Somerset Chairman Andy Nash has declared himself delighted with the proposals put forward by the ECB which will see the introduction of a new Twenty20 English Premier League from 2010, but will also retain the current Championship structure which has driven standards up in the domestic game.

"I should like to acknowledge the excellent and unstinting work carried out by our management team at Somerset and also by our colleagues at the ECB and other counties, which has given rise to the changes in the domestic game announced yesterday. Finding the right mix of tournaments has not been easy - a bit like solving a rubiks cube. We look forward to making the most of the terrific opportunities created by these changes".

Andy Nash was speaking after a get together of County Chairmen at Lords, when the issues were discussed prior to the announcement.

"As a club we now know what challenges lie ahead of us in 2010, and we must ensure that we continue to be competitive in all forms of the game.  Finances are likely to be ever more important, with the larger test match counties able to play to capacity grounds that generate huge gate receipts.  However, Somerset has been far from idle over recent years and our redeveloped facilities will come on stream in time for us to take full advantage of the opportunities that are now offered by more Twenty20"

The redevelopment project currently underway will increase the permanent capacity of Taunton from 4,800 to 6,500 - with the ability to increase to circa 9,000 by using temporary seats.  This summer all five of Somerset's home Twenty20 matches were sold out in advance.