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Fran was born in Surrey, but was living in Wiltshire when she first picked-up a cricket bat.

Fran excelled in the Somerset Youth teams, and hence earned her place in the Somerset Women’s County 1st team in 2006. Fran is a technically adept middle order bat, and an excellent fielder.

Following a fantastic season with the bat in the County Championships in 2010 for Somerset, she was selected for the England Squad in 2011. However a difficult start in International Cricket led to a period in the England Academy, before being selected again as a regular for the England team in 2015.

Fran left Somerset in 2015 to play for Middlesex in the County Championship Div 1, and then moved onto play for Kent in 2020

Born in Sussex. Caroline played most of her County Cricket for Sussex (1996-2012), and briefly joined Somerset in 2013.

In the longer forms of cricket Caroline was a solid and consistent opening bat, but often played a middle-order stabilising and finisher-role in T20s.

Born in Bath, Somerset, Anya showed prodigious talent at youth level with bat and ball, although latterly has become best known for her swing bowling.

Anya was the first girl to join the Somerset Cricket Academy, at aged 13. She was called into the England Academy squad in 2007. She swiftly made her England International debut the following season, aged 16.

Anya was the first girl to join the Somerset Cricket Academy, at aged 13. She was called into the England Academy squad in 2007. She swiftly made her England International debut the following season, aged 16.  

Ian Terence Botham. Hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game, Ian Botham represented England in both Test and One-Day International cricket. He played most of his first-class cricket for Somerset, and has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017.

For far greater detail see his full biography here.

Brian Charles Rose (born 4 June 1950) was educated at Weston-super-Mare Grammar School for Boys and trained as a teacher before pursuing a successful county career with Somerset. He succeeded Brian Close as captain in 1978, and he led the county to their first ever trophies, the Gillette Cup and the John Player League, in 1979. The include world-class match winners in Ian Botham, Viv Richards and Joel Garner, county professionals and keen youngsters.

Brian made that infamous decision to declare Somerset’s innings closed in a 1979 Benson and Hedges Cup zonal match after one over, to ensure their progress through the group on run-rate. While within the rules, Somerset were ejected from the competition for bringing the game into disrepute, and Rose was condemned in the press.

In 270 first-class matches he scored 13,236 runs at 33.25 with a career best of 205. He resumed teaching after retiring from the first-class game, but maintained his involvement with Somerset. A past Chairman of Cricket, he became the Director of Cricket at Taunton, but stood down at the end of the 2012 season.

Dennis Brian Close, CBE (24 February 1931 – 13 September 2015) was the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked to play against New Zealand in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England, captaining them seven times to six wins and one drawn test. Close also captained Yorkshire and I later went on to captain Somerset, where he is widely credited with developing the county into a hard-playing team, and helping to mould Viv Richards and Ian Botham into the successful players they became.

Roy Cosmo Kerslake (born 26 December 1942, Paignton, Devon) is a former English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and Somerset and captained Somerset for one season in 1968. More recently he has served as president of Somerset County Cricket Club from 2004 to 2015.

In 1961, he played for Somerset’s second eleven in the Minor Counties that season, being part of the team that won the Minor Counties Championship for the first time.

In August 1962, he played for six times for Somerset’s first team, batting middle-order batsman, but did not bowl.

Roy played for Cambridge in the first half of the 1964 season and in  the second half of the season, he again played regularly for Somerset. His best bowling figures, six for 83 were against Hampshire at Bournemouth.

Colin Ronald Michael Atkinson CBE (23 July 1931 – 25 June 1991) was an English first-class cricketer, schoolmaster and the headmaster of Millfield School.

He played from 1951 to 1958 for Northumberland and Durham, then also a Minor County, and appeared for the Minor Counties representative side in the first-class match against the Indian touring side, his first first-class appearance.

Having joined the staff at Millfield, he was approached to join Somerset for the 1960 season, the new captain at Somerset that season being, like Atkinson, a Teessider, Harold Stephenson. In 1960, He only appeared in the school holidays, and took his first five-wicket haul, five for 56, against Kent at Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare.

