2021 ANNUAL REPORT

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 9 In the divisional rounds that con- cluded the season, we recorded magnificent wins against Lancashire, Yorkshire and Somerset, losing only to Hampshire where the toss was rather decisive to the outcome. Despite such excellent results, the carry-forward of points from the two conference-stage defeats against Warwickshire meant that we ulti- mately finished third in the County Championship; a stratospheric improvement on the recent past due to the dedication, skill and hard work of our professional cricket staff. Somewhat perversely, regardless of the above-mentioned performance last season, Notts will be in Division Two of the competition next year. This is because the return to a two-division system in 2022 following its suspension in 2020 due to the pandemic was predicated on the positions resulting from 2019 performance. An attempt to revisit this decision on the grounds of sporting integrity did not receive the backing of the required two-thirds majority of First-Class counties to change it. As in previous years, Notts dominated in the group stages of theVitality Blast in 2021, thus securing a home quarter-final tie against Hampshire in front of a full house. Sadly, and against all the odds, we contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, once again confirming how unpredictable sport in general and cricket in particular can be.This is a characteristic we all accept, but which can be incredibly cruel on such occasions. With the advent of the much-heralded Hundred competition, the Royal London Cup had a much lower pro- file than in previous years as many leading players were away featuring for teams in the new tournament. Many among our own first-team squad were scattered across the country.This did allow us, however, to use the competition to give many younger players an opportunity to gain experience in first-team cricket. After a very promising start, we eventually ran out of steam and did not qualify for the knockout rounds. We were delighted to be given the honour of staging the final between Glamorgan and Durham at Trent Bridge, which Glamorgan went on to win by 58 runs. Both finalists were very impressed with our venue and we very much hope this is the first of many finals to be staged at Trent Bridge. July saw the launch of The Hundred “HOWWONDERFUL IT WAS TO RECORD OUR FIRST WIN IN 31 CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES IN THE AWAY FIXTURE AGAINST DERBYSHIRE! IT WAS ALSO FANTASTIC TO BEAT WORCESTERSHIRE AT HOME IN THE FIRST MATCH WHERE SPECTATORS WERE PRESENT AT THE GROUND.” Jeffrey Moore