Louis Kimber smashed a record-breaking double-century for Leicestershire against Sussex in the County Championship today (June 26), but wasn't able to get his side over the line in an epic run chase. Here's all you need to know about the 27-year-old lower-order hitter.
Louis Kimber hit 243 off 127 balls in the fourth innings of the game, blasting 191 runs in under a session after coming in early in the morning of the final day with Leicestershire 144-6 in pursuit of 463. He reached his century during a spectacular assault on Ollie Robinson, hitting him for 43 runs off an over which included three no balls, earning Robinson the record of the most runs conceded during a single over of a first-class match. His century came off 62 deliveries and he went into lunch nine runs short of a double with Leicestershire needing 89 runs more to win in an extraordinary turn around.
However, Leicestershire lost Ben Cox and Ben Mike within three overs of each other after the interval, leaving Kimber and No.11 Josh Hull 28 runs to get for the last wicket. They got to within 18 before Kimber was bowled by Nathan McAndrew looking for a big shot, ending the posibility of what would have been an incredible victory. Kimber finished with a plethora of all-time records in first-class cricket.
Kimber was a relatively late bloomer to professional cricket. He made his first-class debut in 2019 at the age of 22 having played for minor counties previously. He signed his first contract with Leicestershire in May 2021 after finishing up a Master's at Loughborough University. Having made a century for the second XI against Nottinghamshire early in the season, he made his debut for the first XI in the second half of 2021, where he made 13 and four in each innings against Kent.
He scored his maiden first-class century against Sussex in 2022 and, having made his List A and T20 debut the previous year, made his maiden List A hundred against Somerset in the One Day Cup in August 2022. In the final of Leicestershire's winning campaign in the 2023 One Day Cup, Kimber hit 18 off 22 in Leicestershire's innings.
While being a lower-order hitter is Kimber's primary skill, he's also made some useful contributions with the ball. He's taken seven first-class wickets in his career and has a four-wicket haul in List A cricket, against Gloucestershire in 2022 One Day Cup.
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