2025 Annual-report

MINUTES OF THE 2025 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 51 of Fletcher, Hales and Mullaney among the XI – which would feel unfamiliar for a while. Their generation was one of the more successful to wear Nottinghamshire colours, Mr Hunt said, with six major trophies since 2010, but they experienced their share of setbacks and disappointments too. We must be prepared to be patient as new teams grew and evolved under Haseeb and Joe, and the Chair knew a great deal of hard work had been put in this winter with the aim of delivering stronger performances in 2025. The Blaze were in a different stage of their evolution, with a largely settled squad that retained the same core of players that had moved from Loughborough two years ago. They had been remarkably consistent since makingTrent Bridge home, especially in theT20 format, where they were the cream of the crop as they outclassed all opponents in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Successful sides, of course, could never stand still.The Chair was delighted to welcome Craig Cumming to the Trent Bridge family as Head Coach – a man who had won numerous trophies in women’s cricket over in New Zealand. With a fully professional squad for the first time, and a few new faces joining the ranks, Mr Hunt was looking forward to seeing how they fared in 2025. That increased visibility and profes- sionalisation of women’s sport was having a real impact – it had meant that the Chair’s daughters would happily join him for a day at the cricket, without having to be bribed into attending. Women’s cricket in all its forms had been crucial to that growth in interest, from the England team toThe Hundred’s double-header format, which had been a great addition to our cricketing portfolio. The Hundred was, of course, in a period of transition, with counties and private investors assuming greater responsibility over competing teams. The Chief Executive would discuss developments from a Nottingham- shire perspective a little later, but that was just one of the major projects the club had been under- taking of late. As for the other, members could not have missed the changes that were taking place as they made their way into the ground for the AGM. After all the talk of the past few months and years, it was hugely satisfying to see shovels in the ground and progress underway with our Pavilion development. Preparatory works began shortly after Christmas, and Mr Hunt said he could now confirm that construc- tion contracts had been signed, and work was well and truly underway. A&S Enterprises were our main contractors, while architects Letts Wheeler had been working with us on planning and design for the past few years. As members would have seen in some of the imagery from the initial planning application, the club were keen to blend the history of the pitch-facing frontage with the modern facilities that players, support staff and members rightly demanded. All concerned knew that they were working with a special building – a Pavilion that was, in fact, older than its contemporaries at Lord’s,The Oval and OldTrafford. But it was also a building that had continued to evolve to keep up with the times. In years gone by, that meant remodelling the dressing rooms and entrance gates to remove the distinction between gentlemen and players. Now, it meant ensuring that we could provide facilities of the highest standards for four teams to use on the same day, with double-headers such a significant part of our calendar. It also meant improving our provision for our members, with a refurbished long room, lifts, accessible toilets and improvements to an interior design that could feel a little like a rabbit warren at times. We would all have to get used to a temporary home in the meantime, the Chair said. Players and match officials would be housed on the first floor of the Radcliffe Road Stand, with hospitality boxes converted into dressing rooms, dining areas and offices. And Mr Hunt hoped that members would find that the Derek Randall Suite offered an acceptable short- term substitute to the Long Room, with members’ area seating in the same stand. As with any project of this size, the Chair was sure that there would be a few hurdles to overcome as the construction continued, but the club was hoping that the building would be in use by early summer 2026. The club had secured funding for the development from a range of sources before the process of securing private investment inThe Hundred teams reached its latest stage. So, while the club was not dependent on those funds to see the Pavilion project through, the additional funds might well help us to move towards completion as efficiently as possible. It would be a proud day when the club was able to cut the ribbon on the new facility, and we could all return to our favoured spots in the venue, the Chair said. It would also be a day which would help to cement the ground’s status as an international venue for the foreseeable future – something which must always be one of our key priorities. There was much to look forward to, the Chair said, but he would like to finish by looking back at the contributions of three individuals who had played significant roles in Trent Bridge’s recent history.