Western Morning News (Saturday)
Somerset a stronger unit – Kerr
SOMERSET head coach Jason Kerr insists the club’s recent struggles in four-day cricket will have served to make them stronger ahead of today’s Vitality T20 Blast Finals Day.
Kerr’s men take on Hampshire in the opening semi-final at 11am, and should they win that game they will face Kent or Sussex in the final at 6.45pm this evening.
However, the West county go into today’s match having lost by ten wickets to Lancashire in the County Championship, a result which came after successive defeats by an innings in the same competition.
Kerr told the official club website: “It’s an exciting showpiece occasion in the season. We’ve played some unbelievably good cricket in the competition and it’s important that we don’t forget that.
“Everything that we’ve been through in the last few weeks will ultimately make us a stronger unit.
“You learn from your successes, but I think you learn more from your disappointments. We’ve had a few of those over the years and a few of the lads have experienced that.
“For others, Saturday will be their first taste of a final and it’s really important to enjoy the experience, embrace the atmosphere, take it all in, and learn from it.”
■ Ex-Somerset all-rounder Peter Trego has announced his retirement after 22 years in county cricket. Trego, 40, spent the best part of two decades with his home county of Somerset, either side of brief spells at Kent and Middlesex, before joining Nottinghamshire last year.