Somerset Academy boys get their chance to impress in forty over match on Saturday

At the end of a week that has seen the players practice on grass for the first time this season, Somerset Coach Kevin Shine said that he was delighted with the way that everything had gone.

At the end of the day he told me: "It's gone really well for us. We've had three tough days on the grass that is always a very difficult surface for both the batters and the bowlers to adapt to after training indoors, but I have been impressed with the way that everybody has shaped up."

"We haven't suffered any injuries, which is a testament to the hard work that the players and Andy Hurry and the team have done through the winter."

On Saturday the players will play a 40-over game amongst themselves at the County Ground, which gets underway at 10.30 am.

Kevin told me: "We have divided the players up into two evenly balanced sides with Mike Burns and Keith Parsons as the captains. To make up the 22 we have included some of the boys from the Academy, including Neil Edwards, Nat Price, Michael Parsons and Gareth Andrew, and what a wonderful opportunity it is for these youngsters to be playing alongside the first team players."

On Sunday the Somerset players have a day off before two more friendlies at the start of next week. On Monday they face the West of England Premier League XI at the County Ground, and then on Tuesday they entertain the Somerset Board XI.