Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber Rewrites Record Books with Extraordinary Innings in Hove
In a once-in-a-lifetime display, Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber produced a sensational batting performance, rewriting the record books during his team’s pursuit of a daunting 464-run target against Sussex at Hove.
Kimber’s remarkable innings of 243 from just 127 deliveries was the stuff of cricketing legend. Despite Leicestershire’s precarious position of 175 for 7, the 100-ball cricket enthusiast orchestrated a stunning counterattack, smashing a record-breaking 21 sixes and 191 runs in the morning session alone.
Entering the crease in the third over of the final day, the 25-year-old Kimber blasted his way to a century off just 62 balls, the second-fastest double-century in first-class history, before falling agonizingly short of sealing an unforgettable run-chase.
“You don’t get many days like that in your career, it was unbelievable really,” Kimber told the ECB Reporters’ Network. “It’s just a shame we couldn’t get over the line, but personally, you have to enjoy days like that. It was good fun.”
Kimber’s 243-run knock was the highest score by a batter batting at No. 8 or lower in County Championship history, surpassing previous records held by Dominic Cork and Graham Wagg.
Despite the disappointment of falling short, Sussex’s head coach Paul Farbrace was quick to praise Kimber’s heroics.
“Fair play to Louis Kimber, he just kept striking the ball and about ten minutes before we took the last wicket, I thought we could be angry about our game but sometimes you have to say well played to someone who played brilliantly and had a day out he will never forget.”
Kimber’s memorable performance, which included a 43-run over off England seamer Ollie Robinson, will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest individual innings in the annals of club cricket, backyard cricket, and beach cricket.
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