Trent Bridge Annual Report 2018

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2018 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 12 support, which was much appreciated by all the players and coaches, stating that he looked forward to another exciting season in 2018. At this stage Head Coach Peter Moores gave a report, commenting that the season was drawing ever closer which was always a good thing after what had seemed to be a long winter! He reminded members that when he had spoken at the previous AGM, the plan was to focus strongly on the areas which needed to be improved. One of the things with losing was that losses tended to stick to you until you can put things right with a better performance – and 2016 had been a tough season. On the plus side, losing forced you to look at the reasons why and make the necessary changes to improve. 2017 was a season for those changes and improvements, and credit to all the players and the support staff for the way they went about tackling the many challenges the season threw up. To win two trophies and gain promotion was more than the Club would have expected, though no more than he thought was achievable. Similarly, in 2018 the expectation was to be challenging in the final stages of all three competitions, giving the Club a chance of more silverware, if things went the right way. The areas targeted for improvement had been; • To play well at key moments • To be hungry to improve every day • To be prepared to work hard to improve players’ fielding and, with that, their physicality. He believed that the team had moved on in all those areas, as well as others, though the important thing to remember, especially when you did well, was that the issues do not suddenly go away. For the squad to achieve further silverware, more players had to step up and be counted at those crucial moments when the pressure was on and the game was in the balance. Promisingly, this got easier the more times you did it, and 2017 had seen many different players take responsibility at different times. Those performances elevated players to another level, one where they moved their mentality to start any game looking for opportunities to win and be the man who won the match for the team. The previous season had been fantastic for that, with so many different players playing crucial innings or bowling the key overs that changed the match. From all the performances, none had summed up the season better for Mr Moores than the very last game when Billy Root, a young man at the start of his career, and Chris Read, on the verge of finishing his, came together at Hove with Notts’ promotion hopes in the balance. As in all pressurised situations, he commented, an opportunity for greatness was often disguised as potential for failure. Fortunately, both players scored centuries and, as is said, the rest is history. So, the message did not change and the team would be working hard to help players be ready to step up and deliver at key times. The second area Mr Moores mentioned was the desire to get better every day. This was essential if the team was to move forward as a squad and to develop the culture needed to bring Notts’ own youngsters through over the next few years. This was strong at the current time, and probably best epitomised by the recent trip to Oman where the Academy boys and the professional players shared the facilities, creating great opportunities for learning from both sides. The final area of fielding and physicality was a never-ending challenge, as the game continued to move forward at a pace. Again, it was at the end of a tournament that the team got its biggest reward for all the hard work, when they were the best fielding side in Finals Day at Edgbaston, which helped get them over the line to win the Trophy for the first time. The team moved in all three areas, and with that came better results. However, in winning, there was always comfort, and the challenge for 2018 would be to be as hungry as they were at the start of the 2017 season, whilst using the confidence and experience gained from their achievements. The team would be starting the last part of the build-up to the season with a pre-season tour to Potchefstroom on 5 March. On their return there would be further practice games against County and University opposition. Going away slightly earlier meant that there would be more time when they came back to climatise themselves in English conditions and to adjust to the pitches to be experienced in the first part of the season. Division One would be tough, and it was important to get off to a good start. The loss of several senior players had created space in the squad for others to step up and take on more responsibility within the team. Steven Mullaney, as the new Club Captain, had started to influence “TO WIN TWO TROPHIES AND GAIN PROMOTION WAS MORE THAN THE CLUB WOULD HAVE EXPECTED, THOUGH NO MORE THAN WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS ACHIEVABLE.” Peter Moores