Pulling on the green and gold of Nottinghamshire is an honour for any player, but no victories are guaranteed, and whilst early May rain is seemingly a certainty, an unbeaten season is far from it. 

However, with five wins and three weather-induced abandonments, it is exactly what Notts Women achieved in winning the East Midlands T20 title by a healthy 12-point margin.

“I was pleased with the team effort. It wasn’t just one individual, we stood out as a team,” says Sonia Odedra, the England capped all-rounder who captained the side over the month-long season, which featured eight games spread over four double headers.

Nottinghamshire took two wins and eight points away from the opening fixture against Northamptonshire having scored 300 runs across the day, but had to settle for two abandonment points the following weekend against Lincolnshire.

The Green and Golds then came through their toughest test of the season the following weekend, beating Leicestershire by six runs in the first of two games, before winning by a more comfortable margin of 19 in the second.  

And, in the final fixture of the season, Notts secured a win by 30 runs in the A52 derby against Derbyshire at Collingham, before rain prevented a reply to the visitors’ total of 66 in the final game.

“There are girls already on the Lightning programme who were using it to get some good practice in for the regional competition, and there were also girls who were trying to put their hand up to show themselves,” said Odedra.

“It was a really good balance, and I tried to give everyone an opportunity.”

The women representing the county included a raft of Nottinghamshire Academy players, who were making their step up into the senior level.

Maddie Ward, Ella Porter and Rhiannon Knowling-Davies all got chances to shine throughout the five games which went ahead.

“It’s been great to give an opportunity to the youngsters,” Odedra admitted.

“Maddie kept for us, almost throughout, and she’s been brilliant. We’ve also got Rhiannon, who has come in and bowled really well in spite of her age.

“Both of them are young so it is really good to see them putting in good performances. They are on the Notts Academy programme, and their futures are bright.”

The games represented a chance for Odedra herself to affirm the hours of pre-season practice ahead of a season for East Midlands outfit, Lightning, in the regional competition and Southern Brave in The Hundred.

The training paid dividends for the right hander who scored 171 runs across her five innings and took five wickets, averaging just 12 with ball in hand.

“During the lockdown I got a lot of time to work on my game, and it showed in the county matches,” she said.

“I am really pleased with the way I am going with bat and ball and am looking forward to taking that form into domestic cricket.”

Reflecting on the position in which county cricket finds itself within the pathway following the restructuring of the women’s game domestically, Odedra believes it has a vital role to play.

“I think county cricket is important,” she said. “If we didn’t have these games, it would be very difficult for some of the girls to get recognised because there are only so many who can play in the regional competition.

“This is an important platform, and hopefully the county set-up will carry on for years to come for these girls to put their hands up, and get selected at the next level.”