Matthew Montgomery’s gamble to leave behind family and friends in South Africa paid dividends in the summer of 2021, when the highly-rated former South Africa U19 captain signed his first professional contract in England with Nottinghamshire.

He is now in the midst of his first pre-season with the Green and Golds, and is revelling in the opportunity to explore and refine his game as a batting all-rounder.

However, his journey has not always been smooth sailing.

"It's sometimes nice just to be thrown in, face up and deal with the challenge in front of you."

Over two years prior to signing his contract, Montgomery had moved to England from Durban, armed with a German passport, to play for Clifton Alliance in Yorkshire Premier League North.

Trials with the Green and Golds arrived off the back of a successful club campaign in York, before he began his studies at Loughborough University.

Then a global pandemic hit, halting his progress.

“I had about three months of training at university before Covid,” said Montgomery. “It was very high intensity.

“We were training twice a week with full fitness programmes, we had great support. Then, suddenly, it completely stopped. That was tough.

“Coming here in the first place was a big decision and a bit of a sacrifice because I didn't really have any roots set here. Covid delayed that even further, which was really frustrating.

“It was also a challenging period because my family were back home and I spent the whole pandemic here. In a way, it's given me a bit more hunger going forward, and I actually started to appreciate how lucky I am to play cricket.”

When a semblance of normality did return in 2021, the right-handed batter and off-spin bowler was afforded an extended run in Nottinghamshire’s Second XI.

He took his opportunity as a trialist, scoring 302 runs in nine innings, including 147 against Warwickshire and 67 against Durham.

“I was fortunate to get some runs early on, so that helped settle me down,” the 21-year-old said.

“There's definitely a bit of pressure because everyone knows what position you are in. You can try and pretend that you're not on trial and you try and convince yourself as much as you can that it's just a game of cricket, but it is always in the back of your mind.

“It’s funny, I think I actually benefitted from playing in England because I didn’t know about the players in the opposition. I just played the ball as it came down, rather than the person bowling it, and that helped.”

Then, off the back of signing a contract, came a chance to switch formats and impress in List A cricket for his new county.  

Despite being of tender years, the former KwaZulu-Natal cricketer did, at least, have professional experience from which to draw, including a 104 against Western Province in 2019 and a half century against South Western District in the same campaign.

It proved worthwhile with Montgomery finishing the Royal London Cup as Notts’ second top run scorer, with an average of 40, despite being forced to adapt with only three of Nottinghamshire's eight fixtures not affected by rain.

“Once we got into that competition, it was just non-stop travelling game to game and I think that was actually a blessing in disguise," he said.

“You can't really think about it too much, you can't get too carried away, you just get thrown into that environment.

“Because we ended up playing so many shortened games, we had to go straight in and score at eight or nine an over. There was no choice but to score freely, and that took the pressure off.”

Now he is able to look forward with a summer of cricket to prove his credentials as a member of Nottinghamshire’s staff.

The relationship between Montgomery and the likes of Ant Botha, Paul Franks and Peter Moores has shifted, somewhat, since the span of two years he spent trialing.

What’s more, exposure to the Green and Golds’ bowling battery is providing fertile grounds for improvement.

“It is obviously tough for the coaches before you sign a contract, they aren't in a position to invest too much, but once I signed, they start taking a deeper look into the technical things and you start to build a closer relationship. That's definitely helped,” he said.

“It’s the same with players. We have such great depth at the club so I come up against proper county players who have played for years, that is a great learning curve.

“By the time we get out on the grass in the tent [marquee on Trent Bridge square], I want to make sure I've got a proper base so I can just whittle it down to decision making and not be worrying about all these small things in your head.”

If anything is clear about Montgomery since his arrival in the East Midlands, it has been his ability to roll with the punches.

He credits a few whirlwind experiences for that trait, including making his First-Class debut and earning junior international captaincy within the space of a month.

It has strengthened his resolve and taught him the need for resilience, which, with the challenges yet ahead, may serve him well.

“It's sometimes nice just to be thrown in, face up and deal with the challenge in front of you,” he admitted.

“I think that's when I'm playing my best and producing the best results.”