Nottinghamshire CCC & Trent Bridge

Nottinghamshire CCC & the 'glorious' Trent Bridge Cricket Ground

Refer to main website www.nottsccc.co.uk for up to date information ...

But in the meantime, a little Story...

You may wonder why a picture of the Independence of the Seas...

Well, to date I have been lucky enough to see Notts win the Championship (top division) four times: the 'lets call it Sunday league/1 day league' once; the NatWest Trophy & the B&H Cup. The four One Day Finals at Lords were great days out, not so the two we lost of course.

To date though we have not lifted the T20, robbed in 2006 & so unlucky in 2010, not to mention some of the more recent Quarter-Final heartache, in the last two seasons.

In 2008, finals day was set for the Rose Bowl, Hampshire. Confident we would get there, and being nice like I am, I duly booked a nice hotel for two nights in Southampton for Cheryl & I, explaining I had booked us a surprise mini break in July. Obviously I had booked it well in advance of the T20 competition even starting that season.

Notts failed miserably in 2008 but we went down to Southampton for the weekend anyway. To cut a long story short, we happened to watch the 'Independence' sail, a pretty impressive sight I have to say & talk began that it would be nice to perhaps get married on it. That discussion kind of fell by the wayside (or at least I thought it had!) until about a year later when 'we' decided on it being a good idea again.

The boys made finals day in 2010, again held at the Rose Bowl & again robbed; this time by the weather. But, whilst down there, the Independence just happened to be in dock again, so prior to going to the ground we had to pay a visit. Needless to say, I had already long since booked the ship for our wedding and a two week Med cruise.

We got married on 23rd July 2011. We had never cruised before but will definitely be doing so again, and Royal Caribbean are a fantastic company to sail with. For the very astute, we got back 2 weeks later, just in time to see Forest's season opener for the 2011/2012 season and then on the next day (the Sunday), to see Notts lose to ******* Somerset again, & again in the Quarter-Final!

More Q/F misery in 2012 of course in front of another 12,000 plus crowd at Trent Bridge but for once we could not really complain.

2013 ... More of the same .... T20 Home Quarter-Final defeat ... but at least we won the YB 40 ... 2013 - a great day out at Lord's ...

2014 - T20 Home Quarter-Final defeat yet again and defeat in the Semi-Final of the Royal London One Day Cup ...

Left - Pic of ship taken by friend - 23/7/11

Right - More T20 heartache - 14/8/10 as the rain ruins Notts hopes in the semi-final against our 'Derby County of football', Somerset.

By the Way, If you ever fancy a cruise, I would strongly recommend Royal Caribbean & Especially the beautiful elegant wonderful 'Independence of the Seas' - Stunning!

http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/county-championship-division-one/table Current Tables ...

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http://cricketarchive.com/Nottinghamshire/Seasons/index.html View any game in Nottinghamshire's wonderful history in this excellent archive. Results, scorecards, tables plus batting & bowling averages etc ...

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/ BBC Cricket - Scores, Fixtures, Results, Tables etc

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http://cricketarchive.com/Nottinghamshire/Players/index.html Career Statistics of every player who has represented Notts

http://history.trentbridge.co.uk/index.html Some Trent Bridge History - well worth a look

http://history.trentbridge.co.uk/seasons.html Squad Pictures etc through Seasons

http://history.trentbridge.co.uk/landmarks.html History & Landmarks

http://history.trentbridge.co.uk/gallery.html Trent Bridge Gallery

http://history.trentbridge.co.uk/gallery.html Notts Players through History

http://cricketarchive.com/Nottinghamshire/Records/index.html Notts Cricket Archive Records

http://cricketarchive.com/Nottinghamshire/Seasons/index.html Notts - Season by Season Statistics - Fantastic Link

http://www.nottsccc.co.uk/ Oficial Website of Notts CCC

http://www.howstat.com/cricket/home.asp A Brilliant Cricket Site especially for Test & International Cricket - a 'Must See' site

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1/6/13 - Disagree with Changing the YB40 to a 50 Over Competition from Next Season at County Level - FAO ECB:

Firstly, let me say that I fully appreciate that different forms of the game appeal to different people. For me, I love Test Cricket & County Championship Cricket, I also love the T20 and I very much like the YB40. The least interesting form of the game for me is the 50 over game and a good number of people I talk to appear hold the same view.

