Talk to Andy Brassington for a couple of minutes and you feel sure that the sun will shine even on the gloomiest of English summer days.

The former Gloucestershire wicketkeeper is very much a glass half full man and he retains a huge enthusiasm for all things cricket whether it be Gloucestershire, cricket in general or the Cheltenham Cricket Festival in particular.

“The Cheltenham Cricket Festival is a magical place to be,” said the 62-year-old. “It’s got the college in the background and the marquees give the place a real buzz.

“It’s great for the supporters because they are so close to the action and the cricket is always exciting. When the ball is flying into the marquees it excites everyone.

“It’s a really good wicket and the groundsman has done a great job. The batters like it because runs are scored quickly but the bowlers always have a chance as well.”

Brassington was on Gloucestershire’s books for 14 years from 1974 and has his own very special memories of playing at the festival.

“I made my county championship debut there,” he said. “It was in the days of uncovered wickets and I remember the rain coming down during the game.

“After that the wicket turned square and David Gravevey took eight wickets.”

When Brassington made his debut in 1974, the very best players in the world were plying their trade in county cricket and the young Brassington was lucky enough to be sharing a dressing room with some of the true greats of the game like Mike Procter and Zaheer Abbas.

“What a player Procter was,” Brassington said. “I’ll never forget that hat-trick he took at Cheltenham against Yorkshire in 1979.”

Remarkably all three of his victims were dismissed LBW and even more remarkably he had achieved the same feat in the previous match against Leicestershire.

Brassington, a true team player, also remembers when Gloucestershire won five games out of five at Cheltenham.

“That didn’t happen very often,” he said. “It was in the days when we’d be playing three three-day games and two one-day games at Cheltenham. To win all five of them was something quite special.”

The first ball will be bowled at this year’s festival on Monday 3rd July when Glamorgan are the visitors for a County Championship Division Two game and the festival will end almost two weeks later with a T20 game against Sussex on Sunday 16th July.

For the first time there will be three T20 games at the festival and if Brassington has one cricketing regret it’s that the crash, bang, wallop format of the game was not around in his day.

“I’d have loved to have kept wicket in T20,” he said. “It’s so exciting because things happen so quickly. The keepers really enjoy it.

“They can stand up to the medium pacers and get stumpings which is what all keepers want.

“And if the ball goes down the leg side and they miss it gets called a wide!

“The nearest we got to T20 was if a 40-over game was hit by rain. Sometimes the matches would be reduced to 10 overs a side and that could be fun.”

Although a fan of the modern game, Brassington is also very much a traditionalist which is one of the reasons he has been a regular at the Cheltenham Festival over the years.

“It’s the oldest cricket festival in the world that’s still going,” he said. “I’m a bit of a cricket romantic and I don’t think it’s changed that much over the years from the days of WG going out to bat.

“It’s such a picturesque venue with its breathtaking backdrop. Everyone loves it - the players, fans and sponsors.

“For the fans, it’s a great seeing ground and I love the atmosphere there.

“Even the ice cream van adds to the special feel of the festival.”

Brassington’s memories of Cheltenham extend to after play had finished for the day.

“We all used to go to the sponsors’ marquee after the game,” he recalls. “It wasn’t just Gloucestershire’s players, the opposition teams would join us as well.

“For a young player like myself it was absolutely brilliant to get the chance to sit down and talk to people like Bob Taylor and Alan Knott about the game.”

Brassington, who was Gloucestershire’s marketing manager for eight years and is now on the club’s executive board, will, of course, be at Cheltenham again this summer.

And one date in particular is ringed in his diary - Tuesday 4th July - which is the second day of the four-day game against Glamorgan.

“We’ve got a big Professional Cricketers’ Association day that day,” said Brassington, who is the driving force behind the annual event. “There’ll be about 140 ex-players across all generations coming to Cheltenham.

“It’s a wonderful day. I’m like a kid in a sweet shop with all these great players around. We hire a big marquee and everyone just eats, drinks and talks.

“After a couple of drinks it’s amazing how everyone becomes a better cricketer... which suits me fine!”

It’s not all fun and laughter, however, as there is a very serious side to the PCA’s work.

“This year is the PCA’s 50th anniversary,” said Brassington, “and we raise money for the Benevolent Fund which provides money for cricketers or ex-cricketers who have fallen on hard times.

“Chris Cowdrey will be MC for the day and it’s an excellent cause.

“I’m proud to be involved and proud that the day takes place in Cheltenham - it’s the perfect venue.”

So, is there anything not to like about the Cheltenham Cricket Festival?

“I don’t think the players like fielding in front of the marquees opposite the pavilion too much,” laughed Brassington.

“It can be tough down there. The ground slopes away quite a bit and the ball really does run away from them. They much prefer fielding on the other side of the ground.”

Brassington, of course, didn’t have to field down there during his time with Gloucestershire. However, if he had, you get the impression he’d still have been smiling at the end of the day’s play.

Cheltenham Cricket Festival fixtures
Monday 3rd July: Gloucestershire v Glamorgan (4-day game, 11am each day)

Friday 7th July: Gloucestershire v Middlesex (T20, 2.30pm)

Sunday 9th July: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire (4-day game, 11am each day)

Thursday 13th July: Gloucestershire v Kent (T20, 2.30pm)

Sunday 16th July: Gloucestershire v Sussex (T20, 2pm)