Saif Ali, Byron Hatton-Lowe and Toby Lambert have been inducted into the Nottinghamshire Academy ahead of the 2023 season to make an eight-strong group at the sharp end of the Green and Golds’ production line.
The trio join five existing members of the squad: Farhan Ahmed, Travis Holland, Tom Giles, Freddie McCann and Sam Seecharan.
“Year on year, we are seeing the depth of talent within our County Age Groups improve, and the pool from which to select our Academy cohort strengthen,” said Matt Wood, Elite Pathway Manager.
“We have shifted our focus to a slightly younger squad, giving those players selected for the Academy the opportunity to become accustomed to the expectations and standards at that level, and flourish once they have done so.
“There is no doubting the potential of those in our programme, nor their attitude or work rate.
“The key is providing an environment in which they can perform at their best, so they are ready to move forwards in their cricketing journey as the likes of Sammy King, Ben Martindale and Fateh Singh have done over the last year or two.”
In profile: the 2023 Nottinghamshire Academy
Farhan Ahmed
Bowler
Batting Style: Right-handed
Bowling Style: Off-spin
Age: 15
A precocious off-spinner, Farhan Ahmed has twice represented the Midlands at the Bunbury Festival, captaining the side in 2022.
In the same year, Ahmed made his Second XI bow, claiming four wickets over a handful of appearances to add to his 128 scalps claimed for Notts’ pathway teams (U14-U18s) across two seasons.
In 2022, he was awarded the Sir Jack Hobbs Memorial Prize by The Cricket Society, given to the ‘most outstanding U15 schoolboy cricketer in England’ – an accolade previously bestowed upon Haseeb Hameed.
Saif Ali
Bowler
Batting Style: Right-handed
Bowling Style: Right-arm seam
Age: 16
A product of Cavaliers and Carrington Cricket Club alongside Farhan Ahmed and Fateh Singh, Saif Ali belies his age with his height, with which he can extract pace and bounce.
For Nottinghamshire’s Emerging Player Programme, U15s, U16s and U18s, Ali took 27 wickets in 2022, with a further 19 in age-group and senior club cricket.
The right-hander has shown himself to be useful with the bat too, having made three fifties for the U14s in 2021.
Thomas Giles
All-rounder
Batting Style: Right-handed
Bowling Style: Right-arm seam
Age: 17
Thomas Giles followed a well-trodden path by crossing the Lincolnshire border to join the Nottinghamshire Academy on a full-time basis in 2022.
His move came after he impressed alongside Farhan Ahmed, Sam Seecharan and Travis Holland at the Bunbury Festival in 2021.
A mainstay in Notts’ U18 side, Giles claimed 22 wickets in 2022, with a best of 4-55 against Northamptonshire.
Byron Hatton-Lowe
All-Rounder
Batting Style: Right-handed
Bowling Style: Right-arm seam
Age:16
All-rounder Byron Hatton-Lowe showed his capabilities across both disciplines in 2022, averaging over 35 with the bat and under 29 with the ball for various Nottinghamshire County Age Group teams.
He scored his maiden half-century for the U18s in a three-day fixture against Durham, while he collected nine wickets for the eldest age group across the season.
His performances saw him selected for the Midlands at the Bunbury Festival, where he finished as the side’s second top-scorer across their seven fixtures.
The right hander also made 17 Notts Premier League appearances for Clifton, totting up his first fifty against Radcliffe-on-Trent and claiming best-figures of 3-45 against Hucknall.
Travis Holland
Top Order Batter
Batting Style: Right-handed
Bowling Style: Right-arm seam
Age: 17
West Bridgford School pupil Travis Holland, who plays his club cricket for West Bridgfordians, made his bow for the Academy in their 2019 fixture against England Women.
The opener amassed over 1000 runs for the second successive season for Notts in 2022. Across 20 innings for the U18s, he scored four fifties and a century, the latter a 103-ball 137 against Warwickshire.
Having made two appearances in the Second XI Championship in 2021, the right-hander appeared on five further occasions in 2022, scoring 84 and 22* against Northamptonshire in addition to an industrious 26 against Leicestershire.
A capable bowler, Holland also collected 14 Notts wickets in 2022, with best figures of 4-19 for the Green and Golds’ U16s against Oxfordshire.
Toby Lambert
Wicketkeeper-Batter
Batting Style: Right-handed
Age: 15
Sheer weight of runs saw Toby Lambert earn his spot in the Academy for 2023, having scored over 2,200 runs in 51 innings last summer, at an average of 62.60.
Those scores came for a multitude of Nottinghamshire Age Groups – EPP, U14s, U16s – as well as for Clifton in the Notts Premier League.
In 35 innings for his county, Lambert amassed 11 half-centuries and three hundreds, with a top score of 129*. With the gloves, he claimed 43 dismissals.
His form saw him selected for the Midlands at the Bunbury Festival, where he is eligible to play again in 2023.
Freddie McCann
All-rounder
Batting Style: Left-handed
Bowling Style: Off-spin
Age: 17
All-rounder Freddie McCann provided an impressive return as a member of Nottinghamshire’s Emerging Player Programme in 2021, averaging 74.75 in his six innings with the bat.
His form saw him selected in the Academy in 2022, and produced a return of runs and wickets which vindicated the decision.
In 18 innings for the Green and Golds, the left-hander scored 906 runs at an average in excess of 60, including a top score of 204* against Lincolnshire.
With his off-spin, McCann collected 26 wickets at fewer than 18 apiece with best figures of 4-29 against Derbyshire U18s.
The Papplewick and Linby player made his Notts Second XI debut in 2022, scoring 66 and 32 in his second appearance against Northamptonshire.
Sam Seecharan
All-rounder
Batting Style: Right-handed
Bowling Style: Right-arm medium
Age: 16
A former captain of the Midlands at the Bunbury Festival, Sam Seecharan is renowned as one of the brightest prospects at Tonbridge School.
He previously attended Trent College and made history in his first year, aged 12, as the youngest player to represent the school’s First XI.
In 2022, the right-hander amassed 716 runs in 14 innings, including four fifties and a top score of 200* against Yorkshire in a three-day clash.
In the same season, Seecharan captained the English Schools Cricket Association against MCC Schools at Lord’s, scoring a run-a-ball 75.