Author Archives: Daniel Robbins

Broad: The Whole England Team Loves Trent Bridge

1436890302_stuart-broad1Stuart Broad, who will lead the England attack on Thursday needing just one more wicket for 300 in Test cricket, says the entire England squad loves playing at Trent Bridge.

Speaking ahead of the fourth Investec Ashes Test at Broad’s home ground where England could clinch the Ashes, Broad admits he’s been looking forward to returning to Nottingham in an England shirt for sometime.

“Living in Nottingham, I’ve felt the excitement for this Test match building through the summer,” he said.

“It is a fantastic place to play cricket and I don’t know a single England player who doesn’t love playing at Trent Bridge. Being my home ground, I can’t wait for this week to come.”

Going into the match on Thursday, England will be without the injured James Anderson, and Broad has vowed to take-on extra responsibility to ease the burden on his fellow bowlers.

“You don’t know what is going to happen, but hopefully I’ll take on that extra responsibility to ensure we’re not crying out for Jimmy over the next couple of days,” Broad added.

“I’ve probably not got as many wickets as I’d have liked during this series, but I feel as if I’ve bowled the best I’ve bowled for a long time.

“I’m experienced enough to know my time will come. Hopefully it’s this week at Trent Bridge. Without Jimmy we’ll have to work together as a unit.”

Match-day Information Guide: The Ashes At Trent Bridge

The Ashes - Captains Trophy Photo CallShould you be visiting us for the fourth Investec Ashes Test, this match-day guide contains all the information you need to ensure maximum enjoyment from your day out at Trent Bridge.

Hours of Play

Gates open at 9am with the start of play scheduled for 11am, with 90 overs to be bowled in the day.

Lunch will be taken from 1pm to 1.40pm and Tea at 3.40pm to 4pm. The scheduled close of play is 6pm.

In the event of rain or bad light stopping play, there is provision for playing time to be extended by the amount of time lost in the day up to a maximum of one hour.

If any time is lost from a day’s play and cannot be made up as stated above, extra time shall be added to the scheduled playing hours for the next day, and subsequent day(s) as required (to make up as much lost time as possible).

A maximum of an extra 30 minutes may be played on each subsequent day in respect of time carried forward from the previous day(s).

Time carried forward in this way shall be played prior to the scheduled start of play. Therefore, the earliest re-scheduled start of play will be 10.30am. If eight minutes is, for example, carried forward, then the re-scheduled start of play on the following day will be 10.52am.

A maximum of one hour of extra time may be played per day in respect of the aggregate of time lost from the day itself and time carried forward from previous days.

For example, if 20 minutes has been carried forward and therefore play has commenced at 10.40am, a maximum of 40 minutes only that may be lost from this day can be made up at the end.

Ticket Information

The opening four days of the match are completely sold out and entry will only be granted to spectators holding a valid match ticket.

Tickets for Day 5 of the otherwise sold out Fourth Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge are still available priced at just £20. Don’t miss the chance to watch the sport’s most historic contest and secure your seats now.

Food & Drink

An array of catering options and bar facilities are on offer throughout the ground to satisfy a variety of tastes and preferences.

Match Day Activities

During the Ashes at Trent Bridge, it isn’t just about the entertainment on the pitch. There is so much on offer off it too, with acts as widely varied as dancing, samba music, a gospel choir and street theatre sketches keeping you entertained during your walk to the ground and on the concourses.

Head for the Trent Bridge Inn Car Park pre-match, at Lunch and at Tea for the best of the entertainment.

Travelling By Car

The Eventlink Park and Ride Service will operate for the Investec Ashes Test Match.

Eventlink is a direct bus service run by NCT which operates approximately every 10 minutes from Queen’s Drive Park & Ride Site to Trent Bridge, costing just £5.00 per car for up to a maximum of four people (with a £1 surcharge for over four people).

