run rate decreased quite markedly and when our young Australian attempted to redress the situation, he could only find Marshall on the long off boundary from the bowling of Jack Taylor in the tenth over, leaving us on 76/2.

Adam Voges came in at number four and after getting his eye in, both he and Compo kept the score ticking over, although, in retrospect, the fireworks that the Gloucester batsmen later displayed was lacking.

Compo was looking most assured although he did survive a fluffed stumping by Geraint Jones. His fine innings ended in the 18th over for 78, when he was leg before to Fuller and our score was 151/3.

Captain James Franklin was next in and despite hitting a couple of big sixes, we seemed content as he and Voges took the score to 175/3 at the close.

The weather had got colder and it was now raining albeit not heavily. One wondered whether the darker conditions would hinder Gloucester's reply, but apart from Dent losing his wicket to a steepling catch by Burns from Finny, that was not the case.

Marshall was in fine form and was dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground. Once captain Ian Cockbain settled in, he did the same and the last over of the power play from James Harris realised nineteen runs for the home team.

Gloucester's 64/1 eclipsed our 63/0 in the first six overs and in truth, they were always ahead of the game. Both Harry Podmore and Neil Dexter bowled several dot balls, but when they did leak runs, it was invariably to the boundary and often over the rope.

Marshall and Cockbain had made 98 from just 9.3 overs when Finny had the New Zealander caught by Simmo for 56, leaving Gloucester on 113/2. Incoming batsman Handscomb did not last long, being bowled by Harris for just a single in the twelfth over.

However, a big moment occurred in the very next over when Simmo appeared to put Cockbain down off Ravi Patel. Ravi's reaction suggested it was a disappointing moment for us and so it proved, as Cockbain, then on 50, crashed his way to an unbeaten 91 as the home team strolled to victory with an over to spare.

When looking at the scorecard after the game, we hit two sixes whereas Gloucester registered seven and that really summed up the difference between the sides.

SM pointed out that we had never beaten Gloucestershire in T20 and so that run continues. All that was left for us to do was have a burger on the Gloucester Road and return to our hotel for a drink.

Today's negatives - cold and wet, another T20 loss and apart from Finn and Patel, poor bowling.

Positives - a very good start batting-wise, a top T20 score for Compo and the excellent company of SM.