2024 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2024 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 12 delivering tangible rewards.The same core of players who moved to our venue from Loughborough in 2022 – aided by a sprinkling of fresh faces – were able to consolidate their performances last year by winning their first piece of silverware. To see the joy – and no little relief – on the faces of the players as they lifted the Charlotte Edwards Cup in Derby was one of my highlights of the year. Their achievement sits proudly on theTrent Bridge roll of honour, and I’m delighted that one of our key priorities for 2024 was achieved and our venue will be the long-term home forThe Blaze in the ECB’s new professional structure for the women’s game. We are now a county club that plays host to men’s and women’s cricket at the highest domestic level and next year’s schedule permits both teams an increased number of opportunities to play together in double-headers on their home turf. Our Men’sTest between England andWest Indies was arguably the best of the international red-ball games staged last summer, and featured the ebbs and flows which only the most traditional format can bring. It was also as heartening as ever to see our stands filled to cap- acity in September as we welcomed England and Australia for a sold-out One Day International. The Metro Bank One Day Cup Final – or theTwo Day Cup Final, as it has been christened – was one of the stranger showpiece occasions I’ve attended. I suspect I wasn’t alone in fearing that both the original date of the final and the reserve day would be washed out, but the dedication and skill of our groundstaff ensured that a game could be played despite the most un- forgiving of forecasts. Steve Birks and his team richly deserved the many plaudits which came their way. At the season’s end, we were recog- nised as offering the finest spectator experience in the English game for both men’s international cricket and The Hundred – the 13th year in the past 15 in which we have earned such recognition for the experience we offer. Our proud record in the longest and shortest formats of the game is testament to our ability to welcome new people and embrace all formats of cricket. Each and every individual who brings our matchdays to life deserves huge credit for this – from our renowned stewards and our permanent staff to our army of volunteers. It is also thanks to our members and supporters, who help to create the unique atmosphere which leaves such a positive impres- sion on those who visit our corner of the country. Off the field, the staging of Men’sTest cricket has proven to be of significant financial benefit. After a year without a Men’s Test match in 2023 resulted in a deficit of over £800k we have been able to post a better-than- expected surplus for this year. Whilst Men’sTests remain as popular as ever in this country and are central to our current business model, they face a fight for relevance and atten- tion in other nations – as some of the attendance figures across the globe this winter show. It is in this light that the sale of stakes in the eight competing teams inThe Hundred is central to retain- ing the current county structure and to future-proofing the game for the next generation. Increased investment in the com- peting teams – allied to the expertise which this will allow the game to unlock – can helpThe Hundred to secure a place as one of cricket’s leading limited-overs competitions, attract the best players and offer the finest experience for spectators. These are uncharted waters for the English county game, but we should be open-minded about this new era of private investment, which has the “THE METRO BANK ONE DAY CUP FINAL WAS ONE OF THE STRANGER SHOWPIECE OCCASIONS I’VE ATTENDED. BUT THE DEDICATION AND SKILL OF OUR GROUNDSTAFF ENSURED THAT A GAME COULD BE PLAYED DESPITE THE MOST UNFORGIVING OF FORECASTS.” Lisa Pursehouse