FOLLOWING Somerset’s dismal display in defeat at Durham, it’s probably now the right time to reflect on how they have fared so far halfway through the county championship season.
Somerset, despite that defeat in humiliating circumstances in less than two days, are still reasonably well placed in third spot to remain in a challenging position for their first ever county championship title.
Every county member will have their own opinion on how the season has gone to date. And there is no disguising the fact that the supporters of our premier summer game will feel aggrieved that as every year passes by, the county championship is fast becoming a second-class competition and white ball cricket is now by far more popular in attracting those who like to support their county team with a drink in their hand at the end of a week’s work.
Those supporters will, of course, want their county side to be successful. The chat and the talk, however, will not have the same meaning as winning the county championship for the very first time, and white ball cricket will be the focus as Somerset look to retain the T20 Blast trophy.
In the past, county cricket was the main focus of any summer, when touring sides were obliged to play the county sides in the lead up to playing a test series and gone are the days when a test player would turn out for their county side either side of a test match.
It is now plainly obvious that those factors will never return to our summer game. Financial gains have become the most important issue and the attraction of red ball cricket away from test match cricket will soon become a thing of the past.
Long-term members of our red ball game will, I feel sure, become less and less every year and that will only encourage the followers of the white ball game to grow in their numbers and, as former Millfield cricket coach Gerry Wilson quite rightly said, year-by-year the followers of the traditional game will be in the minority and county cricket will soon be a thing of the past.
If test cricket is to survive, the best sloggers in the country will get selected.
County cricket was a sport that brought people together from far and wide across Somerset and they were loyal members and supporters, but sadly now the ECB appears to be trying to kill off the red ball game and you now have to ask the question: how many counties will survive over the next five seasons as memberships will invariably drop?
So how will Somerset fare in this year's T20 Blast? They will no doubt give a good account of themselves, but Chris Tinnion for one, who has been a member for over 20 years, questions whether the bowling has enough strength in depth to win the title again. It’s going to be interesting. The support will be there with full houses, but having bowled 38 no balls against Kent in the recent championship game, that is one area that has to be addressed.
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