COVERED 2024 Winter

COVERED 10 TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK “THERE WAS NEVER A POINT WHEN I DIDN’T FEEL PART OF IT. THERE ARE LOTS OF LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE NOTTS A FAMILY CLUB AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T REALISE HOW GOOD IT IS HERE UNTIL THEY GO ELSEWHERE.” Olly Stone The failure to string games together had meant a struggle to justify international selection – in turn leading to despondency. That meant when he returned to action with Notts in 2024, his focus was fully on enjoying being out on the park – whatever followed would be an added bonus. “In the past I’ve always looked at what games are coming up and my po- tential involvement, then something has happened and I’ve been really disappointed,” Stone admits. “So I tried not to put too much pressure on things or look too far ahead this year. It is amazing, when you think negatively things seem to happen – you feel sore or get injured.When I think positively, I can bowl 20 overs without feeling like I am about to snap. “That feeling of just turning up and getting on with it rather than having to worry about anything else is amazing – this is the most I’ve enjoyed cricket since probably 2018.” The environment of Trent Bridge has aided that enjoyment. After coming through the ranks at Northamptonshire,Warwickshire – where Stone spent six years from 2017 – propelled him to England recognition with his first One Day International call-up a year after he joined the Bears. He earned his maidenTest call-up for England’s one-offTest against Ireland in 2019, then appeared again for games in India and against New Zealand at his home ground, Edgbaston, in 2021. Two years later, he said goodbye to the county which saw him grow from boy to man. By his own admission, that switch to Nottinghamshire was a challenge at the time, but a move he is now able to reflect upon fondly. “I didn’t necessarily want to leave Warwickshire when I did,” Stone says, “but with hindsight it is the best thing that could have happened. “The way Moorsey and Mick were with me when I first joined, trying to do everything that they could to help me settle in – not just for me but for [then girlfriend, now wife] Jess too. “There was never a point when I didn’t feel part of it.There are lots of little things that make Notts a family club and sometimes people don’t realise how good it is here until they go elsewhere or dip into another environment. “The quality of coaches, and access to them, is a big thing – this year I wanted to improve my batting, and I have got two or three coaches that I could lean on to help me do that.”