High hopes for the season as memberships flood in at the County Ground

With the sun shining and the smell of new mown grass in the air preparations for the new season at the County Ground are well in hand.

One of the busiest places was the office where membership secretary Jo Arnold and several of her colleagues were dealing with the large pile of applications that had been received in the post.

In the front office personal callers who required membership were being looked after and having their photographs taken as well as telephone applications being dealt with.

By lunchtime more than £12,000 had been taken in membership income, and by the end of the day this had risen to £20,000, all of which bodes very well for the new season ahead.

Jo Arnold told me: "Memberships have just been flooding in today which is what we would expect at this time of the year but this has to be one of the busiest days that we have ever had in the office. In the final week of the discounted period last year over one thousand members joined, and if this keeps up for the rest of the week we will be well up on that figure, all of which is very pleasing."

Members are joining in all categories, and following the Somerset Junior Sabres link up with Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Shoguns Rugby Club there has been a marked increase in the junior membership category.

This year Junior Sabres are able to gain free entry to Bristol Shoguns matches and the youngsters also have the chance to go along and see Bristol City play Peterborough on March 15th free of charge, to which there has been a big response.

Recruiting Ian Botham one of the Cidermen's greatest heroes to spearhead the 2003 membership campaign, Giles Clarke the new chairman has played a major part in setting the scene for what is promising to be a very exciting season ahead at the County Ground.