A run-a-ball 40 from Sol Budinger wasn’t enough to prevent Nottinghamshire’s Second XI from falling to a five-wicket defeat against Leicestershire in a T20 at Kibworth.
Batting at number four, Budinger hit two fours and one six as he continued a productive run of form in second-team cricket.
His arrival in the middle followed the departures of openers Dane Schadendorf (7) and Ben Compton (20) inside the Powerplay, with Notts reaching 40/2 at the end of the first six overs.
The left-hander put on 28 for the third wicket with fellow southpaw Ben Slater, before skipper Slater perished having made 22 from 16 deliveries.
Joey Evison (14 from 12 balls) and Zak Chappell (19 from 15) made cameo appearances at the crease thereafter, before Budinger was run out as he attempted a single from the final ball of the Notts innings.
In reply, Leicestershire’s opening pair emerged from the Powerplay unscathed on 44/0, with boundaries drying up in the subsequent two overs from Evison and Tom Barber.
It was Fateh Singh who claimed the Outlaws’ first scalp, bowling Nick Welch for 25, with his replacement Sam Evans edging James Hayes behind for 7 three overs later.
Hayes also removed Harry Dearden (8), his attempted scoop finding the hands of Toby Pettman.
Harry Swindells, however, was powering the hosts’ chase, reaching 45 from 43 deliveries before being run out by Evison.
Singh’s second wicket came when captain George Rhodes found the hands of Ben Slater, having made 16, but Sam Bates had already begun to accelerate the scoring rate, and a maximum from the final ball of the penultimate over all-but concluded the contest.
Bates (32 from 19) and Will Davis (3) scampered three singles from the first three balls of Pettman’s final over to secure Leicestershire’s five-wicket victory.