Cox and Kimber Ton Up As Foxes Assemble Significant Lead
Thu 20 Mar 2025
Louis Kimber and Ben Cox both registered centuries, while Rishi Patel narrowly missed out after falling on 99, as Leicestershire racked up the runs on day two of their pre-season opener against Leeds/Bradford UCCE.
Continuing their dominance in the Uptonsteel County ground sunshine, the Foxes’ batting lineup scored 441 runs in the day to assemble a 427-run advantage heading into the third and final day.
Resuming on 89/2, Rishi Patel was first to trouble the scorers, driving Stanley Brown through the covers for three. The opener also hit the day’s first boundary with a cute glance to the ropes off Liam Bulteel.
Patel and Lewis Hill looked in impressive pre-season touch as they tallied their fifty alliance for the third wicket inside the opening half an hour of the morning’s play.
After a two-and-a-half stint at the wicket, the former reached his half-century “ arising off 91 balls. Hill followed suit, earning his fifty with a single off right-arm spinner Henry Pearson at the end of the 47th over.
Patel then instigated a pre-lunch onslaught, launching Pearson back over his head for back-to-back maximums toward the Indoor School. He was caught and bowled three balls later - an agonising one run shy of his century “ to end a partnership worth 161 with Hill.
Hill continued his progress either side of lunch, moving to 79 before he was bowled by Pearson attempting to cut. That dismissal united Kimber and Cox, who quickly set about their mammoth 185-run partnership in the afternoon session.
Dropped on six, Kimber certainly made the visitors rue their missed opportunity. He raced to his half-century from just 45 deliveries, smashing Pearson for four boundaries during the 65th over.
The newly-appointed T20 skipper shifted further through the gears, pummelling 23 off a Brown over “ including three sixes in four balls - to take him into the nineties.
Kimber’s first maximum an over earlier brought up another fifty partnership for the Foxes. His ally, Cox, kept pace incredibly well “ reaching his half-century from 45 deliveries - as the pair added 62 in just four overs midway through the afternoon.
A flashing drive from the final ball of the session took Kimber to his ton, containing 14 fours and four sixes “ as Leicestershire reached Tea on 443/4, having added 210 runs post-lunch.
Kimber (103) retired out during the interval, but Cox continued where he left off. Entering Tea unbeaten on 81, it took him a further 9.2 overs to get to three figures, scampering back for two off the bowling off Bulteel.
Like Kimber, he retired out for 101 at the end of the over, allowing Liam Trevaskis to join Harry Swindells in the middle. The pair added 53 for the seventh wicket before bad light curtailed proceedings. Swindells 33*, Trevaskis 25*, with Leicestershire leading by 427 runs at the close.
