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Somerset Women Season Review
2023 was a season to remember for Somerset Women.
Despite losing a number of games to the weather, the team lifted the Women’s County T20 title under lights at the Cooper Associates County Ground. In addition to this, the squad also gained valuable experience of 50-over cricket.
We sat down with Somerset Pathway Coach & Women and Girls Lead, Kieran Peters to look back on the team’s season.
“Purely from a cricket perspective there were lots of positives to take from the games that we were able to play,” he said. “Overall, I’m really happy with how things have gone this year. I feel like we’re in a really good place at the moment and it’s been a really positive year in terms of how we want to operate. The 50-over element has been important because it has given some of the younger players the opportunity to showcase what they can do when the more experienced players have been unavailable.
“When our senior pros go away, it creates the opportunity for good county cricketers to step up and take on those leading roles in the dressing room and on the field. For example, Emily Edgcombe did a really good job in her first year as captain. She set the tone and we’re looking forward to seeing where she can take the side over the next few years.
“On the occasions that the senior players were available, they took the time to speak with all the players in the dressing room. Whilst development opportunities are important on the field, important conversations and learnings can happen in the dressing room and around the boundary.”
At the start of the season, several games were abandoned without a ball being bowled. How did Kieran keep the squad motivated?
“It was frustrating because everyone just wanted to play,” he explained. “We’ve got a great group of highly motivated individuals, and when we did get the chance to get out there, everyone gave their absolute best.”
How did it feel to lift the T20 trophy at the Cooper Associates County Ground?
“You can’t underestimate how important that day was, and not just for the players. The day showed that there’s a real appetite for women’s county cricket. The opportunity to play under lights at Taunton is great and everything just fell into place nicely. The weather behaved and we had really good support from the County Club as a whole. That support makes such a difference.”
How can we ensure that the current momentum behind the women’s game continues?
“The key is to keep communicating about what is happening,” Kieran said. “We need to ensure that what we’re doing is publicised. It’s also key that we provide really good experiences for people when they do watch and play. We need to be able to retain those people.”
What will be happening behind the scenes this winter?
“We’re about to go into a big planning phase whilst reflecting and reviewing. We’ll be looking at budgets and will start to put in place what we want 2024 to look like. I think we need to have a greater understanding of where the women’s county game sits and what the future looks like. We’ll be talking with Western Storm to see how we can make 50-over cricket more formal. Could we make it more competitive and have a final? These are some of the conversations we’ll be having in the next few months.
“The women’s game is going to continue to grow, and I think we might see a slight shift in how the county game is run as the professional game expands. I’m really looking forward to seeing how we can continue to drive things forward. I’d like to thank the players and Dave Roberts for all their efforts and for a job very well done.”
