2021 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2021 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 24 playableT20 games, and the East MidlandsT20 title as a result. A measure of our success as a county is how many girls graduate through our system and go on to represent the East Midlands-based Lightning in the regional competition. It was gratifying to see Sonia Odedra, Michaela Kirk, Lucy Higham,Teresa Graves,Yvonne Graves and Sophie Munro form part of a Nottingham- shire contingent at that level in 2021. Beyond that, seeing our players in The Hundred represents acknowl- edgement for their exploits at regional level. Sonia,Teresa, Sophie, Lucy and Michaela all appeared in the inaugural edition of the competition which, again, was a pleasure to see. The Hundred brought the women’s game to far more people’s attention, both at Trent Bridge and across the country, and the increased following this will generate can provide signifi- cant impetus for the sport. We know that women’s cricket is going to feature far more at Trent Bridge than it ever has in the past – and, with cricket needing to extend its appeal to women and girls every bit as much as men and boys, this can only be a good thing.To have players of that quality playing in front of thousands at our home in double-headers was a great step forward. We are also proud that three Notts girls were selected in Lightning’s Academy, in MaddieWard, Rhiannon Knowling-Davies and Ella Porter. Maddie became a mainstay as Notts’ wicketkeeper and exhibited her confidence in standing up to the stumps to the entirety of their attack during theirT20 campaign. Likewise, Rhiannon and Ella learned much from their experience within Notts’ senior team, and their dom- inant displays with the club’s U18s indicated that they each have bright futures in the game. Amidst all the achievements dis- cussed within this report, and via the inclusion of Haseeb, Stuart, Ben and Jake in various senior England squads during the course of the year, we are working towards a common goal: to create a culture of winning teams that provides sus- tained success for Nottinghamshire and England. Players are consistently supported in striving to reach their full potential, and I commend the team of coaches at all levels of the club for their tireless work in this regard. Such growth, however, cannot be achieved without the right attitude and endeavour from players them- selves, whose unseen work behind the scenes lays the platform for success on the pitch. It is right that we, as a county, strive for further success, and it is worth taking stock of the developments made in 2021 across the board as we look forward to a prosperous 2022. “AMIDST ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS REPORT, AND VIA THE INCLUSION OF HASEEB, STUART, BEN AND JAKE IN VARIOUS SENIOR ENGLAND SQUADS DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS A COMMON GOAL: TO CREATE A CULTURE OF WINNING TEAMS THAT PROVIDES SUSTAINED SUCCESS FOR NOTTINGHAMSHIRE AND ENGLAND.” Mick Newell