CAPTAIN Alex Gidman admits that even he is surprised by the progress Gloucestershire have made in such a short space of time.

The all-rounder has made a dream start since taking over from Jon Lewis this season as his side currently sit on top of County Championship Division Two following 19 months without a win in that league and face Nottinghamshire in the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised at how well we have done, especially in the County Championship," said Gidman.

"To be top is a great achievement but I am not surprised that we have improved and played good cricket.

"We’ve always been a good one-day side and it would have been unrealistic for us not to expect qualification."

The return of John Bracewell as Director of Cricket seems to have had an immediate impact, but Gidman said there is no special secret to their early success under the former New Zealand head coach.

"We have kept things simple," said Gidman. "There’s no magic formula - we knew we were good cricketers.

"We try to compete over every part of the game - we’ve been very competitive and had the desire to win games.

"The boys are enjoying their cricket. Results have improved and we thoroughly deserve to be where we are."

Bracewell added: "I’m pleased with the way it has gone. We’ve played some good cricket, we’ve been captained very well, the batters have shown responsibility and the bowlers have been in very good form."

"We are trying to work to a team plan and not over bowl people."

Gloucestershire were guaranteed a home draw in the quarter-final of the Friends Provident Trophy when the point gained in the abandoned match against Sussex ensured they finished top of group C.

Craig Spearman (67) and Steven Adshead (66) led the county to 306-9 off their 50 overs at Hove before the heavens opened.

Bracewell said: "It’s nice to be at home but we’ve been concentrating on trying to win matches. We had a good run of five in a row and we got a bit of momentum back against Sussex."

The quarter-finals are due to be played on Saturday but Gloucestershire have appealed for the game to be rearranged due to the one-day international between England and West Indies taking place at Bristol on Sunday and are currently awaiting a response from the ECB. The tie is likely to go ahead at a later date with over five weeks until the semi-finals.

Gloucestershire’s attention will now turn to the Twenty20 Cup where they visit Worcestershire for the first of six successive group games on Bank Holiday Monday.

Two days later they play Glamorgan in a floodlit match at the Swalec Stadium, the venue for the first Ashes test between England and Australia later this summer.

"The Twenty20 is a new form of cricket that most cricketers enjoy," said Gidman. "It’s another tournament that we want to compete in and do as well as we can in."

* Gloucestershire have signed 26-year-old fast bowler Gemaal Hussain on a two-year contract.

He was spotted by Jack Russell and Stuart Barnes during the winter and was on trial with Gloucestershire earlier this season.

He played club cricket in the Bradford League for four years and in recent years he has been involved with London County Cricket Club, run by Neil Burns. He has since played in the Birmingham League.

Hussain said: "I am very grateful that Gloucestershire have given me this opportunity.

"It is something that I have been working towards very hard for the last four or five years. I am very keen to embrace the challenge and perform to the best of my ability."

Russell said: "We are delighted to have discovered Gemaal. We are looking forward to seeing him develop into a top class bowler with us."

* Former Gloucestershire players Marcus North and Michael Hussey have been included in the 16-man Australia squad for the Ashes series in England this summer.

However, there is no place for Andrew Symonds.

Can Gloucestershire continue their great start to the season? Have your say below.