ANNUAL REPORT 2019

23 SECOND XI REPORT AN T B OT H A SECOND XI REPORT It’s one thing looking at the results and performances – which, on the whole, were pleasing in limited- overs cricket and less so with the red ball – but what I’m more interested in is how our players are growing as individuals and how they are learning. There are countless players across county cricket who have been given the chance in the first team before they are truly ready.The result has been one, two or three-year careers rather than something that’s long-lasting and sustainable. It’s about building their foundations and about managing their expec- tations.We want to give them all the tools they need to nail it at the higher level for long periods of time. What we’re looking for from these guys are professional habits – and that’s across their preparation, the way they execute their skills and what they bring to the dressing room. In 2019, we saw a group of Academy players move one year further into their development – and in some cases the process really started to bear fruit. Liam Patterson-White, our left-arm spinning all-rounder, really came to the fore last summer and began to look like he’s a Nottinghamshire cricketer right here, right now. Liam’s character has grown through the roof. I could see the determi- nation in his eyes. He looked at our established first team players and said ‘I’m coming for you; I’m coming for your place in the side’ and he pulled it off. He posted three scores of 150 in quick succession in Second XI cricket, and showed signs with the ball that he was doing things the right way. He got into the first team more on the strength of his batting and actually ended up excelling with the ball, which demonstrates the impor- tance of growing in overall character and stature as a cricketer. There were really positive signs among other players too. My role with the Second XI is to help players develop their games, to facilitate them growing as characters and to assist them in learning how to win games of cricket. “I COULD SEE THE DETERMIN- ATION IN HIS EYES. HE LOOKED AT OUR ESTABLISHED FIRST TEAM PLAYERS AND SAID ‘I’M COMING FOR YOU; I’M COMING FOR YOUR PLACE IN THE SIDE’.” Ant Botha on Liam Patterson-White