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A Year in the Life of Somerset County Cricket Club
Through the Eyes of its Chairman
By Andy Nash The History Press
Copyright © 2013 Andy Nash
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-9718-1
CHAPTER 1
JANUARY
SUNDAY, 1 JANUARY. LONDON
A new year dawns and eventually my thoughts are drawn to bridesmaid's apparel! Somerset CCC in 2011 once again over-achieved on the pitch by finishing in the upper echelons of the County Championship and also reaching both domestic one-day finals for the second year in succession; but for the second year in succession we also managed to lose both finals, hence the wedding aphorism. Our season still finished on a high as, against all the odds, we made it through to the semi-finals of the Champions League T20 in Chennai, India, where we were narrowly beaten by the competition's ultimate winners the Mumbai Indians. No disgrace there; but losing five (we made the T20 final in 2009 as well) domestic one-day finals on the trot really, really hurts. So, let's dare to think, maybe THIS is the year! In common with all Somerset members and supporters, and many other supporters because our very public agonies have made us many cricket fans' second favourite club; I pray that it is.
TUESDAY, 3 JANUARY. ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
Alfonso Thomas is a very gifted cricketer and a great character. With his family he's a charismatic and popular presence in our club. He has become an international tour de force in the T20 format and this year is going to play in three continents in the next three months!
ALFONSO HELPS STRIKERS TO VICTORY – Somerset County Cricket Club Site
The Somerset bowler helped his side climb to second place in the Australian Big Bash. Alfonso Thomas helped Adelaide Strikers get back to winning ways when they beat Brisbane Heat by 31 runs with two overs to spare in the Big Bash T20 competition out in Australia earlier today (Tuesday).
Opting to bat first at the Gabba in Brisbane, the Strikers posted 166 for four from their 20 overs, with Thomas not required to bat.
The Somerset vice captain bowled the first over when the Heat replied, which went for 15, including two 6's by Matthew Hayden. His next over, which was the third of the innings went for just 7 runs and included the wicket of the host's captain Peter Forrest.
Thomas returned to bowl the 18th over, the last of the match, during which there was a run out and from which he conceded only 4 runs as the Heat were dismissed for 135.
The Somerset bowler ended with the impressive figures of three overs, one wicket for 26 runs.
The Adelaide Strikers have now won two of their four matches and are currently second in the eight team table, behind Hobart Hurricanes who have played the same number of games and won them all.
Thomas and the Adelaide Strikers are next in action when they travel to take on Perth Scorchers on Sunday January 8th.
MONDAY, 9 JANUARY. THE COUNTY GROUND
Nowadays players are on annual salaries. Gone are the days of them window cleaning or driving lorries over the winter! A lovely vignette of how poorly rewarded professional cricketers were was of an ex-player being told his pension accumulated while playing for Somerset was £240. He said, 'That's not going to go terribly far in a month, is it?' He was duly corrected: 'I'm afraid this is the value of your entire pension pot!'
SOMERSET STEP UP THEIR TRAINING PROGRAMME AHEAD OF NEW SEASON – SCCC Site
With a little over twelve weeks until the 2012 season gets underway, the Somerset players begin their first full week of training tomorrow (Monday) after returning from the Christmas break.
Reflecting on the first few days back Andy Hurry the Somerset Head Coach said: 'We had a brief squad meeting with the guys first thing on Wednesday and there is certainly a bit of pre-season atmosphere about the place returning from the break, which is really good.'
Looking ahead to the coming weeks Andy said: 'The boys have now stepped up their skills programme which is integrated into their excellent physical training programme they are undertaking in the gym.'
'However now they are doing a lot of one-to-one sessions, as well as two structured squad skills sessions; one is on cricket intelligence and developing their awareness of how to play smarter cricket, and the other is on squad fielding, looking to reinforce our strength in that area.'
Regarding those players who are currently away playing cricket, people like Max Waller, Nick Compton, Jos Buttler, Pete Trego and Alfonso Thomas, the Head Coach said: 'It's great for the lads who are overseas playing cricket because it can be a long winter working indoors. For the guys who have got the opportunity to go overseas it is very exciting and a great experience as well.'
Andy added: 'At the end of this month we are hopefully sending James Hildreth and Arul Suppiah over to India to attend the Spin Clinic in Pune and we are just finalising arrangements for that.'
With the new campaign creeping ever closer there is no time like the present to join Somerset CCC, and membership can cost from as little at £129, providing you sign up before the end of January.
To become a member of Somerset CCC for the coming season click the membership box on this page and join on-line at any time, telephone 0845 337 1875 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday or call into the Main Office in the Andy Caddick Pavilion at the County Ground.
DUBAI, ENGLAND V ICC XI
George Dockrell burst onto the scene at the age of 17 with some sparkling displays at the T20 World Cup in 2010 as the tournament's youngest player. Somerset supported Cricket Ireland by playing there during the Troubles under Brian Rose's captaincy. We've enjoyed a strong relationship ever since and these contacts brought young George into our orbit. I travelled back from Chennai with George following the CL T20 last October and got to know him better. He's a very bright and shrewd young man, who is enjoying the development of his cricket career as well as pursuing his studies at Trinity College in Dublin. He's now a fixture in the Irish ODI side and I'm sure in time will develop into a formidable spinner of the red ball too.
