Peter Matthews on why the festival is vital to connecting the cricket club with the north of the county and in his role as a BBC football commentator reflects on a marvellous comeback season for Cheltenham Town FC.
Watch a preview of the chat with Peter Matthews below:
Watch or listen to the full chat with Peter Matthews below:
Fuelled by passion
Peter Matthews is one of those rare people who leaves you a bit baffled by his incredible productivity. How does he do it all?
Somehow Matthews combines being Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Chairman, commentating on Cheltenham Town Football Club and a a hugely successful career in London. Not to mention his family life.
But when it comes to his exploits in sport, you get the sense he’s fuelled by pure passion.
Promoting the Cheltenham Cricket Festival certainly comes easily to a man who’s been attending the event for more than 50 years.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have the Cheltenham Cricket Festival,” Matthews told Sport and Life.
“It’s the longest running festival, it started in eighteen seventy-two.
“Cheltenham’s really important to the club. It’s really important to me. I’ve not missed a Cheltenham Cricket Festival since nineteen seventy-two.”
Cheltenham is important
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is based in Bristol and Matthews maintains that makes playing in Cheltenham big in terms of connecting with the rest of the county.
“Gloucestershire is a really big county, which I don’t think I’d appreciated until I took over as chair.
“And those in the north of the county are really important to us and what you’ve also got is that Bristol isn’t actually in Gloucestershire anymore.
“Cheltenham is the only cricket we play in the north of the county and it’s incredibly important to us.”
Matthews is expecting a particularly busy festival this year. Because it’s taking place in August it coincides with the start of the football season.
Busy times ahead
Matthews other big sporting role is commentating on Cheltenham Town Football Club for BBC Radio Gloucestershire and he’s expecting some long days.
“I’ve got a couple of Saturdays where I shall start at the cricket, go to the football and come back to the cricket.
“So I’ll be juggling for the next month or so while the seasons overlap.”
Matthews has been watching Cheltenham Town since the 1970s and commentating on them for decades.
But he says last season and the return of legendary manager Steve Cotterill was a bit special.
“It was terrific. I think in all honesty when Steve Cotterill left Cheltenham Town in two thousand and two we didn’t think he’d be back.
“He’s extraordinary. There were a number of games last season where he absolutely out-coached the opposition manager.
“Without Steve Cotterill coming back, Cheltenham would have been in deep trouble.”
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