Marcus Trescothick stays on at Somerset as assistant coach

Marcus Trescothick will continue his 27-year association with Somerset after being unveiled as a full-time assistant coach.

Trescothick, 43, made his Somerset debut in 1993, and retired from the playing staff at the end of the 2019 season, in which he made a final appearance as a substitute fielder during the club's defeat in their Championship showdown against Essex at Taunton.

He retired with a raft of club records, including the most first-class centuries (52) and the most List A runs (7374), and he also took a record 445 first-class catches in his lengthy career.

He has now signed a two-year contract to become a fulltime Assistant Coach. His primary duty will be to assist the Second XI Head Coach, Greg Kennis, and work on the development of players who are hoping to establish themselves within the First XI.

"I'm absolutely over the moon to have the opportunity to join the coaching set-up here at the Club and I can't wait to get my teeth in to it," said Trescothick.

"I spent some time in and around the Second XI last season, so I've already spent some quality time with the younger players who have just come into the squad. To think that you might be able to help progress someone's career is a great feeling and it's something that I'm really looking forward to.

"We have a great coaching set-up and I've obviously had the opportunity to tap into the expertise of the current coaches. I also did some work with England last year and hopefully I can use some of that knowledge to help benefit the club over the next few years."

Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry, said that "the name Marcus Trescothick is synonymous with Somerset Cricket", and added that he would be given opportunities to work with the first XI in the course of the 2020 season, to pass on the experience gleaned from a hugely successful career that included 76 Tests and 123 ODIs between 2000 and 2006.

"His knowledge of the game and what it means to represent this club are a valuable asset and one that we are delighted that we will be able to continue to tap in to," said Hurry.

"Within his job specification there will also be periodic opportunities during the summer for him to support the needs of those players within the current First XI environment.

"During the winter he will work alongside the club's coaches to help to advance our players development. He will also work on all facets of the development of our cricketers both on and off the field."

Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: "Myself and Andy Hurry have spent a long time looking at the structure of the club and discussing how we can best support the players. To be able to add someone like Marcus, with all of his experience, to the support staff is really exciting for us. What is great for us is that his coaching journey is in its infancy and he's really hungry to learn.

"Any decision like this is made with the best interests of the club in mind. We are excited to be aiding his coaching development and we will certainly be tapping into his knowledge to help support our young players.

"The calibre and diversity of our support staff is really exciting, and it gives the players the best possible chance of success out there in the middle."