In the following two seasons, released from his school duties for the summer terms, he played almost all matches for Somerset. He was awarded his county cap in 1961 and made his first half-centuries in 1962. His seven wickets for 54 runs against Gloucestershire at the County Ground, Taunton in 1962 remained his best bowling performance.

Harold William Stephenson (18 July 1920 – 23 April 2008) was an English first class cricketer who played for Somerset, who captained Somerset from 1960 until his retirement in 1964.

Harold Stephenson is the most successful wicket-keeper in history for Somerset, and is the county’s only cricketer to have taken 1000 dismissals. He also holds the county record for the most stumpings in a season as well as most catches in a season.

He joined Somerset for the 1948 season, but played in only eight matches. He kept wicket in only two of them, and was used mostly as an opening batsman, not with any great success.

The following season, however, he succeeded the long-serving Wally Luckes as the regular wicketkeeper and, despite missing half a dozen matches, he set a new county record for dismissals, with 39 catches and 44 stumpings.

The 1949 season set the pattern for Stephenson, he was at or near the top of the wicketkeepers’ lists for dismissals for the next decade, setting the Somerset record with 86 dismissals in 1954.

Stuart Scott Rogers (18 March 1923 – 6 November 1969) played first-class cricket for Somerset and captained the side from 1950 to 1952.

After one first-class appearance in India in 1946–47, he joined Somerset as an amateur player in 1948, appearing in seven matches but making little impact.

At the end of the 1949 season, George Woodhouse, the Somerset captain, retired to the family brewery business. Somerset, who had struggled through 1948 under a series of temporary captains, were not keen to repeat the experience. Rogers was the only available amateur willing to commit to a full season, and was duly appointed captain for 1950.

Rogers captained Somerset for three seasons of mixed fortunes. The 1950 season saw the side finish equal seventh in the Championship, and eight victories were exceeded by only three teams

George Edward Sealy Woodhouse (15 February 1924 – 19 January 1988) had two careers: one as a cricketer for Somerset and Dorset, the second as the chairman from 1962 to his death of the family brewing company Hall and Woodhouse. As a cricketer, he was known as George Woodhouse; as a businessman, he was known as Edward Woodhouse.

Woodhouse was a right-handed middle-order batsman, a very occasional medium-pace bowler and, once in his first-class career, a wicketkeeper. He played a couple of times for Somerset in 1946, and then fairly regularly in both 1947 and 1948, winning his county cap in 1947 after an innings of 109 against Leicestershire which proved to be his only first-class century.

In 1948, Somerset struggled to find a full-time captain, and Woodhouse officially shared the job with Mandy Mitchell-Innes and Jake Seamer, though at least two other players captained the side for occasional matches. In 1949, Woodhouse took over the captaincy full-time and played his only full season of cricket: he made 849 runs, though his highest score was only 59, at an average just below 20 runs an innings. He led the team to equal ninth in the County Championship table, and only three matches all season were drawn. But at the end of the season he stepped down to go into the family business, and he played only a few more times in first-class cricket, finally finishing in 1953.

John Wemyss “Jake” Seamer (23 June 1913 – 16 April 2006) was a right-handed batsman who played for Oxford University and Somerset either side of the Second World War.

Seamer joined the Sudan Political Service, which limited his first-class cricket appearances to periods of leave. He was named as one of three amateurs to captain Somerset in 1948, leading the team during June and July. That season was his last for Somerset, and he made only one further first-class appearance.

During his time at Oxford, Seamer had become good friends with Mitchell-Innes; the pair both attended the same college, and played together for both the university and Somerset.

Seamer did not appear again for Somerset after his period as captain in 1948. In total for the county, he scored 1,405 runs at an average of 15.61. He made his final first-class appearance the following season, appearing for the Free Foresters against Oxford University.

Norman Stewart “Mandy” Mitchell-Innes (7 September 1914 – 28 December 2006) was an amateur cricketer for Somerset, who played in one Test match for England in 1935. Between 1931 and 1949 Mitchell-Innes played 132 first-class matches, appearing 69 times for Somerset, and 43 times for Oxford University. He made his debut for Somerset while he was still a schoolboy at the now, Lancashire CCC, out ground Sedbergh School in 1931.

