The first day of the Women's Test match between England and India was deemed to be great success by everybody who was involved.

A good sized crowd watched England recover from 27 for 3 and reach 288 for 8 by the close of play thanks to Laura Newton who hit a career best 98, before unluckily being dismissed just two runs short of what would have been a thoroughly deserved century.

At the end of the day Andrea Wiggins from the ECB told me: "It was good to see a reasonable crowd here today, and if it had been fine a fine day from the start I am sure that there would have been even more here. The people who have come along have also seen some good cricket being played."

South West Women's Cricket Development Officer Jackie Summers told me: "It's been a brilliant day today, and it has been very encouraging to see so many youngsters here. This has been a very good advert not just for the women's game at the highest level but also for cricket in general."

Jackie paid tribute to Somerset County Cricket Club and the Centre of Excellence and told me: "The club have been great and have put all their facilities at our disposal. Nearly fifty girls up to the age of sixteen have taken part in the coaching today, and we hope that some of those will now go away and join their local clubs."

The Women's Cricket Development Officer continued: "The county have done a lot to develop an interest in the girls game this year. They had a Kwik Cricket competition for Under 11's, this year they established an Under 15's side that have done very well in a national competition, and now they are looking to set up an under 17's girls side for next season, all of which is very good news. At the end of the day it's all about promoting the game of cricket at any level."

Guy Wolfenden from the Centre of Excellence told me: "It's been a pretty hectic day here today, with nearly fifty girls involved in the coaching. It's all gone very well, and we are hoping for even more tomorrow."

With a sunny day forecast, and the promise of another good day's cricket the County Ground can expect an even bigger crowd for the second days play tomorrow.

© SOMERSET