COVERED 2025 Spring

15 @TRENTBRIDGE Cricket Scholarships Set in the heart of North Nottinghamshire, Worksop College is a school with an extraordinary history and exciting future. With 330 acres, two cricket pitches, an on-site fitness suite and indoor cricket nets, Worksop College is the perfect place to excel. wsnl.co.uk/cricket admissions@wsnl.co.uk S80 3AP I think it has stood me in really good stead for the start of my professional career. “Having so many different voices at Notts –Woody (MattWood, Elite Pathway Manager), Andy Pick, Richard Damms and more – has been really helpful for me. “Woody has been great – he’s really helped me develop off the pitch just as much as on it. He helps me see the game in a different way every time we speak, and I’ll always be thankful to him for all the little changes he has helped me make to improve my game. “I’ve been so grateful to Notts and to God for the opportunities I got to make my debut for my home county. “I’ve been in the pathway since I was eight years old in the Under-10s, so to make my first team debut eight years later was a huge moment for me and my family.” A little over 12 months ago, Ahmed was preparing to embark on a first summer as a professional, with a first-team debut, England U19 honours and the small matter of his GCSEs all in his sights. Those three goals have been ticked off with aplomb in 2024, but he remains resolutely level-headed as a new campaign approaches. Believing the hype? Not a bit of it. “After Surrey, I was conscious of people thinking that I’d taken some wickets one time and then dropped off, so I was determined not to take too much satisfaction from that match and focus on the task ahead,” he says, recalling an end-of-season run which saw him take 12 further Championship wickets in the final three fixtures of the season. FARHAN AHMED “FOR THE NEW SEASON, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS PLAYING AS MUCH COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET AS I CAN, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT’S WHERE I WILL DEVELOP MY GAME THE MOST. ” Farhan Ahmed