)}})
Somerset players support fund raising auction
Somerset fans can get their hands on an early Christmas present by bidding on a range of playing shirts from the 2025 summer.
Until midday on Saturday 13th December, kit donated by Jack Leach, Will Smeed, Charlie Dean, Heather Knight, Tom Abell, Sophie Luff, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ben Green, Sean Dickson and Josh Davey is up for grabs via the link below:
Other items include England shirts donated by Mark Wood and Moeen Ali.
The auction has been organised by live stream commentator Sam Dalling and will raise funds for an initiative run by ex-Somerset man Gemaal Hussain.
After joining Somerset from Gloucestershire ahead of the 2011 season, Hussain delivered a match-winning spell and career best six for 33 against Worcestershire at Taunton that summer.
In all, Hussain made 32 appearances in a Somerset shirt, taking 58 wickets. However, his career was defined not just by numbers, but by the grit and resilience it took to get there.
Since stepping away from the professional game, Hussain has channelled that same resilience into coaching, dedicating much of his time to building opportunities that many young people in cricket never receive.
As well as working with Pakistan Women’s cricket and leading Singapore’s Men’s team, Hussain has played an influential role at the South Asian Cricket Academy, helping overlooked talent rediscover belief, direction, and purpose in the game.
His own lived experiences, outsider perspectives, late development, and barriers that others never see, are what fuel GMH Coaching & Mentoring, a programme built on access, respect and human growth.
GMH’s mission is simple: keep young people in cricket long enough to discover who they can become, not who the system tells them they are.
Funds raised by the auction will be used to ensure that promise is real, not theoretical. They will help single-parent families access cricket without embarrassment or financial strain, provide vital kit to children who otherwise feel “behind” before they even begin, and create meaningful mentoring roles for older boys and girls so that they remain valued and connected to the sport they love.
Each pound raised becomes a chance for a young person to grow, to belong, and to see their future with dignity, confidence and hope.
“I’ve been working in the South Asian community for several years now and see the same barriers and challenges year in, year out,” Hussain said.
“One of the big ones is single parent families. Cricket can be expensive, particularly during the winter when there are venue charges as well as the costs of the kit and the coaches. There are also the added costs if there are siblings who take an interest in the game and we don’t want them to be excluded.
“Access to cricket is key and the funds raised by this auction will be used to offer sessions at affordable rates, or for qualifying families, at no charge at all. These sessions will be vital to help keep the participants’ interest in cricket alive and allow them to progress not just in terms of their sporting skills but also as confident young humans, too.
“I’m trying to create that culture at GMH where the youngsters coming through believe in the value of giving back – whether through throwing balls at those younger than them or just lending an ear. Some of the funding will be used to help put in place a mentoring scheme for newly qualified young coaches so that we have a sustainable network and culture within the GMH system. “
Dalling added: “I met Gemaal when doing a piece on the South Asian Cricket Academy last summer and was struck immediately by the way he approached his coaching and his desire to help better the lives of those around him. His initiative was an obvious choice for this year’s charity auction.
“As has been the case in each of the last four years, Somerset’s playing staff have been extremely generous in donating kit. I hope that the winning bidders get a lot of joy from shirts that money can’t usually buy! What better Christmas present for any Somerset fan?!”
The auction closes at midday on Saturday 13th December
