LEIGH 2nds got their season of to a losing start but in a manner that wasnot without encouragement.

Indeed this was a game that Leigh always looked like winning. From the very first ball when Dave Potter struck with a loosener, Huyton were on the back foot. A tremendous opening spell from the openers Potter (6-5-2-3) and Graham Thomason (ultimately 1-11) saw Huyton struggling to score a run, their first coming in the eighth over.

Andy Potter carried on this good work (1-8) and at 29-5 the game was well within Leigh's grasp.

However, a stand of over 50 took Huyton towards the 100 mark, and with a slight wag, the Huyton tail took the score to 111. Ishtaq Beg bowled impressively on his debut for the club, finishing with 4-30. Steve Williams and Matthew Savka were rarely in difficulty. A change of bat proved his undoing as he was bowled for 17. Steve Whalley and Savka and then Paul Jones kept the scoreboard just about ticking over as a couple more wickets were lost.

When rain came just after the 20 over mark Leigh were eight runs short of the required run rate and it looked like the game was lost.

The break was only short and Whalley and Dave Potter took Leigh ahead of the run rate and on course for victory. However, Whalley's unlucky dismissal for 28 was the ultimate catalyst for defeat as none of the later batsman came to terms with the conditions and when Potter was ninth man out for 38, run out by a direct hit from third man.

The last wicket followed soon after and Leigh had lost their last four wickets for two runs to lose the game by two runs.