By Grockle
December 13 2005

That there is no big news. No info we haven't had before, no new signing information...nowt! The guys on the top table said how wonderful the players were, and how wonderful each other was and how much faith they had in Mr Rose and it was a bit snappier than usual and....

AGM Taunton 12 December 2005

300 plus people in the CA.  A top table of Messrs Gould, Rose, Clarke, Kerslake and assorted deputies and treasurers.  A projector providing backdrops of moments of glory, big banners of Caddy in full flight and Banger hitting the skin off the ball.  The 20/20 Trophy on a table.  It all boded so well.  Mary Elworthy and a notable gentleman I didn't catch the name of got Life memberships (with the biggest members cards I've ever seen - though I think they might have been commemorative plaques possibly.)

Giles gave his report.  We seem to have stuffed the Aussies and that man Ponting was a nice chap to say well done.  We won the 20/20 and got the nicest side in cricket (first time it has been won by an English county it seems).  There was a tribute to Rob Turner and Mike Burns and a couple of nice thing said.  We then went through the litany of glorious players and feats.

Banger as a Somerset captain of England.  Smiffy's triple ton and a bit.  Woody's  near triple ton and the best 90 Rosey has ever seen in the 20/20.  Caddy's 1000th.  Lots of praise for the youngsters and Carl Gazzard, James Hildreth, Peter Trego (with beard) and Simon Francis all present to show we had some.  Giles was positively gushing about Mr Rose - not so gushing about Mr Anderson in the Q&A.  He was also unimpressed by Mandraker calling Blackie a 'part- time' bowler!

We heard all about the main three initiatives off the field.  The website, the Home of England Women and Sir Elton John (an icon it seems).  And we can expect some info on the development when the feasibility report gives its findings in the second half of 2006.

Rosey did the cricket report and it was a lot of the same.  Good stuff and the plan to have 9 of the side home grown by 2009.  Then questions.

A couple about stewarding and streakers - something about 'strict military discipline' in relation to them...I turned my delicate ears away.

The ground development brought a couple about the members being involved.  There will be a close dialogue it seems and it's doubtful that the club will do anything the members would be unhappy with.  They aren't moving and we aren't playing at other grounds while it is being done...whatever 'it' is.

Players?  No info.  The two pace bowlers mentioned in the regional meetings included Peter Trego it seems.  We have a good batch of young allrounders (Trego and Andrew were mentioned).  No other info will be forthcoming until we have signed people (inferring we haven't yet). 

There was a lot of emphasis on sending our youngsters out to other parts of the world to foster relationships that would mean that those areas would want to send people here.  That's the way we're looking to find overseas players in the future it seems. No names, but Rose was very keen to identify that we needed a batch of bowlers of different variations to win matches.  One aside to me suggested that one reason why we haven't named is that the Cricket Committee can't decide unanimously who to bring here.

Some bloke who was obviously a Health and Safety instructor in his other life was very critical of the way we brought John Francis off the field after his freak accident.  We all looked at him strangely and agreed that this freak accident would have to be handled differently...if it ever happened again.

Lots of mumbling about the price (we were in a crowd mostly made up of pensioners) of membership.  The reply was basically "We gambled.  It seems to have paid off.  First class cricket "costs money" it seems..  One guy agreed and said if we won everything in sight next year we'd all bellieve it was value for money!

And that was about your lot.  Another aside from someone who went out of their way to find me was that the Bath Festival made a profit of £18,000.  I have no reasoon to doubt it.

Roy Kerslake finished off with a staement about the desire to take the blocks put in place last year and build a strong team on the basis of them.  I'm sure we all want it so can someone please tell Giles who the hell we've signed so we can all be put out of our misery?