Taunton bid for women's Twenty20

Somerset are aiming to stage the ICC Women's World Twenty20 next year after putting Taunton forward as a hosting venue. In 2006 the ground was tagged 'the home of women's cricket' by the ECB and regularly stages international matches during the summer.

The Women's World Twenty20 is due to be held during a week in June, around the same time as the men's tournament. If Taunton is successful in the bid it would stage all the preliminary matches with the semi-final and final held in London ahead of the main matches in the men's World Twenty20.

"We are very keen to host this competition," chief executive Richard Gould told the Somerset County Gazette. "We think that the County Ground is a great venue and by June 2009 the first stage of the redevelopment work will be completed and we will have a great facility for the teams to play on."