While Gloucestershire fans will be disappointed that their team didn’t secure a home quarter-final in this season’s T20 Blast – defeats in their final two group games put paid to that – all is certainly not lost as they prepare for tomorrow’s game against Worcestershire at New Road.

And while the home side will obviously start as favourites, the Gloucestershire faithful can take comfort from the fact that their club at least have ‘form’ when it comes to winning games at New Road to book their place at a showpiece finals day.

Okay, so it was 45 years ago and it was in a very different competition – the Gillette Cup – but Gloucestershire still went up the M5 and beat their close rivals to book their place in the final all those years ago.

Back in 1973 the Gillette Cup – a 60-over-a-side one-day competition – was cricket’s number one cup competition in this country and Gloucestershire and Worcestershire were two of the stronger sides around.

A crowd of about 10,000 – official figures say it was 7,700 but anyone who was there that day says there were many, many more – crammed into New Road to see what turned out to be one of the great games of domestic cricket as a Mike Procter-inspired Gloucestershire squeezed home by five runs on a day when close on 500 runs were scored and 17 wickets fell.

One of those people lucky enough to be at the ground on Wednesday 15th August was lifelong Gloucestershire cricket fan John Margetts who can remember the game as though it were yesterday.

Margetts used to play for Cheltenham team Nomads and he said: “I used to organise minibuses to a lot of Gloucestershire’s games, home and away. There would have been 10 or 12 of us at Worcester that day, all Nomads players. Players like Dave Febery, Martyn Brown and Gerald Brinsford.

“The great thing about that day was that because the game was so local there were lots of players from Cheltenham cricket clubs there, you knew everyone.”

And the other great thing was that Gloucestershire won of course to claim their first ever place in a final. The great Mike Procter made 101 of their 243-8 and then took 3-31 as Worcestershire fell just short despite a century by New Zealander Glenn Turner.

While Gloucestershire boasted the likes of Procter, Zaheer and Sadiq in their side, Worcestershire included some big, big names too.

“They were a hell of a side,” said Margetts. “Turner, Imran Khan, Ron Headley, Norman Gifford, Basil D’Oliveira and they even had Brian Brain playing for them then.

“Beating them on that day has to be right up there as one of the best games I’ve ever seen because it was so local and it was so close.

“To beat them and reach our first ever final was something special.”

And yet it could all have been so different.

“What a lot of people forget is that Procter was dropped first ball at slip,” said Margetts, “and he was also dropped by the wicketkeeper before he’d reached double figures.”

The rest as they say is history even though Worcestershire made a very measured start to their run chase – too measured as it turned out – through Turner and Headley who put on well over 100 for the first wicket.

“I’ve looked at an old scorecard and they were on 22 after 10 overs, 58 after 20, 90 after 30 and 123 after 40,” said Margetts. “It put pressure on the rest of the batsman.”

The last over was bowled by Procter’s new-ball partner Jack Davey and Margetts added: “They needed 12 runs to win and fell just short.”

Margetts and his mates had watched the game unfold in front of the old scoreboard on the River Severn side of the ground and he recalls: “It was an amazing atmosphere. In those days you were allowed to sit on the grass around the boundary and one of my great memories is having to peer over mountains of empty beer cans to watch the cricket.”

And the story has a very happy ending, of course, because Gloucestershire went to Lord’s two-and-a-half weeks later and beat Sussex by 40 runs.

Margetts was there that day as well and he said: “The highlight of that game had to be when Jim Foat ran out Tony Greig. He was an exceptional fielder, one of the first outstanding fielders.”

Cricket has played a huge part in Margetts’ life and it continues to do so. A one-time batsman with Nomads, he captained the club for more than 20 years, often sharing the duties with his pal Dave Febery.

The club, which were formed in 1947, eventually folded some 23 years ago but although he has not played since Margetts has remained very involved in the game.

“I’d already started doing a bit of umpiring in midweek games and once I stopped playing I umpired on Saturdays as well,” he said. “I got to the highest level I could which in those days was the Three Counties League.”

He also served for 14 years as chairman of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Cricket Association from 2000, taking over from Arthur Bailey, and these days, now that he’s retired, watches as much cricket as he can.

“I’m a member at Gloucestershire and I also go and watch England,” he said.

So is he a member of the Barmy Army?

“No,” he laughed, “they’re too noisy for me. I like a bit of peace and quiet when I watch cricket. I like quiet grounds where there is one man and a dog.”

There will be many more than one man and a dog packed into New Road tomorrow when Gloucestershire try to book their place at T20 finals day – it takes place on Saturday 15th September at Edgbaston – and give themselves a chance of winning the competition for the first time.

Margetts is not too confident however.

Worcestershire finished top of North group to book their place in the last eight and Margetts said: “Worcestershire look to have a perfect T20 side.

“We’re down to the bare bones. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love us to do it but I think it’s all down to Klinger and Tye.”