THE Somerset men’s and women’s teams will be heading to the UAE next month as part of their pre-season preparations, which will involve training and matches in a bid to ensure they are all set to go when the 2025 cricket season begins.

Somerset Women will be going to Sharjah at the end of March, while the men will head to Abu Dhabi in mid-March.

Women’s head coach Trevor Griffin said: “We’ll be away for about 10 days and it’s a great opportunity to be able to get out on some grass so we can get some miles in the legs for the bowlers and allow the batters some time out in the middle.

“We went over there last year with Western Storm and it’s a great facility which will certainly enable us to do what we want to do. It’s a great venue and everyone’s looking forward to it.

“The indoor facilities at the Cooper Associates County Ground are great, but nothing beats getting outside onto some grass. We’re going slightly later than we have done in the past because the English weather can be unpredictable in April.

This means that we’ll be able to transition our skills straight back out onto the grass in England when we get back rather than having to go back indoors again.

“It’s not just about the cricket. Spending time together and creating bonds within the group is so important. Although the majority of the group have been training in Taunton this winter, we’ve had several playing overseas, so this will be the first real opportunity for us to get the vast majority of the squad together. It’s so important to build those relationships and get to know each other’s game in a bit more detail.

“We’ll also be able to spend some time away from the park and discuss how we want to play and bring everything that we’ve been working on over the winter together. Hopefully, it will mean that we can hit the ground running when it comes to that first game.”

Jason Kerr, the men’s head coach, added: “It’s been an incredibly productive winter so far, the guys have worked really hard , and we’ve also seen those who are overseas performing well. This trip gives us the chance to get everyone together as a full squad for the first time in a while.

“There’s always an amazing feeling when you get the whole group back together and it gives us the opportunity to reset and share the vision of what we’re trying to achieve during the summer. We also have the opportunity to hone our skills on grass as well as doing plenty of fitness work.

“We’ll be focusing on white ball cricket during the first part of the trip and there will be a few competitive games, and the second part will be red ball focused with a match against another First Class County before we come home.”

Jason added: “You can’t put a price on being able to get out on grass ahead of the season. Like Trevor said, it’s not just about the cricket. It’s about getting people back together and focusing on those collective goals ahead of what could be an incredibly exciting summer for the Club.”