Nottinghamshire lost by 63 runs to neighbours Derbyshire on the final day of their opening Second XI Championship match of the season at Lady Bay.

After day one was lost to rain and day two saw the visitors post an imposing 419-4, three swift declarations set up a run chase for the home team.

But 5-62 from opening bowler Charlie Hartley and 3-40 from spinner Hamidullah Qadri saw Notts come up short after they had stayed well ahead of the required rate to win. 

As the hosts commenced their first innings, opening with Chris Gibson and trialist Solomon Budinger, the former was caught for 9 at mid-off by James Kettleborough from the bowling of Matthew Critchley with the score on 23-1.

Billy Root joined Budinger and the fifty was reached in the ninth over from 53 balls. When the home side reached 69-1 (13.1 overs) they declared, with Budinger 36 not out and Root 20 not out.

Derbyshire forfeited their second innings, leaving Nottinghamshire a target of 351 to win off 80 overs.

Notts started their chase poorly as Gibson was trapped lbw to Charlie Hartley without scoring off the fifth ball of innings.

It was 28-2 when Root (8) was caught at third slip by Ben Slater off Hartley and lunch was taken without further loss, as Budinger, on 37, and fellow trialist Savin Perera, on 18, carried the score to 85-2.

Not long after the restart, Budinger (44) was stumped by Daryn Smit off Qadri’s bowling while Tom Keast fell for a duck as he was caught at backward point by Qadri, with Alfie Gleadall bowling.

When Perera (24) was lbw to Qadri from the last ball of the 23rd over, Notts were in real trouble at 109-5, but Connor Marshall joined Matt Carter (pictured) and the latter struck a four off the last ball of the 30th over to bring up the 150 and the fifty partnership came up in 58 balls.

Carter (35) eventually edged to keeper Smit off Hartley’s bowling while his replacement, Matt Milnes, fell to the same combination without scoring.

A third trialist, Kamau Leverock, soon lost partner Marshall (31), who was caught at gully by Nils Priestley, giving bowler Hartley his ‘five-fer’.

Ben Kitt (16) then helped put on a stand of fifty in 30 balls but was bowled by James Taylor, making it 244-9.

Leverock reached his fifty (48 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes) with a six off the fourth ball of the 51st over and at tea, with 52 overs, bowled the score had reached 280-9, with last man Jack Blatherwick on 8.

However, soon after the resumption, Blatherwick was adjudged lbw to Qadri without further addition to his score, leaving Notts 287 all out, with Leverock unbeaten on 65.  

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