Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the LV= Insurance County Championship...
Fixture: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire
Venue: Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester
Dates: Thursday, June 3, 2021 - Sunday, June 6, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Leicestershire are now 10 points clear of the bottom of Group Two after beating Middlesex by five wickets at the weekend, their first win of this year’s campaign.
Gloucestershire are narrowly at the top of the group but go into this match after a thrashing by third-placed Surrey by an innings and 47 runs, which ended their unbeaten streak.
There are now only six points separating the top three teams in group two.
Who's in form?
Miles Hammond scored 77 in Gloucestershire’s first innings against Surrey and has 122 runs in three games with an average of 61.
Leicestershire had a huge second innings in round eight, with Australian international Marcus Harris (185) and captain Colin Ackermann (126*) scoring centuries.
Callum Parkinson sealed the win five wickets and remains in excellent touch with the ball in 2021.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Leicestershire: WDDLL
Gloucestershire: LDWWD
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 132
Leicestershire wins: 37
Gloucestershire wins: 59
Draws: 36
Abandoned: 2
What's the team news?
Leicestershire: Understandably, coach Paul Nixon has named an unchanged 14-strong squad from the win over Middlesex.
Squad: Colin Ackermann (C), Hassan Azad, Ed Barnes, Will Davis, Alex Evans, Sam Evans, Gavin Griffiths, Marcus Harris, Lewis Hill, Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson, Rishi Patel, Harry Swindells (wk), Chris Wright.
Gloucestershire: Kraigg Brathwaite departs for West Indies duty but is replaced by New Zealander Glenn Phillips, who is braced for his first appearance for Gloucestershire.
Jonathan Tattersall has extended his loan and will continue to take the gloves in the absence of James Bracey, who is on England duty.
Squad: Chris Dent (c), Miles Hammond, Glenn Phillips, Tom Lace, Ryan Higgins, Ian Cockbain, Jonathan Tattersall (wk), Tom Smith, David Payne, Josh Shaw, Daniel Worrall, George Scott and Dominic Goodman
Latest Leicestershire news: Click here
Latest Gloucestershire news: Click here
Who said what?
After claiming their opening win of the season against a beleaguered Middlesex, Paul Nixon has challenged Leicestershire to back up that success against an impressive Gloucestershire outfit.
"A solid performance, I was really delighted with the last game," he stated. "As the game went on we got better. We started poorly, we let Middlesex get too many on that pitch.
"We take great momentum and confidence into the next game. You put that to bed but you have to win to feel it. It gets you relaxed, the group relaxed and we come back even harder for Gloucestershire.
"It is about going back-to-back, which is massive. We've got to make sure we learn from that."
What's the weather forecast?
The weekend promises to be hot and dry with sunny intervals for the most part. Light cloud is predicted on Sunday but still highs of 21 degrees Celsius while Thursday is the hottest day with highs of 23.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Leicester: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Information to come.
All LV= County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every LV= County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets
A limited number of tickets are available at a maximum of two per person.
Click here to visit the Leicestershire box office.
Travel
By car: The Uptonsteel County Ground is approximately three miles from the M69/M1 Junction 21.
For satnavs, the postcode LE2 8EB will send you to the main entrance on Curzon Road.
Parking: The on-site car parks cannot be opened to the public for Leicestershire's clash with Middlesex, as the ground has been specifically configured to adhere to government and ECB advice relating to Covid-safe practice.
Leicestershire are offering free parking at the Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium site (LE2 7NQ), a 10-15 minute walk to the ground. This car park is not staffed car park and cars will be parked at the owner's risk.
By bus: To explore the local bus options and plan your journey, click here.
By train: The Uptonsteel County Ground is approximately two miles from Leicester Station.
Regular services run to Leicester from London St Pancras, the East Midlands and Yorkshire, serving Market Harborough, Leicester and Loughborough. They are operated by East Midlands Railway.
Cross Country Trains run services between Birmingham New Street and Leicester, via Hinckley, Narborough and South Wigston, and between Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport, via Leicester and Melton Mowbray.
Prediction?
Despite Leicestershire's victory over Middlesex last time out and Gloucestershire's defeat at Surrey, the away side remain top of the group and a return to winning ways for Chris Dent's side is perhaps the likeliest result.
OTHER ROUND NINE PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
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