SOMERSET will be without several men's squad members between July 21 and August 21, as that is when The Hundred is scheduled to take place this summer.

The new 100-ball competition will launch with a women's match, Oval Invincibles versus Manchester Originals, on Wednesday, July 21.

This will be the first time a major team sporting event in the UK has launched men’s and women’s competitions alongside each other and headlined with a women’s match (which will be broadcast live on the BBC and Sky).

The event features eight teams based in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, London (two), Manchester, Nottingham and Southampton, and sees men’s and women’s teams playing on the same day.

Group fixtures conclude on August 18, to be followed by 'Eliminator' matches on August 20 for the teams finishing second and third in the men's and women's league stage, and the men's and women's finals taking place at Lord's on August 21.

Men's Draft picks and new signings for the eight women’s sides are to be announced today (February 23), but so far we know that Tom Banton (Welsh Fire - £80,000 deal), Lewis Gregory (Trent Rockets - £80,000), Craig Overton (Southern Brave - £24,000), Roelof van der Merwe (London Spirit - £32,000) and Max Waller (Southern Brave - £24,000) will be involved in The Hundred.

All of those players will, therefore, miss the One-Day Cup campaign (July 25-August 19), as Somerset seek to defend the trophy they won in 2019.

The T20 Blast group stage ends on July 18, before that tournament starts up again with the quarter-finals (August 24-August 27), and the County Championship divisional stage begins on August 30.

Somerset women's players Lauren Filer, Georgia Hennessy, Sophie Luff and Nat Wraith have been retained by Welsh Fire for the women's section of The Hundred.

Full list of The Hundred fixtures (all are both men’s and women’s matches, unless stated)
July 21 - Oval Invincibles v Manchester Originals (women’s), Kia Oval
July 22 - Oval Invincibles v Manchester Originals (men’s), Kia Oval
July 23 - Birmingham Phoenix v London Spirit, Edgbaston
July 24 - Trent Rockets v Southern Brave, Trent Bridge; Northern Superchargers v Welsh Fire, Emerald Headingley
July 25 - London Spirit v Oval Invincibles, Lord’s; Manchester Originals v Birmingham Phoenix, Emirates Old Trafford
July 26 - Trent Rockets v Northern Superchargers, Trent Bridge
July 27 - Welsh Fire v Southern Brave, Sophia Gardens
July 28 - Manchester Originals v Northern Superchargers, Emirates Old Trafford
July 29 - London Spirit v Trent Rockets, Lord’s
July 30 - Southern Brave v Birmingham Phoenix, Ageas Bowl
July 31 - Welsh Fire v Manchester Originals, Sophia Gardens; Northern Superchargers v Oval Invincibles, Emerald Headingley
August 1 - Birmingham Phoenix v Trent Rockets, Edgbaston; London Spirit v Southern Brave, Lord’s
August 2 - Oval Invincibles v Welsh Fi, Kia Oval
August 3 - London Spirit v Northern Superchargers, Lord’s
August 4 - Birmingham Phoenix v Oval Invincibles, Edgbaston
August 5 - Manchester Originals v Southern Brave, Emirates Old Trafford
August 6 - Welsh Fire v Trent Rockets, Sophia Gardens
August 7 - Southern Brave v Northern Superchargers, Ageas Bowl
August 8 - Oval Invincibles v Trent Rockets, Kia Oval
August 9 - Birmingham Phoenix v Welsh Fire, Edgbaston
August 10 - Manchester Originals v London Spirit, Emirates Old Trafford
August 11 - Southern Brave v Welsh Fire, Ageas Bowl
August 12 - Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals, Emerald Headingley
August 13 - Trent Rockets v Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Bridge
August 14 - Oval Invincibles v London Spirit, Kia Oval
August 15 - Trent Rockets v Manchester Originals, Trent Bridge
August 16 - Southern Brave v Oval Invincibles, Ageas Bowl
August 17 - Northern Superchargers v Birmingham Phoenix, Emerald Headingley
August 18 - Welsh Fire v London Spirit, Sophia Gardens
August 20 - Women's and Men's Eliminator, Kia Oval
August 21 - Men's and Women's Finals, Lord’s