Notts Academy 240 (6pts ) lost to Mansfield Hosiery Mills 246-5 (20pts) by 6 runs
 
Watching the Academy play is no place for the faint hearted as they were involved in another close finish at the Notts Sports Club.
 
The visitors had inflicted one of the two defeats suffered by the Academy in the first half of the League programme and piled on the runs on being asked to bat first. Some loose opening bowling allowed Gareth Curtis and Paul Burdett to score 50 from just 40 balls with wides being bowled with great regularity.
 
Stand in wicketkeeper Michael Robson took two catches to dismiss both opening batsmen of the bowling off Brett Hutton and Adam Shepherd, Curtis 39 and Burdett 38. Caunt was out caught Paul Johnson at slip off Dan Cumming at 103.
 
The Academy then regained control as the visitors added only 50 runs in 20 overs as Hemstock and Sudesh Fernando got bogged down against Adam Shepherd initially and then Akhil Patel and Scott Elstone.
 
Following Hemstock's dismissal in the 42nd over Fernando took control and having reached his 50 from 79 balls, he completed his century in a further 37 as he launched an attack when the faster bowlers returned finishing on 114 not out. The Academy did not help their cause with at least five reasonably easy catches being spilled and again a wides tally of 22 was to prove crucial.
 
Hassan Azad was adjudged leg before from the third ball of the reply but then Akhil Patel and Sam Wood added 111 for the second wicket before Wood was out in the 24th over. Elstone hit four boundaries and departed giving Fernando an easy return catch and then Patel did likewise on 76 to leave Notts on 149-4.
 
Wickets then fell regularly and at 180-6, Adam Shepherd and Brett Hutton came together and plundered 40 from the next five overs with Shepherd hitting 28 from 23 balls including two sixes. The chase seemed back on but Karesh Jayasinghe settled the match with a spell of 3-4  

Paul Johnson playing because of injuries and non-availability of players turned back the years with a classic drive back past the bowler for four but Notts fell short by six runs.