For our Investec Ashes Test from Thursday 6 – Monday 10 August, the service starts at 9am, running at least every 10 minutes until midday. Buses will return regularly from 5.30pm every few minutes until an hour after the last ball has been bowled.

Buses only drop off and pick outside Sandicliffe Ford on Loughborough Road (within 100 yards of Trent Bridge).

Queen’s Drive is located just off the A52 on the south-side of Nottingham.  The Sat Nav postcode is NG2 1AP

Travelling By Bicycle

Supporters planning to take their bikes to Trent Bridge will benefit from cycle parking facilities in the Bridge Field Car Park on Bridgford Road.

Bike parking will be available from two hours before scheduled start times until an hour after close of play.

Travelling By Bus

Discounted bus travel has also been secured thanks to a partnership with Nottingham City Transport.

Ticket holders will therefore be able to travel on Nottingham City Transport buses for £2 when they show a valid match ticket or membership card to the driver.

Please note this offer is only valid on Nottingham City Transport buses in greater Nottingham, and after 9.30am.

Further information on this offer and to plan you bus journey is avalable here.

Travelling By Tram

The nearest tram stop, Station Street, is just a 15-minute walk from the ground, and anyone travelling from outside the city can take advantage of NET’s free park and ride facilities.

As an added incentive to take the tram, NET will be running its £2 return event ticket offer for all ticket holders.

To take advantage of the deal, fans need to select the Event Ticket option from the ticket vending machine before boarding the tram, and make sure they have their match ticket to hand in case of a ticket inspection.

Travelling By Train

When you arrive at Nottingham Station, look out for our friendly volunteers who will point you in the right direction for the 15 minute walk to the ground. More volunteers will be lining the route to ensure that everybody finds their way to the ground.

Special Offers Throughout The County

In Notts we love to welcome you; so much so that hundreds of local businesses are ready with special offers for Ashes ticket holders.

Just look out for and Ashes urn sticker on the window.

Information on special offers is available for download here.

Should you have an iPhone, the Love Notts app will also help you gain the best experience from the local area.

Looking For Somewhere To Stay

Nottingham Tourist Information Centre has an up-to-date view on the limited availability across the city and can be contacted on 0844 477 5678.

Tickets For Day 5

Tickets for Day 5 of the otherwise sold out Fourth Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge are still available priced at just £20. Don’t miss the chance to watch the sport’s most historic contest and secure your seats now.

All Hands On Deck At Trent Bridge Inn

With thousands set to descend on West Bridgford for the fourth Investec Ashes Test, the Trent Bridge Inn’s Philippa Bacon, has her work cut out for her ahead of Australia’s arrival in Nottingham.

“I’m pulling in staff from other pubs in Nottingham city centre are getting involved and coming over to help us for those five days.”

The Trent Bridge cricket ground and Inn share a long history, going back as far as the ground’s inception.

In 1837 Notts captain and coach William Clarke married the pub’s landlady, before converting the land behind it into the foundations of the venue seen today. Bacon has seen the appeal of this history first hand.

“I had a gentleman in about six months ago who came in and asked for a tour around the pub,” she said.

“It was almost like a mini museum tour for him, looking at the old cricketing memorabilia and photographs.”

Bacon added: “The architect put in a lot of time making sure that the pub could be seen in that way, having old bats signed by players and really thought about keeping the TBI as close to the cricket ground as possible.”

When the Ashes test begins on August 6, all eyes will be on Nottingham, and the city is sure to become a thriving, exciting place to be. Tens of thousands will be in the ground to watch the cricket live, while many more will be taking it in via Sky TV.

“As much as cricket fans will be in the ground all day you find that people go further afield than those places around the ground, it boosts the city massively.,” said Bacon.

“Before the game, after the game, the entire city is buzzing. I know from last year that town was absolutely heaving and the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.

“Even my friends from outside Nottingham know about Trent Bridge, what’s around the cricket ground and the football grounds too, it’s a good thing to have.”

Bacon added: “On big match days the back bar opens into the ground.”

