1993 season
Britannic Assurance Championship – 7th
Nat West Trophy (60 overs) – Second Round
Benson and Hedges Cup (55 overs) – Second Round
AXA Equity and Law League (50 overs) – 17th
Captain – R T (Tim) Robinson
With the release of three experienced players (Broad, Cooper and Hemmings) at the end of 1992, coach Mike Hendrick decided to place more emphasis on youth for the 1993 season. Onto the staff came Bobby Chapman and Jim Hindson who both made first-team debut the previous summer, off spinner Richard Bates, left arm seamer Steven Sylvester and left hand bat Mat Dowman.
Grantham born Dowman broke the England Under-19 Test record score in 1993, hitting 267 against West Indies Under-19 at Hove, and played in three List A games towards the end of the summer and offered much promise for the future. However, after a frustrating and disappointing season, Hendrick was sacked after only 18 months in the job. With signs of some dressing room discontent, his man-management style was deemed not to be getting the best out of the players.
In the championship Notts slipped three places, winning six and losing three of their 17 games. Notts in general bowled well with slow left-armer Andy Afford, clearly gaining in confidence as a result of being the primary spinner, taking 57 wickets @29.10. New Zealander Chris Cairns had a fine all-round season scoring 962 runs @43.72 and taking 53 wickets @23.43 Sadly he missed two matches at the back of the season due to the tragic death of his sister in a railway accident in New Zealand and with Afford also incapacitated for the last four games, Notts only won one of their last five championship fixtures.
The 1993 season saw the introduction of a championship schedule entirely comprising four-day games – starting with a thrilling tie versus Worcestershire at Trent Bridge, the first in Notts’ championship history. Off the very last ball, Andy Pick was beaten by an accurate throw from the square-leg boundary just failing to complete the second run which would have given Notts victory. Notts had been set 296 to win in 87 overs after the visitors declared. Derek Randall, who retired at the end of year, hit his highest score of the season with 98; 42 year-old Randall only appeared in five championship fixtures. Towards the back end of May, Notts had a tremendous win against Kent winning by 74 runs after following on; spin twins Afford and off-spinner Mike Field-Buss shared the 10 wickets as the Trent Bridge wicket turned on day four, Kent all out for 104. Notts were top of the table. Earlier in the month Notts had won at Grace Road.
At the end of June, Notts chased a declaration target of 336 at St Helens, Swansea as centurions’ skipper Tim Robinson and Paul Johnson shared an unbroken third wicket stand of 198; Robinson had also recorded a ton in the first innings. In July, Notts completed a rare victory at Old Trafford as Paul Johnson hit a career-best 187 in a Notts total of 560 and Cairns took nine wickets as Notts won by an innings. Two games later, Notts had a 115-run victory versus Yorkshire at Trent Bridge despite being reduced to three frontline bowlers due to injuries to Cairns and Field-Buss, Afford leading the way with 5-77. Notts’ final win came at Ropery Lane, Chester-le-Street. Notts, having inserted Durham piled up 629 with Chris Lewis top scoring with a career best 247, adding a club record 301 with Bruce French (123) for the seventh wicket. Lewis, having scored a maiden Test century in Madras in February, had a mixed season scoring 577 runs @36.06 and taking 36 wickets @35.55. Notts three championship defeats were at home to Hampshire and at Northampton and The Oval.
Left hander Paul Pollard was leading scorer with 1,273 runs @45.46. Robinson scored 1,092 @43.68 and Johnson 1089 @45.37. Mark Crawley and Graeme Archer were both hampered by ankle injuries and were unable to develop on the promise shown in 1992. Right-hander Wayne Dessaur was given an opportunity and scored a maiden championship ton against Derbyshire at Trent Bridge. Bates made his first-class debut in the Parks as Notts lost to the students with future Notts captain Jason Gallian unbeaten on 141 as Oxford chased 257 for the loss of three wickets.
Notts had dismal season in limited overs cricket, losing to Somerset by a single wicket in the Benson and Hedges Cup, played as a straight knockout for the first time. Cheshire was beaten at Warrington in the Nat West opener but Somerset triumphed at Trent Bridge once more in the next round. The Sunday League was played for the first time with a white ball and coloured clothing but Notts only won four of the 17 contests played over 50 overs as they finished second to bottom in the standings. Kent were beaten at Trent Bridge by nine wickets in May as Paul Johnson hit a Notts List A record score of 167 not out off 106 balls. In the game versus Derby at Trent Bridge Notts racked up record score 329-6, winning by 142 runs. A large crowd gathered for the final encounter of the season as Randall in his last game for Notts captained the home team but only made three as Notts fell to a 160 run defeat against visitors Warwickshire. The 50 over Sunday experiment proved unpopular with spectators and the competition reverted back to 40 overs a side for 1994.
At the end of the season Mark Saxelby was reluctantly allowed to go to Durham. The left hander scored 464 championship runs @30.93 and hit his maiden List A ton at Ropery Lane.
Trent Bridge hosted the third Ashes Test as England fielded four debutants in Mark Ilott, Mark Lathwell, Martin McCague and Graham Thorpe. In the second innings left-hander Thorpe scored 114 not out with skipper Graham Gooch scoring 120. Australia set 371 runs in 77 overs where at one stage 115-6 but Steve Waugh and Brendon Julian batted the whole of the final session as the match was drawn.
Trent Bridge continued to be developed in 1993 with official opening of the new Hound Road Stand.
April 2020