FORMER Somerset head of stength & conditioning, Joel Tratt, has said no matter where he goes he will always be a Somerset fan.
Joel left his role recently to move to Australia but before he left he shared his thoughts on his time at the club with somersetcountycc.co.uk.
He grew up in Barrington, where he went to the village school before moving to Swanmead in Ilminster and then Wadham in Crewkerne.
“My parents and my granddad brought me to watch Somerset when I was very young,” he began. “I was always a Somerset fan through school and I played cricket locally for Barrington, North Perrott and then Chard. I went off to university at Worcester, but I always came back in the summer to play cricket and watch Somerset play with my mates.”
When he finished university, Joel came to the Cooper Associates County Ground to become an intern with Somerset in 2012, working alongside Darren Veness, the then head of strength & conditioning, and Ian Brewer, Somerset’s former lead physio.
“I finished my course and sent Daz a message on twitter seeking some advice about how to progress in the industry,” he explained. “He asked me to come in for a chat and that led to me getting the internship. That was 10 years ago.
“It’s been a hard decision to leave Somerset because I’ve loved every minute of my time here. It’s been fantastic. It’s hard to put into words what it is that this place does to you and the way it engrains itself into you.
“Being involved with Somerset is so much more than a job. Its’ a way of life and the group of people you spend a huge amount of time with are your work colleagues, but they are much more than that."
Joel added that: “Somerset CCC is really a unique place, and when I chat to people at other clubs and in other sports it’s hard to explain what creates that feeling.
“As someone who has grown up locally, it’s about getting that and respecting that. For all involved, the motivation is to make everyone in the county and in the South West proud of Somerset County Cricket Club.
“Wherever I go and whatever I do in the future, I will always be a Somerset supporter.”
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