SOMERSET Women are currently in the midst of a fixture hiatus due to The Hundred. However for those not involved in the competition, training has continued apace and the players have been playing a good deal of cricket as head coach Erin Osborne explained .

“After the chaotic Vitality Blast it’s been a good little reset for the squad, and those not involved in The Hundred have been playing a fair bit of Academy cricket this month. They’ve also been training and working on a few areas that they’ve identified ahead of our return to 50-over cricket.

Does Erin think that competing in The Hundred will be beneficial to those involved? “It’s an amazing experience and opportunity for those girls who have picked up a Hundred gig. I think being in a new environment around new coaches and hearing new information is always a positive thing.

“The players’ ability to filter out what works for them is a really important skill that they’re going to need to learn because I think we’re going to have more players involved in franchise cricket moving forward. Also, to mix with some of the best players in the world will definitely be beneficial to them because our players are brave enough to ask questions.

How is Erin planning to ensure the Somerset team hit the ground running when they return to Metro Bank One Day Cup action later this month?

“I think it’s about getting everyone back in and reminding them of the things that they were doing really well before the break. Those who have been involved with The Hundred will bring back the skills that they have learnt from that, while the girls who stayed have played a lot of Academy cricket. So, it’s just about picking up the things that we’ve learned through this period and implementing that in the 50-over format.

“We’ve played some really good cricket this year in the competition. We’ve learned a lot and we just need to keep on backing each other to do the job.”

Somerset will be without Anika Learoyd for the remainder of the season, which presents a chance for someone to step up.

“I think it’s really hard to replace the numbers and the experience that she brought into our team. But it presents a great opportunity for someone else to take on that role. We’ve got Emma Corny coming back from a really long rehab stint and she’s been playing a few games, which has been super exciting. So, it might be an opportunity for her to come in and do a job.

“I’ve been impressed with how Emma’s approached things. It’s been like a rollercoaster for her but she’s managed to pick herself up and continue to come back .

“We’re going to keep on playing a really upbeat, positive brand of cricket. Any opportunity we get to progress a game, we’ll look to do so. I really don’t think there’ll be too big of a shift from T20 to 50-over cricket. I just want our girls to go out and attack the game.”

Somerset Women return to action on Wednesday, August 19, against Essex away, followed by the T20 Women’s County Cup quarter-final against Hampshire Hawks at Utilita Bowl Nursery Ground, before they return home to face Durham tin the Metro Bank on August 26.