SOMERSET CCC have been playing some good cricket whilst on pre-season tour in Abu Dhabi and it has impressed head coach Jason Kerr.

The Cidermen finished in third place in the Abu Dhabi Counties Super Cup T20 competition at the weekend and there were standout performances from a number of players.

Speaking after the tournament, Kerr said: "I’m really pleased with how everything has gone so far.

"Not just during the games but throughout the whole time we’ve been over here. From a training point of view the lads have been excellent and in the three games we’ve created some opportunities in which we’ve seen different people in different roles.

"Some of the individual performances in the games were outstanding and I don’t think that the first week out here could have gone any better.”

Speaking on those three games in the Abu Dhabi Counties Super Cup T20 competition, Kerr felt like the team put on a good show.

Kerr said: “Obviously, you want to win every game of cricket that you play, but that’s not really what this trip is about.

"People were finding their feet and we asked people to fulfill different roles, but we saw some good performances from individuals out in the middle."

He added that Tom Lammonby, Tom Banton, Tom Abell and Alfie Ogborne were particularly impressive, and he felt new signing Jake Ball stood out as well.

“Lammers and Bants were outstanding with the bat against Notts and it’s important that they got some time out there and we posted a really competitive score.

"Alfie Ogborne showed a lot of character. That’s’ what pre-season is about. It’s about the guys demonstrating the skills that they’ve been working on over the winter.

"We did some excellent things with the ball and Jake Ball showed his quality and what he’s going to bring to the Club.

"And Tom Abell switched momentum back into our favour. We know that Abes is a world class player, and it came as no surprise to us how he went about his business."

Looking ahead to the rest of the team's time in Abu Dhabi, Kerr said focus will now shift to red-ball training and games.

“We need to make sure that we maximise the opportunity of being on grass. We need to make sure that the bowlers have overs in their legs and that the batters have time in the middle," he said.

“Focus now shifts to red-ball cricket and we’ll be working on that ahead of a two-day game against Essex which begins on Friday. Before you know it, we’ll be playing Exeter University and the season will be starting.

"The remainder of the trip is about ensuring that everyone gets the opportunity to hone their skills so that we’re all fit and firing when we return to the UK.”