Bristol’s Brightest.

The mowers droned on, meandering across the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol, spraying freshly cut grass—a scene of exaggerated Englishness. James Bracey leaned back as the ground staff made their final preparations behind him.

“Winning the blast? Unbeatable. But getting Gloucestershire back into Division One in 2019? That was different. First proper taste of success,” he said, a grin creeping in. 

From W.G. Grace to the latest star-cast instalment, Cameron Green, cricket has shaped Bristol’s sporting identity.

Grit, graffiti, and a reputation for punching above their weight—perfectly mirrored by Bristol’s own rough-edged, alternative style. So, how do you bring success amongst the titans of English County Cricket like Surrey and Yorkshire? Fastidious preparations and bold ambition. As the top run scorer for Glos last year, Brace is going to be key again this season.

"Everyone puts in the hard work together. That’s where we take pride. No shortcuts, no passengers—just a team in it for the long haul. On or off the pitch, if someone needs a hand or a word, there’s always someone there. That’s all you can ask for."

Bracey knows it as well as anyone. We talked about Lord’s hundreds, brutal Aussie club cricket, and the science of a good celebration. There was even a nod to W. G. Grace, who, if Bracey’s to be believed, would have been the type to read the pitch, declare it a road, and bat at three—until it wasn’t, at which point he’d be down at seven, looking busy tying his pads.

Favourite moments in a Gloucestershire shirt…

The [T20] Blast. Getting promoted to Division One probably is up there as well in 2019, I think that was the first proper taste of success.

Favourite personal moment…

One of my first hundreds was at Lord's, saving a draw against a pretty strong Middlesex team. That was my first full season, it probably put me on the map. I just remember playing a strong attack and playing well. I was digging in there, we’re talking at least 300 balls.

Playing style…

I started with a solid technical base. I've started playing a bit more white ball cricket, a couple of shuffles up and down the order. Now I’ve learned more about my game. I'd like to think when push comes to shove, I can do what’s required. 

On Gloucester’s spirit…

Everyone's willing to do a lot of hard work together. I think that's where we pride ourselves. I think if anyone ever needs anything on or off the pitch, needs a hand or an arm around the shoulder, someone's always there, which is all you can ask for. 

Different Places to Play…

Australia? Yeah, it's different. I think I've only been over and played Grade Cricket. I think we base ourselves, here at Glos, everything comes from a place of love. And I think that's good. It's not the complete opposite over there, but it is brutal and a bit more ‘not afraid to upset anyone’. Here, I think we've learned how to do that more compassionately. It can sometimes be brutal over there, but again, that breeds good characteristics as well. You sort of learn more about yourself and put yourself under a bit of pressure where you know you're bound to get better, which is great.

On W.G. Grace…

WG? Well, he’s going to be good on the front foot. All-out attack. He'd be captain, look at the wicket first. It's a good wicket. He'd bat three. It's a bad wicket. Hide at seven. Some of the stories, putting the bails back on. Whatever format, don't think it matters. I think he's out there.

The 2024 T20 Blast win… 

It was amazing. We always had the belief we could win. I think the way we did it, though, was probably not something we'd thought about; to win comfortably on the day. The way the county schedule works is we were back out here on a Tuesday playing a four-day game. So celebrations were cut short for a couple of weeks, but we made the most of it once the season ended.

Underdogs for the Final…

Wickets are tired in September, so that probably suited us, and we probably knew that more than the people on the outside did. I don't think we saw ourselves as underdogs, and not as big an underdog as maybe others. So yeah, that worked out well for us. And I think playing the second game, it allows you to just soak into some of the atmosphere and watch the game before and just go into a little bit more relaxed.

Being a Thatchers man…

I am a Thatchers man. I've grown up in Bristol playing cricket. That's what you get fed when you're young. Unlike a few of the lads, I've sort of stuck with it. It’s perfect this time of year, in the summer, I'm all over it. In the winter, I'll turn to Guinness or something. Not everyone's a fan of it. But I think being from Bristol, I've always enjoyed it. The clubs always got some about. 

The Aussies influence…

I think Bangers [Cam Bancroft] is great, because obviously we all know him well enough and by now we know he's going to be a really good leader for us. His skills are extremely good as well. Then Cam Green is just a different caliber than anything we’ve had here. He's an international rock star. We're going to learn a lot from having him around. I think with Ollie [Price] Bangers and Cam, we can cover five spots with three blokes because they're all so big. It’ll be good for our slip cord, as well as our batting.

Editorial Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Stay tuned for our next exclusive issue with English Test cricket icon, and Somerset’s very own, Jack Leach!

Issue: James Bracey Exclusive
Publisher: J. LaLonde
Editor-At-Large: Angus Wilson
Editor: Ollie Goodwin