Some top cricket names from yesteryear will be at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival next week.

The likes of Gloucestershire great Mike Procter and former England fast bowlers John Snow and John Price are among a whole host of former players set to  attend the Professional Cricketers’ Association day, a day that has become an annual event at the Cheltenham Festival.

It take place this year on Thursday 21^st July, the third day of the County Championship Division One game between Gloucestershire and Hampshire.

Other former Gloucestershire players set to enjoy the special atmosphere that is synonymous with the Cheltenham Festival include Phil Bainbridge, Roger Knight, Andy Stovold and Andy Brassington.

Former wicketkeeper Brassington is one of the driving forces behind the day at Cheltenham, a day when the PCA raises money for their Benevolent Fund which provides support for cricketers or ex-cricketers who have fallen on hard times.

Two West Indian pace bowlers are also set to be in Cheltenham for the PCA day – Vanburn Holder and Winston Davies – while there is a lengthy list of former England players set to attend including Norman Cowans, Norman Gifford, John Jameson, Pat Pocock, Clive Radley, Gladstone Small and Bob Taylor.

The Cheltenham Festival, which this year is in its 150th year, gets under way on Tuesday 19^th July with the game against Hampshire and is followed by a second championship game against Northamptonshire which starts on Monday 25^th July.

A National County Match between Gloucestershire and Wiltshire takes place on Sunday 31^st July, two days before the festival closes with a Royal London Cup match which sees Gloucestershire play Warwickshire.

Western Storm, meanwhile, will play South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy on Saturday 23^rd July, while on Friday 29^th July, Gloucestershire Gipsieswill play in a 100-ball competition with Free Foresters and Old Cheltonians as part of their centenary celebrations.

It should be a special couple of weeks. No wonder Gloucestershire proudly state: “No other cricket festival in the world lasts for 12 days or more and no other cricket festival in the world has been played on the same ground for 150 years.”

Meanwhile, John Evans, of Frocester, and Keith Daniels, of Stroud, have both been selected to play for England Over-70s against Wales at Stourport-on-Severn on Sunday.

Evans, fresh from a career-best unbeaten 153 for Gloucestershire Over-70s against Worcestershire, will bat at four the day after his 71st birthday, and Daniels, who was capped by England Over-60s and has already scored more than 700 runs this summer, will open the innings.