Leigh were made to pay in more ways than one as visiting late-order batsman Ayub smashed them into submission at Chalkwell Park on Saturday.

For the free-hitting star's huge hits saw him smash the windscreen of a team-mate's Mercedes as he took his side to victory and an 18-point haul with a speedy unbeaten 78.

"Even that will cost us under our insurance," bemoaned home skipper Simon Burch, who thought his side were on their way to success when they had the visitors struggling at 60-5 and 90-6 in reply to a home total of 212.

Neal Goodman (50) and Mark Sexton (37) had led the way for Leigh on a far from predictable Chalkwell surface with Neal Dial claiming the opposition bowling honours with 5-40.

Until Ayub's incredible entry, only number three batsman Za Nazir, who finished on 80 not out, had looked like holding up Leigh's victory charge.

John Elliott took 5-43 for Leigh, but Burch felt his team threw it away: "Some of our players went to sleep and on a very warm day seemed to have their clubhouse pint in their thoughts."

Published Monday, June 2, 2003

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