Following the release of the domestic fixtures, Peter Moores struck a tone of confidence and belief that Nottinghamshire can achieve success across three competitions during the 2022 campaign.

The Green and Golds will make the long journey south to begin in Hove against Sussex from 7 April; a fixture with personal resonance and a strong sense of nostalgia for the Notts Head Coach.  

The following week’s home clash against Glamorgan ensures that Nottinghamshire commence their campaign against a pair of opponents they haven’t met in the County Championship since 2017.

“Sussex is one of my old stomping grounds, so it’s a place I know well, and it feels like a decent place to start,” said Moores.

“You’re always hoping the weather is kind during the early part of the season because everyone is so keen to get onto the field and play.

“Part of the beauty of the Championship is the fact that you can come up against sides you haven’t played for a period of time. That brings with it new battles, or the opportunity to renew old ones, and it can create fresh and exciting challenges.

“That being said, particularly in the early part of the season, it’s about us and how we play, regardless of our opposition. 

“Everyone has the same objective. It’s a new start, and we all want to get out of the blocks quickly, so we put more focus on ourselves and our style.

“That means whoever we play, be it someone familiar or someone we haven’t played for a while, we’re going to be concentrating on how we go about our business and how we succeed.

“We have to be sure that we’re passionately representing the club in all we do, and we’ll be trying to get ourselves into as strong a position as we can, which will hopefully lead to getting us promoted.”

Opening fixtures aside, the unveiling of a new schedule brings an urge to scour for the local derbies – and that, according to Moores, is the same for players and coaches alike. 

The Green and Golds will do battle with their East Midlands rivals, Derbyshire, on four occasions throughout the upcoming summer, totalling ten days of competitive action, with the first Championship fixture between the sides commencing at Trent Bridge on 19 May.

After the red-ball bragging rights were firmly secured with two wins from two last summer, together with a win, a defeat and a tie across two formats in the white ball game, Moores is excited to face the neighbours again.

“We’ve had some great games against them, in all forms of the game – and they are games we always look forward to,” he recalled.

“It’s always a good scrap, whether those games are in the short-forms of the game or in the Championship – and the friendly against them will also provide an opportunity to get some good cricket with a competitive feel under our belts.

“Games against Derbyshire have a nice edge to them. But, again, we always want to make sure we’re focussed on ourselves.”

In addition to their seven fixtures in each of the Championship and Vitality Blast, Notts Outlaws will take to the field on eight occasions in the group stages of the 50-over Royal London Cup.

Of the four home contests, two will take place on the road at the Lincolnshire outpost of Grantham, with Welbeck and Trent Bridge each playing host to a solitary fixture.

Following an exclusively out-ground campaign last summer that Moores admits he enjoyed, it’s a balance with which he is contented looking ahead to 2022.

“We had some excellent games at places like Welbeck and Grantham last year,” he said.

“Those communities and the volunteers that support those events are hugely supportive and it’s great to experience the more relaxed, personable feel of an out-ground venue, so we’re looking forward to doing that again for sure.

“Meanwhile, getting to play a game at Trent Bridge is really significant for some of the players.

“That 50-over competition has, in recent times, become a great chance for players who are just breaking into first-team cricket to get some early exposure.

“So, with that in mind, playing at your home ground – and especially considering that for a lot of those players it might be their first time doing that in white-ball cricket – they’ll be really looking forward to it.”

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Nottinghamshire membership for the 2022 season is on sale now, with those who join our club bestowed access to all scheduled home domestic cricket alongside a plethora of additional perks.