Nottinghamshire’s Second XI begin their season proper today with a pair of fixtures against Yorkshire, today bringing a limited-overs Trophy Match, before a three-day Second Eleven Championship fixtures against their opponents.

After ending their pre-season preparations with a three-wicket win over Essex last week, captain Paul Franks was keen to maintain momentum into this week’s contests. 

“We did very well against Essex last week, the conditions were tough for batsmen, but our bowling and in particularly our slip fielding was excellent,” said Franks.

“Signs are positive this week, and the weather forecast looks good so hopefully we’ll have an uninterrupted four days of play.

“Ultimately, results come down to how well you play. We’ve set ourselves targets over the next few days, and its up to us to meet them and perform.”

Nottinghamshire’s young professionals excelled against Essex, Ben Kitt ending the match with  figures of 9-68, alongside useful contributions from Simon Webster, Luke Wood and Brett Hutton.

Our bowling unit has been very good, and Ben Kitt deserved every bit of praise for his efforts last week,” said Franks.

“It could well be that this week it’s someone else’s turn to step up and make headlines, we have players who can do that.

“It’s up to us to create winning opportunities and take them when they arise.” 

The arrival of Yorkshire to the Nottinghamshire Sports Ground at Lady Bay will provide two different contests for Nottinghamshire’s young-looking side. After reaching the final of the Second Eleven Trophy last year, Nottinghamshire will look to keep momentum into their longer match through the week.

“Yorkshire aren’t too dissimilar to us in terms of their age profile,” said Franks.

“I’ve handed it down to the lads as a challenge – I’ve compared them to us and told them it’s a chance to impress and impose themselves on a bigger county than Essex.

“This week promises to give us two decent games of cricket, and I’m confident of us ending the week well.” 

Nottinghamshire XI to face Yorkshire (SET): Azad, Kelsall, S.Wood, Dal, Tillcock, Cross, Franks (c), Hutton, Webster, L.Wood, Kitt

Nottinghamshire squad to face Yorkshire (SEC): Azad, Kelsall, S.Wood, Root, Dal, Tillcock, Cross, Franks (c), Shahzad, Hutton, Webster, L.Wood, Kitt