Head groundsman leaves Somerset

Somerset have confirmed that head groundsman Phil Frost has been made redundant after 22 years at the club.

Frost, alongside another member of the ground staff, was relieved of the position in December in an attempt to "identify cost effectiveness and improve efficiency", according to a statement issued by the club.

While Hampshire sign lucrative link-ups with teams across the globe, other counties face the harsher climate of recession and, with news that the Champions League Twenty20 will encroach on the English season, an increasingly precarious domestic structure.

Frost won many awards for his work at Taunton, but has also come under fire for the batsman-friendly nature of Championship pitches which have led to a high number of draws. The club are keen to produce more result-orientated wickets for the 2010 season and now Brian Rose, the director of cricket, will oversee the work.

Somerset recently signed Kieron Pollard and Cameron White, two premium Twenty20 players, in an attempt to reach the lucrative Champions League tournament, which will have stretched their budgets and now cuts are having to be made elsewhere.