Three days after the end of the most successful season that Somerset has ever enjoyed Coach Kevin Shine told me at The County Ground this morning ,"I'm very proud of the team. It's a fabulous feeling, and we're all very excited."

The Coach went on, "Since the end of the season all of the players have undergone a fitness test, and they have all maintained their fitness levels, which we are very pleased about. Now the players will have two or three weeks off before reporting back to start working with Andy Hurry, our fitness consultant."

This winter Kevin will be carrying on with his coaching job rather than working in the Academy Fitness Centre at the ground.

Part of his winter job will involve working alongside Mark Garaway, who has recently been appointed as Director of the Regional Academy based at The Centre of Execellence.

Mark is no stranger to Kevin Shine, "We played a few games together whilst we were both at Hampshire" the Somerset Coach told me."I'm looking forward to working with Mark, he's a very talented coach, and we are both working on our Level 4 qualification. Mark is a good communicator and totally to the new methods of working, he will go down well with the boys," the Coach concluded.

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