THREE wins out of four, very good crowds and some exciting cricket made it the best Cheltenham Festival for many years.

Off the field events went splendidly. I am off to lie down in a darkened room. It was all too much for someone of 76 who thinks he is 32.

Sunday’s win over Sussex in the RL50 Cup was outstanding. Our 242-8 looked well short of a winning score but captain Klinger handled his attack beautifully. Both bowlers and fielders responded to the challenge of stifling Sussex.

With five internationals in their side Sussex should have been capable of winning but Gloucestershire were on fire. Such resistance as Sussex offered was swept aside. A crowd of nearly 4,000 rejoiced and with good reason.

Festival crowds have been fine with 5,000 watching the T20 game against Essex and a surprisingly large crowd of 4,000 saw England Lions win on Tuesday. Takings may be well above expectations.

It was a pity the game against Leicestershire was lost but until the last afternoon it was very competitive. In the best batting conditions of the game our opponents carefully set about their tasks and were deserved winners.

There were two controversial umpiring decisions that afternoon that went against us. Umpiring is difficult at the best of times and it works well if the players are cooperating.

Older readers will remember Frank Baldwin of Rodmarton. Frank was the village blacksmith, bowled fast and hit even harder. He gave me some splendid advice: “John, if there is any doubt about a catch just ask the fielder and accept his word.”

He continued by saying that if you cannot trust a fellow cricketer, who can you trust? I wish that was true today. Watching events at Cheltenham it clearly is not. The game is poorer for it.

Perhaps the highlight of the festival was the barbecue and quiz. We all enjoyed the best meal of the week and Phil James was again in fine form. Sample question: Which Football League team’s name begins with four consonants? I let my team down by not knowing the answer.

The college service on Sunday was moving and meaningful. Richard Atkins of Radio Gloucestershire was in fine form and the singing was as powerful and resonant as ever. Do not miss it next year.

Our improving team moves on. Many doors remain open. They are now a well-drilled unit, each player knowing his task.

This was a factor in our great cup runs at the turn of this century. After a visit to the Oval on Wednesday evening for a 50-over match against Surrey it is back to Bristol on Friday for our final T20 game against Middlesex.

Winning this will secure a lucrative home tie. We are already assured of a quarter-final place but a home tie brings considerable financial rewards.

A few people approached me with festival niggles. Of course, I will be passing them on but why not write to chief executive Will Brown. The buck stops with him and he takes written complaints very seriously.

While you are at it, write to the ECB and tell them how much you enjoyed the cricket this year. We need support from every quarter to bring good quality cricket to Cheltenham.

Hamish Marshall led the team off on Sunday evening to warm applause. He has not had a successful festival with the bat but all those watching and opponents as well were anxious to pay a proper tribute to a popular cricketer with high professional and personal standards. He will be pleased with his send-off.

As one veteran leaves the scene another young player arrives. Nineteen-year-old wicket keeper Patrick Grieshaber came to the wicket with our innings floundering. He scored an elegant 20 and aided man of the match Tom Smith (43 not out) to post a total Sussex found beyond them. He followed that up with wicket keeping that was sound and assured.

Eating a bacon roll with fellow mature supporters before play was a delight. Friday morning was a delight as we remembered the radio programmes of our youth.

‘Take It From Here,’ ‘Sing Something Simple’ and ‘Ray’s a Laugh’ got honourable mentions. The naming of Children’s Favourites gave rise to nostalgic renderings that were a tribute to our memories but not musical talents.

The poor umpiring later on reminded me of one programme we missed out, ‘The Goon Show.’