This was the second match of what was intended to be a double weekend, with the return match against Warwickshire due to take place at Edgbaston on Sunday 25th May.

Rain overnight and all the day of the match caused the match to be abandoned at 2.00 p.m. McAllister would have made his debut in this match as Wilson was called up to play in this competition by Surrey. So also was Porterfield by Gloucestershire and McCallan was to become captain.

Ireland's defeat was by the narrowest run margin (one!) following two one run defeats against ECB, one at Comber in the Triple Crown of 1995 and one at Waringstown in the European Cup in 2002. Ireland had won by one run against Netherlands at Stormont in 2007. At least the result was closer than the 56 run defeat to Notts at Castle Avenue in April.

Ireland made three changes from the previous match (against Leicestershire). Gloucester called in Porterfield as did Surrey with Wilson. Hall and McAllister replaced these two with McAllister, the diminutive Rush wicket-keeper, getting his first cap. Fourie replaced Eaglestone and the captaincy reverted to McCallan. This was his 39th match as Captain. Notts had three changes from the April match. Broad and Sidebottom were in a Test Match and replaced by 30-year-old Pattinson from Australia and a newcomer Fletcher. Wood, formerly of Somerset, replaced Shafayat.

This was to be White's 100th cap. He became the seventh Irish cricketer to reach this mark, following Warke, Lewis, Dunlop, Harrison, Gillespie and of course the man who sits on top of the pile McCallan.

Usually in a one run defeat a finger can be pointed at one reason. In this match there were several. In the 138 run fourth wicket stand for Notts, both Voges and Patel were dropped. In Voges' case the score would have been 71-4. In Patel's case 16 runs were added after he was dropped. Off the final ball of the innings Read scored three runs when dropped by Fourie at wide long on. Ireland started their reply well and were 50-2 in over 15. However, from the end of over 15 to the end of over 35 only 69 runs were scored in these 20 overs. Too few runs in this section of the match with Strydom and Cusack to blame.

From the remaining 15 overs 120 had now to be scored, a ratio of eight per over. O'Brien had come in in over 29 and McCallan joined him in over 37. O'Brien reached 50 in 46 balls but by the end had 93 in 75 balls. If McCallan, batting well, had not got out to a poor shot for 26 in over 47, at 203, the match might well have been won. The decision to send in the new cap, McAllister, was surely wrong. Yes, he did get five singles in six balls but more was required. Fourie should have been the number eight. When McAllister arrived O'Brien was 61 in 58 balls. The next 17 balls he faced moved him from 61 to 89. He was now facing the last ball of the match from Pattinson with six needed. O'Brien could not get under a good ball and could only hit a four to square leg, thus resulting in a loss by one run.

Ireland's start was wonderful. Notts were sent in and in over nine were 22-3. At that point, "wonderful" ceased. Voges and Patel came together, as they had done in the Dublin match. Today the stand was 138 in 29 overs. At the fall of this wicket only 12 overs remained and they produced 81 more runs for Notts.

The start was on time despite rain the previous day and the outfield was no more than damp. It was, however, cold and windy. Rampaul's second ball bowled the tallest batsmen in the County championship (Jefferson). 0-1-0. Wagh, at number three, square cut a four in O'Brien's first over but scoring was tight. The last ball of Rampaul's fourth over lifted, snicked the top of Wagh's bat, and gave new cap McAllister his first wicket-keeping victim. 17-2-10. Voges came next but Wood was out in the ninth over. He hit a four to fine leg off Rampaul. Three balls later he was smartly caught at second slip by O'Brien. 22-3-11. Rampaul now had 3-14. Patel joined Voges and started with two fours and the second power play was called at over 11. After six overs by O'Brien he was replaced by Fourie while Cusack replaced Rampaul who had figures of 7-0-23-3. Successive fours by Voges, a square cut and a shot to square leg brought up 50 in over 18 in the third power play. After this over Voges had faced 27 balls with four scoring strokes, three fours and a single. The scoring rate now increased. Voges hit two more fours and Patel one. Then, in over 23, bowled by Cusack, Voges, when 25 and the total 69, was dropped by Stirling at short extra cover, the first of three dropped catches. This one cost 91 runs.

