Few counties can boast a lengthy list of notable fans, popular faces who spend days at a time enduring the English summer in the name of domestic cricket.
Arsher Ali, actor and Notts fan, is one who does, and he has found that time at Trent Bridge has offered him a far different experience to other sporting settings.
“It’s a special place,” he said.
“Part of it is the setting in West Bridgford, it’s so leafy and right next to the Trent, but it’s also the venue, as you walk the corridors you can feel the history here.
“I go to lots of football stadia, and find myself walking around a lot of concrete concourses, but there’s something about the freedom of Trent Bridge, especially on a quiet LV=County Championship day,” added Ali.
Ali, who has appeared in such titles of Four Lions and Beaver Falls, has been a member at Trent Bridge for the past four years, but for the 27-year-old, his decade long association with the Club has fallen victim of his acting commitments.
“One of my favourite players is Steven Mullaney, he’s criminally underrated.” Arsher Ali
“I was reduced to having to listen to a lot of the Championship-winning season via the radio and Dave Bracegirdle,” he said.
This hasn’t stopped him keeping abreast of the county’s progress in recent years, and Ali’s frequent trips to the ground have seen his praise fall not on the shoulders of Read, or Adams, the popular candidates for plaudits.
“One of my favourite players is Steven Mullaney, he’s criminally underrated,” said Ali.
“That said, there’s Samit Patel too, he’s become a Nottingham legend.”
One man who has received credit from all corners so far this season is James Taylor, whose runs have contributed to success in both the four-day and limited overs competitions, and who, in the absence of Chris Read, captained the side to success against Surrey in the LV=County Championship.
“I’ve been really impressed with him, he’s going to be a massive player for us,” he said.
“I’ve been willing for him to get involved with the England set up since he captained the Lions,”
Ali added: “It’s going to be a tough team to break into, especially with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root both playing well.
The sport has always been close to Ali’s heart, going back to his days watching cricket with his grandfather as a child.
As a man sharing both English and Pakistani heritage, his role models fell outside the classic names reeled off by many cricket fans of this generation.
“When I was growing up my heroes were players like Wasim Akram, Younis, Inzamam-ul-haq,” said Ali.
“It seemed that there were more players back then who really captured the imagination, certainly mine at least.”
This enthusiasm grew, until year ten at the now defunct Haywood school in North Nottingham, where a year-long pursuit of his PE teacher finally resulted in the school forming their first cricket team.
“I spent a year bullying my teacher, constantly willing him to stay behind after school and by the end of year ten he caved in and we got a team together,” Ali said.
“I was always jealous of the Nottingham High School kids, they have a dedicated cricket ground, always used to look over the fence in envy at the facilities they had.”
The biggest question then, is where would he have been found on the pitch? Padding up to open the batting? Fielding at point or loitering at third man, keeping one eye over his shoulder at the boundary and beyond?
“I was a fast bowler, I always had good pace,” said Ali.
“I was confident with the ball, and not too shabby with the bat either.”
Ali added: “There wasn’t much scope for a standout match, quite simply because there were never really that many teams to play.”