For Nottinghamshire, you get the sense that another season flirting with Championship relegation simply will not be tolerated. In 2018 ...
For Nottinghamshire, you get the sense that another season flirting with Championship relegation simply will not be tolerated. In 2018 they stayed up ahead of Lancashire only by virtue of more wins. But with so many multi-skilled, multiformat players, they will have their sights set on a fi rst Championship title since 2011 and pressing home their white-ball excellence.
Not, though, without meeting murmurs of discontent that cut to the heart of the question: how much does county loyalty matter anymore in the free market? With Surrey’s ascent to last year’s title silencing (for now) criticism of their lavish recruitment policy, Notts are now the big beast that rival county fans have a pop at, especially after they signed the most promising young English player from each of the four smaller counties in the midlands. The long-serving director of cricket Mick Newell bridles at accusations of ‘poaching’, and maintains that it is better to sign young English players than scour around for Kolpaks or Britishpassport holders. But he does acknowledge that Notts deserve some criticism for failing to develop consistent top-order batsmen.
Ben Slater (who joins from Derbyshire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire) and Joe Clarke (Worcestershire) will all get the chance to solve Notts’ top-order concerns in the Championship; some reckon the beanpole Zak Chappell (Leicestershire) could mature into a genuine allrounder. He will fi nd initial competition with Paul Coughlin, whose first season after joning from Durham was restricted by a shoulder injury sustained on Lions duty. Lyndon James is another up-and-coming allrounder.
Keeping tabs on where their players are must occupy much of Newell and head coach Peter Moores’ time in winters. The last few months have been frantic for Harry Gurney, who is making the most of his status as perhaps the most valued seamer in English T20 (economy-rate 7.63 over the last three seasons). He will have chalked up appearances in four overseas leagues – the T10 in Sharjah, the Big Bash, the Pakistan Super League and the IPL (on a bargain $105,000 deal with Kolkata Knight Riders) – while also grappling with fatherhood. Maybe one day he will have the chance to settle down with a pint in one of the pubs he co-owns with Stuart Broad. Coughlin wins the obscurity award: he played in the Everest Premier League in Nepal.
Samit Patel averaged just 25 with the bat in the Championship last year, which is too low for one of the best county players. The off-spinner Matt Carter has not always been given fi rst-team opportunities with Patel around, but he won a Lions one-day spot after just seven List A appearances. Jake Ball has had a quieter time since losing his England place, and could revel as attack leader. Newell stresses that recruitment works both ways in county cricket: Notts wanted to keep Matt Milnes, but he left for more fi rst-team cricket at Kent; as has Billy Root with Glamorgan. Duckett and Clarke can expect to take on the white-ball impact role vacated by Riki Wessels, who has left by mutual agreement for Worcestershire after seven years.
And you sense it will be a big season for two older stagers in the last year of contract: Mark Footitt had an injury-hit fi rst season back at the county; and Broad in his testimonial season. Such are the variety of options that loan deals to Division Two counties are almost inevitable for someone or other; last year Luke Wood, another left-arm quick, played a big part in Worcestershire winning the T20. Championship and one-day captain Steven Mullaney is one of the most respected fi gures around, and Tom Moores was superb with bat and gloves in his fi rst full season in the dual role. Their success has allowed Notts to fi ll the hole left by Chris Read.
Notts start their Championship campaign with two home games – and for all the exciting T20 opportunities and the presence of a Michelin-star chef in the new Trent Bridge restaurant, challenging Surrey for the bread and butter is what matters most at a club this enterprising.
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