The glory and praise for a wonderful cricket season rightfully belong to the Captain and his players all of whom have been admirably supported by the coaching staff led by Kevin Shine. Many were puzzled when Kevin Shine was appointed but the organisation and structure he has brought to training, preparation and match practice reflects well on not only the professional training he has received but also his ability in putting into practice what he has learned. His 2001 season will be a hard act to follow and yes indeed, I will be watching!...

A number of issues have dominated your Committee's thinking during the course of the season. The unavailability of Caddick and Trescothick caused some dissent among the membership but there again, the Club has done very well without them for most of the time. That said, when they do play they have massive input as Trescothick's centuries and Caddick's one-man demolition of the County Champions in April prove. The fact of the matter is that Somerset receives £1.2 million from the activities of the England Team without which the Club, like all others, would become insolvent. It is vital for the future of the game as a whole that England do well or at least, we give the England players every chance to do well. Central Contracts do that although there is an argument that perhaps players should be allowed to play more if they wish to. Batsmen in or out of form generally wish to bat and spin bowlers need to bowl. Pace bowlers are somewhat different and that really is up to the individual how much work he needs to do to stay at the top of his form. The England and Wales Cricket Board is once again debating the whole future of first class county cricket. Leading cricket writers are pushing regional cricket to be superimposed upon a cut down county programme. Somerset are set against regional cricket in any form which is why our Club caused as much fuss as possible in opposition to the plan to regionalise the Tourist matches. Although a tiny mmority took offence at Somerset fielding two guest overseas players against the Australians, the match was a commercial success primarily because non-members came to watch the Tourists, not Somerset. The Club, when setting its budget, knows what the fixed costs are in staging cricket. To defray those, we need to play matches. Whether our professionals are asked to play too much or not will always be an ongoing debate. Preparation for the task in hand coupled with a good attitude to their profession is the way forward; not the debilitating drip drip of incessant criticism from a minority within the players ranks enhanced by the literary buffies passing themselves off as professional cricket writers or electronic media commentators. Promotion and relegation is making the game more competitive and therefore better. Organised grass roots development work is making the game more popular with the young. Cricket is a thriving sport in Somerset and the South West. We all need to trumpet that when the Jeremiahs get on their tired old bandwagons of knocking cricket in all its forms.

The issue of a ground move remains a possibility as offers continue to arrive on the Chief Executive's desk. A majority never get beyond a prelirninazy stage and it is interesting to note that the first notion of such a move emerged in 1973. The arguments then have changed little to those used now but the common theme running through the years is that two thirds of the membership have to agree to any proposal put. The Club's policy is that when a credible proposal has been received it will be placed before the Members. It is acknowledged that any such ground move would probably take five years to achieve and therefore the Club continues to spend money on refurbishment and development of the County Ground for the comfort and convenience of existing Members. There are those who would seek to prevent any investigation of such a ground move but your Committee is confident that the majority of Members would wish the Club to look forward subject to the safeguards already stated. To do otherwise would appear to be irresponsible towards the interest of both the Club and future Members.

So, it is all over for another season. Off the field, budgets are being prepared for next year, the auditors are in and surveying is taking place for further ground improvements. My thanks go to the Club Chairman and his Committees for their support, the non-playing staff for their dedication born out of their professionalism and of course to the Captain, Coach and the players for making what was a truly memorable season. Finally, to you the Members for whom all of us are so pleased that at long last you have had something to smile about. May those smiles remain in place through the winter and may they become even broader as the 2002 season progresses. Miracles - well, you never know!

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