Kimber impresses on hard fought day one for Leicestershire
Tue 21 Sep 2021
DAY ONE | Leicestershire CCC 222 v Worcestershire CCC 30 for one
SCORECARD | Available HERE
REPORT | Louis Kimber stars after recording his second successive first-class career best and leading the scoring for Leicestershire on day one.
Leicestershire CCC made the trip to Worcester for their final fixture of the 2021 calendar, looking to end the campaign with back-to-back LV= County Championship victories.
Callum Parkinson skippered the side for the third fixture running in the extended absence of Club Captain, Colin Ackermann, with Rishi Patel making his return to the matchday squad.
Following team news on the morning of day one, Harry Swindells and Sam Evans were omitted from the Leicestershire line-up after having close contact with a case of COVID-19.
Sam Bates came in to deputise as replacement for Swindells, becoming the 495th player to represent Leicestershire CCC in first-class cricket.
Parkinson won the toss and opted to bat at New Road where the sun broke through and shone down on a dry wicket, with short boundaries on three sides of the playing surface.
Hassan Azad and Rishi Patel opened the batting, with the latter recording the first boundary of the day after driving Joe Leach through the covers.
The first wicket partnership lasted just 15 balls though, before Azad (2, 7b) was caught by Daryl Mitchell at second slip.
George Rhodes joined Patel (4*) in the middle as the duo looked to stem any oncoming barrage from our hosts.
The partnership yielded 41 further runs before Patel found himself making his way back to the pavilion.
Patel mis-timed his drive off Barnard and lofted his shot to the hands of Leach stood at extra cover, and went for 22 after a positive start to his return.
Lewis Hill came in to join Rhodes (11*) in the middle and got off to a super start, recording two boundaries off Barnard’s next over.
Lunch was in sight for the third wicket partnership, with both batsmen having subsided the initial pressure from the Worcestershire bowling attack.
The third wicket duo failed to see the Running Foxes through to lunch though, as Rhodes’ wicket fell two overs before the break, for 27.
Rhodes looked like he tried to shoulder-arms, but left it too late as he parried Pennington’s delivery through to Haynes stood at first slip.
Louis Kimber joined Hill (18*) in the middle and saw the Foxes through to lunch with the interval coming with County on 88 for three.
The duo came out and Hill accelerated Leicestershire above the 100-run mark, after recording 11 runs off the bowling of Morris “ including a back-foot cut through point for his seventh four of the innings.
Four overs later, and Hill (40) was heading back to the pavilion after looking to play Barnard expansively through the off side.
The Foxes man went for a big swing but could only nick the away swinger through to Haynes at first slip who took his second catch of the day.
Ben Mike emerged to join Kimber (3*) in the middle with Leicestershire on 112 for four.
Mike lasted just under 10 overs in the middle, adding three of the 21-run fifth wicket stand before Baker earned his first wicket of the day.
Mike went after guiding his off side drive to the hands of Jake Libby who took the catch at extra cover.
Sam Bates emerged for his Leicestershire County Cricket Club debut, becoming the 495th player to represent the Running Foxes in first-class cricket.
Bates “ who came in to replace Swindells “ faced just seven deliveries before being dealt a wicked delivery by Baker.
The Worcestershire man got one to turn back in viciously which Bates looped up towards Haynes at short leg who took the simple catch.
Leicestershire were now 133 for six with Ed Barnes making his way out to the middle.
Barnes used the pace and bounce of Pennington’s delivery to open his account for the afternoon with four, over the slips and away over the rope.
The Foxes man went on to record nine further runs, to bring his total to 13 before Morris angled one in and crashed it into his middle stump.
Skipper Callum Parkinson made his way out to join Kimber in the middle who was keeping the Foxes’ innings alive on 31.
The duo dug in and began churning out a fruitful partnership for the Running Foxes as Worcestershire would have had the three final Leicestershire wickets in their sights.
Parkinson joined Kimber in opening his boundary account, off the bowling of Pennington, as Kimber continued to take control in the Leicestershire innings.
Kimber soon brought up his second successive first-class half-century, after cutting Barnard away off the back foot to bring up his eighth four of the day.
The fifty coming from 124 balls, including eight fours.
The Foxes man then followed up his fifty with the first maximum of the day for the Foxes after sweeping Baker all the way over the leg side.
Three overs later and the fifty partnership for County’s eighth wicket came up, from 106 balls and 65 minutes together.
A new first-class best was next up for the Foxes batsman, just six days after recording what was now his previous best, of 59, against Sussex CCC.
The hosts then took the new ball at the first possible chance, and immediately struck with it.
Leach was the man to take it after angling one back in to Kimber (71) and wrapping the Foxes man on the pads for a new first-class career best.
A stern innings from Kimber came to a close as Chris Wright joined Parkinson (17*) in the middle with Leicestershire on 218 for eight.
The remaining two wickets fell within six balls of eachother as Worcestershire wrapped up Leicestershire’s first innings.
First to go was Parkinson after Pennington wrapped him on the pads for 17, and then Leach dismissed Wright (2) in the next over after clattering his off stump.
Abi Sakande finished the man not out for County on 2 as Leicestershire’s first innings came to a close on 222.
Chris Wright opened the bowling for Leicestershire with Jake Libby and Daryl Mitchell opening the batting for the hosts.
The latter received a guard of honour from County as he embarks upon his last game for Worcestershire before his announced retirement.
Mitchell’s innings though, only lasted as long as 4.4 overs before Wright broke the deadlock after finding the edge of the batsman which was caught by Louis Kimber at second slip.
The score was 14 for one as Charlie Morris came out as nightwatchman to join Libby.
There were six overs remaining for the second wicket duo to navigate, which they did so successfully bringing a close to day one with Worcestershire sat on 30 for one, Libby (16*), Morris (6*).
FIGURES (1st inns) | Leach 17.3-5-38-3, Pennington 17-5-41-2, Morris 15-1-59-1, Barnard 13-3-40-2, Baker 2-7-31-2
Wright 6-1-18-1, Sakande 3-0-9-0, Mike 2-1-3-0
TEAM | Hassan Azad, Rishi Patel, George Rhodes, Lewis Hill, Louis Kimber, Sam Bates (wk), Ben Mike, Ed Barnes, Callum Parkinson (C), Chris Wright, Abi Sakande.
WORCESTERSHIRE CCC | Jake Libby, Daryl Mitchell, Gareth Roderick, Jack Haynes, Brett D’Oliveira, Ed Barnard, Ben Cox (wk), Joe Leach (C), Josh Baker, Dillon Pennington, Charlie Morris
IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.
