GLOUCESTERSHIRE are using tomorrow’s 50-over friendly with Devon at Heathcoat (11am) to give some of the first team squad early season action.
First team captain Gareth Roderick is named in the side, as is one-day regular Ian Cockbain.
Ben Howell and Kieran Noema-Barnett made First Class appearances in 2016 for Gloucestershire,
Pat Grieshaber, who played for Wiltshire against Devon last season, and Tom Smith clocked up one-day outings.
Jack Gibbs, the North Devon CC seamer talent spotted by Gloucestershire in youth and school cricket last season, is also in the visitors 12.
Devon hope to have a clearer idea what their Unicorns Trophy side will look like after tomorrow’s match.
The Trophy starts two weeks before the league season begins for Devon clubs, which makes talent spotting and judging form difficult for the county management.
There is always a degree of churn-over between the seasons as players move or outside issues such as studies or the day job get in the way.
There may be a nucleus of a squad from the 2016 season, when Devon reached the semi-finals, but there are places to fill or cover to be put in place for known absences.
Devon got some ideas during a two-day training camp at Southampton that included games against Hampshire 2nd XI.
Keith Donohue, Devon’s director of cricket, hopes to have a few more ideas by Sunday night.
“The captain and I have an idea how the side will shape-up, but the process isn’t over yet,” said Donohue.
“There are two or three places undecided as well as keeping cover to sort out while Matt Thompson is away.
“What we have done is brought in a few players who are in the frame to see how they get on.
“We have one last warm-up game against Somerset 2nd XI next Sunday and the side that plays in that one will be pretty close to the one for the first Trophy game against Dorset.”
Donohue does have a problem on the seam-bowling front as Jack Popham is missing for a few more weeks with a broken collar bone and Zak Bess has pulled out of this game with a side strain.
Dan Goodey and Hugo Whitlock are bidding for places in the attack.
Luke Bess – brother of Zak and skipper Josh – gets a chance to show what he can do with the bat after a profitable 2016 for club side Sidmouth.
Finlay Trenouth, who has been encouraged by Somerset to dual-register with Devon this season, stays in the team after making 73 in his only knock against Hampshire.
Trenouth keeps wicket too and is a potential replacement for Thompson in the two Trophy and two Championship games he will miss this season.
Devon (squad): L J Lewis (Sidmouth), F R Trenouth (Millfield School), A W Barrow (Exeter), J J Bess (Sidmouth), M C Golding (Bovey Tracey), L F O Bess (Sidmouth) J F S Dart (Heathcoat), J V King (North Devon), J A Stephens (Falmouth), D J Goodey (Plymouth), H M Whitlock (Bovey Tracey).
Gloucestershire (from): P J Grieshaber, I A Cockbain, G S Drissell, B S Gilmour, B A C Howell, M A H Hammond, C J W Gregory, K Noema-Barnett, T M J Smith, J A Dryell, J H Gibbs, G H Roderick.
