The following are two items posted on Somerset’s Official Facebook Page.
April 27th 2025
Up until about eighteen months ago I worked as a doctor and came into contact with those with terminal cancer, advanced dementia and major mental illness. More recently I have worked for a a charity that supports those who, amongst others, are living in Ukraine and are currently forced to cope with daily missile attacks from their Russian aggressors.
As such, today’s performance by Somerset, though disappointing, and all the more so given it was against Surrey, was not a disaster. Nobody died, nobody lost a limb and nobody lost either their home or a loved one. In fact, apart from a game of cricket, nobody lost anything.
There are then, far more important things than cricket, and what we do for fun doesn’t always have to be accompanied by success.
Which is perhaps worth remembering before pouring scorn on those we are privileged to watch for our entertainment.
Because, as for me, whilst watching Somerset play is inevitably more enjoyable when every member of the team is performing as well as we know they all can, it remains the case that, even on days like today when their performance has admittedly been well below par, there is no other team I’d rather go and see.
Somerset supporters differ in all sorts of ways, but what all of us have in common is a desire to see the team do well. We all share in the hope of one day seeing the team win the championship but importantly, our support is not dependent on that success being realised. As genuine supporters we commit to supporting the team through thick and thin. Sometimes, therefore, we will be lifted up together, and sometimes we will be deflated together – when an individual player does well, we will share a little of their pleasure, and when another player fails, we will share a little of their disappointment.
Whilst we will always be passionate, we’ll never be unkind, or take delight when players underperform – and neither will we cease to get behind them when they need our support the most.
And so at the risk of repeating myself, let me say it again. As a Somerset supporter I will continue to support the team that for 48 years has given me a great deal of pleasure – as indeed did Migael Pretorius and Louis Gregory with their enjoyable 79 run partnership today.
And as one who wouldn’t make it from the dressing room to the middle without tripping over my cricket pads, I’ll leave any criticism of individual players, all of whom I’m sure are trying their hardest, to those who know rather more about batting technique than I do. No doubt the coaching staff will have things to say to the players, but I trust that any criticism they do have will be more constructive than simply dismissing the team as a bunch of no hopers.
Which is most definitely not the case – being as they are, in large measure, the same players that beat Surrey by dismissing them for 10 runs less than Somerset scored today in the last innings of that thrilling game last September which left them with a chance of winning the 2024 four day trophy.
Furthermore, on days like today we need to offer a little encouragement to the team as we look to boost their individual and collective confidence, rather than undermining it still further by endeavouring to hang them out to dry.
So come on Somerset. Over the years there have been many ups and downs, but you have always been terrific to watch. And so, whether it’s in person or whether it’s from a distance, we’ll never stop supporting you and will be rooting for you wherever, and whenever, you take to the field.
Next up, Essex at home – and I for one can’t wait!
May 6th 2025
Over the last week, Somerset’s fortunes have changed markedly – but some things have remained the same.
Because for some, just as it was after the disappointing defeat against Surrey, life has been just as difficult following an exhilarating win over Essex. Indeed, over the last seven days Ukraine has seen far too many Russian missiles hit their target and some Somerset fans, having experienced the agonies of the loss at the Oval have, for all kinds of unfortunate reasons, been rendered unable to enjoy thIs weekend’s heroics at the county ground in Taunton.
And something else that hasn’t changed is the hurtful criticism that is posted in this group that goes beyond thoughtful comment on what’s taken place and descends so far into personal abuse that it is noticed by opposition supporters with dismay. It’s often said that Somerset have the best supporters in the country, and I like to think that’s true – but I wonder sometimes if we might not also have the worst.
And though. just as sovereignty isn’t determined by force and worth isn’t determined by personal circumstances, truth isn’t determined by popularity, it is nonetheless heartening to note that the most spiteful comments made here are those that are liked least. Indeed, on more than one occasion, in their presumed desperation to have somebody affirm their vitriolic point of view, I have noticed that the author has tellingly had to resort to liking their own post!
What these individuals fail to understand is that cricket is important precisely because of its unimportance – just as all sport is. Its value comes, not only from being something that, because of its joyous irrelevance, we can enjoy in times of serious sadness, but also because it allows us to ‘meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same.’ Namely with grace. Furthermore, because it’s true that we are free to comment in whatever way we choose, it means we are also free not to – that is to say we are free to refrain from unkind comments and seek only to encourage instead.
