Nottinghamshire Academy secured a five wicket away win at Kimberley thanks to big scores from Sam Kelsall and Adam Tilcock.

The Academy had early success, George Bacon having Paldip Sidhu caught at second slip for 7 in the 5th over (10-1) and following a smart run out by Adam Tillcock, Jon Terry (15), in the 10th over and then Bacon bowling Bharat Popli for 17 in the 11th the home side were 47-3. However, Dominic Brown and Sam Johnson put them back on course with a stand of 75 for the fourth wicket, Brown (39) trapped lbw by Adam Tillcock in the 29th over.

James Mann continued the good work but Johnson (46) was bowled by Tillcock in the 39th (169-5). Sam Ogrizovic (5) followed shortly afterwards, lbw to Sam Wood (176-6) but as Kimberley pushed on they lost Dominic Wheatley (9) caught Bacon off Luke Wood in the 46th over (209-7) and James Mann (37) caught Tillcock off Bacon in the 49th over (232-8). Alex King (23*) and Atif Shaikh (6*) saw out the remaining balls for Kimberley to post a total of 252-8, George Bacon finishing with 3-36 from 10 overs.

Hassan Azad and Tom Rowe led the Academy reply and looked solid until Azad (17) was run out by Sam Johnson in the 9th over, going for a second run that was never on, the score on 55.

Sam Wood (1) went next over when he put up an easy catch to Popli at gulley off Wheatley, the score now 57-2. Sam Kelsall joined Rowe and the pair looked comfortable but Rowe (39) tried to pull Wheatley in the 17th over and was caught by Terry (93-3). Kelsall looked more like his normal self and when a determined looking Adam Tillcock joined him things began to swing in favour of the Academy.

At drinks (25 overs) the score was 149-3. Tillcock reached his 50 in 43 balls in the 28th over (170-3), Kelsall made his fifty in the 32nd over, the score then 187-3 and the hundred partnership came up in the same over (193-3). The pair looked like they were going to see the Academy through to the end but in the 39th over Tillcock (76) skied a ball from Mann and was caught by Sidhu at extra cover (227-4). Brett Hutton came to the crease with Kelsall 75 not out and he moved his score on to 89 when he was bowled by Terry just two runs short of the target in the 46th over. George Bacon hit the winning runs with a boundary four, the visitors winning by five wickets and finishing on 255-5 with Hutton not out 5 and Bacon not out 4.