It’s not ultimately about who wins.
That is, at the end of the day, the reason I love county cricket. And why, at the end of the season, it’s not the end of the world that Somerset haven’t won the championship this year.
Because the game is more important than who emerges from it victorious.
That doesn’t mean I’m not a little disappointed that Somerset have only managed to finish second for what is, apparently, the seventh time within the lifetime of my 28-year-old son, or that I haven’t cried into my pint of Thatchers on more than one occasion this year.
But in a world where those who insist that ‘those who win, win’ all too often trample on those they delight to call ‘losers’ and imperil the lives of many, including perhaps our own, I remain glad to have been able to enjoy watching the greatest game on the planet – either live at my favourite place in all the earth, or free on what must be the finest livestream within a ten thousand mile radius of Nempnett Thrubwell.
And that I can look forward to doing so again next year – as optimistic as ever that what we have now dreamed about happening for 151 years will finally come true.
So with one glorious, even if it’s rain-affected, day of play remaining, thank you to all who have made it yet another fantastic six months to be a Somerset supporter.
To the players, of course – whether you’ve scored double (or perhaps triple) hundreds, or secured an unlikely appearance at T20 Finals Day, whether you’ve made your Test debut or had what you might consider a disappointing season, or indeed whether you’ve taken the time to raise money for Bristol Children’s Hospital and thereby reminded us that there are far more important things than what takes place on the pitch.
To everyone else at the club – both those with administrative responsibilities and those whose task it is to maximise team performance and ensure the players continue to ‘execute their skills’.
And to everyone involved with the aforementioned livestream – which is an absolute godsend for those of us who, despite being unable to make it to the ground as often as they like, can still, thanks to you, follow each and every match in genuinely delightful company.
So until a no doubt chilly friendly sometime towards the end of March, winter well everyone. And have no doubt, next season’s county championship is going to be just great – whether we win it or not.
Because even losers can be winners too.
Other cricket related posts:
Cricketing blogs from 2026
To read ‘A Charmed Day at Work’, click here
To read ‘A quiet day at the cricket’, click here
To read ‘Why the unimportant matters’, click here
To read ‘With four-day cricket in mind’, click here
To read ‘The true meaning of cricket’, click here
Cricketing blogs from 2025:
To read ‘The Untold Story of Finals’ Day’, click here
To read ‘Only A Day Away’, click here
To read ‘No smoke without fire’, click here
To read ‘Importantly, why cricket doesn’t matter’, click here
To read ‘I Spy Somerset’s 150th Anniversary Season’, click here
To read ‘A Spring Watch’, click here
Cricketing blogs from 2024:
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
