By Richard Walsh

THE sun shone and the Somerset faithful turned out in force on Monday to watch their beloved county take on top of the table Surrey in a 50 over match at Taunton.

From more than a mile away from Somerset’s county town centre headquarters there were groups of people hurriedly making their way to the ground many carrying their cushions and picnics and wearing sun hats in anticipation of the glorious day that lay ahead.

THE closer you got the more people there were bustling along to get to the ground for the start of the game and that vital first ball.

At both of the main entrances – The Jack White Gates in St James’ Street and the Viv Richards Gates on Priory Bridge people were queuing to gain admission.

Within an hour of the start the County Ground was all but full, with hardly a vacant green seat to be seen and what a great day’s entertainment they were treated to.

Somerset may well have been all but unable to qualify for the latter stages of the premier one day competition, the 50 over Royal London One Day Cup, but Jim Allenby’s young guns with an average age of 25 years old gave it their all, they didn’t hold back, and it showed.

Their enthusiasm when they bowled and fielded was very noticeable and they kept the pressure on even when the going got tough.

The refreshing attitude of the players was summed up by all rounder Craig Overton who after taking three wickets picked up his bat and smashed his way to an unbeaten 40 off 22 balls to finish the game off with a six- to send the fans home happy.

The sad thing about the game against Surrey was that it was Somerset’s final one day match of the season but more than that between August 1 and September 9 there will have been just five days cricket at the County Ground.

Somerset is a holiday resort county and yet in the month when more visitors will be around and about out of 31 days in August just five days of first class cricket is available for them to come to see - the lowest of any of the six months of the English domestic season.

August is also the month when all junior members will be on school holiday, but sadly there is so little cricket for them to go along to at the County Ground.

Hopefully the powers that be at the ECB who oversee the fixtures will try to rectify this situation when they sit down and start to put the 2016 season together.

Read Richard Walsh's weekly 'Third Man' column in the Somerset County Gazette.