‘Where are you from?’ asked the man beside me on the bus.

‘Somerset,’ I said.

‘I thought I could hear it,’ he said. ‘A great cricketing County.’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘but never county champions.’

‘Are you sure?’ he said.

‘Definitely.’ I smiled.

Somerset have never, ever been county champions. Somerset did not win their first trophy until 1979, when the club was 104 years old. Following their fortunes over the years has not been without its advantages, though. It has taught the value of stoicism in the face of setbacks.…