Nottinghamshire Head Coach Peter Moores has spoken of his disappointment following the confirmation of relegation from Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.

A home defeat at the hands of Kent, allied to the points picked up by Warwickshire in their game against Essex, gave mathematical confirmation that Nottinghamshire will play their red-ball cricket in Division Two next season.

“There is no escaping the fact that our Championship performances have been way below par,” said Moores.

“The pressure mounted with every game, the winless run continued and it became harder and harder to find a foothold and put numbers on the board. It’s been a humbling championship campaign and all of us are really hurting.”

The Club’s championship struggle has been in stark contrast to consistent progress in limited overs cricket, where Moores has guided Notts Outlaws to the quarter-finals for three consecutive seasons, a record no other Club shares.

The Outlaws won the Vitality Blast and the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2017 and will take their place at Finals Day again later this month.

“We, of course, want to continue to perform well in white-ball cricket, but the County Championship is also very important,” said Moores.

"It’s important to me, it’s important to our Members and it’s important to the Club. The stature of this Club commands Division One cricket. We have to put a plan in place to deliver that by winning promotion next season.

“With the benefit of hindsight, when we sit down as a team of coaches and look at the blend of our team, you could argue that we haven’t got the balance right between young players with an extremely high ceiling and hardened, more experienced professionals.

“We have players here, of high potential, who haven’t come good this year and who we will work with to improve.

“There are also players at the top end of our academy that need to be introduced to first team cricket, so there’s a delicate balance that needs to be struck.

“There will of course be a strong desire amongst the members, the players and everyone connected with the Club that we gain promotion next season, and I massively share that desire.”

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