Set an unlikely 464 to win, Leicestershire were floundering at 144 for 6 when Kimber began his innings in the third over of the final day, and it soon became 175 for 7 when Wiaan Mulder became James Coles’ second victim of the morning.
But, with Ben Cox proving an excellent sidekick, Kimber set about transforming Leicestershire’s outlook with a sensational counterattack that featured a Championship-record 21 sixes, and a remarkable 191 runs in the morning session alone.
Despite boasting an average of less than 25, Kimber brought up his second first-class hundred from 62 balls in the midst of another record-breaking display – a 43-run over off the England seamer Ollie Robinson, featuring two sixes and six fours, as well as three no-balls, as Robinson frequently overstepped amid the onslaught.
Extraordinarily, he needed just 28 more balls to reach his double-hundred, the second-fastest in first-class history, but with partners running out, he was unable to pick off the final 18 runs needed to seal an unforgettable run-chase.
“You don’t get many days like that in your career, it was unbelievable really,” Kimber told the ECB Reporters’ Network. “It’s just a shame we couldn’t get over the line but personally, you have to enjoy days like that. It was good fun.
“I just tried to be positive and see what happened. I got a bit of luck here and there but you need that. Most of the lads have told me to remember it because days like this don’t come around too often.
“My phone has been buzzing and the records I have broken are pretty cool. All the Sussex players congratulated me and told me I didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. They were very gracious and over four days probably deserved to win.
“I can’t remember hitting the ball as cleanly as I did today before. I got into a kind of weird zone when I wasn’t thinking too much except trying to hit the ball where I wanted to. It was an amazing feeling. There wasn’t too much running going on, I was just trying to hit the ball as far as I could.
“I guess expectations will increase when you do something as noticeable as this but we’ll see what happens”
Louis Kimber
“We lost two wickets after lunch but Josh Hull is pretty under-rated as a batter at No. 11. I was trying to hit the ball I was out to for a single and then try and win it with the smaller boundary on the leg side. It didn’t quite come off.
“There is a sense of frustration personally, because I have felt good all season and been in pretty decent touch without posting a decent score, so this was probably due. You still have to apply yourself and take the positive option and I did that today. I guess expectations will increase when you do something as noticeable as this but we’ll see what happens.”
Kimber’s 243 was also the highest score by a batter at No. 8 (or lower) in County Championship history, and only the third double-century from that position, following Dominic Cork’s 200 not out against Durham in 2000, and 200 from Graham Wagg against Surrey in 2015.
“I have batted at No. 3 for most of this season and really enjoyed the challenge but for this game I went down to seven to help the balance of the team and then came in at eight because we’d had a nightwatchman. I want to bat as high as I can but whatever I’m needed to do I will do to try and win us games of cricket.”
“We had some pretty ordinary plans and executed them even worse,” Farbrace said. “But at lunch they still needed 89 and we won from a worse situation against them last year. The plan was to go short and try and bounce Louis. Ollie Robinson struck him on the gloves a couple of times then he nicked off and it went between keeper and slip. He just kept going so fair play to him.
“From their point of view, they had gone from a situation where you’re not expected to win to being favourites. Fair play to Louis Kimber, he just kept striking the ball and about ten minutes before we took the last wicket, I thought we could be angry about our game but sometimes you have to say well played to someone who played brilliantly and had a day out he will never forget.
“He hit 21 sixes but it felt like 41 and I’m not surprised at the records he has broken, it was an exceptional innings, but our session after lunch when we took the last three wickets was top class.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo