Tomorrow an estimated nine thousand Somerset supporters will converge on Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, North London in a show of loyal support for their beloved Cidermen.

They will travel by coach, by car and by train, and the demand for travel from the west country has been so great that coaches have been brought out of mothballs to make the trip up the M4,and Great Western Trains have laid on extra services to cope.

Queuing up to walk through the Grace Gates and enter into the headquarters of the English summer game will be just like being in Taunton market on Saturday morning, there will be so many familiar faces and voices all around.

This year there seems to have been even more interest in the final, and Somerset's allocation of just 4500 tickets were all sold in the space of just a few days and almost as many fans again will have got their tickets direct from Lord's.

Despite Somerset's disappointing form in other competitions they have played their hearts out in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy, and after the breathtaking semi final at Taunton when they snatched victory from defeat, you almost wonder whether the name of Somerset isn't already engraved on the cup for 2002.

Over the years a visit to Lord's for a Somerset final has been the highlight of many supporters summers, and those who made the trip on September 1st 2001 were left with a lasting memory as the Cidermen ended their eighteen year trophy famine with a comfortable victory over Leicestershire to win the first ever Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.

The occasion was made doubly memorable for those who follow the winter game when England trounced Germany 5-0 in the World Cup qualifier later on that same evening.

I was reminded recently of a `good samaritan' story from the first final in 1967 that will be jog a few memories for the parties who were involved.

During the match a fair amount of bonhomie had taken place involving no doubt the consumption of large amounts of local cider that had been transported to Lord's in wooden barrels, which I suspect would not be allowed inside the ground nowadays.

After the match had finished a group of well meaning Somerset supporters discovered a fellow west countryman who had over indulged and who was blissfully unaware of what was going on anymore, so decided to take him into their care.

The well meaning Somerset supporters searched the fellows jacket pockets to ascertain where he came from and discovered that he was from Taunton, so lifted him gently onto their coach and gave him a lift back to his home town.

During the journey the involuntary passenger slept like a baby, but woke with a start when the coach pulled up in Taunton.

Far from being grateful for their act of kindness, the extra passenger told his fellow travellers that he would be in deep trouble and that he had to make his way back to London as soon as possible because he was on his honeymoon and his new wife would be far from happy to discover that he was missing!

I wonder if that involuntary passenger of thirty five years ago managed to get back to London without landing in too much trouble, and whether or not he will be making the return journey tomorrow!

© SOMERSET