Sellsy's Monday Supplement

Monday 8^th Sept 2014

During the summer months while I have been concentrating on Over Stowey’s 2^nd XI Grand Tour of the West Somerset League a lot has happened in the cricketing world, especially with my county, Somerset and my country, England of course.

So where do I start, I have so much to choose from:

·         Nosworthy – gone

·         Somerset’s average season

·         Somerset’s average signings

·         My bet, now worthless

·         Alastair Cook – should he stay, or should he go

·         Sam Robson v Alex Hales to open in Test’s

This is to name just a few.

The official line about Nosworthy’s departure was it was by mutual consent, in others words he was sacked and got a nice little pay off. He has taken Somerset backwards – it would be nice to think that other counties have caught up with Somerset’s ideas, but alas not, backwards seems to be the word mostly used about his tenure in charge.

I am not going to rip him apart, I am not like that; at the end of the day he done his best, words like rabbit in the headlights come to mind. Average signings, average performances (albeit one or two run chases), and my pre season bet has now gone down the pan.

I suppose one good thing is that Somerset avoided the drop last season, and this season they were fighting for the title, well up until the Warwickshire game, and was at one stage top for a day or two. Looks as if Yorkshire are nailed on to win the league now, with Somerset scrapping it out for 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th. 

So who is going to replace Nosworthy? Jamie Cox? Ashley Giles? Justin Langer? These are just three name bounded about at present, and we could quite easily add Jason Kerr’s name to the list. Cox and Langer have brought success to the county and Giles brought County Championship to Warwickshire.

Langer and Brian Rose built up a formidable partnership as Captain and Director of Cricket, dragging Somerset from division two mediocrity (remember that?) to a side who would challenge on all domestic fronts, and even taking them to the Champions League on a couple of occasions.

I suppose now here at Somerset we had got somewhat complacent expecting the side to qualify for knock-out stages or even going to finals in one day competitions, as we did under Langer & Rose, also somewhat with Trescothick & Rose. But has reality set in? Am I seeing the light? I don’t know, but the past two seasons seems to me to be a bit of a waste and a step backwards. Plus we have lost Jos Buttler.

But on a brighter note we do have some promising youngsters, it is nice to see the likes of Lewis Gregory, Jamie and Craig Overton, Tom Abell making a names for themselves. Especially Lewis; surely an England player in the making?

Enough of that, last home game at the end of this week, where has the summer gone? And then a trip to Yorkshire. Come on Somerset; make it two out of two and hopefully a runners-up spot (again). 

Right, Thatchers time, I shall not even attempt to talk about England and the absolute trash written in the media about Alastair Cook, they have always got to find fault. What did Derek Pringle exactly do for England?