2022 ANNUAL REPORT

MINUTES OF THE 2022 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 55 Beneath the first team, although performances and results at Second XI and Academy level were less high profile, Mr Newell stated that they were crucial environments for the development and preparation of those who would play first team cricket in matches and seasons to come. A number of players had made that transition at different points in 2021 and Mr Newell gave credit to Paul Franks, MattWood and Anton Roux for their work in creating environments in which those players could develop. Mr Newell stated that Sammy King and Fateh Singh had recently become the 11th and 12th home- grown players within the club’s professional squad; and promised that the club’s small and talented Academy group, which featured four Bunbury Festival attendees, would be given every chance to continue their growth in 2022. Creating a funnel through the boys’ pathway and into the Academy, the club’s county age group pathway programme from U10 to U18 was continuing, and Mr Newell announced that the club had been delighted to reintroduce former professionals to junior coaching with Bilal Shafayat and Jimmy Hindson having returned toTrent Bridge during the winter. Meanwhile, on the girls’ pathway, Notts had appointed a full time performance coach inTimWard, who would be responsible for looking after the best female players in four age group brackets, optimising the provision for girls from across the county. Mr Newell explained that this age group provision was feeding into the women’s senior side, who had achieved commendable success in 2021 by winning all five of their playable T20 games and the East Midlands T20 title as a result. Nottinghamshire had six women’s cricketers representing the East Midlands outfit, Lightning, in the regional domestic competitions in 2021, five of whom also appeared across various teams inThe Hundred. The platform provided for the women’s game by that tournament had been a huge highlight of last summer; and world-class female players performing at Trent Bridge was something Mr Newell was greatly looking forward to seeing again in August 2022, particularly with the recently announced retention of Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt, Sarah Glenn, Abbey Freeborn and Kathryn Bryce to the Trent Rockets side. Referring to the fact that 2022 would once again see England play Test andT20 cricket at Trent Bridge, Mr Newell reaffirmed Nottinghamshire’s commitment to producing players capable of representing their country in the international game. The club had been immensely proud of the way Haseeb Hameed had kickstarted his career as an opening batsman with Nottingham- shire, resulting in a return to the EnglandTest squad at the back end of the summer and into the winter as well. Jake Ball and Ben Duckett had also earned selection for white-ball squads in the past 12 months, and Mr Newell said that nobody in the room would be betting against Stuart Broad bouncing back into the Test arena and having a significant impact during the course of the forthcoming summer. Of the uncapped players in the squad, Mr Newell believed that 2022 represented a significant opportunity for Joe Clarke to press his case for selection; and stated that the England Lions programme meant that opportunities were available for anybody who could put a run of consistent performances together during the forthcoming county campaign. Mr Newell said he would conclude by placing on record his thanks to the operations and ground staff teams who had worked tirelessly during the busiest summer that he had experienced in professional cricket. He reflected that the demands upon the club’s grounds and facilities were continuing to grow; and that he was fortunate to work alongside such dedicated and resourceful teams in this area. Finally, as the countdown to the new season continued, he wished to reiterate his excitement to share that campaign with all members from the very beginning, after that luxury sadly wasn’t afforded last time around. Mr Newell handed over to the Head Coach, Peter Moores, to give his thoughts ahead of the new season. Mr Moores began by expressing his excitement at the prospect of welcoming the club’s members back toTrent Bridge to share in the ups and downs that every season brings. The stories of the season were yet to be written and he believed it to be an exciting time of year. Mr Moores stated that he was pleased to have the opportunity of providing members with an overview of the squad’s winter preparation as their mission to become a dominant force across three competitions continued. Mr Moores explained that the winter had been structured into three distinct phases (pre-Christmas, post-Christmas through to February half-term and the final phase leading into the start of the season), each with a clear theme aimed at improving players ready for the challenges of the coming season. The first phase had been based