All down to Smith

Having endured a first half that would have shamed Bristol City Under-11s - and which ended with the retirement of the seldom retiring chief executive Peter Anderson and Brian Rose's return as director of cricket - Somerset's captain Ian Blackwell is clear about who deserves credit for the rousing fare over the closing months. "Graeme Smith set the wheels in motion, changing the culture, putting the emphasis on youth," he reflects. "It was something the club needed to do. It was quite easy to take over the reins."

While opportunities were firmly grasped by Matthew Wood, Carl Gazzard, Arul Suppiah and Wes Durston, the most heartening feature of the new order was the aplomb with which James Hildreth, last term's star turn, transformed his season.

"James came on the scene very rapidly," reasons Blackwell, "which was why he wasn't fretful about facing Shoaib [Akhtar] or whoever: he didn't know them. Now he knows them and he has a bit more fear, plus the bowlers know him. He's still learning, still understanding his game. You often see young batsmen struggle the whole year but James recovered halfway through. He comes across as carefree but he's quite intense."

Blackwell does not do intense. He rattled up more than 2,000 runs in all formats with a grin the size of Glastonbury. Like Rose and the coach Mark Garaway, he is fully aware of the weakest link: a seam squadron kept airborne purely through the efforts of the 36-year-old Andrew Caddick. If the immediate goal, promotion in both leagues, is to be achieved, an imported quick must be found.

Player of the Year Ian Blackwell
High The first step towards the Ashes as Gazzard and Hildreth finished that staggering chase against the Aussies: David's first slingshot at Goliath.
Low Farewell Peter Anderson, defender of the unmighty