It’s a long way from Tasmania to Taunton, but as Jamie Cox sits in a sunlit office at the Bellerive Oval, Somerset is on his mind.

He looks back with fondness on his time at the club, with one particular day being the focal point. "It’s the highlight of my whole cricket career, if not my life. Probably the birth of my children is the only thing which really matches it for the emotions. I still get emotional when I think of it now – it was just such a perfect, perfect day."No Somerset fan could have any doubts as to the subject of his reminiscence – it’s the C&G final in 2001.

According to Cox, the supporters also played their part to perfection that day: "If you speak to our guys who played on the day, they’ll say that the big moment where everyone started to feel comfortable was when Trescothick and Bowler were walking to the wicket, and just hearing the roar; we just knew that we’d got a lot more people here than they had, and we knew that the crowd would be with us that day." He emphasizes his point again with a wide gesture. "The roar was like the whole ground was barracking for us. Looking round the blokes in the room, that made them all a lot more relaxed."

It wasn’t just at the C&G final that Cox was impressed by the supporters, though; he has great respect for the ordinary fan in England, and in Somerset in particular. "The support is just excellent, and that’s something that needs to be protected." He warms to his theme. "Most people who go are actually supporters – they’re not just people who have a free lunch or something. At Somerset there were certain people who you could almost guarantee would be in certain seats in the ground. Like Tractor, for example – what a great man, the epitome of the outstanding supporter.

And there are others around."Cox also has words for one particular bunch of supporters: the users of the Grockles website. "Sometimes one of the blokes would come in and say, ‘oh, someone on Grockles has said this,’ and I’d say, ‘Well, why do think he’s said it? He’s a supporter, and he’s said it because we were rubbish the other day, and they don’t want us to be rubbish, they want us to be good, and they’re passionate supporters.’ I would read things on there all the time, like, ‘oh, I don’t think we should have Cox next year,’ and it doesn’t bother me. It’s just people’s opinion."

Aha, so he’s spent some time reading the site then? He looks slightly abashed. "Well, OK, not all that often, but I’d find that the days I did go on it, I’d be there for hours just reading what people had written. They call it the unofficial website, but for me it’s the heart and soul of the supporters."

There’s so much more to talk about: his performances for the club over the years, including that amazing 250 in his last ever innings ("the purest I’ve ever played"), the reasons why he left, his opinions on the future of the club … but before we move on to talk of other things, there’s time for one last burst of nostalgia about that golden September day.

Cox hardly seems to know how to put it all into words, but he has a go. "As a captain, if you could have one perfect day, that would be it."

CATHERINE HANLEY

27/02/05

From me, and I hope a lot of others on this site and watching Somerset on a regular basis, I'd like to say that you can only have perfect days when 'perfect' supporters watch 'perfect' professionals giving everything for a club they both have an affinity to. 

Sod Kolpak, mercenery internationals looking for another summer of wonga/ego boosting and all the rest.  We had a perfect international ambassador for many years and we were all privileged to know the man. 

Good luck in the future Jamie and we all wish you well from the cold and wintery North.  Hope you think of us when it gets cold down there (does it?) and it is glorious summer up here and we're whupping other county bottoms.  Log and and read how we're doing - it will be the truth honest! And if you're ever back in this part of the world, come and TRY to get a taste for the funny apple juice (although you've probably earned the odd pint of that weak Aussie lager stuff if you have to insist).  Be well!

Grockle et al!