GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S Jack Taylor will also be playing club cricket this summer for Lechlade CC.

In a deal brokered by Lechlade chairman Arthur Jupp, Taylor will initially play three of the club’s four games in June and expects to be available for three further matches later in the season.

Taylor, who was man of the match for Gloucestershire in their famous Royal London One-Day cup final victory over Surrey at Lord’s in 2015, is due to make his Lechlade debut on Saturday, June 3 in the game at Downend CC.

The signing of the 25-year-old all-rounder is a major coup for the village club who are playing at the highest level in their history, Premier One of the West of England Premier League, after winning promotion as champions of the WEPL Glos/Wilts Premier Two last season.

This deal is not part of the draft system in which generally fringe Gloucestershire players were farmed out to leading club sides. That system has been scrapped for 2017.

Contracted players have been told they can make their own arrangements, especially given the idiosyncrasies of the ECB cricket schedule which has Gloucestershire playing just two matches – both four-dayers – in June.

Having been given the blessing of his county side, Taylor has told Lechlade he could be available for a third of their 18-game league campaign.

“Jack’s signing is all down to Hamish Marshall and a game of golf,” revealed chairman Jupp.

“Hamish always played for my former company Aimteq on Gloucestershire County Cricket Club golf days, which are usually held at Cirencester.

“When Hamish retired last season to return to New Zealand, his greatest concern was to find a suitable replacement in Team Aimteq at the golf day and suggested Jack.

“So while we were playing in the competition earlier this year, I asked Jack whether he would be interested, if his schedule allowed, to play for Lechlade.

“Jack said ‘Let’s do it’ and we shook hands on it there and then. We had a great day at Cirencester, lots of fun but we finished second which annoyed us intensely because we do like to win.

“Hopefully, by the time Jack joins us at Lechlade at the beginning of June we will have got into the top three and then we can push on from there.

“He said he could probably fit in another three games for us later in the season.”

Taylor’s first three games for Lechlade are: June 3 – Downend (A); June 17 – Clevedon (A); June 24 – Frocester (H).

“Jack is a fantastic guy who will fit in just great in our dressing room,” said Jupp. “We have a very young team and he is still only 25. He has no ego and is just a top, top lad.

“He is going to have a huge influence on the club, not least on my son Harvey who is also a spinner.

“Lechlade are probably punching above our weight for the size of the town to be playing in Premier One and to sign Jack is another massive coup for the club.”

Lechlade begin their first Premier One campaign today in the clash of the two promoted clubs in the division – themselves and Bedminster.

Their opponents will be using Gloucestershire’s Miles Hammond, who has done a similar deal to Taylor’s, and played for Lechlade in the past as part of the draft system.

Lechlade will be without two first-teamers James Palmer and wicket keeper George Penfold, who is still away on business in South America for his employers Vodafone.

South Africa’s U19 World Cup winner Brad Dial will take over the gloves as emergency cover, as he did on occasion last season.

Jupp hopes his side can bounce back immediately from a warm-up game defeat to Phil De Freitas’s Swindon side last Saturday, which the chairman described as a horror show.

“It was the sort of display we were half expecting last season,” said Jupp. “What would this enormously talented but very young squad do if they hit the wall – but it never happened.

“I know we had only half the first team out against Swindon but it was still a shocker. It was horrible to watch but best to get it out of our system in pre-season.

“It was a not very good April wicket and our lads were trying to play millionaire July shots on it.

“The opening league game with Bedminster is a great clash and there will be a lot of nerves from both sides as they bid to put down a marker in a new division.

“Jack, who will be travelling to Hampshire for Gloucestershire’s one-dayer on Sunday, has asked me to keep him in touch with the scores.”