Somerset have snaffled their second overseas signing of the winter after South African Alfonso Thomas followed West Indian Omari Banks to Taunton. With the club having rightly identified the pace department as a possible cause for concern (especially with Andy Caddick having recently returned from back surgery), the net was cast far and wide for possibilities.

The trouble for fans wanting to see leading English seamers lured to Taunton is that, unlike football, contracts still seem to mean something in the sport so the chance to recruit is often limited. The fact that the Taunton track would destroy the heart of a lesser quick than Andy Caddick also can’t have helped things.

So Somerset’s Director of Cricket Brian Rose identified South Africa as a prime place to scour for pace potential, especially with the club’s links with the country through Jimmy Cook. The end result? Well, while Worcestershire have courted (and failed to bag) Shane Bond and Warwickshire tried and failed with Pollock, Somerset have set their sights lower and acquired a 31-yr old SA speedster who has been on the periphery of the national side.

Little of Thomas will be known to Somerset fans, or in fact commentators of the sport outside SA, but his name at least will doubtlessly encourage a nickname soon enough and the club’s latest recruit (whose teams include: Dolphins, North West, Northerns, Staffordshire, Titans & Western Province) boasts 239 first-class wickets at 26.