Always Look on the Bright Cider Life - The Somerset Cricket Podcast
The Somerset Cricket Podcast
Discussing all things Somerset County Cricket Club and Cider. May include frequent references to the Demon of Frome.
Episodes
The 2026 Men's Golden Apples
Ian Shepherd, Peter Wanless & Anthony Gibson get together to give their nominations for the coveted 'Golden Apples'
The 2026 Women's Golden Apples
Ian Shepherd, Harry Everett, Matt Kingdom, Ben Warren & Dan Kingdom get together to give their nominations for the coveted 'Golden Apples'
I Think It's The Only Time I've Seen A Captain Fist Pump After He's Won The Toss
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to look back on the final game of the season against Surrey, lose count of the many records that were broken in that match, and try to come up with a strategy for pace bowler recruitment over the winter...
The Most Torturous Match I've Ever Followed From Afar
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about the defeat to Yorkshire, which has left a severe dent in Somerset's County Championship ambitions, look ahead to the tactics and surface that might be employed against Surrey, and remember some eerie parallels from 2019...
There's A Particularly Large Moth That's Trying To Get Out Of The Skylight
Ian Shepherd is joined by Ben Warren, Peter Wanless & Anthony Gibson to chat about Somerset Men's emphatic win up at Grace Road, a heart-breaking end to the season for Somerset Women, and make a bold suggestion for the vacant post of Club Chair...
It Just Doesn't Pass The Sniff Test...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to look back on the games against Sussex and Glamorgan in the County Championship, a topsy-turvy few games for Somerset's Women, and wonder just what is going on with the loan system at the moment...
Badger Problems
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless & Anthony Gibson to chat about emphatic wins for both Somerset's Men and Women over Essex, the Women's progression to Final's Day this coming Saturday in the County T20 Knockout Cup, and dream up a perfect scenario for the final game of the season...
The Metro Bank One Day Cup Is Dead, Long Live The County Championship...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Anthony Gibson and special guest Don Topley to reflect on Somerset's defeat in their final ODC game to Lancashire, look ahead to the resumption of the County Championship with the visit of Essex, and reflect approvingly on the signing of Henry Nicholls...
Shut Another Gate And We Can Afford Matt Henry
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Ben Warren & Peter Wanless to catch up the latest batch of Metro Banks, debate possible recruitment for the resumption of the County Championship, and salivate at a possible early return of a Somerset legend to Taunton...
I Actually Swore In Front Of Our President
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Peter Wanless to chat about a chastening weekend for Somerset in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, try and come up with a strategy to win the remaining 3 games, and discuss yet another twitter faux pas from Lord Botham...
The Venn Diagram Of Toms and JTs
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Ben Warren and Peter Wanless to chat about a more than decent start to the Metro Bank ODC campaign, wonder if we can defy the odds and go all the way, and inevitably wade into the soulless quagmire of that other competition...
We Can't Complain... Too Much
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom & Ben Warren to chat about Somerset's semi-final defeat to Northants, discuss the Blast campaign as a whole, and look ahead to some fresh faces joining the squad for the One Day Cup.
It Looks Like Yorkshire Are Off To Final's Day
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Peter Wanless and Anthony Gibson to chat about Craig Overton's extraordinary record-breaking innings in the Blast Quarter-Final at Headingley, mull over the myriad selection dilemmas for Final's Day, and award the first Golden Apple of 2026.
It Would Have Been A Lot Healthier For My Marriage If We'd Lost On Sunday
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless (unfortunately Gibbo beset by technical issues again) to chat about Somerset's incredible return to form in the Blast, look ahead to the Quarter Final up at Headingley on Wednesday, and wonder if Sheps can endure a same-day return drive to Leeds and back without picking up a speeding ticket again...
I'm Pretty Unhappy With Cricket At The Moment...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about a pretty miserable week for Somerset's Men and Women, who both suffered major setbacks in their respective bids for Finals Day qualification.
It's Been A Very Good First Half Of The Season
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless & Anthony Gibson to chat about another extraordinary performance from a depleted Somerset side, delve into the reasons why Craig Overton is enjoying such a successful season, and weigh up how much we want Matt Henry back to lead our charge to the Championship in September...