“It makes for a nice atmosphere, because you can still have the front of the bar open for your locals, your regulars.

“You don’t want to be annoying your regulars, even in the case of this massive event.”

Bayliss: England Must Be Mentally Prepared

England Nets Session
Trevor Bayliss expects an Australian backlash at Trent Bridge after the home nation’s eight wicket victory at Edgbaston.

The England Head Coach has granted his charges some additional time off after completing victory inside three days in Birmingham, but he has warned them to return mentally prepared for a difficult encounter.

“You don’t have the success over a period of time that they’ve had without being able to put those things behind you, as we did ourselves in this game.

“If we win 3-2, we will take 3-2. Obviously we want to win the next one and take the fifth game out of it. We’ll certainly be playing to win the next match.

“I think we can take some lessons out of this match. Some of the Australians will be under pressure, as we were in this game, and hopefully we will be able to build on that pressure in the next match and not let them up off the floor.

“The message to the boys is go away and relax for a few extra days but come back with their own personal plans in place.

“I think that was the big change for us in this game. I think guys had their own plans in their own minds and went out and did it. I felt in London that we just got away from our individual plans on how to bat and bowl against this opposition.

“Confidence is a great thing to have, but we’ve got to be aware that we had that after the first Test and we got to Lord’s and I don’t think we bowled terribly well with the new ball on day one.

“We’ve got to have that in the back of our minds and work out exactly what we’ve got to do.”

Michael Clarke was critical of his own performance in the aftermath of the Edgbaston Test, claiming his side have effectively been playing with ten men.

But Bayliss knows his fellow countryman better then to write him off, believing England must be at their best to contain the Australia Captain at Trent Bridge.

“Michael has had a long career and had a few runs of form like this in the past and he’s come back from them,” Bayliss said.

“The last thing I want to do or England want to do is forecast his demise because that’s just giving him ammunition to come out and score a heap of runs.

“He is a guy with plenty of experience and lot of Test runs behind him. We are certainly not taking him lightly and fully expect to see him in the next match.”

Ashes Selection For Pace Bowling Trio

England v Australia: 3rd Investec Ashes Test - Day Three

England have selected three possible replacements for injured paceman James Anderson, including former Nottinghamshire fast bowler Mark Footitt, after a 14-man party was named for the Fourth Investec Test at Trent Bridge.

Footitt, now of Derbyshire, who has added 50 first-class wickets this season to his haul of 84 in 2014, will go head-to-head with Yorkshire’s Liam Plunkett and Durham’s Mark Wood ahead of the game that gets underway on Thursday.

Nottinghamshire’s Stuart Broad is selected on his home ground and will go in search of his 300th Test Match wicket whilst leading the attack in the absence of his established new ball partner.

“With James Anderson missing this Test through injury and some concerns over Mark Wood’s workload in the build up to the last Test we felt that bringing in two extra bowlers in Liam Plunkett and Mark Footitt was necessary,” said National Selector James Whitaker.

“The reports on Wood are positive at this stage and we are hopeful he’ll be available for selection on Thursday.

“Congratulations to Liam and Mark Footitt on their selection and on behalf of the selectors I’d like to wish Alastair and Trevor all the very best for the fourth Test. The performance at Edgbaston this week was very encouraging and it is important we build on that next week at Trent Bridge.”

Clarke: We’re Playing With Ten Men

England v Australia: 3rd Investec Ashes Test - Day Three

Michael Clarke has given a damning assessment of his own form ahead of the Fourth Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, saying his Australia side are effectively ‘playing with ten players.’

The 34-year-old is averaging less than 19 in the series to date having contributed scores of ten and three at Edgbaston, and he admits that a drop down the order is a possibility.

“The form at number four certainly concerns me,” he said. “We’re playing with ten players. The captain is due to step off the plane and turn up. That’s the plan for the next Test.

“We’ve all got to contribute. We’ve all got to score runs as a batting unit and we’ve got to find a way to take 20 wickets.

