For 104 years the trophy cabinet at Somerset’s ground in Taunton remained empty. Then, much like a flurry of sixes from the bats of their big hitters Ian Botham and Viv Richards, the cups came in a rush. There were five in as many years, starting with the Gillette Cup and Sunday League in 1979. With Botham, Richards and the West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner among their ranks, the Cidermen had a team brimming with one-day talent. They added the Benson & Hedges Trophy in 1981 and 1982.

“We were a wonderfully varied group of players, with university graduates, salt-of-the-earth players from Somerset and some superstars,” recalls allrounder Vic Marks. “Temperamentally we were better suited to one-day cricket because we had players who could turn it on rather than grind it out day-in, day-out, which is what you have to do to win a championship.”

After an inital hiccup against Graham Gooch and Essex in the group stages, Somerset sailed into the cup final and crushed Surrey by seven wickets at Lord’s. Garner took five for 14 off 11 overs to dismiss Surrey for 194. “In all those one-day games Joel Garner was extremely influential but was seldom awarded the man-of-the-match title,” says Marks. This was one of those days: Richards blasted 132 not out and was named man of the match. [The numbers refer to a photograph, which is not carried on the website.]

1 Jeremy Lloyds Born in Penang, Malaysia, Lloyds was a member of the MCC cricket staff at Lord’s before joining Somerset in his mid-20s. A left-handed batsman and off-spin bowler, he then moved to Gloucestershire. A Test umpire, he stepped down from the International Cricket Council international panel this year, but still officiates in county matches.

2 Dennis Breakwell A left-arm spinner who played for Northamptonshire and Somerset in a 14-year spell, taking 422 first-class wickets. Eleven of those years were spent at Taunton. He is the professional coach and groundsman at King’s College in Taunton.

3 Peter Roebuck A solid opening batsman, Roebuck was initially a precocious leg-spinner who showed his batting credentials while studying law at Cambridge University. He is better remembered for his role in the biggest rift in Somerset history than the 17,558 first-class runs he scored. Taking over the captaincy from Brian Rose in the mid-1980s, he was behind the sacking of Richards and Garner, which led to the departure of Botham. He is a cricket writer in Sydney.

4 Joel Garner One of the great fast bowlers, the Barbadian was an integral member of the all-conquering West Indies side of the 1980s, taking 259 Test wickets at an average of 20.97. At 6ft 8in tall, he generated extraordinary bounce. After dominating the 1981 final with the ball, he returned to Lord’s a year later to take three for 13 in the final against Nottinghamshire. He is the Barbados chairman of selectors, manages the West Indies A team and works for the Ministry of Sport in Bridgetown.

5 Colin Dredge His right-arm medium-pace bowling earned him the nickname the Demon of Frome. In 12 seasons at Taunton he chipped in with useful contributions. Dredge had seven brothers, all of whom played for Frome. He still lives and works in the town.

6 Nigel Popplewell This attacking right-handed middle-order batsman spent seven years at Taunton. He is the son of Lord Justice Popplewell, who also played cricket for Cambridge for three years, but more famously interrupted a libel case to ask: “What is Linford Christie’s lunchbox?” Popplewell Jr is a solicitor in the West Country.

7 Vic Marks The third Somerset-born player to represent England after Jack White and Harold Gimblett, he played in six Tests. An affable allrounder with an Oxford degree, his two for 24 from 11 overs in the final helped to keep a Surrey revival under control. He is chairman of cricket for Somerset, a summariser on radio’s Test Match Special and cricket correspondent for The Observer

8 Peter Denning The Somerset-born left-handed opener was known as Dasher because of his speed between the wickets. An aggressive batsman, he made a duck in the final but scored more than 11,000 runs in first-class cricket. He works for a grain merchant in Somerset.

9 Derek Taylor A wicketkeeper who played for Surrey before joining Somerset, Taylor had 12 seasons at Taunton. He made 705 first-class dismissals in 302 matches and played football for Corinthian Casuals. His twin brother played for Notts and Hampshire, and both had Somerset as one of their middle names. Taylor emigrated to Australia and works in insurance on the Gold Coast.

10 Ian Botham It was the year he helped England win the Ashes with his heroics at Headingley. With the new ball alongside Garner, he also put Somerset’s opponents on the back foot. The talisman of English cricket in the 1980s, Botham had a Test batting average of 33.54 and a bowling average of 28.40. He devotes time and energy to charity work and is a commentator for Sky TV.

11 Brian Rose The Somerset captain who took over from Brian Close and brought success to the county, Rose spent 18 summers in the first-class game, scoring more than 13,000 runs and playing nine Tests for England. He is the director of cricket at Somerset.

12 Viv Richards One of the hardest-hitting players in the game whose attacking batting filled county grounds. He averaged 50.23 in 121 Tests and scored a best of 189 not out in one of his 187 one-day internationals. Knighted for his services to the game, Richards was West Indies chairman of selectors, works for the Antigua & Barbuda tourist board, and is promoting next year’s World Cup.

13 Hallam Moseley Popular Barbados-born fast-medium bowler in the autumn of his career. He arrived in Taunton 10 years earlier on the recommendation of Sir Garry Sobers. Moseley was unfortunate to be playing at the same time as a cluster of fine Caribbean pace bowlers and never won a Test cap. He took 557 first-class wickets at an average of 24.53. He works in the security in London.