New book on Notts cricket history re-lives glory and despair from 2000-25

The trophy wins, the heartbreaking losses, the amazing stories and the colourful characters are all brought to life thanks to dozens of interviews with former players and coaches

I still remember seeing my first ever Notts match.

It was a one day game against Middlesex in 2004. Lance Klusener needed 19 off the final over which, remarkably, he managed to score off Stuart MacGill.

The result clearly didn’t put me off as I quickly converted my match ticket to a membership, and until I left home to go to university I would spend as many summer days as possible at Trent Bridge.

It’s why when I sought a hobby to keep me going when ill health led to an early retirement I turned to cricket - and specifically Nottinghamshire cricket - to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

At first it was a podcast, and then there was a blog. And being a former journalist the crazy idea hit me to write a book. Sure, I was so weak I found compiling an email exhausting, but in the grips of a battle with anorexia which left me minutes from dying I wasn’t of sane mind anyway.

The idea was to focus on the period 2000-25 as this covered the years I’d spent following Notts, while also neatly tying in the start of two divisional cricket and the era of central contracts.

And from the moment I crazily committed to the project it has been a remarkable journey, frantically trying to hunt down former players while going through every scorecard, match report, news article and interview I could get my hands on from the time period.

Strangely, being sectioned and taken to hospital was the best thing that could have happened as it gave me time to focus on my writing. And as my strength slowly came back I channelled it all into the book.

So while I was holed up in an inpatient unit in Chelmsford, taken away from my family for months and suffering daily panic attacks, the book became my safe space. Every day was spent reading, writing and conducting interviews. Holed up in my room, I would be on my laptop from morning until night, trying to distract myself from the horrific situation I was in and preventing a complete and utter breakdown as my weight increased.

I’m in no doubt at all that without this project I would still be in hospital now, all alone and suicidal. Cricket, without question, has been my saviour.

It’s not just the sport but the people. Everyone I interviewed was unfailingly polite and generous with their time. Some gave up more than an hour, some even agreed to speak for a second time, and at no point did they give off an air of superiority or the feeling that I should be grateful to be chatting to them.

Many played for their country and had accomplished great things in the game, but they had no qualms speaking to a bloke they’d never met before while in their dressing gown or sitting in their living room, just talking about their careers. Many even thanked me for allowing them the chance to reminisce even though I should have been the one thanking them.

And me being greedy, I wanted to know everything: what was it like sharing a dressing room and pitch with Kevin Pietersen? What made Stephen Fleming so special? Just how incredible was Chris Read’s wicket-keeping? Was Andre Adams the greatest bowler of the past 25 years? Or of all time?

Soon I had so much content I was overwhelmed as the page count ballooned. But still, I was unsatisfied, always wanting more detail, more anecdotes, more insight. During this time Mick Newell was superb, never denying an interview request to go over things I’d heard or for his thoughts on anything from whether the club produced enough of its own players to The Hundred saving county cricket (his words, not mine).

As well as Mick there was the club’s heritage team, led by the unfailingly patient and generous Steve LeMottee who gave me guidance, support and resources to dive into. The media team also helped set up interviews with some of the current players and coaches to delve into the famous 2025 season - their fascinating anecdotes providing a fitting conclusion to what has now become a near 800 page monster.

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that,” Bill Shankly once said.

Well, cricket might not stoke such fanaticism (at least, not in this country), but without it I’m not convinced I’d be where I am now - back at home with my wife and daughter.

For people recovering from anorexia, re-integrating into society and trying to function can be overwhelming. The experts say finding a community is the best cure, and with cricket I’ve managed that.

So a big thank you to everyone who has helped me put together ‘A View From The Bridge: Nottinghamshire Cricket 2000-25’. You will never know how much it means to me.

And with all proceeds going to charities which bring the joy of sport to those who might otherwise miss out, you are making sure that the next generation will receive the same thrill I experienced for the first time back in 2004.

To buy a copy of the book, visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GVFW1DSV.