When Nottinghamshire signed experienced all-rounder Will Gidman from Gloucestershire ahead of the 2015 season, it seemed like the ideal move for the player and his new county. On the back of several good seasons with Gloucestershire, Gidman was keen to move to test himself in Division 1 cricket. For Notts, he seemed like the man to fill the all-rounder’s berth, so successfully occupied in recent seasons by players of the calibre of Mark Ealham and Paul Franks.
However, his move to the East Midlands was not a success and he left Notts after starting in just eight matches and with a year of his three-year contract remaining.
William Robert Simon Gidman was born in High Wycombe on 14 February 1985. He was educated at Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire and at the Berkshire College of Agriculture in Maidenhead. He had an early experience of List-A cricket in 2002 when as a teenager he represented Gloucestershire Cricket Board in a first round tie in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. He played several matches for MCC Young Cricketers before signing for Durham in 2007. He made his First-Class debut against Sri Lanka A but was unable to force his way into a strong championship winning side and made no more First-Class appearances for Durham, although he did play in a number of List-A fixtures.
In 2011, he moved to Gloucestershire, where his brother Alex was county captain. In his first season there Gidman made a big impact. He completed a County Championship double of 1,000 runs and 50 wickets, becoming the first cricketer to achieve this landmark in 15 years. He remained with Gloucestershire for four seasons and was awarded his County Cap in 2011. His 55 First-Class starts saw him amass 2,744 runs at an average of over 40 and claim 190 wickets. He also made significant contributions in List-A and T20 cricket. In 2014, his County Captain Michael Klinger suggested that he should be considered for England honours.
When Gidman turned down a new contract with Gloucestershire, he was courted by a number of counties but ultimately joined Nottinghamshire for the 2015 season. His outstanding figures with Gloucestershire indicated that he should be able to make a successful transition to Division 1 cricket.
Gidman played in eight games for Nottinghamshire. He debuted in a University match against Loughborough MCCU and then played in six Division 1 County Championship fixtures and one T20 match in 2015. In First-Class cricket he contributed only 213 runs and was particularly disappointing with the ball, claiming just four victims.
In 2016, Gidman was hampered by an ankle injury and played no cricket at all for Nottinghamshire. Midway through the season, he joined Kent, initially on a month’s loan. This soon became a season-long loan and a permanent signing for the 2017 season, bringing his unsuccessful period with Nottinghamshire to a close. Gidman made some strong contributions for Kent in 2016 but his form fell away in the following year. He made his final appearances for Kent in 2018 before moving into coaching.
April 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 631