Trent Bridge Annual Report 2018

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2018 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 8 a wonderful recognition of her hard work and achievements for sport and development. It was something the whole Club could be proud of. Success on the field was matched by a turn around in fortunes off the field. In 2016 there had been a loss of £722,000 – a change demonstrating the importance of hosting Test cricket at Trent Bridge. The recent bidding process, covering matches for the five years between 2020 and 2024, had seen the Club rewarded with Test Matches at Trent Bridge four years out of five, which was an excellent result. It meant that during that period, income was assured and would enable the Club to proceed with developing its future plan for facilities to keep Trent Bridge as the best cricket ground in the country. Mr Tennant commented that it was true that everyone was disappointed the Club was not awarded an Ashes Test, especially given that it will miss out in 2019. However, the package awarded of hosting the finals of the 50-over competition and, of course, hosting one of the eight teams in the new T20 competition, was fantastic news for the Club. The final details of the new T20 competition had yet to be confirmed and neither did the Club have any idea what the team would be called, but Mr Tennant had little doubt that the new audience at which it was aimed would be provided with a very exciting competition. It might not suit everyone, but then Trent Bridge would have its Test Matches! Mr Tennant commented that the speed of change in the game had been frightening in recent years with the driving force coming from various directions. The shorter form of the game had proved to be a great success in appealing to a new audience – and the crowds watching the T20 competition were great for the game’s future. Players loved the buzz of playing in front of large crowds, and white ball cricket could provide them with an alternative route to earn a living than playing all three formats. As members, he realised that to lose players of the calibre of Alex Hales and Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid from the red ball game, would be very disappointing, but be that as it may, there would be an increasing need for Counties to adjust their squads to ensure that the Club had players with the right skillsets for red ball and white ball cricket. Turning to other matters, Mr Tennant reported that the ECB had now finalised their new rules on governance which would be implemented after the Board’s AGM in May. These new rules would ensure impartiality and more diverse representation than before and would meet the standards the government, through Sport England, demand. Members would have received the Chairman’s letter outlining the reasons why the Club had not proposed any changes to its Constitution and Rules in 2018, particularly with regard to the governance of the Club. He gave his assurance that the work started in 2017 would continue, with the intention of bringing to the 2019 AGM any proposals that would better serve Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the future. The main focus would be on the election of officers and the make-up of the Committee to ensure that it represented the membership and the community the Club served by having the right skills, diversity and experience to operate in what is a far more dynamic environment than ever before. Trent Bridge awarded fourTest Matches between 2020 and 2024 “THE RECENT BIDDING PROCESS COVERING MATCHES FOR THE FIVE YEARS BETWEEN 2020 AND 2024 HAD SEEN THE CLUB REWARDED WITH TEST MATCHES AT TRENT BRIDGE FOUR YEARS OUT OF FIVE, WHICHWAS AN EXCELLENT RESULT.” Richard Tennant