2024 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2024 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 54 in 2022 and retained our place in the top-flight in the summer of 2023. Steven’s leadership skills, and his contribution to our club’s culture, shouldn’t be underestimated – and it had been the pleasure of the General Committee to recommend that he receive a testimonial year in summer 2024. The Chair was delighted to welcome Steven Mullaney to say a few words as his testimonial year got underway. Mr Mullaney said that it was good to see so many familiar faces at the AGM, and he hoped everyone was looking forward to the season. He thanked the Committee, club and members for awarding him a testi- monial, and reminded everyone that there were plenty of events to enjoy during the 2024 season. Anyone who wished to take part could look at his website and there was also a newsletter. The Chair thanked Mr Mullaney and said all involved with the club wished him well in his new role going forward. The Chair then went on to say that Steven Mullaney had led a tenacious Nottinghamshire side on their return to Division One in the summer of 2023. There were comprehensive wins over Somerset, Northamptonshire and Kent – and an incident-packed victory over Middlesex at the end of the season. But it was in those games where backs were against the wall that the character of the side had been most on show – notably at Kent, when a seemingly lost cause threatened to turn into an unlikely victory courtesy of our standout players from the summer of 2023, Joe Clarke and Brett Hutton. In the white-ball formats, we had seen moments of brilliance from Clarke and Shaheen Afridi and a return to the T20 knockout stages. And while we were disappointed to exit the One Day Cup in the group stages, a number of the club’s younger players embraced their opportunities – not least Matthew Montgomery, who displayed matu- rity and no little skill in seeing us to victory at Canterbury. Elsewhere,The Blaze had very quickly become part of the Trent Bridge family – and delivered mem- orable performances in reaching two finals. And we once again offered a range of cricketing experiences throughout the summer – with a compelling, historicWomen’s AshesTest, two visits from England Men and four double-headers in front of packed houses inThe Hundred. To have such a wealth of different fixtures and formats on offer was the new normal – and was part of the reason why the Pavilion had become our next big infrastructure challenge. With double-headers seeing four teams competing on the same day, and with playing squads and backroom staffs bigger than ever, we were in desperate need of additional space.The club would also ensure that members’ facilities were of a suitably high standard. The club was moving through the planning process, and the initial feedback from the relevant author- ities was very positive. But, as the Chair knew only too well due to his professional background, these projects did not come cheap – especially when the restoration of a historic building sat at their core. As the Chief Executive would discuss in more detail, we had a number of financial challenges to face in the coming years, and sourc- ing the investment to complete our Pavilion redevelopment was at the head of that queue. The Pavilion End now bore the name of Nottinghamshire’s most successful bowler on the interna- tional stage in Stuart Broad.To bestow such a gift on a player was a big decision for a Committee to take, but Stuart’s international achievements and commitment to his county made him a once-in-a- lifetime player. Our task now was to ensure that the building that stands at the Stuart Broad End was fit for a fast-changing cricketing landscape. The Chair said that the club’s constitution allowed us to elect a president for a two-year term and he was delighted that Mr Chris Broad was, after having completed his first year, happy to complete his term as President in 2024. Of course, cricket in the county was about so much more than what goes on at Trent Bridge, the Chair said. It was important that the club never lost sight of the hard work at recreational clubs the length and breadth of Nottinghamshire – and the importance of non-traditional cricket offers, especially in our city. The Chair said that the AGM would hear more later about the shape of the recreational game, but he had been struck during 2023 by the continued growth of the women and girls’ game, whilst the ambition and dedication of volunteers county- wide continued to be astonishing. He offered his congratulations to Cuckney Cricket Club, too, for winning the ECB’s National Club Championship on the hallowed turf of Lord’s. Back here at Trent Bridge, he had been indebted to the support of his fellow committee members over the past year.The Chair had always felt that running an organisation like this was a team effort, and every member of the committee had more than played their part in that regard. There was much to look forward to over the next 12 months – two intriguing international games, the return of The Blaze and the sight of Nottinghamshire’s teams under new leadership across all formats. The Chair wished all those involved the very best of luck – particularly Haseeb Hameed and Joe Clarke in their new leadership positions. While off-field matters may often dominate our thoughts, the Chair concluded by saying that it was im- portant to remember that all present