Wasn't It Nice Not Having A Nervous Monday Afternoon...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock to chat about an incredible win by a stripped to the bone Somerset Men's team up at Trent Bridge, wonder if lightning can strike twice when an even more depleted squad takes to the field against Warwickshire, and purr over Thomas Rew's maiden first-class century...
If You've Got Nothing Constructive To Say, Don't Say Anything...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless and Dan Kingdom to chat about Somerset Men's worst run of T20 form since the inception of this 'ere podcast, Somerset Women's best run of T20 form since the inception of this 'ere podcast, and wonder, when is an injury update not an injury update?
You Talk To Andrew Caddick About Rest And Rotation!
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom and Anthony Gibson to chat about an undefeated start to the Blast campaign for both Somerset's men and women, look ahead to the next batch of games, and wonder what Jacob Bethell might have been up to in order to get home a few days early...
Migael Pretorius's Token Game To Make Sure He's Eligible For Finals Day
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Ben Warren & Peter Wanless to look back at the opening block of Championship game, preview the defence of the Blast, and come up with a new annual must-see event for the club...
Put Your Hand Up, So To Speak, If You've Ever Seen That Before...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Ben Warren & Anthony Gibson to reflect on Somerset Men's loss in Cardiff, discuss the signing of Jordan Hermann, and wonder whether it's a good idea to wind up Craig Overton...
There Will Be A Few More Embarrassing Stories Going Into That Speech...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless and Anthony Gibson to reflect on Somerset Men's first defeat of the season to Yorkshire, look ahead to the trip to Cardiif to take on Glamorgan, and wonder if Tom Abell will be re-writing his best man speech for Dom Bess's upcoming nuptials...
The Reverse Kookaburra Experiment
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock & Dan Kingdom to chat about Somerset Women's emphatic win against Surrey, look ahead to the Men resuming their Championship campaign against Yorkshire at the weekend, and do their best to come up with a solution to the bore draws we saw in Div 1 this week...
The Best 7 That You'll Ever See
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to bask in the glory of Tom Abell's finest hour at the "Insert Sponsor's Name Here" Bowl, celebrate a rejuvenated Somerset Women's perfect start to their season, and wonder if we have Donald Trump, of all people, to thank for all of this early-season success...
Our 5th Happiest Episode Ever...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Ben Warren and Anthony Gibson to chat about Somerset Men's phenomenal win over Essex, Somerset Women's nail-biting triumph over Yorkshire, and debate whether the new replacement system can be transferred to the realm of podcasting...
We Could Potentially Lose Three Players To England
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Peter Wanless and Anthony Gibson to look back on the season-opening draw with champions Nottinghamshire, collectively purr over that game-changing over from Alfie Ogborne, and learn that AI is not always to be relied upon when it comes to cricket statistics...
I Don't Like His Moustache Very Much
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless, Dan Kingdom and Anthony Gibson to look forward to the brand new County Championship season starting on Friday, discuss the signing of just the one overseas bowler (so far) and whether any of our number will throw their hat into the ring as the new Chair...
It Was Never Meant To Be A Long Term Thing
Ian Shepherd takes a trip to the annual SCCC media day and catches up with Craig Overton, Bex Odgers, Emma Corney, Sophie Luff and James Rew, followed by an extended chat with Lewis Gregory ahead of his 2026 Testimonial Season
I'm Not Sure They're Exactly Political Soulmates
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Ben Warren & Anthony Gibson to discuss the current state of the squad, look back at Thomas Rew's excellent winter, and come up with an out-of-the-box idea for spending the H*ndred windfall...
The Perfect Storm.. In The Worst Possible Way
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about the wheels coming off in the RLODC, Lewis Goldsworthy's 2 incredible knocks, and who the 3rd member of the ALOTBCL Only Connect team could be...
The Peasants Have Revolted !
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about the fantastic win over Surrey at the Oval, where Devon Conway will fit into the side, and what Marchant de Lange may or may not have been getting up to with a modified toothbrush
He‘d Stand A Better Chance If He Was A Wyvern... They‘ve Got Bigger Wings
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Anthony Gibson & Ben Warren to look back at a slight improvement in fortunes against Lancashire, a look ahead to T20 Final's Day and discuss the intricate rules of the annual mascot derby
At Least When Donald Trump Goes On A Rant He Uses Punctuation Correctly...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Ben Warren & Anthony Gibson to chat about Somerset's quickfire win over Durham, discuss the social media comments made by the President of Durham, and reflect on another successful Vitality Blast group stage campaign...
