2022 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2022 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 24 T20World Cup semi-final was a fine example of his ability with the bat. A great deal of credit must be paid to Dan Christian for the way he has led ourT20 side over a number of years. He has been a fantastic captain and player, engaging with the club and ingraining himself within the county to such a point that he has felt like a local, rather than an overseas player. To lift the trophy twice, including once in a difficult Covid-affected year, is a huge achievement, and he will always be warmly welcomed at Trent Bridge. In our other white-ball tournament, the Royal London Cup, those with- out contracts inThe Hundred had the opportunity to showcase their skills and gain more experience on the first team stage. Our focus is twofold in this competi- tion – development and performance – and we were perhaps one impor- tant wicket away from reaching the semi-finals this year, showing that we are going some way to succeeding in our aims, and providing a platform to build upon. Haseeb led the side impressively; he has an astute cricketing brain, and his own performances were certainly not compromised by increased responsibility (309 runs at 51.50). Other senior players, namely Ben Slater (432 runs at 61.71) and Brett Hutton (competition-leading 22 wickets at 14.59), set the standard for the younger players in terms of performance and attitude. Younger players, such as Fateh Singh, showed that they have the boldness and ability to go far in their professional careers too, by fronting up to various challenges during the course of the competition. Clearly, this bodes well for the club moving forwards. It is a competition to which we afford great importance, and with the carrot of aTrent Bridge final, the squad have even greater motivation to reach the showpiece and win the trophy outright. Many of those who performed well did so with Second XI cricket as a platform, and once again, we are encouraged by the progress individuals within this side have made over the year. Paul Franks, assisted by Richard Damms and MattWood, have instilled high standards within a wide-ranging group of players, from those on the cusp of first-team cricket to Academy prospects. In all, we won six of 12 games in the Second XI Championship, drawing three and losing three. That the likes of Matthew Mont- gomery have settled seamlessly into first team cricket following a spell in the twos is a good reflection of the work being done there, and a further raft of young players are well placed to do the same in the coming seasons. With the progression of players through the Second XI into the first team, our Academy and county age group cricketers are being shown that the door is open for them to move through the pathway if they demonstrate the required commit- ment and performance. How we develop our young prospects is hugely important to our long-term success as a club, and our brightest talents need to be pushed to make the most of their abilities; something that Matt and Richard are responsi- ble for with Andy Pick’s support. More Nottinghamshire representa- tion at Bunbury Festival in Farhan Ahmed,Toby Lambert and Byron Hatton-Lowe proves that we have high-potential players in our system, and they will be given the coaching and backing necessary to further their prospects over the coming years. “A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT MUST BE PAID TO DAN CHRISTIAN FOR THE WAY HE HAS LED OUR T20 SIDE. TO LIFT THE TROPHY TWICE IS A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE WARMLY WELCOMED AT TRENT BRIDGE.” Mick Newell