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Far too often, the NatWest Trophy final, traditionally played on the first Saturday in September, has offered much and delivered little. There have been too many poor (that is, one-sided) matches in recent years than is good for the reputation of the senior knock-out cup, notably last year when Lancashire beat Derbyshire, and the rain, over two thin days.

Tomorrow, when the game is played on Sunday for the first time, it ought to be different. For a start, the match has been brought forward by a week, which should diminish, however slightly, the advantage of winning the toss and bowling first on a dewy morning. ``Win the toss, win the game'' is not a faultless axiom but it is not far out.

It is also the first final to be played over 50 overs, instead of the usual 60, which is to be regretted. The additional 10 overs gave this competition a feature that set it apart. Now the original one-day competition is like everything else, part of the pattern in the lino.

Somerset and Gloucestershire, who make up the first West Country final, should make Lord's a lively place. Somerset have not been to Lord's since 1983, when they won this competition. Before three weeks ago, when they won the Benson and Hedges Super Cup, Gloucestershire were last there as winners of the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1977, having won the old Gillette Cup four years earlier. It is a big day for both clubs.

The Super Cup, in fairness, was not very super. It was a sop to those counties who finished in the top eight of last year's championship, and it was not highly regarded by players, spectators or the wider public. The fact that Gloucestershire beat Yorkshire by 124 runs gave them cause for celebration but it was a minor bauble, not a major prize.

To win the NatWest Trophy would be much more significant, and would go some way towards assuaging Gloucestershire's embarrassment of starting next season in the second division of the reconstituted championship.

Their chances of beating Somerset will increase substantially if Kim Barnett is fit enough to open the batting. Barnett, 39, missed the championship match at Leicester that ended yesterday with tonsilitis, and he was placed in quarantine.

In the semi-final against Yorkshire at Bristol, which Gloucestershire won by six runs, Barnett made a brilliant 98 on a slow pitch, providing the platform for the team's total. At the end of his first year with the club, after switching from Derbyshire, a fit Barnett is bound to be a central figure in the match.

If he plays it will be his second successive appearance in this final. Last year he opened the innings for Derbyshire when Lancashire bowled them out for 108. Barnett also played for

Derbyshire, as a 21-year-old colt, in 1981 when the Peakites beat Northamptonshire in the first final to be sponsored by NatWest. He's been around for a long time.

There is a former Derbyshire batsman in the other side, too. Peter Bowler has now been with Somerset since 1995 and, three years younger than Barnett at 36, he hasn't much further to travel on cricket's highway.

For two years Bowler led Somerset, as he wanted to lead Derbyshire, but he now plays under Jamie Cox, who has brought to the club the qualities they were looking for when the call went out to Tasmania to help them. Cox has been outstanding this summer. His century against Surrey in the semi-final of this competition was merely the most outward sign of his contribution and it is not least because of his leadership that Somerset begin tomorrow as favourites.

There are other players keen to leave their mark. Andrew Caddick, who has returned to the Test team with some success, will strive to make the day his own, and Rob Turner, the wicketkeeperbatsman, is typical of the county player who has waited years for the chance to stand on a big stage. Expect Somerset to win, though it might not be by much.

Team Details

Gloucestershire (from): KJ Barnett, THC Hancock, RC Russell, RJ Cunliffe, *MW Alleyne, IJ Harvey, JN Snape, MGN Windows, MCJ Ball, MJ Cawdron, AM Smith, J Lewis, BW Gannon.

Somerset (from): *J Cox, PD Bowler, PCL Holloway, M Burns, ME Trescothick, +RJ Turner, KA Parsons, JID Kerr, PS Jones, AR Caddick, PW Jarvis, GD Rose, MPL Bulbeck.

Umpires: DR Shepherd & NT Plews
3rd Umpire: MJ Kitchen.