RCC will soon be embarking on their second summer of cricket and individuals will be quietly setting themselves personal targets for the forthcoming season. Many of us are in the infancy of our cricketing careers and there is much room for improvement. To get an idea of where we should be aiming we could all do a lot worse than considering the illustrious career of one of the all time cricket legends.

More famous, in his time, than Prime Minister Gladstone, or the heir to the throne, W G Grace, one of Gloucestershire's most famous sons, has been described as "The greatest cricketer that lived, or ever will live".

Today, William Gilbert Grace (or 'Gibby' to his family), is simply a legend. Everyone has heard of him. Everyone can picture him: a giant of a man in every respect - a prolific sportsman, with a reputation for gamesmanship cunning, and arrogance.

W G was nine when he played his first competitive match for West Gloucestershire. At 12, he made 51 runs in an innings;  at 14, he faced an All-England Eleven and at 15 he played for an All-England Eleven. At 16 he produced his earliest outstanding performance - notching up scores of 170 and 56 not out.

The first genuinely great cricketer of modern times, Grace went on to rewrite the record books. He scored 2,739 runs in 1871 alone; scored 100 first class centuries in 1895; and between 1864 and 1908, made 126 centuries, scored around 55,000 runs, took 2,876 wickets and held 877 catches. He is still the 5th highest scoring player of all time and the 6th highest wicket taker of all time and 887 catches is still the second highest number of catches taken by anyone in their career.

In 1876, in the space of eight days during the month of August, he managed to score 344 for the MCC against Kent; 177 for Gloucestershire at Clifton; and then 318 for Gloucestershire in a county game at Cheltenham's College Ground against Yorkshire. Bare statistics, however, only tell half the story.

For these were the days, not surprisingly, when official notices outside the cricket grounds of England read : "ADMISSION 3d. If Dr W G plays, 6d". Not afraid to shout "Miss it" to fielders as they attempted to catch him out, and noted for constantly talking when he himself was in the field, he also had a reputation for disputing umpires' decisions.

All this, however, masked the fact that he also possessed remarkable stamina and exceptional skill. Nicknamed 'The Old Man', 'The Doctor' and 'The Champion', anecdotes about him have become part of Britain's sporting folklore. Like the time he gave chase to a pickpocket, and captured him after running across fields and hurdling fences. And the time he saved the life of fellow cricketer, A C M Croome, who had lacerated his throat on spiked railings as he fielded.

As popular with his patients as he was amongst fans of the game, W G made money from both occupations - despite being classed as an amateur cricketer. He played his last game of first class cricket at the grand old age of 65 - when he scored 69 not out. He was given out by the Great Umpire in the sky just two years later, for the rather disappointing score of 67.

My target is 20 wickets and 150 runs for the season - that would have been short work for W.G.!!