Australian seamer Fergus O’Neill has signed a contract that will see him return to Trent Bridge during the 2026 and 2027 campaigns.
O’Neill will play County Championship cricket for Nottinghamshire from April to June for both of the next two seasons.
The 24-year-old made waves with a productive first foray into county cricket this summer, claiming 21 scalps in just four games at a miserly 17.90 apiece, including two five-wicket hauls.
“I’m keen to come back and make sure our momentum keeps rolling!” said O’Neill. “Trent Bridge is a great place filled with great people, where I’ve had success.
“With all the success I had, and we had as a team, it was a simple decision for me to sign on for not just one, but another two years.”
Renowned for his relentless accuracy and ability to move the ball both ways, O’Neill has previously been referred to as “the most feared bowler in the Sheffield Shield.”
Prior to his first stint at Trent Bridge, he won two consecutive Bill Lawry Medals, awarded to Victoria’s First-Class Player of the Season, after taking 78 wickets in just 18 Shield matches.
Despite landing in the UK just two days before Notts’ 2025 Championship opener at home to Durham, O’Neill showed no signs of jet-lag and immediately collected 5/81 in his first outing.
Having also taken 5/19 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston two weeks later, his efforts helped seal two wins in Notts’ first four matches, building the base for the triumph that would follow.
“Success is what I play for, so for as long as I’m a part of Nottinghamshire, I’ll be putting my best foot forward for us to win another Championship title.” added O’Neill.
Head Coach Peter Moores continued: “Every now and then, you seem to sign a player who fits into the team perfectly, and Fergus was that man last year.
“His impact on the field was clear for everyone to see, though it was his impact off it that also made a real difference.
"His energy and excitement to play were infectious, as was belief in his own ability. That belief spread into everyone else in the team and was a real catalyst at the start of our season.
“His ability to move the ball laterally, and control line and length, were perfect for English conditions and it’s great news that the change in regulations will allow him to take on a fuller role next season.
“We can’t wait to get him back, both to continue the promising start he has shown to his Nottinghamshire career, and to positively influence the defence of the title."
Experienced short-format specialist Benny Howell has joined Notts Outlaws on a two-year T20-only contract ahead of the 2026 season.
All-rounder Howell, 37, has amassed over 250 T20 appearances across the globe, and has previously represented Hampshire and Gloucestershire in the Vitality Blast.
“It’s a real honour to sign for Notts Outlaws. The club have a rich history, a great fanbase, and play at a fantastic ground in Trent Bridge. I’m looking forward to calling it home,” said Howell.
“With the way the club is run, with the coaching staff and group of talented players that are there, I was immediately excited when this opportunity first came up.”
Known for his extensive arsenal of bowling variations, Howell has claimed 255 T20 wickets at just 23.12 apiece, while he has also notched over 3,000 runs at a strike rate north of 135.
In addition to his 14-year Blast career, which has seen him reach the knockout stages on six occasions, Howell’s CV also includes time in the franchise leagues of Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.
“I'm constantly looking to improve my game and I believe this is the perfect environment to do that,” continued Howell.
“With my skill set and experience, I hope to contribute to the team’s success in the Blast, and ideally lift that trophy!”
Head Coach Peter Moores added: “We saw some really good examples of the progress that we’re making as a side last year, and bringing Benny in will only serve to continue that.
“If you look back into recent history, we feel he can take on the role that Steven Mullaney played for many years in our T20 side, not just as a quality all-rounder, but also as that link between players with different levels of experience.
“He feels like the perfect fit for where we are as a side right now, where we’re trying to bring together our more experienced players, and those that are still emerging.
7 Farhan Ahmed 2027
33 Joe Clarke 2027 Revealed 24/10
17 Ben Duckett 2027
48 Tom Giles 2026
99 Haseeb Hameed 2027 Revealed 27/10
13 James Hayes 2026
30 Jack Haynes 2027
88 Travis Holland 2026
16 Brett Hutton 2026
8 Lyndon James 2027
4 Rob Lord 2026
12 Ben Martindale 2026
44 Freddie McCann 2027
3 Conor McKerr 2027
23 Tom Moores 2026 WHITE BALL ONLY
18 Dillon Pennington 2027
26 Ben Slater 2027
9 Olly Stone 2026
24 Josh Tongue 2026
Two more years of Connor McKerr who saw that he was worth that length of contract after a poor loan spell, terrible attitude need’s paying off
ReplyDeleteThe very same judges of players that signed Haseebdullah and Joseph perhaps.
DeleteYer I guess so can’t get it right all the time… π
ReplyDeleteCalvin Harrison signed permanently for Northants ?
ReplyDeleteThat would be disappointing and unfortunate Simon. Calvin has been a regular in our T20 side ever since Covid, is our best fielder (probably the best in the country too), a fans' favourite and is a player contracted to Notts until the end of next season. His profile at Notts has meant that he has played (been drafted to) every year in that franchise competition too. As the other southern Africans have departed (Monty leaving against wishes of the club and advice and young Dane) Calvin would be joining several players of that origin already at Wantage Road, but Div 2 cricket doesn't challenge enough for his calibre of cricketer IMHO. I wouldn't dismiss your question, as the Newell/Moores partnership do appear to be rubbish negotiators when it comes to ambitous cricketers that are in contract and on the staff. You just have to look at who has left in the last few years.