THURSDAY, 12 JANUARY. THE COUNTY GROUND
We've enjoyed a terrific relationship with Kieron Pollard since 2009, but unfortunately he's unavailable for the 2012 T20. We are determined to win the T20 and qualify again for the CL T20, so the highest calibre alternative was sought. Brian Rose has produced some substitute here. The reaction was phenomenal and our site crashed for the first time following his announcement!
SOMERSET SIGN CHRIS GAYLE FOR TWENTY20 – SCCC Site
Somerset County Cricket Club are delighted to announce that they have signed West Indian all-rounder Chris Gayle as their second overseas player for the 2012 Twenty20 Cup competition.
Brian Rose, the Director of Cricket said: 'We are delighted to have been able to sign Chris for this season; he is a tremendously exciting player and one of the people who would get into any World T20 XI.'
'Chris is a tremendous all-rounder; his batting is outstanding, he bowls and can open the attack with his off spinners and he is also a brilliant fielder, so we are absolutely delighted.'
Kieron Pollard, who has been such a great player for Somerset in previous seasons, is unable to return in 2012 due to the West Indies tour to England.
Chris Gayle said: 'I am delighted to be heading to Somerset this summer, they are a great club and hopefully I can make a key contribution to their T20 campaign this year.'
Gayle, who is a left-handed batsman and right-arm spinner, has an impressive record in all formats of the game. He plays his domestic cricket for Jamaica and captained the West Indies between 2007 and 2010.
In Twenty20 cricket Gayle has played in 20 matches for his country in which he has scored over 600 runs at an average of 32.47, including 34 sixes and a top score of 117 against South Africa in 2007. This was the first-ever T20 century and is still the highest individual innings at international level in this format of the game. In these games he also captured 12 wickets at a cost of 21.16 and has an economy rate of 7.29.
Gayle's talents have been in great demand in Twenty20 and he has appeared for Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, for Western Australia Warriors and Sydney Thunder in the Australian Big Bash, as well as Matabeleland Tuskers in the Stanic Bank 20 Series in Zimbabwe.
In all Twenty20 cricket Gayle has played in 85 matches, hitting almost 3,000 runs, including 195 sixes and has an average of 39.58, as well as taking 47 wickets at 31.19 with an economy rate of 7.47.
WEDNESDAY, 18 JANUARY. ADMIRALTY HOUSE, LONDON
Marcus Trescothick (known as Banger because of his lifelong love of sausages) is a living legend at Somerset. The Keynsham-born batsman was among guests at an event hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg yesterday to mark the achievements of the Time to Change programme, run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental illness.
There are so many stories which attest to his outstanding qualities both as a cricketer and also as a person. His battles with mental health have been well documented and all I would add is to underline the admiration and respect we all feel for the way he has selflessly managed his problems – always finding time for others he can help. A Kent member wrote to me at full wattage in 2009 following our matches at Canterbury and Colchester. Apparently he had asked Marcus, having seen him in the park, to say hello to some lads playing cricket. The point of his letter was not just that Marcus spoke to them, but that he joined in the game for a couple of hours, passing on advice and encouragement! The following day he played a masterful innings against Essex, smashing a double ton to the astonishment of all who witnessed it. The Kent member's letter signed off with the point that maybe Marcus should practise in the park more often!
SATURDAY, 21 JANUARY.
Somerset's improvement on the pitch since our double wooden spoon in 2006 owes much to the development of a number of home-grown young players. Our age-group structure, Academy and Cricket Board have received attention and investment and subsequently have conspired to produce a conveyor belt of talent who have developed and prospered. Two young men forced their way through to our first team squad in 2009 where their array of special talents became evident pretty quickly. Jos Buttler and Craig Kieswetter have now broken through into Team England squads and the whole West Country is justifiably proud of them. There are a number of others whose skills and characters have been honed on the playing fields of the West Country and who are set to follow in their footsteps.
Craig and Jos have today both been named in the fifteen-man England Lions squad for their five match one-day series against Sri Lanka 'A' which begins next Friday.
