The square at the County Ground is ideal for producing good cricket pitches, and that's official.

Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me: "As is well known, and borne out by Phil Frost winning the prestigious Groundsman of the Year Award for a record breaking number of times, Taunton has a very good square which produces good pitches.

"The ECB were interested to find out why this was the case and a report from the Cranfield Centre for Sports Services has submitted an excellent soil analysis. This shows that the square has an ideal mix of 34% sand, 40% silt and 26% clay, and this texture is ideal for cricket pitches.

"The square is low in organic matter which means that it is good for compaction, and the subsoil forms a solid base for pitches prepared on it."

Last summer four pitches were monitored by the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, and they were interested in the fact that a high proportion of wickets that fell at Taunton were caught.

"One of the reasons for this is that the bounce at Taunton is good and consistent with good pace," Mr. Anderson explained.

"Phil Frost knows his square and his technique of playing on grassy pitches within the regulations with slight moisture to begin with clearly produces good cricket wickets."

© SOMERSET