Somerset stalwarts Dion Stovell and Malachi Jones have announced their intentions to call time on their Cup Match careers, with the two set to appear for the last time on their home ground next year.

The veterans, who were both first picked as colts in 2006, were emotional after appearing for the last time at Wellington Oval on Friday. Stovell scored a total of 102 runs in the match, while Jones picked up three wickets for 56 runs, with the biggest of them all being the dismissal of Delray Rawlins for 98.

“This was the last time playing at St George’s,” Stovell told The Royal Gazette.

“I think my time’s up. Somerset needs to find somebody to replace me moving forward. Next year will be my last year at Somerset and I’m thankful.

“I have represented Somerset not only in cricket but also in football. I gave it my all, I’ve had my ups and my downs, but the most important thing is that the Somerset community, the fans and everybody stood by me.”

Stovell, who struggled on his Cup Match debut, was seen as a replacement for Janeiro Tucker when the legend retired in 2016.

“It was hard for me to be asked to replace Janeiro Tucker,” the 40-year-old said.

“A man of that calibre is not easy to replace. To the Somerset fans, my friends and my family, I appreciate all the support over the years.”

Having destroyed St George’s with the ball at Somerset last year by picking up 12 wickets, Stovell only bowled three overs in his final outing at Wellington Oval.

“I thought it was a really good game,” he said.

“I thought St George’s brought the game to us. Obviously we lost time to the rain but we still had enough to sit out there and bat to retain the trophy.

“It was a good track, there was something in there for the seamers and the batters. I’m not always going to do well with the ball, but at the end of the day, playing my last game at St George’s, I did well with the bat and retained the trophy.”

Asked to pick an unforgettable moment in the East End, Stovell singled out the 2019 encounter, when he was struck in the head by a delivery bowled by Justin Pitcher in the Somerset second innings. The incident brought an early end to the drawn match as the all-rounder was taken to hospital.

“My memorable game is when I got 79 and got hit on the head in 2019,” he said.

“It’s not something that you want to remember, but it is what it is. To the St George’s community and the people running the club, I want to say thank you to them for doing such a great work of maintaining their facilities.

“It was such a wonderful atmosphere and I’m going to miss playing Cup Match at this venue.”