WHAT a day at Cheltenham! Over five hundred runs, 17 wickets and a thumping win for Gloucestershire.
Northants were in charge, with Gloucestershire 108-4 when Jack Taylor came to the wicket.
The remainder of the game looked like being a backs-to-the-wall struggle.
So it was, but it was Northants who struggled.
Straight away, Jack attacked, scoring runs all around the wicket. It was not slogging, far from it.
Jack has a wide range of strokes and used them all. Towards the end of his innings there were eight fielders on the boundary.
He was able to find gaps that no one thought existed. Splendidly supported by Benny Howell (36) and Craig Miles (41), Jack surged to his career best, and, of course, a healthy lead was established for Gloucestershire.
Northants were punch drunk, but with century makers in their side from opening bat down to number nine, surely they had the firepower to hit back.
The Gloucestershire pace attack had other ideas. Bowling as a unit, Miles, James Fuller and Liam Norwell put the pressure on and kept it there.
Scoring the runs to win was a mere formality.
Overseas stars of the past like Michael Proctor, Zaheer Abbas and Courtney Walsh have entertained us at Cheltenham, but this time it was our own homegrown stars playing for their local clubs and graduating through our academy that came to the fore when needed.
Norwell had been the main threat in the first innings, Miles in the second. How good it is to see these Gloucestershire men shining in Cheltenham.
Holding the match ball aloft, Miles led the players from the field.
With every step, he displayed pride as well as his natural shyness, and if you know Miles, you will know exactly what I mean.
l Miles was the most successful bowler in the T20 Blast defeat to Kent. Our cricket was splendid as we sought to defend a score of 166.
In my view, we should have scored at least 25 runs more, but we had no-one in the middle order.
Hard-hitting man of the match Alex Black took Kent to victory with just two balls to spare.
And as the festival moves on, there must be special praise given to the college groundsman for producing two fine wickets.
Both sides in the four-day game agreed that, if you put the ball in the right place, bowlers could be rewarded. If you erred towards inaccuracy, you would be punished.
That is what the Gloucestershire bowling unit did and quite simply Northants could not cope.  
Unfortunately, the scoreboard could not cope either.
Looking at it was as worthwhile as staring in the murky waters of Purton Pond.
Quite simply, it is not fit for purpose, but I am afraid we will be stuck with it for the rest of the festival.
So far, 47 people have spoken to me, 43 of them to complain about the scoreboard.
I have passed the dissatisfaction of so many members on to the appropriate club officials, but am not optimistic about change.
I estimate the two days lost to cricket because of the early finish against Northants cost at least £10,000 in gate money, so there is a definite downside in losing in two days.
l I had the opportunity to watch the Cardiff Test match on TV, and England were a revelation.
There whole playing mindset has changed, and look at the result that ensues!
I have in the past made sour comments about Stuart Broad. I am happy to withdraw them totally.
He made initial inroads into the Australian batting in the second innings and deserved to be on the winning side.
Good and entertaining as England are, I shall not desert Gloucestershire and head for Lords.
Yes of course, I want my country to do well, but county loyalties are stronger.
This may be a minority view but I hold it dear.
l The big story at Cheltenham was the announcement that Geraint Jones had resigned the four day captaincy and would retire at the end of the season.
Speaking to me before the news broke, he gave a clear summing up of the big picture.
Ian Cockbain is a captain of the future and can now gain valuable experience.
Geraint is available for selection in all forms of the game. His decision has been selfless, brave and correct.