Gloucestershire skipper Alex Gidman makes no apologies for fielding a below-strength team in tonight's floodlit Pro40 showdown with Yorkshire at Headingley.

A meagre return of one win from six games means the county now have no chance of winning the First Division title in the competition's last season.

But promotion from Division Two of the LV County Championship remains an attainable goal and Gidman and director of cricket John Bracewell have accorded four-day cricket priority status.

For that reason, frontline seam bowler Steve Kirby and opening batsman Kadeer Ali are being spared the trip to Leeds and held back in readiness for next week's crucial Championship fixture against neighbours Glamorgan at the Swalec Stadium.

"It makes sense to concentrate our resources on a competition we still have a chance of achieving something in," said Gidman.

"We're still in with a shout of winning promotion in the Championship with two games to go, but we're way off the pace in the Pro40.

"It's been a long, hard season for our bowlers and some of those guys could do with a rest before we play Glamorgan. We need them to be fresh for what is a very important game for us.

"Steve Kirby is pretty tired after running in hard against Surrey last week, while we want Kadeer to focus on the red ball game and making a big score against Glamorgan."

Gloucestershire CCC's hopes of Pro-40 glory were finally dashed when Somerset won at Bristol last month, prompting a change of tack in selection.

Gidman confirmed: "With little to play for other than pride, we might as well give some of the younger players a chance to experience first team cricket in the one-day format.

"We would have loved to have won the competition in its final season, but it's not to be. We'll take the opportunity to look at other players for the final couple of games against Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire."

England Under-19 seam bowler David Payne, who made his Gloucestershire CCC debut against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl in the Pro40, and fellow Academy graduate Jack Taylor are named in a 12-man squad.

Gloucestershire (from): Marshall, Porterfield, Gidman, Franklin, Taylor, Brown, Adshead, Dawson, Lewis, Saxelby, Payne, Taylor.