HOW interesting that clubs have started to chase Forest Green Rovers’ star players already.

Within weeks of them winning promotion, the bids have began to land on the desk of manager Mark Cooper at The New Lawn.

Notts County have tried their luck to lure former player Liam Noble back to the club where he played until last year when he signed a two year deal at Forest Green.

It is a bit ridiculous to think that a club which has just secured promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history would be willing to let a top player like Noble go for what would probably be a pittance of a transfer fee and to a side which finished in the bottom half of League Two last season.

Indeed, Cooper’s phone has probably not stopped ringing with agents offering the services of their clients since the promotion from the National League.

Forest Green’s intent to make a great fist of their chance in the pro ranks was clear last week when they signed former England Under 20 international Reece Brown on a one-year contract.

He is the third man to join them this season, following the capture of Lee Collins and Callum Evans in the week following their Wembley National League play-off final triumph.

Quite rightly, Cooper rejected Notts County’s bid for Noble out of hand. Of course, clubs have to try their luck in the transfer market but this bid was just laughable.

Onto cricket and Sunday is going to be quite something at The Brightside Ground off the pitch rather than on it.

It is forty years this month since Gloucestershire won the Benson and Hedges Cup – the premier one-day tournament of its’ day.

This was a time when ‘Glorious Gloucestershire’ was very apt – and one man typified the winning mentality more than most.

Over the years, stars like Michael Klinger, Courtney Walsh and Zaheer Abbas have travelled from across the world to wear the Gloucestershire colours.

But, the overseas star who stands highest, in the eyes of long-serving Gloucestershire fans, as the greatest must be Mike Procter.

South African Procter was, in the late 1970s, among the top five of the world’s best all-rounders.

He scored nearly 22,000 first class runs at an amazing average of 36.01 and took 1,417 first class wickets at an average of just over 19 each.

Indeed, his Test average, from his 41 South African wickets, was 15.02.

Yet take a look on YouTube to see why he is held in such esteem. You will find his greatest ever over. It was in the Benson and Hedges semi-final against Hampshire where he took four wickets in five balls – including a hat-trick – to end with figures of six wickets for 13 runs.

Procter’s bowling style was weird and wacky yet he was as quick as lightening and frightened the life out of batsmen.

On Sunday, Procter will be back at the County Ground – spare the indulgence in the old name – to recall that amazing 1977 campaign at the former players’ reunion.

Finally, there are some top rivalries in sport but a big one last weekend was that between Rockhampton and Thornbury in the West of England Premier League Prem Two Glos/Wilts league.

Barely five miles separates the two clubhouses, and they were neck and neck in the top half of the table before last weekend's clash.

However, the Rams of Rockhampton came out on top at their home ground by seven wickets this time. Thornbury will certainly be after revenge when they meet again at The Ship Field later in the season.

There is certainly nothing like a good, old-fashioned neighbourly friendly sporting ‘quarrel’ at the crease to give a match some spice.