Kidd was on for over 24 and McCallan for over 25. Patel hit McCallan's third ball for six and the 25 over score was 86. A single in over 29 brought up 100 and, in the same over, Voges hit McCallan for successive fours, both to extra cover. The score after 30 overs was 115. With two singles in McCallan's fifth over, the 33rd, Voges went to 50 in 63 balls, with seven fours. A single to Patel in the next over took him to 50, in 87 balls with two sixes and four fours. Patel celebrated by hitting Kidd for six.

In the 36th over Patel was dropped by Fourie at short third man off Kidd. At this point he was 65 and the total 146. White was given two overs in place of McCallan, in the second of which 150 came up. Then Kidd got a wicket in his eighth over, the 38. Patel hit a two and a four. Next ball he cut and Stirling took a good low two-handed catch at cover. 160-4-75. His 75 came off 103 balls and featured two sixes and six fours. Notts captain, Read, was next, and was even better than he had been in Dublin. He came in with 12 overs left, scored 53 off 44 balls, and was not out at the end. Cusack came back after White's two overs while over 43 was Kidd's 10th over. He finished with figures of 10-1-48-1. O'Brien resumed for over 44 and Rampaul replaced Cusack for over 45, in which over four singles brought up 200. Then O'Brien got Voges out. He was caught high at mid-wicket by Rampaul off a full toss. 205-5-82. The 82 came off 94 balls with nine fours. Voges had also made 50 in Dublin.

Swann joined his captain, scored one off five balls and was out on the first ball of O'Brien's next over, his ninth and the 48th in all. He was caught by Kidd at long-off. 210-6-1. Ealham came in with 17 balls left. He and Read made great use of them, scoring 31 runs off them. The 48th over only cost four. Rampaul bowled the 49th which cost 10, including a four from Read to extra cover. Then came O'Brien and the last over. Read faced all six balls for a 17 run tally and a dropped catch off the last ball. The over began 2-4-6. The four was over the bowler's head and the six was to mid-wicket. This carried Read to 48. The fourth ball was a dot, the fifth was a two to square cover which gave Read 50 in 43 balls, including a single six and three fours. The last ball was hit to Fourie at long-on. He dropped it, his second drop of the innings. Three runs were scored and these ultimately proved vital, as, indeed, did the 31 added in the last 17 balls.

Ireland's ground fielding was good but three dropped catches, all easy, were too many. Seven bowlers were used with Rampaul, O'Brien and Kidd bowling a full quota. Rampaul had 3-40, O'Brien 2-52 and Kidd 1-48. Cusack bowled well, 0-32 in eight overs with two of the three maidens achieved in the innings.

At 3:40 p.m. Strydom and Hall began what turned out to be a very good start for Ireland's reply to Notts 241. The England born Pattinson who had spent time in Australia (and who somewhat surprisingly later in the Summer was selected for England) partnered the promising English bowler Shreck for the first 12 overs. Scoring was brisk and in the 48 run stand eight fours were hit, six by Strydom. The latter hit two in Patterson's second over, the drive to extra-cover and a cut behind point. Then Hall snicked Shreck to third man. 22 was up in five overs and 40 in 10. It was probably too good to be true. In the 12th over, bowled by Shreck, Strydom hit a 4 and a 3 off the first two balls bringing Hall to face. Hall pushed out and the ball seemed to go under his bat to bowl him. 48-1-14.

Stirling joined Strydom and there was a double bowling change. Fletcher and Ealham, both brisk medium, came on. Stirling faced 10 balls, scored one run, and then snicked Fletcher low to wicket-keeper Read's right. He dived and took a good catch. 50-2-1, the 50 having come in over 13. Cusack was next. He and Strydom both played well even if the scoring was slow as they tried to consolidate the partnership. Cusack got a four to mid-wicket off a mis field and another to long-on. Swann, a Test off-spinner, came on for Ealham. The score after 25 overs was 83. Now 159 were needed at a rate of over six per over. In the next few overs there were only single's.

