CONGRATULATIONS to 'Maxy' Klinger who has finally won international recognition.

The 36-year-old captain of Perth Scorchers and, of course, Gloucestershire has been picked in the 13-man Australia squad for the forthcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka.

This honour is richly deserved. All of us who know this charming family man will be aware of how much it means to him.

Phoning first his wife and then other family members, Michael choked back the tears.

Why has it taken Australia so long to recognise what we have known for years. He is international class as a batsman and as a bloke.

There has been an explosion of news at Forest Green Rovers.

Elliott Frear (as anticipated) and Charlie Clough (surprisingly) have moved on – Frear to Motherwell and Clough to Barnet.

Both players can now fulfil their ambition to play at a higher level, one in the Scottish Premier and the other in Division Two of the Football League. Rovers receive fees in both cases.

I have no problem with players moving upwards, it is surely their right to play at the highest level. I do have problems if moves are initiated and orchestrated by agents.

The movement of players out of the New Lawn has put the focus on manager Mark Cooper who has already used 27 players in the first team this season.

Promotion-winning sides usually have a small, tight-knit squad, managing without too many changes.

This is not Mark’s way and his management style smacks of impatience, perhaps even intolerance as other senior players (Racine, Murphy) leave on loan.

There is irresponsible talk of Cooper being the wrong man at the helm, but not by me.

I can remember the fine football of the late autumn; the New Lawn has never seen better and those days could easily return.

Mark is, for all the right reasons, a driven man, anxious to take the club forward.

My advice to him would be calm down, show confidence in your players, stop naming individuals for mistakes in matches and establish a settled side.

Automatic promotion is still within Rovers' grasp but it will need a collective drive to achieve it.

Henry Trinder is back playing rugby for Gloucester and scoring tries. Perhaps Henry can now realise his true and unlimited potential.

All at his former club Cirencester RFC and beyond must hope that the injuries are now behind him. If so a glittering career waits.

I was far from glittering as I approached the Tesco tills on Sunday, dazed with “cruise lag”.

I was both cheered and uplifted. Cirencester RFC juniors were at the tills offering help with packing. Enthusiastic, polite and helpful, these youngsters were collecting funds for a forthcoming tour. It was a splendid idea to have them there. I hope the collecting buckets were soon filled.

I am told Cirencester's bowlers all had a fine time in Torquay and no untoward happenings occurred. Reports, however, have reached me of record sales on the English Riviera of Sanatogen and Ovaltine. Could the two events be a coincidence?

Good news from Glos CCC headquarters in Bristol. The long-awaited museum at Bristol is nearing completion and an April opening is on the cards.

Rex and Wendy Body as well as Roger Gibbons of Stroud (The Acre Street archivist) have led the team responsible, so they deserve every congratulations.

Has the club itself matched their achievement. Will we see a flag pole, the clock reinstated and a proper scoreboard at Cheltenham? I am not holding my breath.

Problems on my first holiday cruise can be summed up in a mere four words – violent storm, force 11.

That happened to us twice! Holidaying with Mrs Light always throws up interesting eating experiences, this time it was celebrating Burns Night dining on haggis well within the Arctic Circle. Nothing, however, can match the second August Saturday of 1950.

I sat by the sight screen at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival eating my mum’s cheese and lettuce sandwiches.

Gloucestershire were playing the West Indies. Black has been beautiful ever since.