ANNUAL REPORT 2019

19 FIRST XI REPORT been able to bring into the senior setup for 2020. With Lyndon James, Ben Compton and Sol Budinger also on board, we have a strong core of young players that we believe have the ability to be nurtured into the professional game. Any young player, however, regard- less of how quickly they’ve pro- gressed through the ranks, needs the support and guidance of a more senior group. Pakistani international, Mohammad Abbas, is one such experienced campaigner who is set to bring his considerable fast-bowling skills to our club for the opening nine games of the County Championship season. We firmly believe, meanwhile, that vastly experienced all-rounder Peter Trego still has a great deal to offer – with bat, ball and in a mentoring capacity to our younger players – as he joins the club on a two-year contract. We’re also delighted to welcome Haseeb Hameed to the club – a player who has proven his talent at the highest level of the game, and who we believe can flourish again if provided with the right environment. After such a disappointing red-ball season, we felt we had to review every part of the cricket operation. With the players we have added – and with the addition of Kevin Shine to our coaching staff after 14 years at the ECB – we feel we enter 2020 in a stronger position. The changes have also allowed us to reinforce the age group pathway for the next generation of Notts players. Nothing makes us prouder than being able to field a strong core of players who we’ve nurtured from a young age, and by reconfiguring our age-group setup with the addition of Andy Pick’s expertise, those in the Academy will have the best pos- sible chance to fulfil their potential. Our white-ball season, meanwhile, once again showed us as one of the outstanding limited-overs teams in the country. The performances of the likes of Alex Hales, Harry Gurney and Matt Carter were outstanding, and allowed us to maintain the type of consistency that’s craved by our opposition across the country. To have made the T20 quarter- finals in nine of the last ten years, and to have reached three of the past four Finals Days, is something to be celebrated.We also turned in some strong performances to reach the last four in the Royal London One-Day Cup. In truth, when it came to the 50- over semi-final, we were compre- hensively outplayed by the eventual winner in Somerset and can have no complaints about the result.The semi-final of the Vitality Blast, how- ever, is one which will remain a bad memory for us throughout the winter. We know we did a huge number of good things throughout that tournament – particularly in the quarter-final win against Middlesex – and we were dominant for much of the semi-final, but we couldn’t finish it off.There’s no doubt that will haunt us, but we have to come back stronger for the experience. It’s always disappointing to come up just short in any competition, but winning trophies is incredibly tough. We’ve won six trophies in the last 20 years, and four in the last decade, but getting over the line is no easy task. Regardless, we must aim to put ourselves in contention again next season, with a much-improved County Championship season our clear priority. I’d like to thank our members for their steadfast support over the past 12 months.We look forward to wel- coming you back for the upcoming campaign. “TO HAVE MADE THE T20 QUARTER-FINALS IN NINE OF THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND TO HAVE REACHED THREE OF THE PAST FOUR FINALS DAYS, IS SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED.” Mick Newell