As was the case with my post following the Surrey game, there may be those who, considering my words to be nonsense, feel inclined to tell me so – though if they do it’s likely they will once again chose a less polite word to do so. But that’s okay, because neither what I or they say really matters.
Because, whilst as yesterday proved, cricket is a wonderful, wonderful game – it is at the close of play just that – a game. And what is said about it is even less important than what takes place on the field.
Glorious though every vital, and trivial, moment was!
Other cricket related posts:
This season:
To read ‘I Spy Somerset’s 150th Anniversary Season’, click here
To read ‘A Spring Watch’, click here
Last seasons’s cricketing blogs:
To read ‘Reasons to be cheerful’, click here
To read ‘First of the Summer Wine’, click here
To read ‘Safe and Sound at the County Ground, Taunton’, click here
To read ‘Is Cricket Amusing Itself to Death’, click here
To read ‘A Purr-fect day at the cricket’, click here
To read ‘Worth Every Penny’, click here
To read ‘The Somerset Cricket Emporium – 2024’, click here
To read ‘One Fine Day’, click here
To read ‘WWFD – what would Freddie do?’, click here
To read ‘A Shady News Story’, click here
To read ‘The Abolition of County Cricket’, click here
Cricketing blogs from 2023:
To read ‘20 Things we have learnt this summer’, click here
To read ‘When rain stops play’, click here
To read ‘Only a game’, click here
To read ‘The Hundred: is cricket amusing itself to death?’, click here
To read ‘The Somerset Cricket Emporium – 2023’, click here
To read ‘for the third time of asking, CRICKET’S COMING HOME…surely’, click here
To read ‘Twas the week of the final’, click here
To read ‘Sharing the important things: on introducing your grandchild to cricket’, click here
To read ‘Somerset v Nottinghamshire T20 Quarter Final 2023’, click here
To read ‘Breaking News’, click here
To read ‘Lewis Calpaldi – Retired Hurt?’, click here
To read ‘Cricket: It’s All About Good Timing’, click here
To read ‘Bazball, Bazchess, Bazlife’, click here
To read ‘Online criticism: it’s just not cricket’, click here
To read ‘Cigarettes, Singles, and Sipping Tea with Ian Botham: Signs of a Well Spent Youth!’, click here
To read ‘A Historic Day’, click here
To read ‘Cricket – through thick and thin’, click here
To read ‘Stumpy: A Legend Reborn’, click here
To read ‘my love is NOT a red, red rose’, click here
Cricketing blogs from previous years:
To read ‘A Cricketing Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story’, click here
To read ‘Scooby Doo and the Mystery of the Deseted Cricket Ground’, click here
To read ‘Brian and Stumpy visit The Repair Shop’, click here
To read ‘A Tale of Two Tons’, click here
To read ‘A Song for Brian’, click here
To read ‘A Somerset Cricket Players Emporium 2022’ click here
To read ‘A Cricket Taunt’, click here
To read ‘A Song for Brian’, click here
To read ‘At Season’s End’, click here
To read ‘A Day at the Cricket’, click here
To read ‘The Great Cricket Sell Off’, click here
To read ‘On passing a village cricket club at dusk one late November afternoon’ click here
To read ‘How the Grinch stole from county cricket…or at least tried to’. click here
To read ‘How Covid-19 stole the the cricket season’, click here
To read ‘A Cricket Tea Kind of a Day’, click here
To read ‘Life in the slow lane’, click here
To read ‘Frodo and the Format of Power’, click here
To read ‘If Only’, click here
To read ‘I’ve got a little CRICKET list’, click here
To read ‘Eve of the RLODC limericks’ click here
To read ‘It’s coming home…’, click here
To read ‘A Song for Ben Green’, click here
To read ‘Enough Said…’, the last section of which is cricket related, click here
A Jack Leach Trilogy:
To read ‘For when we can’t see why’, click here
To read ‘WWJD – What would Jack Do?’, click here
To read ‘On Playing a Blinder’, click here
To read ‘Coping with Disappointment’, click here
And to finish – a couple with a theological flavour
To read ‘Somerset CCC – Good for the soul’, click here
To read ‘Longing for the pavilion whilst enjoying a good innings’, click here
Some musings 