2021 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2021 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 52 considerably below the budgeted profit for the year of £702,000 and that the club was now looking at ways to generate additional surpluses in the next few years to claw back the loss of £535,000 against the budget. He revealed that the club had prepared a budget for 2021 which showed a surplus. The Treasurer’s Annual Report and Statement of Accounts was proposed by Mr Ellis, seconded by Mr PeterWright and was adopted by the members. 6. CRICKET REPORT Director of Cricket Mick Newell opened his speech by observing that when members gathered for the AGM last February, nobody could have predicted the difficulties the club would face that summer. But, just a matter of weeks later, the focus was not just on how well the teams could perform on the field – it was on making it back onto the field at all. Mr Newell paid tribute to the club’s operations team who had worked incredibly hard. In particular he wished to thank: Head of Science and Medicine James Pipe, Head of Operations Tom Paterson, Facilities Manager John Gorman and Head Groundsman Steve Birks. Their work gave the players the opportunity to get back into the middle and show the improvements made in red-ball cricket. While there was disappointment in not being able to claim victory in any of the five BobWillis Trophy matches, Notts were dominant for long spells, particularly in the last three games of the season. A promising batting line-up of Haseeb Hameed, Ben Slater, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke had begun to establish itself, while Zak Chappell stepped up brilliantly in the absence of a number of senior bowlers. In scoring more bonus points than any other side, recording five hun- dreds and compiling four century partnerships, Mr Newell believed Notts had shown they were capable of moving into strong positions in First-Class fixtures and that, under the captaincy of Steven Mullaney, they had much to build upon as they looked towards the new season. Mr Newell recalled that the Notts Vitality Blast side, meanwhile, was utterly dominant.To have won ten games out of eleven last season was extraordinary, and testament to consistent performances from the likes of Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett and Jake Ball. ImadWasim and Dan Christian returned as overseas players, and Mr Newell stated that the standards they reached showed why the club had been so keen to honour their contracts for 2020. Dan, in particular, had become a real part of the fabric of the club in the last five or six years, and he showed his commitment by jumping over all manner of hurdles associated with quarantine and international travel to captain the side once again. Mr Newell stated that, over the winter, a number of key players had committed to the club for a further two or three seasons and that he was excited to see how they, and the team, could develop in the years to come. The next few years would see Samit Patel’s role change, as he stepped aside from Championship cricket to allow the likes of Liam Patterson-White and Matthew Carter to fulfil their red-ball potential. However, Samit would remain a key part of the Notts setup, and Mr Newell looked forward to watching him produce more memorable moments in an Outlaws shirt. Mr Newell welcomed Nottingham shire Academy graduate Brett Hutton back toTrent Bridge following three seasons with Northamptonshire and commented on the promise being shown by another pace bowler in Toby Pettman and by Dane Scha- dendorf – an exciting young wicket- keeper-batter who had made a clear commitment to the English game. Beneath the first team, the Notts Academy and age-group sides had been able to enjoy a productive, if shortened, season in 2020.The work that MattWood, Anton Roux and Andy Pick did to put together a training and fixture schedule and offer expert guidance and feedback to young talents had been remarkable. These teams had made extensive use of the facilities at Notts Sports Ground, which once again proved its worth as the club crammed as much cricket as possible into a few short weeks. Mr Newell also revealed that the first team were making use of a marquee facility at the venue to train outdoors ahead of the 2021 season. Elsewhere, Mr Newell believed that Notts’ commitment to the women’s game had been strong in 2020. The club was represented in the ECB’s elite domestic structure by the Loughborough-based Lightning, and the club were proud to host their clash againstThunder atTrent Bridge. With the clear pathway that had been created from age-group cricket all the way to the England team, and with dozens of women in possession of full-time professional contracts, there had never been a better time to be a female cricketer. From supporting women’s cricket to nurturing the club’s brightest Academy talents, from working hard with his colleagues to bring about cricket’s return to watching the T20 side win another trophy, the last 12 months had been amongst the most challenging, but rewarding, that Mr Newell could remember from his time in cricket. In conclusion, Mr Newell said the members had been missed during the past year, and that he looked forward to seeing them all back at Trent Bridge. Nottinghamshire Head Coach Peter Moores addressed the meeting and expressed his excitement at the prospect of the new season, whilst offering his condolences to those who had experienced loss during the pandemic.