SOMERSET County Cricket Club has confirmed that its players will continue to train, in spite of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions which are being applied across England from Thursday.

The players were granted time off following the conclusion of the county cricket season in September, and director of cricket Andy Hurry said that they were due to return to training on Monday, November 2.

Now the club has confirmed that they will keep up with their training sessions at the Cooper Associates County Ground.

"Our professional players and coaching staff will continue to train and work from the ground under strict Covid-19 safety protocols, as elite sport is exempt from these new lockdown measures," Somerset said.

The County Ground is closed to the public during the lockdown, however.

The club offices and club shop remain closed, and The Stragglers Coffee House will also be shut for the duration of the lockdown, as will the Somerset County Sports shop on the site.

The club shop and Somerset County Sports will run online, though, and continue to take orders.

The St James Street and Priory Bridge Road car parks will be closed to the public throughout the national lockdown period.

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LEWIS Gregory's week continues to get better and better.

Announced as Brisbane Heat's third overseas signing for the Big Bash League yesterday, Somerset's T20 captain has today been named in the England One-Day International squad for the white-ball tour of South Africa.

READ MORE: Gregory to join Banton Down Under

The ODI and IT20 squads are to depart on Monday, November 16, and will play three IT20s and three ODIs behind closed doors in a bio-secure environment at Newlands, Cape Town, and Boland Park, Paarl.

Gregory's Somerset team-mate Tom Banton will travel as a reserve for both squads, while Taunton-born Jos Buttler takes his place in the two squads.

England men's IT20 squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey), Mark Wood (Durham).

England men's ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Tom Curran (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Reserves: Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Tom Helm (Middlesex).

Fixtures

Saturday, November 21: 50-over intra-squad practice match (Newlands, Cape Town).

Monday, November 23: Two T20 intra-squad practice matches (Boland Park, Paarl).

Friday, November 27: South Africa v England IT20 (Newlands, Cape Town).

Sunday, November 29: South Africa v England IT20 (Boland Park, Paarl).

Tuesday, December 1: South Africa v England IT20 (Newlands, Cape Town).

Friday, December 4: South Africa v England ODI (Newlands, Cape Town).

Sunday, December 6: South Africa v England ODI (Boland Park, Cape Town).

Wednesday, December 9: South Africa v England ODI (Newlands, Cape Town).