Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen
first-class county clubs within the domestic
cricket structure of
England and
Wales. It represents the
historic county of
Gloucestershire. There is uncertainty about the exact date of the club's foundation, due to a merger with another club, but 1870 is generally accepted. The club played its first major match in June of that year. It was founded by the Grace family and
W. G. was its first team
captain. With that association, Gloucestershire has had major status since inception: i.e., classified as an
unofficial first-class team by substantial sources from 1870 to 1894; classified as an
official first-class team from 1895 by
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the
County Championship clubs; classified as a
List A team since the beginning of
limited overs cricket in 1963; and classified as a major
Twenty20 team since 2003.