SOMERSET’S new bowler Josh Shaw, who signed from Gloucestershire at the end of last season, has set his sights on helping his new club to win two trophies this summer.

Josh, who has just turned 30 and was born in Wakefield, started his cricketing career on the Yorkshire Academy, and was playing for their Second XI when the club won back to back county championships in 2014-15.

In 2016 he joined Gloucestershire where, over the course of the next ten seasons, he played in 56 first class matches as well as helping them triumph over Somerset in the T 20 final in 2024.

How hard was the decision to move down the M5 to Somerset? “It was a hard decision but I felt that I needed a change .It’s a big challenge for me, and I know everything is going to be hard work. To get a place in whatever format I am going to have to do well, and I have got to trust my ability to do that,

“I’d always heard great things on the coaching side about Kirbs (Steve Kirby) and Jason Kerr, so it was more that side which helped make my decision.”

“The facilities here are really good and the coaching has been great. As soon as I stepped through the door as a Somerset player you could tell everyone knows exactly what they are doing, and everyone is pulling in the right direction.

“Somerset have made the last three T20 finals day- I was in the team when Gloucester beat them, and they have been there or thereabouts in the championship.

“With me being old school, it’s the red ball game which is the one that I want to win and I know for sure that Somerset and the supporters definitely do, and that’s another reason why I have come here.”

He went on: “In fact almost the opening line to me from Andy Hurry and Jason Kerr when I first met them was that Somerset want to win the county championship, and I thought yes it would be great to do that.

“I was in the Academy when Yorkshire won the championship twice on the bounce and I was running drinks and playing second team, watching them do that for two years. I thought how great it would be to do my graft, go full circle and help to win the championship here.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming season Josh said: “ My dream would be for Somerset to win two trophies. Personally I don’t tend to set goals because if you’re winning games of cricket you’re doing your job whether it’s taking wickets or bowling a tight spell it’s about what the team needs at the time - so the outcome for the team would be two trophies!”

Steve Kirby, the Somerset bowling coach who has been working with the new bowler, said: “Josh is an incredible lad and cut from the proper cloth, he works so hard and we have done very well to sign him.

“We have been working on a couple of things just to improve his consistency and a couple of little technical points to do with his action but his work ethic and his attention to detail is just outstanding. I think we have got an absolute belter.”