DeleteWell there you go Simon - have you got anymore insider tips up your sleeve?
DeleteNot at the moment Dave. I saw it on Facebook a couple of days ago. I'm a Derbyshire fan anyway π
DeleteCannot say I am too surprised to see Calvin go , The writing was on the wall when he spent a considerable amount of time at Northants last season, Can't say I blame for wanting the move he could see little. chance of forcing his way past LPW and Farhan, Notts clearly wanted to keep him but like any competitive sportsman he wanted to compete at the highest level he could , Notts seconds didn't just quite cut it!
DeleteIts difficult to see how Notts could replace him, Quality leg spinners are not that prevalent in English cricket, Farhan's big brother Rehan is probably along with Adil Rashid the best around , Cases against both could be made, Rashid plays little if any red ball cricket and Rehan if he continues his rapid development is likely to figure more with his country than his county, That's even if he wanted to leave Leicestershire which you would guess with that teams promotion is unlikely...
Zanga
Difficult to fit him in the red ball side - LPW(after last season) is way ahead of him and Farhan’s potential is massive
ReplyDeleteNot sure his stats in red ball would be too flash, decent white ball bowler without being a genuine match winner ? Certainly added variety and different options with his ‘leggies’ but if he wants more red ball, what can you do ? Not helped by the pitches at our place with playing more than one spinner(generally speaking)
Would say at present he’s a good Div2 player, perhaps playing on the Wantage Rd pitches will turn him into a Div1 performer in a few seasons
Think “Terry” McCann can give him a run for slip catches ? Batting hasn’t kicked on with us also, but there’s potential there for Darren Lehmann to work with for sure
The above ⬆️ was from me !
DeleteI thought the club's current strategy was to up the T20 potential to match that of the Championship side. I don't see how that improves by losing our only leggy and bringing in no one. What's with the clearout of all the southern Africans that we had, BTW?
DeleteI’ve already given up π with the Blast π₯ big Dave ! Got nil expectancy with this comp any more I’m afraid π±
DeleteHarrison’s record for Notts:
ReplyDeleteFC (19 games):
Batting: 25-3-455-52-20.68 (1x 50); 36 ct
Bowling: 421.5-36-1526-41-37.21 (BB 5-128; 1x 5WI)
List A (8 games):
Batting: 8-1-94-41-13.42; 7 ct
Bowling: 56.1-0-312-5-62.40 (BB 1-0; R/O 5.55)
T20 (63 games):
Batting: 39-18-271-22*-12.90; 39 ct
Bowling: 180.4-1-1398-57-24.52 (BB 4.17; R/O 7.73)
***
His FC record for Northants to date (10 games) is as follows:
Batting: 15-1-456-122-32.57 (1x 100, 2x 50); 17 ct
Bowling: 366.3-62-1066-36-29.61 (BB 7-119; 1x 5WI, 1x 10WM)
Given that he’s already moved up the order for Northants and was batting at 3 or 4 by the end of the season, perhaps he’ll fill the sort of role that Matt Critchley does for Essex, and did for Derbyshire?
DJP
What did G Swann say at the EGM in Sept about Calvin? That he is a better bowler NOW, after the coaching work done during the summer with the franchise.
DeleteWho benefits NOW? Not Team Nottinghamshire that is for sure. Give your assets away, you become poorer. Notts fans are unlikely to see Harrison at all in 2026, even playing against the Green and Gold, after the reducing/restructuring of the T20 Blast, so the Notts fans won't be able to watch the improved Calvin Harrison in 2026 and of course he's now playing Div 2 as well.
Good player and good man. Good that he wants to play more 4 day cricket. Wish him well and many thanks to him.
ReplyDeleteDecent stats for Northants last season - albeit its like going from the Premier League(Div One) to League 2(Div Two) so if you don’t perform at that level, you really shouldn’t be on a pro contract anyway
ReplyDeleteYou can only play 11 players and he is simply behind LPW and you have to back young wizard π§♀️ Farhan at his age with his potential
- you ain’t gonna play 3 spinners in red ball, very often not even 2 esp at the real home π‘ of cricket π so at the end of day if he wants more red ball, then he moves on
As Del Boy would say “it’s all epidemic now anyway” - he’s gone and good luck to him
But I would suggest we are talking about Calvin Harrison leaving and not Shane Warne or Richie Benaud - so let’s keep a sense of perspective I say
Excellent comments there my friend π
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteYes anonymous, Benny Howell is something of an unknown to Notts fans. PM does tend to back LJ, so this might not spell the end to the Notts product's T20 ambitions (but yes we would all prefer local lads playing). Benny has spent his career in the South Group with Glos and then Hants, so right off our radar. Take a look at MAG's in depth look at the player in a later post. Thank-you for your comments "anonymous", but next time put a name to them, especially considering your choice of language, eh! :)
DeleteBennnnnnyyyyy………..and he drove the fastest milkcartπ₯ in the west
ReplyDeleteFrom bits I’ve seen down the years, looks a decent white ball player, we certainly need more variation in pace off after the PP a la a Steven Mullaney type of role
Was surprised to see how old he is - but he looks a fit lad, so can’t see a problem with him signing in that regard
Great news π° with KV - I’ll never π forget that Thursday afternoon, in particular - and - think he’ll score a lot more runs for us next season also
ReplyDelete