Somerset look set to miss out again, but the future's bright, the future's cider.

With another rain effected draw at the County Ground against Durham, that elusive first County Championship title looks like it will remain out of reach of Somerset and their captain Marcus Trescothick. After days two and three were completely washed out, with August's erratic weather taking its toll, all that was left to do was for Trescothick to declare on 400-6 so he picked up the final batting bonus point, but there was never the prospect of a positive result which would have helped the Cidermen put pressure on Nottinghamshire at the top of the Division One table. Half centuries from Zander de Bruyn and Craig Kieswetter were never going to be enough to tip the balance of the match in Somerset's favour, and for now at least, the runners-up spot they achieved in 2001, with the likes of Andy Caddick, Richard Johnson and Tasmanian captain Jamie Cox being the mainstays, looks like being the best performance to date.
The draw against Durham left Somerset 16 points behind Notts, having played a game more with just two Championship games to go as opposed to Notts who have three games left. But it would be unwise to get to despondent, because this young team have had a marvellous season and have bright times ahead of them, especially with the wise old head of Trescothick at the helm (and the former England opener is still at the top of his game with the bat). It would take a minor miracle to dislodge Notts at the top of the table before the end of the season, and too many draws (half of their 14 games) will cost them in the final reckoning).
However, Somerset have shown good form and adaptability in all forms of the game this season. They were involved in one of the most thrilling finishes to a cricket match in any form of the game in the Twenty20 final, but unfortunately came out on the wrong end of the result - a scrambled leg bye of the last ball of the match meant they lost to Hampshire courtesy of losing one more wicker. Who knows how different the outcome could have been if Somerset's talismanic all-rounder Kai Pollard wasn't injured in the final, ruling him out of bowling a ball in Hampshire's innings. Trescothick himself said, 'we're a bit sore from losing and I think this will stick with us for a while.'
There is still the prospect of a trophy, with a semi-final berth in the Pro40 league looking a probability rather than a possibility. They lost their last game, a rain effected defeat by the Duckworth-Lewis system at Horsham to Sussex after eight straight wins, and won win from their final three group games should be enough to qualify for the last four.
So even if Somerset don't claim their first trophy since the Twenty20 win in 2005, this season should be seen as a work in progress, and something to build on. There are a number of promising young players at the club who give a good balance, no more so than Craig Kieswetter, the England one day wicket-keeper who is still only 23. The Cape Town born player has been a bit hit and miss this season with the bat, but if he shows a bit more patience and hones his talent, he definitely has a bright future ahead of him, but he needs to improve his batting on the off-side if he is going to push for the Test squad.
The player who has really got tongues wagging at the County Ground in the past season has been young wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler. He has concentrated on his batting this season while Kieswetter has donned the gloves, but took on keeping responsibilities to good effect while Kieswetter has played for England in the Twenty20 World Cup and in the subsequent one day series. His top score in the Championship this season is 144 in his fourth match against Hampshire, and his captain has been impressed by his contribution to the one day batting line-up, following his man of the match performance in the semi-final of the Twenty20 against Notts and a match winning unbeaten 64 off 37 balls in the Pro40 win over Lancashire two days later: 'the one-day format has been a real speciality for him. And he's continuing to do it which is a big help for us.' At just 19, the former Kings College student would hope to be knocking on the door for international recognition in the next few seasons.
When you factor in the likes of middle order batsman James Hildreth (perhaps still best known for his controversial running-out of Australia captain in the fourth test of the 2005 Ashes win when on the field as 12th man), but he is still only 25 and adds a great deal of stability to Somerset's batting order, and he is ranked as the seventh most valuable player in the County Championship this season: and young spinners, homegrown leg-spinner Max Waller and George Dockrell, a promising 18-year-old off-spinner imported from Ireland, then it is easy to see why Director of Cricket Brian Rose and coach Andy Hurry are so optimistic.
The likes of Trescothick, Alfonso Thomas and Zander de Bruyn will be crucial in the development of these young players, and ensuring that a promising young squad becomes a winning squad. And the most important virtue - well that will definitely be patience!