To a degree, I understand why the 50 overs game may be preferred to the 40 overs version at International level, but rather than align 40 overs County Cricket to 50 overs ODI's, I would go the other way and disband altogether with the 50 over game, which in my view is by far the least exciting and is probably too long. I think a 40 overs per side ODI would be more appealing than 50 overs per side.

That said, I doubt anything will change at International level but regardless,I think it is a mistake to be changing the YB40 to a 50 over per side competition from next season, but I do acknowledge why the decision has been taken to align, not that I think it realy will make any difference. Less people will go and watch a 50 overs per side game than will currently watch a 40 overs per side game at County level.

At present, I think the Test & International schedule is otherwise excellent. I also think the correct amount of LVCC games take place and I like the 2 division format.

How I would Change things:

There are curently 10 x T20 games to factor in plus Q/F & Finals day & 12 x YB40 games plus S/F & Final and I appreciate that the number of days cricket is a factor to consider.

As, there IS going to be a 50 overs Competition from next season, I would structure it predominately as a Cup Competition, either like the old NatWest Trophy or B&H Cup. I would not just play 12 x 50 over games instead of 12 x 40 over games ahead of a semi-final etc. You could have a straight knock-out like the old Natwest Trophy or you could follow the B&H format, say with 4 groups of 5 teams (18 counties + 2 minnows). If the old B&H method was followed, I would only have the counties playing 4 Group games, not home & away and 8 games.

This would free up more time for T20 cricket and i woud restructure that into 2 divisions, for promotion and relgation, not North and South. I would have the counties play each other home and away, so 16 x t20 games across the most part of the season. The winners of the Div One would be T20 'league' champions. Finals day is great, so I would still have the top 4 of Division One playing a Finals day for the T20 Cup. essentially there would be 4 trophies to contest instead of 3, i.e) LVCC, YB '50', T20 League & T20 Cup.

I still think however 40 overs is better than 50 overs but there is nothing to stop following the exact same bluprint with 40 overs instead of 50, although maybee in a 'group stage' of 5 teams, to play home and away so 8 games instead of 4.

I can elaborate further but these are really just the headline points.

I would be pleased to hear your thoughts on this, either by directly emailing me or posting at the bottom of my homepage.

Thanks ... Neil Harrison

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201017837915541&set=a.10200436010410217.1073741825.1455103984&type=1&theater

Took this selection of pictures at Trent Bridge on Friday 21st June 2013 in our YB40 game against Sussex. Great to see such an excellent turnout, over 8,000 (8,181). Hopefully when the T 20 gtes underway on Friday, 28th June, (Notts v Leics), crowds will get even bigger.

I love to see the good people of Nottinghamshire get behind our excellent Cricket team ... would love us to win both the YB 40 & T 20 this season, we are due some one day success!

For some reason the above link has added a whole range of other pictures, so have a browse anyway (old, new & varied!)

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Notts in the T20 ...

As we prepare for the 2013 campaign, thought I would have a quick review of our performances in the Competition since it began ...

