13 / 36
12 13
players, we were going in thinking ‘we have
a game for our county, lets go out and
show what we can do’.”
The bowling pack who formed the
backbone of Nottinghamshire’s resurgence
during the second half of this summer was
vastly different to how it started, let alone
how it ended in 2014. Ball had broken
through alongsideWood and Hutton,
and the homegrown trio shared over 100
Championship wickets. All of a sudden,
the wolves had usurped Nottinghamshire’s
more senior players from the side, and
their hunger had reaped rewards.
“I’m 24, Luke’s 20 and Brett is 22, that
we’re all breaking through together can
only be good news for the Club moving
forward,” he said.
“Brett is a character, Luke is lively, he’s
always on – sometimes too much – it’s
been a breath of fresh air for the team and
that’s filtered through everyone, from the
senior players to the coaches down in the
second team.
“Everyone has enjoyed their success and
got something from it, now hopefully
there are young players thinking ‘if I have
a good season I can get to where they are’
and it has made a big difference, a lift
around the Club.
“We’re a close unit, we all enjoy each
other’s success and we all feed off one
another in that respect.That’s going to be
really good moving forward.
“It’s a long slog to get through the
summer, especially when we’re a team
that will always look to be in competitions
all the way to the end, there’s going to be
periods where players need a rest.
“To bring people into the side who are all
good friends as well as fellow players helps
and even with changes, the side feels the
same, and that’s important.”
For Ball, playing for Nottinghamshire
carries more weight than most. From his
formative years watching the fortunes
of the Club from the stands, to playing
alongside the likes of Paul Franks and
Chris Read, those he’d admired from a
distance, there’s a feeling that Notts really
runs in his veins. For Ball, that strong
affinity for the Club has had a marked
influence on his career in whites.
“I’m 24, Luke’s 20 and
Brett is 22, that we’re
all breaking through
together can only be
good news for the Club
moving forward.”