Freed From The Shackles Of Gloucestershire
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock & Dan Kingdom to chat about a second consecutive County Championship win for the men, look ahead to a crucial fixture up at Chester-Le-Street, and wonder if Mr and Mrs Rew might be getting a sternly-worded letter in the post soon...
You Could Turn The Thatcher's Terrace Into A Member's Bar...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Peter Wanless and Anthony Gibson to chat about all the goings-on at Somerset CCC since the end of the season...
The 2024 Golden Apples
Ian Shepherd, Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson get together for the final time this season to give their nominations for the coveted 'Golden Apples'
Miggy P's Gap Year
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock & Anthony Gibson (eventually) to chat about the climax to the Blast campaign, how we can best handle the crop of young bowlers pushing for selection, and reveal what Miggy P *might* be up to in the next few weeks....
Torquay vs Exeter and Devon vs Cornwall...
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Anthony Gibson & special guest Don Topley to chat about Somerset's Men securing a berth in the Vitality Blast Quarter Finals with an emphatic win over Essex, Somerset's Women breaking their duck in the same competition with a victory over the Eagles' Women, and wonder what the stakes could be when the two sides meet in the final match of the County Championship season...
Hideous To Watch But Incredibly Effective
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about the defeat to Sussex, look ahead to another difficult trip to the *Insert Sponsor's Name Here* Bowl, and wonder just what has happened to Somerset's away form over the last few years...
Tom Curran's Victory Nandos
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom to chat on the utterly incredible County Championship win over Surrey, look forward to putting ourselves through the wringer again on Finals Day, and reluctantly appoint Don Topley as the new official mascot of Somerset CCC...
That Extra Few Inches Can Make All The Difference
Ian Shepherd is joined by Ben Warren & Steve Tancock to chat about the fantastic win over Durham, look ahead to a chocker September starting with the Blast Quarter-Final at Northants, and who will have bragging rights around the Vaughan Christmas Dinner Table this year....
On A West Coast Swing
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about the opening round of Blast games, discuss a few things that don't quite add up about that other competition, and relive their earliest memories of Taunton...
Tom Curran Is An Absolute....
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Harry Everett, Ben Warren, Peter Wanless and Anthony Gibson to chat about the unprecedented amount of good news for Somerset CCC in the last month, with the obvious exception of Tom Abell standing down as skipper, and crown the 3rd annual ALOTBCL Xmas Quiz Champion...
The Ben Green Slip Cordon - Part 2
Part 2
A Panama Hat Is Rather More My Style
Ian Shepherd is joined by Peter Wanless, Anthony Gibson & Special Guest Sophie Luff to talk about Somerset maintaining their 100% record in the Blast, look ahead to the resumption of the Championship at Chelmsford and wonder if there will be anybody left at Taunton to play in the One Day Cup...
It's The Third Day And I'm Beginning To Feel The Strain
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Anthony Gibson & Chris Lintott to chat about the incredible T20 win over Lancashire, look ahead to the resumption of the County Championship, and say a collective "we told you so" to the England selectors about Craig Overton...
Thank You Hildy
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Anthony Gibson & Peter Wanless to reflect on the extraordinary career of James Hildreth, look back at the latest batch of RLODC games, and try to decide which ciders we're most looking forward to sampling on Friday night...
I Really Object To Multinational Brewers Capitalising On The Name Of Somerset
Ian Shepherd is joined by Steve Tancock, Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to look ahead to Thursday's local derby against that lot from up the road, review Somerset Women's T20 finals day, and give their thoughts on the signing of Rilee Rossouw...
According To Reports He’s Calmed Down A Bit
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom & Anthony Gibson to chat about the signings of Matt Renshaw & Peter Siddle, the recently released 2022 fixtures and whether Ian Ward deserves to join "The List"
One Fewer Competition Would Make The Task A Bit Easier
Ian Shepherd is joined by Dan Kingdom, Anthony Gibson, Peter Wanless & Ben Warren to chat about the missing 2022 fixture list, Jack Leach's horrendous treatment by England, and crown the first annual ALOTBCL Quiz Champion...