Their Tour schedule is as follows (all matches 50 overs a side):
Friday, 27 January: Sri Lanka 'A' v England Lions (Dambulla)
Sunday, 29 January: Sri Lanka 'A' v England Lions (Dambulla)
Tuesday, 31 January: Sri Lanka 'A' v England Lions (Welagedera)
Friday, 3 February: Sri Lanka 'A' v England Lions (Colombo)
Monday, 6 February: Sri Lanka 'A' v England Lions (Colombo)
MONDAY, 23 JANUARY. LORD'S ECB MEETING TO DISCUSS THE MORGAN REVIEW
Few subjects create as much heated debate as the domestic structure and the fixture list of cricket in England and Wales. A county club is a broad church of interests, and I have witnessed many foam-flecked arguments in favour of the first-class game, while at the other end of the spectrum lie those for whom the future is all about the more easily digestible T20. Both camps, and others, testify that their argument alone commands the sunlit moral high ground. The reality is that the domestic game and the counties need both the red- and white-ball formats to survive and prosper. Looked at commercially, the first-class game is the greatest money-spinner as it is the most important element of the media rights package sold by the ECB to broadcasters every four years. It underwrites the game in England and Wales, and a proportion of the proceeds is distributed to all eighteen counties annually and guaranteed in an Memorandum of Agreement which is used as evidence of future income and against which the counties borrow money. However, this distribution of approximately £1.6m annually is nowhere near enough to sustain a county cricket club. If ever counties are to be weaned off the ECB's teat and on to solids, we must embrace the commercial benefits of limited-overs cricket. The debate will rage on, and I compare it to trying to solve a Rubik's cube while wearing a blindfold and taking instructions from a room full of onlookers!
ECB MEETS WITH FCCS AND MCC TO DISCUSS MORGAN REVIEW – ECB Site
ECB met with representatives of all 18 First Class Counties and the MCC today to discuss the recommendations made in the Morgan Review earlier this month.
The ECB's Board were keen to provide the First Class Counties and MCC with an opportunity for dialogue on the detailed recommendations contained in the Morgan Review.
The discussions were wide ranging and constructive and all the views expressed will be reported back to the ECB Board by Gordon Hollins, MD Events and County Business, at its next meeting in March. The meeting received feedback that the Review provided a constructive template for the First Class game. In particular the counties welcomed the strengthening of the First Class Cricket department.
Key discussion points included:
· the importance of domestic one day cricket being scheduled on Sundays
· the benefits of LV=County Championship matches being played in divisions of eight and ten
· assessing the relative commercial and cricketing benefits of the forty and fifty over formats in the Clydesdale Bank competition
After attending the meeting at Lord's, Guy Lavender the Somerset Chief Executive said: 'The opportunity to discuss the Morgan Review recommendations collectively with other FCCs was invaluable and I am sure these discussions will help to steer the eventual decisions taken by the ECB Board.'
The Chief Executive added: 'There was widespread support and collective determination to ensure we have a vibrant domestic game, with a surprising amount of consensus around a number of key issues.'
TUESDAY, 24 JANUARY. THE COUNTY GROUND
Today we fell foul of the cat's-cradle of laws and rules which now govern whether a player who is not a British passport holder may be granted a visa to play cricket in England. Roelof van der Merwe became a big favourite with his teammates, colleagues and supporters while we were in the CL T20, but because Cricket SA didn't renew his one-day contract he could not get the UK visa he needed. Very frustrating for all concerned, but Brian Rose pulled another rabbit out of the hat! We announce today that we've signed South African all-rounder Albie Morkel, in place of Roelof van der Merwe, to play alongside Chris Gayle in this season's T20 Cup competition.
WEDNESDAY, 25 JANUARY. THE COUNTY GROUND. THE 2011 GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING
SCCC's governance hinges on the club's General Committee. Apart from having the club's CEO and elected Honorary Officers it also has the elected representatives of the eight regional areas which serve the membership all over the South West of England.
SOMERSET COUNTY CRICKET CLUB AGM
Somerset CCC is a members' club and this is one major reason why the club has been around since 1875. The membership are represented in eight Area Committees and these in turn elect and appoint representatives onto the club's General Committee. A simple but effective constitution seems to preserve in aspic the DNA which makes the club work. We are effectively a blend of volunteers and executives who combine to be accountable and take the necessary decisions to make the club tick. Crucially, all profits/surpluses which remain after tax can be reinvested directly into the club. Once a year, as with most other companies and organisations, an AGM is held where members can hold to account those of us attempting to run the club. We routinely get over 200 members attend and we do our best to inform and occasionally entertain them.
SOMERSET HOST WELL ATTENDED AGM – SCCC Site
Almost 250 members attended the Somerset CCC Annual General Meeting that was held in the County Room on Wednesday evening.
David Gabbitass the Vice Chairman of SCCC took the chair and opened the meeting with a message from Roy Kerslake the Club President, who is currently in Australia.
Andy Nash the Chairman of SCCC gave a full report, which included a resume of the Club's achievements both on and off the field. The Chairman then outlined the core objectives before moving onto the future aims which included the County Ground achieving Category B status to enable Somerset to host international matches.
The Chairman also talked about the Morgan Review which raised a number of questions from the members present.
Brian Rose the Director of Cricket talked about the playing side of the Club and stressed that his primary aspiration was still to win the County Club and stressed that his primary aspiration was still to win the County Championship. The future of the Club looked bright particularly in the light of the success that a Somerset team including many younger players had enjoyed playing in the CB40 games against Essex and Durham and out in the Champions League, when several of the senior players were missing.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from A Year in the Life of Somerset County Cricket Club by Andy Nash. Copyright © 2013 Andy Nash. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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