SOMERSET'S failure to reach the final stages of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, was hardly surprising as they lost the majority of their first team squad to the money orientated Hundred competition, writes Merv Colenutt.

You have to ask the question, how long will the Metro Bank go on supporting a one day competition in it’s present format.

The ECB certainly appear to be favouring any money making format of the game and the genuine supporters of the game have to either accept that money is the key to success or just lose interst in a sport that so many thousands have supported over the years.

It was strange walking into the County Ground at Taunton on Sunday with so many loyal supporters in the ground, despite the fact that Somerset second string had once again failed in this years competition, but despite the vocal support of the Welsh supporters supporting their Glamorgan side, my first thoughts were, those fans are at least supporting their own first team players.

However the Somerset supporters were once again hoping that some of these second eleven and Acadamy players would hold up the tradition of outstanding talented players coming through the Somerset County Cricket Club ranks, so what have we learn’t from those up and coming starlets or even those more established.

The biggest turnaround in fortunes has without doubt been the form of Andy Umeed with the bat, I doubt if any one player in a season has gone from being another player who doesn’t have the ability to make the grade in white or red ball cricket, to becoming the most important cog in the Somerset wheel in the 50 over competition.

Also his leg spin had at one stage along with Lewis Goldsworthy looked as though when both bowlers were in spin tandem together, Somerset in the space of ten overs looked as though they could change the course of the game in their favour late on.

Umeed has shown in this competition he has immense talent and his century earlier in the day was of the highest quality.

Lewis Goldsworthy again I thought made a huge contribution in the game with both bat and ball and you wonder what more he needs to do to cement down a place in the county championship side.

Major concerns however continue to hang with the young quick bowlers, especially Ned Leonard who I believe is the most talented of the quicks, nice action, but I wish someone could tell me why on a flat Taunton wicket, where the ball needs to be pitched up, Leonard bowls far too many short deliveries and ultimately gets punished, yet when he pitches the ball up on a good length, he looks a dangerous prospect.

Next week I will be chatting to members of the general public about their views on the state of English cricket and it’s fixtures between March and the end of September, I have to say for the majority of cricket lovers and not the money makers, the purists of the game are being treated so poorly for their financial input into the county game.