WORCESTERSHIRE County Cricket Club supporters are off to London tomorrow to watch the big match against Gloucestershire in the final of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy.

The last time they ventured to Lord's for a one-day final was in 1994 - and the County players rewarded them with a victory over Warwickshire in the same competition.

Tomorrow, all local cricket followers will be hoping for a similar outcome.

Nine years has been a long time and the chance of lifting the prestigious trophy again is there for the taking.

The opportunity of doing battle in a Lord's final, however, does not come without hard work - both on and off the field.

In Tom Moody the club have a director of cricket who is one of the best coaches in the business and his talent for fashioning a winning squad is reaping rich rewards this season.

Backing him to the hilt is chief executive Mark Newton, who admits that his views on cricket generally are "fairly radical". He rightly believes that the game has to progress quickly if it's to remain the country's leading summer sport.

And there's no doubt that Mr Newton's ideas since arriving at New Road have helped make Worcestershire a more executively-driven organisation.

Tomorrow, the players can repay Messrs Newton and Moody - plus chairman John Elliott and his committee - by playing the game of their lives.

Gloucestershire may well be one-day experts but Worcestershire have what it takes to give skipper Ben Smith the opportunity to bring the trophy back to where it belongs - New Road.