SOURAV Ganguly loves Lord's. And after missing out on one chance to play there this season, in the Benson and Hedges Cup, he is determined to lead Lancashire to a revenge victory over Gloucestershire in the NatWest Trophy sem final tomorrow.

Ganguly was helpless to prevent Lancashire's defeat by Gloucester in the B and H semi final in May, when he was in Bangladesh playing for India in the Asia Cup. "I missed the quarter final and the semi final," he reflected this week.

"India were playing Sri Lanka during the semi final and I kept telephoning the boys in Bristol to find out what was happening. It got washed off the first day but then we lost on the day after.

"So we have't won anything this season and the NatWest is one big tournament which the club is looking up to. Also for me I want to win the semi final because I want to go to Lord's and win in a final.

"I have always liked playing at Lord's because that is where I played my first test match. I scored runs in that match so I have always wanted to go back there."

Ganguly concedes that he has been frustrated for much of the English season he was looking forward to so much. That is mainly down to the weather. "It has been so disappointing this season, I've just played nine Championship innings in four months," he added.

"In 16 games you should get 32 innings but it's already August and I've played nine or 10. The other games we have either won outright or it's been rained off. I was really looking forward to the Championship because first class cricket is what cricket is all about.

"But now I realise that it is nearly the end of August and I've only got 450 runs. Even though that's the highest in the club, I was hoping to have scored more." But Ganguly has saved his best form for the NatWest Trophy. In the third round against Lincolnshire in Cleethorpes he tore the Minor Counties attack to shreds with an unbeaten 120 from 98 balls, including a string of cleanly struck leg-side sixes.

Against Essex, again opening with Mike Atherton, he added another 96 from 119 balls with four sixes and six fours. And in the quarter final against Surrey at the Oval, Ganguly scored a third half century.

It was inevitably overshadowed by Andy Flintoff's brilliant match-winning knock, but the Indian says: "I thought I played an important role because with Fred playing the way he does he needed someone to stay there at the other end."

Opening the batting in one day cricket seems to have brought the best out of Ganguly, as he has added three half centuries in the National League. "I have always preferred to open in limited overs matches," he explained.

"I have scored all my 14 one day international 100s as an opener." And Ganguly is rated the second best one day batsman in the world, having slipped behind Australia's Michael Bevan earlier this year.

Gloucestershire will be without Ian Harvey tomorrow, as he is in Australia with Bevan for a one day series against South Africa. But Harvey, who has been such a key figure in Gloucestershire's unique treble of the last three limited overs competitions, also missed their B and H semi final victory over Lancashire with a hamstring injury.

So Lancashire are hoping that the return of Ganguly -- as well as Ian Austin and maybe even Peter Martin -- makes all the difference.