Kamau Leverock hit a half-century to help Nottinghamshire Seconds to a two-wicket win over Northamptonshire in their opening Second XI Championship match of the season at County Ground yesterday.

He made the most of being promoted up the order from No 11 to opener as he thumped 62 from 47 balls, that included ten fours and a six. Leverock reached his half-century off of 40 balls before being trapped leg before by left-arm spinner of Saif Zaib.

However, by then he and Chris Gibson had produced a 125-run opening partnership that gave their team the platform to chase down their target after Northamptonshire declared their second innings with a 375-run lead.

Nottinghamshire lost a bundle of wickets after Leverock departed before Louis Bhabra and Jack Blatherwickproduced an unbroken 75-run ninth-wicket partnership that carried their team across the line.

Opener Gibson was Nottinghamshire’s top scorer in the second innings with 105 from 117 balls in 157 minutes that included 15 fours while Conor Haddow, four for 95, and fellow left-arm spinner Zaib, four for 136, led the Northamptonshire attack.

Leverock was brought into the attack as third change in both of Northamptonshire’s innings and finished with match figures of one for 60.

The all-rounder has rejoined Nottinghamshire after playing in Australia over the winter with Adelaide outfit Walkerville Cricket Club and has been included in Bermuda’s 31-man training squad for the ICC Americas T20 Qualifier to be held on the island from August 15 to 25.

Bermuda will play in a four-nation qualifier with the United States, Canada and Cayman Islands for the right to reach the final global qualifier in the United Arab Emirates from October 11 to November 3. Six countries from that 14-team qualifier will reach the T20 World Cup in October 2020 in Melbourne, Australia.