Kimber and Patel Lead Leicestershire Fightback

A spirited Leicestershire fightback boosted spirits during the evening session, as Louis Kimber and Rishi Patel laid on an unbroken 159-run stand, following the first-ball loss of Hassan Azad, to end the second day at Hove.

Callum Parkinson completed a first five-fer of the season earlier in proceedings to finally curtail Sussex’s seemingly unabating innings, which closed on 588 in the mid-afternoon sun.

The morning followed day one’s pattern, with Sussex frustrating Leicestershire’s attack. Fleeting appeals were turned down at both ends, with Ed Barnes’ shout for LBW against Delray Rawlins the most convincing to be dismissed.

In a session that was heading towards its conclusion without a breakthrough, Parkinson stepped up to adopt the ‘if you want a job done right…’ mantra. He duly removed home ‘keeper Oli Carter, who inside edged onto his own stumps for an admirable 70.

The Running Foxes’ skipper had his third and fourth in quick succession, trapping Rawlins for 75, before Crocombe drove to Azad in the left-armer’s next over.

After reaping little reward for his accuracy throughout the innings, Chris Wright picked up a deserved first wicket, pinning Steven Finn leg before for a third-ball duck.

A stand of 49 then ensued, but Parkinson wasn’t to be denied his first first-wicket haul of the campaign. He saw James Coles stumped by Harry Swindells to finally bring Sussex's mammoth innings to a close, leading the attack with figures of 5-128 from a tiring 41.5 overs.

Leicestershire’s reply got off to the worst possible start. Azad fell to the maiden ball of their reply, edging Finn behind to Tom Alsop at first slip.

But Patel and Kimber repelled the hosts’ momentum and swung the pendulum into their own favour, with an astute balance between watchful defense and enterprising attack.

Kimber went to his fifty from just 59 deliveries, displaying an eager intent to score on both sides of the wicket, just shy of a-run-a-ball.

Patel followed suit with a more patient 124-ball half-century, oozing control in his shot selection, perhaps best exemplified by a glorious straight drive that got him off the mark with just his fifth ball.

The pair put on a magnificent century stand, closing on 159 for one at stumps, with Kimber (91*) perched overnight in the nervous nineties and Patel (67*) also in search of a maiden first-class ton when the morning comes.