Can Notts Go Back-to-Back in the County Championship?

Having narrowly avoided relegation in the 2024 season, the onus on the East Midlands side was to establish a footing in Division One, finding a consistency that had been lacking but what they got was far more than they expected, as they won their first title since 2010.

Build On Batting Consistency

Built on a foundation of runs from skipper Haseeb Hameed and backed up by his fellow batsmen who would make telling contributions, the batting would be complimented by a consistent yet unspectacular seam attack that worked in tandem together that allowed success to prevail.

As they go into the 2026 season, the challenge will be to replicate that consistency that allowed them to prosper last summer and with a largely unchanged squad, they will have an opportunity to do what has only been achieved by the all-conquering Surrey side that dominated the previous three seasons, and go back-to-back.

The settled look of the batting corps is one positive that Notts will be relying on this coming summer, and last year they were led from the front, by the impressive Hameed who notched up 1258 runs, second only to Surrey’s Dom Sibley, but at an average leading 66.21, with the skipper once again returning to the England conversation.

Whether that ship has sailed, is yet to be seen but until it possibly comes to fruition, Notts will be keen for him to double down in 2026. His fellow opener, Ben Slater was the second Notts player to pass 1000 runs for the season, cementing his place at the top of the order alongside Hameed, though one area of improvement will be for the pair to build more partnerships, having only had one 100+ partnership together. When one failed, likely the other cashed in and should they be able to create these opening partnership, it will go a long way to achieving their goal.

Elsewhere, the middle order of Freddie McCann, Jack Haynes, Joe Clarke and all-rounder Lyndon James all hit 600+ runs, emphasising that consistency that saw them become hard to beat, losing their only game against Durham on what can only be described as a road, with the home side racking up a mammoth 664 in their first innings. 

Solid and Dependable Seam Unit

If the batting stood out, the bowling was, if anything, consistent without being spectacular, though the bowling corps this season could very well be down a significant figure for the best part of the season, with Josh Tongue’s England performances, being one of the very few positives to come out of the winter Ashes debacle and so his status for Notts will likely be ad-hoc at best.

The biggest coup for the Trent Bridge based side is the return of Australian Fergus O’Neill, whose early season impact played a massive part in the county getting off to a strong start and able to keep their growing momentum, with 21 wickets in just 4 games before his stint was ended due to an expiring visa. This summer will see O’Neill back for a longer stint and should he make a similar impact, it could very well be impactful for Notts.

As with any bowling attack in a crowded calendar, the regular Notts seamers suffered at times with injuries, in particular both Dillon Pennington and Brett Hutton spent spells on the sidelines, whilst Olly Stone once again found himself on the long-term treatment table. If both Pennington and Hutton can stay fit, those early season seamer friendly conditions will be an advantage and one that they will look to improve on in 2026. 

Mohammed Abbas has moved to East Midlands rivals Derbyshire and in his place comes fellow Pakistan seamer Mohammed Ali, though the jury is out on how much impact he will have. The ever-impressive Lyndon James will again be one of the stand-out all-rounders, though he may have one eye on earning himself international honours if he continues his development with both bat and ball. 

Experience and Youth Spin Compliment Each Other

The diminishing impact of spinners in England means that they are not deemed a priority, though in Liam Patterson-White, they have an impact player, who can be destructive with the ball but equally with the bat when needed.

With Calvin Harrison’s departure to Northants, youngsters Farhan Ahmed and Joe Pocklington will be looking to build on their impressive 2025 career starts and will vie for the spinners role with the experienced Patterson-White. 

Can Notts do what is statistically one of the toughest achievements in the game and go back-to-back. That’s what Peter Moores will be imploring to his side going into 2026, winning those key battles, maintaining momentum and above all else, working together as a squad that was so successful in 2025.