Patel, slow left arm, replaced Fletcher for over 29. His second ball had Cusack caught at the wicket. 91-3-23. White arrived next when the more aggressive O'Brien was expected. White played his second ball towards cover, Voges, and took off for a run which was not there. Strydom should have sent him back but did not and was easily run out at the wicket-keeper's end. 91-4-49. Strydom's 49 took 87 balls and contained seven fours.

Now came O'Brien. White reverse swept four in over 30 at the end of which the score was 96. 146 was needed now in 20 overs, a rate of over seven per over. Everything now depended on O'Brien staying in and having a good day with his timing and hitting. He and White had a very good stand of 43 in eight overs. They shared the strike but O'Brien got 26 to White's 17. O'Brien hit three fours, two of them straight in the air off Patel. Ealham and Fletcher were brought back and in over 37 Fletcher had White LBW as he pushed to leg. 134-5-17.

McCallan came in with one ball of the 37th over left and 108 runs required. The rate was now over eight per over. O'Brien took nine off Ealham's next over, the 38th, and runs began to flow. Both batsmen had fours in over 39, Fletcher, from which 13 runs came and 150 was up. Swann returned and the 40 over score was 159. 83 now were needed in 10 overs. That was some task! The next two overs brought 18 runs. With the score on 177 Pattinson bowled the 43rd over. 13 runs came from it including a straight six by O'Brien which moved him from 46 to 52. He had faced 46 balls and had scored a six and five fours.

There was now rapid switching of bowling. Patel came back (Swann was bowled out) for over 46. McCallan hit the first ball for four to third man to make the score exactly 200. Now 42 were needed off 29 balls. Seven in all came in that Patel over to make the score 203. Now 39 were needed in four overs. Then came another turning point, and a vital one. Ealham bowled over 47. The first ball was a high leg side full toss. Instead of hitting it McCallan only helped it on its way. He was caught at short fine leg. 203-6-26. He had got his 26 in 25 balls. There is little doubt that had McCallan stayed in the win was probable.

Fourie should have come next but McAllister did so for his first innings for Ireland. In fairness to him he did score five singles in six balls but more was expected from whoever came in at that point. A couple of good blows were looked for but these McAllister could not deliver. The wicket-taking 47th over only saw three singles added. Now 18 balls were available to get 36 runs. 12 runs per over was required. The 48th over produced two more than its quota of 12 because O'Brien hit Patel's first three balls for fours. These went to third man, extra-cover and long-off. Now with 14 scored of this over it was 22 needed from two overs.

Ealham was too clever a bowler for both batsmen in the 49th over. Five balls were scored off but for only six runs. Pattinson came back for over 50. 16 were needed. O'Brien faced. He was now 80. He hit the first ball for two over mid-on. Then, perhaps unwisely, he took an off-side single on ball two. However, McAllister gave back the strike with a single to third man off ball three. 12 now needed off three balls. O'Brien got a four to square leg off the fourth ball. Now eight were needed off two balls. The fifth ball could only yield two runs square of the wicket. Now only six would win the match. Pattinson's cleverly pitched delivery could not be hoisted but it did go square for four. Pattinson's nine overs cost 54 runs - would that they could have cost 56! Fletcher was the only bowler with two wickets for 41 in his 10 overs. Swann was the only other bowler to complete his 10 overs, in his case for 36 runs.

O'Brien's wonderful 93 not out came from only 75 balls with a six and 11 fours, 50 in all in boundaries. He arrived for the fifth ball of the 29th over at 91-4. He got to 20 in over 35, 40 in over 39, 50 in over 43, 60 in the over 45, 70 in over 48, 80 in over 49. He failed to score off only 25 of his 75 balls and got singles off 28 balls. He deserved 100 and to win the match. It was his 45th innings and his second-highest score