Michael Burns is very much a bits and pieces player. He began his career at Warwickshire as a wicketkeeper-batsman but found opportunities limited and when Dermot Reeve moved to Somerset as their coach in 1997, Burns was one of the first to follow him south. While there was no keeping vacancy, he forced his way into the side as an aggressive batsman whose medium-pace trundlers grew increasingly useful. He became a firm favourite at Taunton, passing 1000 runs in 2002 and 2003, and was appointed captain. When Somerset were relegated from the top flight in 2003 he offered to stand down, but was re-appointed when the county failed to find a suitable replacement. However, when Mark Garaway took over as coach in 2005 he became a victim of the youth policy and decided to retire at the end of the summer. He holds an ECB coaching certificate.
Martin Williamson (April 2004)