Following a vote by the chairs of the 18 First-Class counties that signalled a return to two divisions, Nottinghamshire will take their place in the second division of the LV= Insurance County Championship in 2022.
Ten counties will compete in Division One and eight in Division Two with a two-up, two-down promotion-and-relegation system, as per the original pre-pandemic plan for the competition in 2020.
Each county is due to play 14 matches, with teams participating in the division in which they were set to compete had the competition taken place as usual in 2020.
Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell said: “We had hoped that the proposal put forward to play another year of First-Class cricket in conferences, with the finishing positions to determine the divisional structure for 2023, would gain sufficient support.
“However, following the vote, that was not the outcome and consequently we will play our cricket in Division Two next year.
“This is, of course, disappointing, but it in no way takes away from the achievements of our squad in the First-Class game over the past two years, which culminated in a top three finish in Division One in 2021.
“We expect some very competitive cricket to be played in the second division in 2022, the challenge of achieving promotion is significant and that will be a key focus for us heading into the new season.
“We have a team that’s passionate about playing the best red ball cricket they can and who have made significant progress since the conclusion of the 2019 campaign.
“Nothing has changed in that regard and aiming for a promotion will provide us with a new challenge that we will fully commit to.
“We have received exceptional support from our members and spectators during the past two years of cricket, and I know they have seen and appreciated the strides we have made.
“We’re looking forward to counting on their support once again as we strive for promotion in 2022."