VOICE FROM THE FLAGPOLE ... On his first class debut, brand new contributor to the matchday programme, a certain Tractor Driver looks forward to the new season and announces today's lucky number.

Welcome everyone to another season at our beautiful county ground.

What's changed? Trees on both sides of the ground have had short back & sides, or perhaps more correctly, they've been totally decapitated. There's a new moving scoreboard at the Sir Viv gates, although I can't get too emotional about it myself. Despite its capability of moving text, it would be a distraction to the traffic, so it will remain static (just like the traffic itself). We have a superstar Aussie to assist us with our push for promotion in all competitions. It's unfortunate he is unable to play in some games this season, but I understand that during his absence his mate called Something-or-other Ponting will take over.

Derby were our last visitors in the NCL 2003 season when they stole victory by 2 wickets with a ball to spare, Dominic Cork having taken 3 wickets and Michael DiVenuto scoring a quick ton. Alice-banded Cork has since moved to Lancs, and DiVenuto has suffered a back injury so will not feature today.

Somerset are without Marcus Trescothick, Ian Blackwell, and the new lad Ponting (all have international commitments), but we can select a bowling attack from Caddick, Johnson, McLean and Francis. Steffan Jones has moved on to pastures new at Northants, and I'm sure we all wish him well except in any games he plays against Somerset. On paper this should be a nice way for Somerset to kick-start their NCL season bagging all the points, but similar bits of paper blew away last season, so let's not down our pints before they've been poured.

After last year's Derby game, Somerset travelled to Hove and scored a mightily impressive 377 winning by a massive 191 runs. If we can just keep that momentum going (it was only 7 months ago) I'm sure we'll do well. After the Sussex game, we travelled abroad to Guernsey for a charity game against Kent which Somerset narrowly lost. That was a bit of a blow 'cos the winners return to Guernsey at the end of this season, but we didn't, so we aint!

There's another trip abroad, up to Bonnie Scotland, in a couple of weeks (hopefully to see more than 15 overs a side this year), so get your passports up-to-date and your flights booked, but leave the sun-cream at home! It was f-f-f-freezing last year!

Quick competition: Who scored a blisteringly fast ton for Somerset in that last game against Sussex? Write your answers on a paper napkin, freely available from The Hungry End with any pasty purchase, fold it over and mark it "The Ian Blackwell blisteringly fast ton for Somerset competition" and pop it in the nearest litter bin. The first correct one drawn at random from the council tip by Bert the seagull wins another paper napkin (pasty not included).

What do I want this season? I want us to compete on equal terms. I want us to commit to each game as though lives depended on it. I don't want silly rules to apply where none have applied before. I want mobile phones destroyed at birth (except mine). I want Somerset to win. I want a Blackthorn!
Today's Lucky number: 3, Lucky colour: maroon, Lucky wool: no. 50gm. ball of moss green double-knit, far superior to that single-knit rubbish.

Switch off that mobile phone, grab a drink and a pasty, sit down (no really, SIT DOWN!), relax and enjoy another season of the beautiful game.

COME ON SOMERSET!!!