Moores hoping side can build on victory

THE monkey is off their backs and Nottinghamshire can perhaps approach their next LV Insurance County Championship fixture, which starts today against Essex, with less tension.

A red ball victory at Trent Bridge would be a good thing to add to last week’s crushing win over Derbyshire which broke a near three-year wait for a first-class win for Notts.

Coach Peter Moores says they will go into the Essex game in good heart, not just because they have finally won but because they have been playing well generally.

“What I take confidence from is that, since the start of the shortened 2020 season, we have won most of our games on first innings,” said Moores.

“We have played some really good cricket within that and there is a level of consistency there in terms of getting on top in games that we can take some positives from.

“We are going to have to keep working hard, getting better and being able to play tough cricket against good teams.

“We have a great game coming up against Essex, the champions. That’ll be a really good test to see if we can back-up what we have done.”

Moores said the players deserved their big celebration, an outpouring of relief, after Derbyshire were bowled out on the third day to complete Notts’ 310-run win.

“It was a fantastic moment, not just for the players but for everybody, including the coaches and all those who have worked hard over the last 12 to 18 months,” he said.

“Most things feel more special when you have to wait. There’s a lot of hard work being put into the way we go about our red-ball cricket which has been taking place over a long period of time, so this is a great moment for us all and something for us to continue to build on.

“The way the lads celebrated; it was clear to see how much it meant and I am so pleased for them, particularly for (captain) Steve Mullaney, who has lived every moment.”

It was another experienced hand, though, who really had Moores purring, Stuart Broad having shown his quality and enthusiasm throughout the game.

“It’s so exciting when you see a player of Stuart’s age and experience showing the enthusiasm of an 18-19-year-old,” said Moores.

“Like most of the great players, he seems to get better. He seems to be bowling quicker now than he has ever bowled. There’s a lot of cricket left in Stuart and If I were an England selector, I would be very pleased.”