2025 Annual-report

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2025 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 56 stories would unfold as the season progressed? Mr Moores hoped that members could all still enjoy the uncertainty of sport.We were now in a world where failure was often blamed on lack of effort and never lack of skill. He watched our players every day, and their desire for success was as strong as anyone’s.We all knew there were no guarantees in sport, but it is the uncertainty of not knowing that drew us to watch the game, whereas predictability could lead to boredom and stalemate. So if Mr Moores could leave members with one thought, it would be to see everything as an opportunity to succeed, rather than the chance of failure. Members should enjoy the ups and downs that go with every season and the differences each format brings. He wished good luck to Has and Joe as our captains and hoped that this would be our season to enjoy success. He hoped members had all wintered well and looked forward to seeing all at Trent Bridge in the coming months. Mr Moores then invited questions from members. Mr David Parker asked about the fact that the club had two new over- seas bowlers for ten Championship matches; what arrangements were being made for the remaining four? Mr Newell agreed that a bowler was required for those matches, which would involve the Kookaburra ball. Mr Parker also asked if the club had considered recruiting JackWhite, who had an excellent record. Mr Newell agreed that his record was impressive and that JackWhite had indeed been on the club’s radar. Mr Moores concurred but added that, ultimately, players decide where they will play. In response to a further question from Mr Parker, Mr Moores said that he hoped Josh Tongue would be fit for the start of the season. Everyone at the club was excited about his recovery after a long period of rehabilitation. In response to a question from Mr Nick Sandford on Zoom, Mr Moores said that the One Day Cup plays a useful purpose. It remained the best vehicle for player develop- ment; Rob Lord was a fine example of that. It was a very competitive format and remained an important part of the club’s season. The Chair thanked Mr Newell and Mr Moores for their reports and wished the teams every success in 2025. He then introduced the Chief Executive to give her strategic update. 7. STRATEGIC UPDATE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE The Chief Executive began by saying that 2024 marked the end of the club’s most recent five-year strategic cycle.This time last year, we had gathered in the Derek Randall Suite with a degree of uncertainty still surrounding three significant strategic projects for our club, our venue and our sport. After welcoming professional women’s cricket into our family for the first time at the end of 2022, we had found ourselves in a competitive process to secure the team’s future at our venue less than 18 months later. Secondly, we were negotiating the early stages of planning permission and working to secure funding for the redevelopment of our historic Pavilion. And finally, we were embarking on discussions surrounding the future direction of The Hundred. Twelve months later, all three projects had now moved forwards significantly; and in their own ways, each would be crucial in leaving our club and venue on a sound footing for the future. Our written bid and presentation to retainThe Blaze required a great deal of work, but the Chief Executive was sure all would agree it was worth it as we saw the team receive just reward for their performances over the past two summers in winning the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Finals Day at Derby ranked as one of the highlights of the Chief Executive’s time at Trent Bridge, and she was proud of their achievements and delighted that a women’s professional trophy win now sat on our roll of honour. The Blaze entered 2025 under the fresh leadership of Craig Cumming, as they competed as one of only eight sides in the top tier of the ECB's new structure for the women’s professional game. Ms Pursehouse knew members would join her in welcoming Craig and wishing him well in his new role. Our men’s team, meanwhile, had conducted their pre-season work with a strong focus on improvement from within and building consistent performance standards in all formats. The squad certainly had a refreshed feel as we headed into 2025, and following the departure of long- term stalwarts Luke Fletcher and Alex Hales, our established professional squad had been rein- forced by experienced additions. Conor McKerr had joined us from Surrey and our overseas signings across all formats would provide an injection of experience to support our captains, Haseeb and Joe. At the other end of the spectrum, three of our Academy graduates had earned their first professional contract, and all hoped that it would not be long before they were following in the footsteps of Freddie McCann and Farhan Ahmed – their performances had been a summer highlight for all of us in this room. This long-term strategic commit- ment to developing local young talent would continue as squad sizes would inevitably grow to fulfil the volume of cricket being played. As part of our plan to further integrate The Blaze and provide a platform for growing their fan base, we would host seven fixtures at Trent Bridge in 2025 – including four double-headers in the Vitality Blast, games at which the Chief Executive knew both teams would appreciate members’ support.