SalvorHardin wrote:Attendences are helped by several factors, such as there not being too much competiton from other professional sports teams in Somerset (the only other major professional team in Somerset is Bath Rugby). The County Ground is only 5 to 10 minutes walk from Taunton railway station and a lot of people from Devon and Cornwall come to matches by train (in the summer there are 98 trains running every day between Taunton and Exeter).
I have had a season ticket for Somerset in the T20 Blast for the last three years and quite a few people close to where I sit are from Devon and Cornwall. They come by train, can have a few beers after the match and then catch one of the late trains home. The last train heading South West leaves Taunton at 11:14pm, so they don't have to rush after the match finished (or even leave with a few overs to go).
Yes, very few pro sports teams in Devon or Cornwall. Exeter Chiefs rugby team is the only good one, and I don't like rugby.
Exeter, Torquay and Plymouth all have football teams, but none are any good, The two Bristol teams aren't much better and so football fans I know in Exeter usually go to London to watch teams, often the Gunners for some reason.
No pro cricket team in Devon or Cornwall of course, and no pro team of any sport in Cornwall that I know of. I don't attend cricket matches of any type much more but I used to go to Taunton when I was in Exeter - just 25 minutes on the train. I remember seeing Botham play there back in the day, and seeing Gooch and Gower visiting. That was worth the money.
The last time I went to see Leicestershire play at Grace Road it was a weekday and there were maybe 100 people there, and I was one of the youngest ones! Only £10 to get in but I probably will not do that again.