Haseeb Hameed has described the match-winning moment against Surrey at the Kia Oval as triggering the ‘purest emotion’ he’d ever felt on a cricket field, as the captain reminisced with members on a title-winning summer.

Hameed was joined by Ben Slater at a free-of-charge members’ event, where festive refreshments were served and attendees were able to see the historic County Championship trophy up close.

And the pair reflected fondly on the standout moments from a successful summer.

“That was the most intense, exciting game I’ve been a part of in First-Class cricket,” said Hameed of Notts’ penultimate game of the season, against the reigning champions.

“When Ben took that catch to win us the game, I’ve never quite had a feeling like it on a cricket field.

“It was pure emotion and elation, knowing we’d been able to do as a squad and a club.

“We knew the enormity of the occasion and the challenge, to try and beat a side that hadn’t lost on their own patch for a couple of years, so to do it was a huge team effort, and one we’re really proud of.”

The skipper’s opening partner, Slater was in position on the boundary’s edge to take the match-winning catch, sealing victory in a topsy-turvy encounter by 20 runs.

“It was the first chance I’d had all year in the Championship,” he recalled.

“I’d not had a catch come anywhere near me all year, so going into the last two or three games I was thinking, ‘you’re going to have to be switched on here, you can’t go a whole season without having a catch come to you, so you don’t want to drop it!’.

“As soon as the ball got above the seats at the Oval, I got a good view of it. Then it was pretty surreal, everything seemed to slow down in the last five yards or so, and I remember thinking ‘this is it, then!’

“Thankfully it stuck, and the next minute or so was a blur. That feeling was one I probably won’t get again, it was so special.”

Hameed had addressed members in the Derek Randall Suite ahead of the triumphant campaign, at the club’s pre-season lunch, and the captain admitted he was optimistic before a ball had even been bowled.

“There was a quiet confidence among us that we’d be able to have a good season,” he said.

“The ambition to win the title is always there, but you also know how huge a task that is, especially with the competitiveness of the division.

“But I think what we did well throughout the year was take each game as it comes, and the start we got off to helped us massively.

“We knew we’d found a style that meant if we played close to our best we could beat anyone, and thankfully that showed.”

Hameed and Slater both passed 1,000 runs in the Championship – with the latter reaching the milestone as Notts secured victory against Warwickshire on the final day of the season – while Jack Haynes also enjoyed a standout summer.

With the ball, meanwhile, wickets were shared around the Nottinghamshire attack, with Brett Hutton finishing as leading wicket-taker, and Josh Tongue and Fergus O’Neill among those to make game-changing impacts.

“Fergus got us off to a great start, and also brought a confidence and belief that filtered through the side,” said Hameed.

“He was a young man who came over as an overseas player for the first time, and to come from the other side of the world with that expectation can be daunting.

“But that infectious energy, enthusiasm and belief really impressed us.

“With Josh, when you’ve got someone that can bowl that sort of pace it’s a huge asset to a team, but also he’s really skilful with it.

“He’s got the ability to move the ball laterally, and has this knack for bowling spells that turn games of cricket, and he did that through the course of the season.

“In his first game back, when it felt like it was petering out into a draw against Durham, he took four quick wickets, and it’s that kind of spell that separates the average county cricketer from those at international level.

“But what impressed most was his attitude and his mindset. To come back from 12 months away from the game, there will always be a sense of nerves and anxiety, so to see him do what he did was massive.

“He’s really bought into what we’re trying to do here, he’s fully invested in us, and that’s all we can ask of anyone connected to the club.

“Brett had an amazing season again, with the way he performed not only with the ball but with the bat, especially in that Surrey game.

“He often asks for the ball when the game is tight and we need someone to stand up, and that speaks volumes about him as a character.”

The arrival of Christmas sees the end of Notts’ first block of pre-season training, and Hameed believes the squad are ready for an increase in intensity on their return.

“When we get back together in January we’ll build towards going away to Abu Dhabi in pre-season, and we’ll really look to ramp things up,” he said.

“The challenge of retaining the title is different to the one we faced in trying to win it for the first time, but if we commit to the process as we did last season, there’s no reason why we can’t do the same again.”

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