In recent years Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club might be forgiven for putting all their eggs in the one-day basket. Last time County Champions in 2010, former England gaffer Peter Moores was appointed Head Coach in 2016 after a disastrous relegation season under Mick Newell who was then swiftly moved upstairs to Director of Cricket.

Moores reputation with Lancashire and for a short time with England ensured Notts would pursue to be dominant in all formats of the game, in his first year in charge Notts won the Royal London One Day Cup in a magnificent final at Lords verses Surrey. In the Vitality Blast they beat Birmingham Bears to lift the trophy at Edgbaston for the first time. White Ball Warriors and limited overs kings of England, the likes of Alex Hales, Dan Christian, Rikki Wessels, Michael Lumb, Steven Mullaney and Brendan Taylor scoring run after run after run. Samit Patel, Ish Sodhi, James Pattinson, Stuart Broad, Harry Gurney, Jake Ball and Luke Fletcher regularly in the wickets, magnificently kept by the legend that was Christopher Mark Wells Read. A team with team ethos, good enough to be the best in the business.

That season they crept over the second division promotion finishing line after looking long like pipping Worcestershire to first place to crown a magnificent treble, but a year later, in 2018 Notts would stumble to survival in the first division whilst being knocked out in the playoffs of the Royal One Day Cup and the Quarter Finals of the T20 Blast.

No more were the terrific Lumb and Wessels a feature, moved on to pastures new, Alex Hales didn’t fancy red ball cricket whilst Chris Read was hanging up his gloves, the bowling attack were struggling to take wickets. The change of dimension in Notts meant that things could get worse before it got better, and it did.

One of Peter Moores’ briefs when he took the job at Notts was to work on the club’s player pathway to improve and develop what they had so that the next breed of international cricketer came from Trent Bridge.

In came Ben Duckett, Ben Slater, Joe Clarke, younger home grown players, all be it nicked from other counties, that would need time to gel. Nottinghamshire didn’t win a County Championship game in 2019, relegated with no wins from 14, too many changes too quickly?

Despite scoring the two highest scores in the One Day Cup (433 verses Leicestershire at Trent Bridge & 417 v Lancs at the same venue) the side fell short in the semi-finals against Somerset. Favourites for the T20 Blast they were beaten in last ball drama in the semi-finals too.

2020 was supposed to be the year that Notts got back on track, not just focused on white ball cricket but with an eye on promotion to return to the County Championship First Division at the first attempt.

Proven longer format stalwarts like Haseeb Hameed and Peter Trego came in, but so did coronavirus to put pay to any hopes of promotion.

The re-jigged, later in the year, some say revitalised four-day competition named the Bob Willis Trophy was actually a huge success. Notts failed to win a game for the second successive year but larger strides were made, the two games they lost they should have won, the three they drew they could have lost. Hameed and Slater looked like an opening partnership that had been together for years, Ben Duckett averaged over 50 whilst Joe Clarke ended the season with a century. The bowling attack perhaps not at its best but with plenty of promise, Lyndon James, Joey Evison, Matt Carter, Zak Chappell for example all under 25 years of age.

But despite a season of turbulation, despite progress but no victory in the four day format, despite this young team needing time to improve, despite questions by supporters and members hanging over the clubs coaching staff… Despite all this and more, Notts Outlaws were still favourites to win this year’s T20 Vitality Blast.

And after an abandoned opener at Yorkshire, Notts were soon into action and soon proving why the bookmakers had them as serious contenders from day dot. Joe Clarke impressed in the win against Durham scoring 100 not out. Then Ben Duckett hit 86 against Yorkshire Vikings to spur his side to another win. A further abandoned match at Lancashire due to rain didn’t dampen the progress as it was the bowlers turn to impress in the win against Leicestershire before beating Lancs in the return leg at Trent Bridge in a North Group table topping clash. Clarke hitting 77 from 36 balls along the way.

A Derbyshire double was next before the Foxes were first to inflict defeat. By then Notts had qualified for the Quarter Finals with a group game to spare.

The Quarter Final against Leicestershire might not have gone all to plan. Again it was the bowlers for Notts who did the damage to ensure a catchable target was reached, and it was only just thanks to the late scurrying runs of Samit Patel and Imad Wasim, but in the semi-final Dan Christian took the game away from Lancashire with four successive sixes of sheer brilliance. It was also captain marvel who had his say in the final too.

Against Surrey the big wicket came from Jake Ball who took the mercurial Jason Roy when he was flying. Had he stayed, Surrey would have won, but Christian’s 4/23 would also be massive in the context of the game.

After a stumbling start in reply to Surrey’s target Peter Trego and Ben Duckett steadied the ship. The experienced Trego, debuting in the competition as a late replacement to the injured Chris Nash, should be remembered for playing a vital role that gave Notts a fighting chance when they looked down and doomed. All what was left was for Christian to come in and take the credit to push the side over the line with balls to spare.

That credit in the end went to Ben Duckett instead, he who played his way into Outlaws folklore with a magnificent 53. No time to celebrate his half-century though, his last four runs brought up his 50 as well as the title. Double whammy, a fantastic achievement and a stunning knock under pressure.

Notts have been announced a white-ball side and are considered as one of the best, if not the best shortened format team in the country, which in many teams armour would do just nicely, not this side though, potential is that they can achieve success now in the longer format of the game too.

It’s been ten years since the sides last County Championship title, my betting is that it won’t be another ten years in waiting. In Peter Moores I still trust that he’ll do the right thing, whilst improving the one day teams he’ll now look to solidify his young county championship squad, whilst developing players like Ben Duckett, like Joe Clarke, like his own son Peter Moores into future England Internationals.

And should the progression of these young players continue, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club could have many more pieces of silverware still to come.

*Article provided by Daniel Peacock (Editor).

*Main image @TrentBridge the Vitality Blast Trophy sitting proudly at Trent Bridge.