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Somerset CCC cricketer Tom Lammonby has opened up about the 9|15 coffee shop, which he co-owns.
9|15 cafe, which is owned by Lammonby and Exeter Chiefs rugby player Sam Maunder, opened in the Taunton Independent Quarter in February 2025.
Tom told the Somerset County Gazette how the last year running the cafe has gone: "It’s been really great.
"I think the boys have supported really well and been friendly faces around the community as well, but I think just to touch on the Independent Quarter when we moved in, and now the whole new area is buzzing and lots of new shops in there and other cafes, which is great.
"I think it’s added a lot to the community as well as the coffee side of things.
He added: “It’s been a really good challenge sometimes, but also been a really good journey so far with one of my best mates. We’ve learned a lot along the way, and it’s been really good fun.”
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The cricketer also said that he's pleased with the impact that the cafe has had on the local community.
"That was one of the big things for us that we thought was missing in the area at the time was having really good coffee.
"I think the obvious one is bringing really good coffee to the area and working with our local suppliers, Fire & Flow, up in Cirencester, to bring that experience of ground coffee into Taunton, but I think also as a place for everyone to catch up, we’re right in the centre of town and close to the cricket ground.
"I think that area of the independent quarter is becoming a nicer area and a great place for friends or family to catch up.”
He added: “Bringing speciality coffee to Taunton and having the best coffee was the main goal.
"I think with the work with Fire & Flow and all the great baristas and staff we have in there, I think we’ve come a long way to achieve that as well.”
The coffee shop has been open for just over a year, and this will be the second season where Lammonby has to juggle his cricketing commitments with running the cafe.
He said that the work-life balance has been 'challenging', but provided an escape from cricket.
“It’s been challenging but it’s kind of gone hand-in-hand a little bit, like everything when cricket doesn’t go well it’s quite nice to go into the café and help out and do a couple of shifts in there and take my mind off other things that might be troubling me in cricket, and vice versa, if I don’t have much time in the café I can come out and escape by playing a bit more cricket.
"It’s worked really nicely there, Sam, who’s my best mate, he’s done a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, and I’ve tried to bring a few more faces in. It’s been quite balanced, but we’ve enjoyed the challenge, and it's brought a great sense of belonging and doing into Taunton and the cricket side of things as well.”
The 25-year-old also spoke about his time living in Somerset. He was born in Exeter, but has been a Somerset player since 2019.
He said: "I’ve learned to love the quieter side of things, and I think what Somerset gives us as a bunch of lads here at the cricket club is we’re forced to be very close and a tight-knit group.
"If one of us goes and plays golf, all of us go and play golf, or if one of us goes to the pub, we’ll all go to the pub. I think it’s brought us together as a group, but I also love the outdoors and the countryside.
"I joke with people and say ‘all I need is a good golf course, a good pub and a good coffee shop’, and I’ve got all three of them.”
He said that the group being tight-knit is an advantage for Somerset, who kick off their County Championship campaign on April 3 at home to reigning champions Nottinghamshire.
“I think it’s one of our strengths as a group, how close we are and as I said, sometimes that’s forced upon because there aren’t a lot of places to go or things to do, so it forces us to be a lot closer together than other teams.
"I think it’s definitely an important thing for us as a team going into the summer.”