THE Somerset director of cricket, Brian Rose, reckons that his team’s humiliating defeat by Warwickshire could be just the wake up call that the side needed, writes Richard Walsh.

The Cidermen crashed to an innings and 382-run defeat — their heaviest for over 100 years — at the hands of Warwickshire in their opening championship match of the season at the County Ground.

This was the sixth biggest margin of defeat in the history of the county championship and Somerset’s heaviest defeat since 1895. The Cidermen’s second innings total of 50 all out in 88 balls equalled their lowest-ever against Warwickshire that was previously set in 1951 at Edgbaston.

And Rose said: “We didn't want to start in the way that we did, but in context of the whole season that result may just give us the jolt that we need in terms of expectation and the performance levels we need to get to.

"I think that Warwickshire got all of the basics right throughout the game and outperformed us with bat and ball on a good cricket wicket.

“There are no excuses from our team because we were just out performed."

Rose added: "Over the course of the next few weeks I don't expect our team to perform like that again because there is too much talent in our team for us just to lie down in successive weeks.”

Somerset are currently in four day action against Lancashire at Liverpool after which the Cidermen turn their attention to CB40 when they play Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Easter Sunday, another game that is going to be a tough test for last season's runners up.

Somerset then travel to face Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in the LV=Championship starting on Wednesday.

Skipper Marcus Trescothick made no excuses about Somerset’s opening match disaster.

“I don’t really know quite what to say about that,” he said. “I am just a little bit baffled like most people are, to see 12 wickets got down in the morning session here at Taunton. I have never seen it happen in my 18 years.”