Jake Ball over the moon with a decade at Nottinghamshire

Jake Ball has clocked up ten years with his home county. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The Welbeck star made his professional Notts debut during a 40 over clash with Leicestershire in 2010.

It spearheaded a memorable decade of service for the club with Ball saying it is a dream come true.

“I grew up watching Notts, so to have ended up spending ten years now at Trent Bridge… it’s ‘dream come true’ stuff, do you know what I mean?” he says.

“When you play for your home county, it’s sort of… it’s a different passion than maybe what somebody from another county might bring. It matters a little bit more to you.

“I speak to Fletch (Luke Fletcher) quite a bit about it, about how much it means to us to play for Notts, because we know the people that are coming to watch, and we know exactly how much it means to them.

“ I’ve always been a fan, I’ve been through those highs and lows, and I understand what it means.

“I don’t think that automatically makes me a fan favourite, but I’d like to think they understand how much I want to do well for Notts.

“That’s what makes it so hard when you’re not quite performing to the level you want to. You’re desperate to put in a performance in every single game – for the fans, for the club and for yourself – so when it doesn’t quite happen it is difficult to take.”

But his love affair with the county began many years before when a young Jake graced the hallowed Trent Bridge turf as a school boy.

“My first memories of Trent Bridge would probably be in… I think it was called the Wrigley’s Kwik Cricket Cup at the time,” he recalls.

“I was playing for my school, for Cuckney School, and we got to the final at Trent Bridge and won it.

“Me and my brother were both in the side, and our prize was a year’s supply of Wrigley’s chewing gum each.

"I remember we had a cupboard at my mum and dad’s house which was full of Wrigley’s for the next four or five years – you just couldn’t get through it all!

“It was Ready (Chris Read) who gave me my medal at the end of the game, so there’s a photo of me as a wee nipper stood with him, in a bit of a mood about something or other.

"I think the photo is still up at my mum and dad’s house – it’s become a permanent fixture.”

Ball was speaking during an interview with Covered, the Nottinghamshire members' magazine.