2003 - Group

2004 - Group

2005 - Group

2006 - Runners Up

2007 - Quarter-Final

2008 - Group

2009 - Group

2010 - Semi-Final

2011 - Quarter-Final

2012 - Quarter-Final

2013 - Quarter-Final

2014 - Quarter-Final

2015 - Group

2016 - Semi-Final

2017 - WINNERS (To complete a white ball double, having won the Royal London One Day Cup earlier this Summer ... Just Div 2 of the

County Championship to complete now for an Incredible treble) ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Friends_Life_t20 ... 10 years of T20

http://cricketarchive.com/Nottinghamshire/Seasons/Season_Summary_2010_tt.html ... view full details of all our T20 matches

http://cricketarchive.com/Nottinghamshire/Seasons/index.html - View any Notts Match and more and for any season etc

http://www.friendslife.co.uk/assets/fp/cricket/index.html?_requestid=157843 - Friends life T20

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Heartache of 1985 ... NatWest Final

http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/46/46440.html - Essex v Notts Scorecard - NatWest Final 1985 - Essex won by 1 run

I have seen some fantastic highs & gutting lows with Notts over the many years that I have followed them, but the NatWest Final of 1985 probably was the most upsetting.

You have to remember that back in 1985 scoring rates generaly speaking were nothing like they are today on average, so the Essex total of 280 for 2 in their 60 overs was a formidable one. Notts innings started well and whilst we never looked out of it, reaching the target always looked just not quite within our grasp.

As we approached the final overs, we just seemed to be slipping too far behind so most had thought the game was gone when 18 were required from the last over of the game. Pringle then started the last over bowling to Derek Randall.

I would remind everyone to factor in at this point that fielding restrictions were again nothing like they are today but the next 5 balls saw the following 2,4,4,2,4 ... an incredible effort from Derek Randall, so 2 to win off the last ball. Pringle bowled the final delivery ... which had Randall left it, would undoubtedly have been signalled a wide. He could not afford that risk and so stretched for the ball and was caught ... we subsequently fell 1 run short. Gutted.

We would return in the NatWest Final 2 years later against Northants ... this time success, although the game did spill over from the Saturday to the Monday and so whilst we had been at Lords on the Saturday, unfortunately we could not return on the Monday due to work. In 1989, we would gain our revenge over Essex, with a dramatic last ball win, this time in the Benson & Hedges Final, thanks to a 4 from Eddie Hemmings. Cards from those 2 Finals are also detailed below:

http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/51/51578.html - Notts v Essex - B&H Final 1989

http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/49/49205.html - Notts v Northants - NatWest Final 1987

The 4 County Championship title wins, I have witnessed have been great memories, especially 1981, as it was the 1st time we had won it in my lifetime (& the 1st since 1929). The way we won it in 2010 on that final day at Old Trafford was incredible & almost unbelievable. The winning of it in 1987 meant we had done the double, (NatWest Trophy also), was also something special and a fitting end to the Notts careers of 2 of our greatest ever overseas players, Clive Rice and the best Notts cricketer ever in my view, Sir Richard Hadlee. 2005 was also a great achivement as we had only been promoted the previous season.

Our only 'One day League' title ever came in 1991 but still represented a great effort and a good memory.

The loss though in the 1985 Final for me is still the hardest one to take, although recent T20 near misses run it close. We do not seem to get much luck ever and you do sometimes need that to just take you over that line.

Maybee, 2013 will see us lift a one day trophy again, it IS long overdue.

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21/9/13 - Nottinghamshire ended a 24 year wait for a Lord's one day final by beating Glamorgan by 87 runs to lift the YB 40 trophy ... and what a fantastic day it was. Please don't let it be another 24 years before we go back again.

Nottinghamshire Win the YB 40 at Lord's - 21st September 2013

What a fantastic day it was ...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.653954127959265.1073741845.123405077680842&type=1

http://www.nottsccc.co.uk/news/2013/september/read-delighted-to-end-24-year-wait.html

http://www.nottsccc.co.uk/news/2013/september/broad-revels-in-trophy-victory.html

http://www.nottsccc.co.uk/news/2013/september/hussey-this-is-my-last-season-at-trent-bridge.html

Trentside Tales - Nottingham Forest F.C & Notts CCC

- Neil Harrison

Notts in the T20 ...

Heartache of 1985 ... NatWest Final