A FIXTURE log-jam faces Kent’s cricketers who will travel the length and breadth of England in the next fortnight after the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy semi-final draw paired them with Somerset.

Matthew Fleming’s side will travel to Taunton on Thursday, August 1, to take on the West Country county for the right to appear in this year’s Lord’s final on August 31.

But the tie creates a travel nightmare for the Kent players who face hours of motorway driving with round trips of 430 and 920 miles before and after the crucial trophy tie.

Their travel nightmare starts next week when the county squad journey to Grace Road to take on Leicestershire in the Championship and National League, returning late on Sunday night for their next home match on Tuesday.

Then, just 48 hours before their semi-final appearance against Somerset, Kent take on Warwickshire Bears in a day-night floodlight match in Canterbury scheduled to finish at 10.20pm on the Tuesday evening.

Fleming’s party will then head west along the M4 for their Taunton showdown on Thursday morning which has Friday set aside as a spill-over day in case of rain.

Once the semi-final is decided, Kent travel north for Saturday’s Norwich Union League encounter with Durham Dynamos after which they return to Kent for a much-needed three-day break.

Kent skipper Matthew Fleming said: "Obviously we are slightly disappointed not to have got a home draw and if the match does go into a second day then we couldn’t be much further away from Durham if we tried. It’ll make for a testing few days for sure, but that is the luck of the draw I suppose."

At least Fleming can take some solace in the fact that they have won at Somerset’s high-scoring Taunton ground in recent seasons.

Fleming led the Spitfires to a 31-run National League win there only last season and believes his side will have no fear and all top play for come August 1.

"We’ve had some real ding-dong battles with Somerset down the years but what’s obvious to me is that we owe them one," added Fleming, recalling the NatWest Trophy quarter-final defeat to Somerset in 2000.

"It’s a difficult ground to defend totals on because it’s usually a very good one-day batting wicket and there are such short, straight boundaries, so we must play smart cricket. Most of us have played there before so we have the bowling experience to go there and do that."

Trophy semi-final draw: Yorkshire v Surrey (July 31), Somerset v Kent (August 1).