Wayne Noon, assistant coach to Mick Newell with Nottinghamshire, believes winning an LV= County Championship is the ultimate achievement for a team of county cricketers.
It takes up to 64 days of competitive action to win the white kit, red ball prize and, speaking on the day the England & Wales Cricket Board held a media launch for the competition, Noon highlighted just how important it is to the men from Trent Bridge.
"The LV= County Championship has always been a big focus for Mick and for everyone at the club," he said. "Every new player we bring in, four day cricket is usually in mind.
"When we won it in 2010, you could see what an effort it was for the whole six months.
"To win a county championship, when people have been through that, they know it's been a hard graft of a year, but it's so rewarding at the end of it."
Noon insisted that league table target setting during pre-season is not the Nottinghamshire way, but he did reveal that the mood in the camp is optimistic.
"We've got a good squad so our hopes and aspirations should be at least top three, although at this stage we don't tend to set targets," he said.
"It's the old cliche of one game at a time. We just want to win the next game.
"Our plan is always to still be in the competition by August.
"With the new recruits we've got, and the improvements that we've made within the squad, we shouldn't be far away."
Nobody garnered more batting points than Nottinghamshire in the First Division of the four-day competition last season - and Noon is again excited by the firepower in the batting ranks ahead of the new campaign.
"If players aren't away with England, we could have a top seven or eight that I wouldn't swap with anyone in the country. That's an excellent place to be.
"As long as we take responsibility and don't leave it to the next person, it should be an exciting year watching our batting."
With the ball, it's all about competition for places, along with a sprinkling of international quality from the overseas combination of Vernon Philander and Ben Hilfenhaus.
First up, for the opening six matches, it's Philander - who arrives with an exemplary Test record of 121 wickets at an average of below 22.
"Philander is good all year round but, in a way, he is your classic seamer for English conditions," Noon said.
"He puts it in a very good area and tries to hit the seam. That will be perfect for us, especially in April and May at Trent Bridge.
"Will Gidman has been signed to do that role of number eight batsman and fourth seamer and, the way pre-season has gone, we could pick any other two from six.
"The classic competition for places couldn't be more relevant and that's a great position to be in because, in previous years, we haven't had that luxury and the team has picked itself.
"We had a practice day today where all eyes were on the seamers again. Every time they go out to perform, everybody is watching.
"You could be one spell away from being in the team and one spell away from being out of the team. It's as close as that.
"I'd have thought Philander and Gidman will be two of our four seamers and, with Derbyshire followed by Loughborough University coming up, we'll finalise the last two slots."
We pride ourselves on offering the best value membership in the country, packing it full of features and pairing it with the best customer experience in the game. With Nottinghamshire looking to challenge across all formats once more, don’t miss a moment of the action and join our Club now.