Simon Hinks is one of those people who it’s worth listening to when it comes to talking about cricket.

The 58-year-old has been involved in the great game in some capacity pretty much all his adult life, initially as a dashing left-hander for Kent and then Gloucestershire and over the last couple of decades as a highly respected coach.

One of his coaching roles these days sees him working with the flagship team at Gloucester Cricket Club – formerly Gloucester City Winget – and it’s one he thoroughly enjoys.

That’s despite their final-day collapse against Cirencester last season which cost them promotion back into Premier Two Gloucestershire/Wiltshire.

And some collapse it was too because chasing 143 to win against Cirencester, they were shot out for just 50.

And while Hinks admits to some disappointment about the way things turned out that day at the Spa Ground, he has been around the game long enough to know that occasionally these things happen.

“Overall, we had a good season,” said Hinks, who is looking forward to his second campaign as head coach at the club. “We always said our aim was to finish in the top three and that’s what we did.

“We finished third and we were pretty pleased with that.”

Now the club are looking to kick on.

“Yes, we’re looking to step up,” said Hinks, “we want to win promotion. We’ve got a core of players who are very committed, they train hard and they want to play.”

Chief among them is skipper Tom Collinson, who is set to start his second full season as the main man.

“He says it as it is,” said Hinks. “He leads from the front. As a leader you have to learn how to motivate people and he gets the most out of the players.

“A lot of the guys have been together for quite a while, there’s a core of about 20 and they play at a decent standard.”

Hinks reckons he spends about 10 hours a week with them – they have a two-hour training session every Thursday night and he’s with them every Saturday on matchday.

And it’s some commitment on a Saturday – matches are 50 overs a side – because the players report for duty an hour and a half before the first ball is bowled.

That all sounds very professional, but with Simon Hinks in charge you wouldn’t expect anything else.