By Callum Dent
New Worcestershire signing Alex Gidman is excited at the prospect of tackling LV= County Championship Division One cricket again next season.
The experienced batsman was persuaded to bring down the curtain on a 13-year career at Gloucestershire in favour of a move to New Road in early September.
Having played Worcestershire twice in the second tier last term, the 33-year-old - whose younger brother Will also decided to leave the Bristol County Ground - saw first hand the qualities his future employers had to offer.
Worcestershire then celebrated the capture of Gidman by beating Surrey, courtesy of a stunning all-round performance from Jack Shantry, two days later to secure a return to the top flight.
Promotion came as an added bonus for the Buckinghamshire-born right-hander, who has not dined at cricket’s top table since 2005.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk, the former England Lion said: “We played them at Cheltenham and I was really impressed with the way they played their cricket. They were very disciplined and had a really good team spirit.
“Thankfully, as it turned out, they managed to sneak into the first division which is obviously a challenge in itself.
“There were a couple of things really. The way they played against us and the fact they managed to get into Division One were two things that really stood out.
“It has been a while, I did a couple of years (in the top flight) at Gloucestershire. I remember it well. It was tough and a good challenge.
“I feel like I am in a better place to deal with that sort of cricket now. It is something you strive for and something I have wanted to do for a few years.
“As a batsman, if you are not going to play international cricket like I won’t, to challenge yourself against the depth of attacks in Division One is going to be really, really testing. It is going to be exciting but really challenging.”
Well renowned as a yo-yo team in championship cricket, Worcestershire’s promotion in 2014 was their fifth in 12 seasons.
Director of cricket Steve Rhodes has placed his faith in homegrown talent after 10 of the 11 players to have committed their futures to the club since the start of August advanced through the Academy.
Alex Gidman "I would like to thank everyone at @Gloscricket for the wonderful years I have had playing at the club"pic.twitter.com/vwSZCnVsRF
— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) September 12, 2014
With a youthful-looking squad at his disposal, Rhodes has turned to Gidman in order to provide some much-needed experience.
However, he does not feel any added pressure on his shoulders.
Gidman said: “There are lots that I feel I can offer Worcestershire. First and foremost, my job is to score as many runs as possible.
“Within that there is a role to play in the dressing room, trying to pass on as many of my experiences, thoughts and ideas, and trying to challenge the group from a batting point of view.
“Hopefully I can fit into the dressing room really well and I am looking forward to offering as much as I can off and on the pitch.
“I have had pressure on myself at Gloucestershire, whether that was through experience, being captain or whatever the case may be.
“I think pressure is something that every player has in any part of their career, it depends on the type of pressure depending on their age and experience.
“I’m no different to a lot of guys in the sport, I just try and score as many runs as I can and spend as much time at the wicket as possible, bat for as long as I can and see what results I get.”
Gidman’s stats suggest his prolific batting is back on an upward curve after falling short of the 1,000 first-class runs barrier in three consecutive seasons from 2010.
He comfortably surpassed that milestone in the past two campaigns, registering his best run tally in 2014, and puts his impressive performances down to extensive preparation.
“What I have done more in the last two or three years is plan more,” Gidman, who struck a double-hundred and a century in his final two matches for Gloucestershire, said.
“Planning for different bowlers, I have different ideas and plans. My targets are short-term focused, how I am going to approach each innings which is something I didn’t do in the middle of my career.
“Just very short-term, game by game, attack by attack goals, the attacks I am going to face. I try to have as much successful plans as possible.”