Mitchell-Innes was named as one of three captains of Somerset in 1948. Jack Meyer had reluctantly captained the side in 1947, but stepped down at the end of the season: he was having problems with his sight, and required daily painkillers for lumbago. There was no obvious replacement for Meyer; like many counties Somerset would not consider having a professional captain, and finding an amateur with the time and money to lead the side was proving troublesome. 

When Mitchell-Innes left the team for the Sudan, they were bottom of the County Championship with no points; they finished the season 12th of 17 after collecting 92 points, including five wins. Batting was identified as Somerset’s weakest area in both 1947 and 1948; Mitchell-Innes’ batting average of 22.20 placed him sixth in the county averages in 1948.

Date of Birth: 30/07/2001

Where from: Somerset 

How you started playing: I grew up playing cricket in the garden with my brothers, and then had the opportunity to start at school too 

Start date: I began at the age of 12 in the U13’s team 

Successes: Playing at the Somerset County ground was a great experience for everyone  

2022 players player.

Club: Loughborough University and Broadway & Horton Cricket Club
Batting style: Right handed batter
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Occupation: Student at Loughborough university – biological sciences
Best cricket achievement: Playing England ladies for a warm up match prior to the 2017 home World Cup

Born in South Wales. Steph was a gifted batter, and all-rounder. She was a prolific runs scorer when playing for Girls Somerset youth teams. She progressed seamlessly into the England Academy set-up, and was selected in the England Academy squad that were to participate in the European Championships, in 2005. Teammates in that squad were Laura Marsh, Holly Colvin and Sarah Taylor.

Audio Version here

Laura was born in Plymouth. She played for Cornwall boys in her youth, and was selected for an England U15 boys trial.

Laura was a talented tall spin-bowling all-rounder. Laura made her England debut, aged 16, in an ODI series versus South Africa. And she played in the ODI World Cup in New Zealand in 2000.

Born in Plymouth, Devon. Jackie was a diminutive but energetic bowler, middle order all-rounder, and an excellent fielder; frequently topping the fielding charts for Somerset.

In 1998 she captained England U17s, and was then selected in the U21 squad to tour South Africa in the same year.  She made her England debut in 1999 against the Netherlands.

Her only test match appearance came against India in Lucknow, during 2002.

Born in South Wales. Hannah was selected for the England U17, U21 and U23 sides before making he debut for the full England side against the Netherlands in 1999.

Hannah was a genuine all-rounder, batting in the top order, and more than useful with the ball. She captained Somerset between 2002-08.

Hannah’s father was Barry Lloyd who played for Glamorgan in the 1970/80’s

Audio version here

Date of Birth: 17 May 1976.

Where from: Bristol

How you started playing: Played at my local club Congresbury and then joined Somerset Wanderers when I was 14.

Start date- End date at Somerset – I represented the West (which preceded Somerset) from 1991 – 1999, Somerset was then our county and I played 2000 -2003 and was Captain for the first season 2000-2001

International performances – 3 England Caps

Did you Captain? I was the England U21 Captain, Somerset Wanderers Captain, Somerset Captain

Other Counties Played for – none

Rollo John Oliver (Jack) Meyer (15 March 1905 – 9 March 1991) founded Millfield School (1935) and was also an all-round sportsman who played cricket at first-class level in both England and in India. He died in Bristol on 9th March 1991.

The later stage of Meyer’s cricket career began after his return to England to set up Millfield School in Somerset. From the 1936 season, he played for  Somerset, almost always those in the second half of the season when the school term had ended and, with rare exceptions, those played at home. In these games, he played as an all-rounder, his batting having improved significantly since his Cambridge days. Against Lancashire at Taunton in the last match of the 1936 season, he scored his maiden century, an undefeated 202, scored in 225 minutes. As a bowler, he managed at least one five-wicket innings haul in each of the four seasons running up to the Second World War.

Jan moved to Somerset in 1993, after being part of the women’s England team that won the World Cup and when my her Husband got a job at Westland Helicopters in Yeovil.

Whilst starting a family, she continued to coach and still play club cricket for Somerset Wanderers Ladies C.C.