Leroy Facey felt the setting for his incredible century in Witham Cricket Club’s win at Sudbury helped make it even more special on a remarkable day in the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship.

Witham captain Jake Wakelin described Facey’s unbeaten 173 as the best innings he had ever seen in division one cricket as it guided them to a successful run chase of the hosts’ challenging target of 334.

However, the fact that Facey’s hundred – his second in consecutive weeks – came against a side who sit top of the Championship and in whose record no other side had been able to put a dent this season made it even better for the Witham batting ace.

Facey said: “It’s certainly a highlight of my career – not only because it’s the highest score I’ve ever made but because of the game itself and the scenario in which it came.

“I had managed to get a hundred the week before, but we came up just short in that one, so to do it in a game of this importance and to end up winning is very special.

“It’s nice to play in a game like that, especially when you’re on the right side of the result and I think it’s a good advert for division one cricket.

“It’s a high standard of cricket and with a good-sized crowd there to watch it, fortunately we were able to get the win.”

The challenges keep coming for Witham as they are due to head to second-placed Mildenhall today.