Capped Wright and Hill receive their Gold Fox

Leicestershire County Cricket Club has today rewarded Chris Wright and Lewis Hill with the club’s ultimate honour “ the gold fox on their county cap.

Handed over to them by Leicestershire legend, fellow capped Fox and captain of the 1996 and 1998 County Championship winning teams, James Whitaker, the duo were awarded their county caps at the luncheon interval of the LV=CC game against Sussex.

Lewis, a Leicestershire-born one-club-man, has had his best ever season in professional cricket after scoring runs in abundance across all three formats.

He recorded his second successive century in the 2021 LV= County Championship during the current fixture against Sussex, his third of the season in first-class cricket.

The Academy graduate made his Foxes debut in 2014 and has since gone on to make 175 appearances in all competitions, scoring 4,586 runs in the process.

Lewis has recorded 19 half-centuries and seven hundreds for Leicestershire, including four in his last 10 innings. He has also taken 154 catches and claimed six stumpings.

This season, Lewis has scored 902 LV= County Championship runs including a new career first-class best of 145 against Sussex CCC at the Uptonsteel County Ground, at an average of just under 50, making him the Club’s highest run-scorer.

Lewis also scored more than 500 white ball runs - including 322 in the Royal London Cup at 46 with two centuries - and 191 in Vitality Blast including his personal best score of 59 off just 33 balls at Worcestershire.

Chris joined Leicestershire ahead of the 2019 campaign and has led from the front in every season that he has represented the club.

He recently took his 500th first-class wicket in the game at Derbyshire, a special match where he also recorded his highest ever score with the bat, 87.

Chris picked up 6 for 94 during the current game against Sussex, taking his Leicestershire first-class tally beyond 100 in the process.

His 102 wickets have come at an average of under 26, including six five-wicket hauls. Four of those have been claimed during the 2021 campaign, including career-best first-class figures of seven for 53 at Gloucestershire.

Chris is the leading wicket-taker for the Running Foxes in the LV=County Championship, claiming 46 at under 22 runs apiece.

Upon receiving his cap, Lewis said: “I'm pretty speechless to be fair. I love playing cricket, and I love playing cricket for Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

"To get a County cap is something I will always remember, and to receive off the likes of James Whitaker, a Club hero, makes it all the more special."

Wright added: "I am immensely proud. Any time you get recognition from your peers is really special, I am really pleased to have achieved it here. 

"It was also nice timing to receive on the back of this game. We have worked really hard over the course of the season and performed consistently - it does feel fitting, and it is nice to do it at the same time."

Whitaker was delighted with the opportunity to present the caps. He said: “It was quite an emotional moment for me actually, it takes me back a number of years and it was a pleasure to present caps to two worthy recipients.

"Lewis [Hill] obviously emerged through the Academy, and to have received his cap on top of today [after recording a career best first-class score] makes it an even greater pleasure.

"Wrighty [Chris Wright], it is his third year and with a career total of over 500 first-class wickets, including over 100 for Leicestershire, again makes it a well deserved reward.

"Hopefully it is a day that they both will remember."

Everyone at Leicestershire County Cricket Club would like to congratulate Chris and Lewis in receiving their County caps.