The Nottinghamshire Academy side were defeated from the very last ball of an exciting Nottinghamshire Premier League match against Hucknall at the Notts Sports Club, Lady Bay on Saturday.
Securing a tie was still possible for the hosts when Louis Kimber bowled the final delivery to Josh Buckley with the scores level, as the visitors were 192-9 in reply to Notts’ 192 all out.
But Buckley, 25 not out, kept his cool to hit a winning four as he and last man Joel Wright, 7 not out, put on an unbeaten 27 for the final wicket to thwart the home bowlers just when it seemed they had wrapped up victory.
It had been the Academy who had won the toss and chosen to bat first and they initially flourished as Louis Kimber and Joey Evison put on 88 for the first wicket before the latter, on 45, edged a catch to keeper Scott Harris off the bowling of Suhail Ahmed.
The hundred came up off the fifth ball of the 23rd over with a four from Kimber but, soon after, Tom Keast fell for 5 to a running catch at cow corner by Richard Greatorex off Wright’s bowling, making it 106-2.
The next eight wickets fell for 86 runs as Hucknall made steady inroads.
Louis Kimber reached his fifty from 71 balls, with five fours, but was then caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Anthony Freeman off Robin Maxwell’s bowling just two balls later.
Jordan Cook went for 15, bowled by Maxwell, Connor Marshall fell to a ball from Geoff Dods that stayed low to be trapped lbw for 1 and Alex Aldred went first ball, also lbw, to leave the Academy 136-6.
After stout resistance, Hassan Chaudry (24) was run out going for a second run by a direct hit from George Buckthorpe, while Nick Kimber was bowled for 19 by Dods.
Riecko Parker-Cole was out for 5, lbw to Josh Buckley, while Louis Bhabra’s exit, lbw to Suhail Ahmed from the first ball of the 46th over saw the end of the Academy innings. Geoff Dods finished with 3-32 off his 12 overs.
After the early departure of Vinay Landa, caught and bowled by Bhabra for 4, Maxwell and Buckthorpe brought up the 50 in the 10th over.
But Buckthorpe, for 25, and Maxwell, for 31, followed in quick succession to leave Hucknall 65-3 and, as the rain came for more than 30 minutes, a timed game ensued.
Scott Harris kept the scoreboard ticking along with 45 before he was lbw took Cook, who completed his five-fer.
When Anis Raza and Ahmed fell to leave Hucknall on 169-9, the game seemed to be decided, but the last-wicket pairing of Buckley and Wright reduced advanced to 185-9 with one over left, leaving eight runs required to win.
After a dramatic dive to make his ground off the fifth ball of the over for a single, Buckley required a runner for the last ball, having injured himself.
But he didn’t need him, as a boundary hit secured the visitors’ victory. Cook finished with 5-36 off 11 overs.
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