Head of injury prevention Darren Veness paid tribute to the dedication of the Somerset players after they all underwent rigorous fitness tests at the County Ground on Monday.

He told me: "The boys all deserve a lot of credit for the hard work that they have put in during the winter months. Overall there have been some massive improvements. Everybody has done exceptionally well, and it's impossible to single any one of the players out.

"At the moment we are working hard on explosive training exercises, which is a vitally important part of the modern game, and we feel that we have got a head start.

"We have got a squad who will give that bit extra, which makes all the difference and when they are in a competitive game situation they will push that bit harder."

Today the players have been at the County Ground working in the Centre of Excellence, whilst tomorrow they travel over to make use of the extensive facilities at Millfield School at Street.

Next week there is another varied and challenging programme of activities for the players to follow.

Darren concluded: "The first two weeks back in training Fitness Instructor Andy Hurry and myself have devised the programme which is essentially fitness-based. After that Kevin Shine and Mark Garaway will take over in the lead up to the first game on April 24th, when we want the players to be really up for it and ready to go."

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