“The bowling has been one of our greatest strengths over the last four months. We’ve got to make sure we are scoring runs consistently.

“For me it’s all about preparation. If I’m doing that hard work, then that will give me the self-belief to go out and score runs. That’s been the formula throughout my career.

“England deserve credit. They’ve bowled well to me, got me out early and I haven’t been able to settle. I’ve got to find a way to turn that around in the next Test.

“My record is better at number four,” Clarke added. “But what’s important is what is best for the team. If it’s better to bat at number four for the team, then I’ll go there. If it’s better at number five, I’ll go there.”

Clarke believes his own job, and that of his teammates in the Australia batting order, will be made easier by the absence of James Anderson through injury.

“You don’t wish injury on anybody,” Clarke said. “Jimmy showed his class in the first innings in this game and you don’t want to play against a weaker team.

“But that’s the way it goes. Someone else gets an opportunity for England. I’m sure they will do exceptionally well, but we have to take confidence from that.

“His record at Notts is very good. Maybe that could be like 2005 when Glenn McGrath went down.”

Bell And Root Ease England Into Ashes Lead

England v Australia: 3rd Investec Ashes Test - Day Three

England secured an emphatic three day victory at Edgbaston to go 2-1 ahead in the Investec Ashes series, meaning the hosts could seal the urn at Trent Bridge next week.

Ian Bell and Joe Root eased the hosts to their 121 run target with an unbroken third wicket stand of 73 amid scenes of celebration in the second city.

Australia earlier added 97 runs to their overnight score and posted 265 in their second innings with both Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc scoring half-centuries.

It was Steven Finn, who had helped himself to a five-fer on the previous evening, that made the vital breakthrough when Nevill was caught behind, to the thinnest of edges by an athletically diving Jos Buttler.

Josh Hazlewood was next to go – plucked one-handed in the slips by Root, off the bowling of Ben Stokes – making the score 245-9.

And Australia’s third morning resistance was ended when Starc, who scored 58 off 108 deliveries, attempted to slap Moeen Ali over extra-cover where substitute fielder Josh Poysden took the catch.

The early wicket of Alistair Cook, bowled by Mitchell Starc for seven, then gave the visitors renewed optimism with the ball.

Adam Lyth then fell to Josh Hazlewood for 12 with 51 runs on the board, only for Bell and Root to go on the counter offensive and finish the game in a hurry.

Bell scored 65 not out, his second half-century of the match after moving up the order to number three. Root’s golden summer continued as he hit the winning runs and finished unbeaten on 38.

Larwood And Voce Prepared For Action

No business knows the impact of an Ashes test like one that is situated so closely to the ground.
The Larwood and Voce is one of the best examples, with their top bar backing on to the ground and providing a great view of proceedings.

With the Ashes just around the corner, the whole pub and especially General Manager Dan Cramp are awaiting their busiest part of the year.

“We have different bars that we run out during big matches and all of them will be in full force come the Ashes,” Dan said.

“There is a cellar bar and upstairs is open for the white-ball games but international matches are huge and you get a lot more upstairs so it is all hands on deck.

“We have to double up on staff with all bars being staffed with three or four on match days.

“International matches are huge and you get a lot more upstairs so it is all hands on deck.” Dan Cramp, General Manager

“Add to that breakfast time, where seven or eight staff will be needed instead of the usual three or four and you are looking at about 15 to run the site each day.

“It is never a problem though as you get people on board and everyone works hard to ensure it is run smoothly.”

Away from the pub, Dan realises the importance of these matches for the club and the surrounding businesses in West Bridgford.

“It is good for everyone as I say the ground is one of the best venues in Britain and everyone knows that.

“With so many stylish pubs and restaurants we all do well so it’s very important for big matches in order to keep them in the spotlight.

“The same applies to elsewhere in Nottingham. An increased amount of people will always help businesses and we are quite lucky as Bridgford is a busy site and we are situated near a cracking venue.

“It is happy days for everyone!”