Hurry open to fresh ideas

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Head coach Andy Hurry is relishing an “exciting new era” at Somerset as the club prepare to hire a new director of cricket.

In September the Taunton club announced that Brian Rose would be stepping down from his role by mutual consent after eight years.

Somerset have yet to name his successor, but Hurry - who enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Rose - expects the new man to bring new energy.

“Brian has been an integral part of the club, but it’s an exciting new era as we go forward now,” Hurry told ecb.co.uk.

“The club are going through a process in recruiting for a director of cricket and there has been a great calibre of candidates who have put their name into the hat.

“First and foremost it’s a really exciting opportunity for myself and the players - any new blood coming in with fresh ideas and fresh energy.

“Everyone is looking forward with great anticipation to working alongside the successful candidate. It will be interesting for us all, someone new coming in with a new style.

“We’ve got our own ways pretty much ingrained as they are at the moment, so it’s also about us being open and flexible to working with someone new coming in with some fresh ideas.”

Somerset’s playing squad is set to remain unchanged in 2013, aside from the addition of overseas players.

South Africa opening batsman Alviro Petersen has already been signed for the first part of the season, but Hurry revealed he will otherwise stick with the players that finished second in the LV= County Championship this year while also reaching Friends Life t20 finals day for a fourth successive year.

Somerset head coach Andy Hurry was given the opportunity to sample life with the England team when they travelled to the UAE earlier this year. "It was a very enjoyable and beneficial experience," he reflected

“We haven’t released any of our players from last year and we’re not looking to recruit any more, other than a couple of very influential, senior overseas players to add some real fuel to the squad we’ve got,” he added. “We really back the strength in depth in our squad going forward.

“It’s been very well documented the number of injuries we had to senior players in the month of May, but to me that was a great opportunity for us to show what this club is really about.

“It showed the talent and depth this club has. The way the players scrapped and fought through that middle phase of the season allowed us, at the back end of the season, to then be competing to finish as runners-up in the championship.

“At the end of the season I think we achieved some real significant success after the challenges we were presented earlier on.”

The only coach in the county game without first-class playing experience, Hurry retains an ambition to operate at a higher level in future but insists he is in no rush.

“I’m very aware of my weaknesses having never played the first-class game and not playing international cricket. My apprenticeship will probably be five times as long as anyone else’s and that’s something I’m very happy with,” he explained.

“The more I can learn along the way, the better I will be if I get that opportunity later on in my career. I think it’s an opportunity you only get once and it’s one you have to make an impact on, so to do it too early could be a mistake.

“The experience I can gain in the next five to 10 years will put me in a good position to lead an international side.”

Hurry has already been given the opportunity to sample coaching at the highest level.

“I was very fortunate that I was invited by the ECB to go out to Dubai for the one-day and T20 series with Pakistan (in February),” he continued.

“I was out there for three weeks, working with Andy Flower, and given the responsibility to deliver the fielding (coaching).

“It was a very enjoyable and beneficial experience for myself, working alongside those international players, and the skill level they have, but also seeing how the England set-up operated.

“I think it’s important that any county coach can get the opportunity to see how the England set-up is, and then we can start drip-feeding that back into our county systems as well, because it’s a fantastic model they have. It’s one we can all benefit from.”

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