Bracewell lays out his blueprint

John Bracewell is back with a mission to develop the south west's next generation of England cricketers

‘Love is lovelier the second time around,’ Frank Sinatra once sang wistfully.

Perhaps Gloucestershire fans of a soulful disposition should dust off the old LP.

They and John Bracewell enjoyed a beautiful romance between 1998 and 2003 - and now they find themselves walking up the aisle a second time.

Under Bracewell, the county of Grace and Hammond rewrote the rules of one-day cricket, playing for each other with such selfless, grassy-kneed enthusiasm that they won five trophies in 1999 and 2000 alone.

Yet nine years on, Gloucestershire find themselves at the bottom of the pile - LV County Championship wooden spoon, early Twenty20 Cup exit and a crushing quarter-final defeat to Yorkshire that ended their Friends Provident Trophy dreams last summer.

All of which explains why Bracewell’s return as Gloucestershire director of cricket is viewed with palpable relief in Bristol.

“It’s a challenge, no doubt,” Bracewell told ecb.co.uk. “But it’s the sort of challenge I wanted at this stage of my career. There are certainly plenty of other opportunities open for coaches.

“But my wife and I really enjoyed it in this part of the world - we enjoy the people here.

“And I enjoy the concept of development cricket. Tom Richardson (Gloucestershire chief executive) sold me the idea of developing the Academy. It fitted in with a lot of things in my philosophy and things I learnt the last time I was here.

“If you're going to have an Academy they have to have a career path. The shortening of our first-team squad and the lengthening of our Academy fits in very well with that concept.”

Most commentators agree that it was the troika of Bracewell, captain Mark Alleyne, and wicketkeeper Jack Russell, that turned Gloucestershire into a fearless, formidable unit.

Bracewell, who has coached New Zealand since leaving Nevil Road, concedes that coaches can only do so much, and players must ultimately be inspired by the on-field leader.

That task will fall to the new captain, Alex Gidman, a talented batsman, who was chosen by Rod Marsh to captain England A on the tour of Malaysia and India five years ago.

Alex Gidman (right) wins the State Shield with Otago in 2008, but he endured a miserable domestic season

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Gidman has often been accused of underachievement and was courted by several counties last summer, but eventually committed to Gloucestershire and was handed the captaincy. It is little secret that Bracewell’s return was a huge motivation.

“Alex and I have got on for a long time now,” Bracewell says. “I agreed with Rod Marsh, who said he had natural leadership ability.

“There are two types of leaders. There are natural leaders and there are those who lead through their actions.

“Courtney Walsh was one who led through example. Craig Spearman is another. He leads through sheer amount of runs and the way he goes about his business.

“You don't try and turn them into something they're not. You highlight the leadership skills that they have. And Alex is a real leader.”

Gidman endured a miserable 2008, with just an early-season knock of 105 against Hampshire providing any real solace. He will hope the greater responsibility inspires his batting.

Since Bracewell’s first spell, Gloucestershire has been a home-from-home for Kiwis. Two former New Zealand Test players - Spearman and Hamish Marshall - are expected to form the bedrock of the county’s batting, while James Franklin is close to re-signing as overseas player.

The exchange is not all one-way. Gidman spent last winter playing Shell Shield cricket for Otago - and Bracewell, who began his career in the state, confirms this was not necessarily the easy option.

“When I talked to Otago, I thought Alex was the sort of guy who would fit in with their environment,” said the former New Zealand off-spinner.

“You've got to play cricket in 10 degrees (Celsius) for a start. It’s almost freezing down there.

“The players are a small community that often flat together. It's a student town. Most of the students come from outside of town and are tolerant of outsiders.”