A NORTHWOOD Hills driver is still waiting for compensation from a cricket club after her dream car was struck by a ball, but insurers 'said it was an act of God'.

Kayleigh Richardson-Flitt had only bought her classic Nissan Figaro two days before it was hit by the ball from Eastcote Cricket Club as she was driving in Joel Street, causing about £600 damage to the windscreen.

The 25-year-old is now too scared too drive the £4,000 car because the crack is getting worse, and can't afford to repair it without reassurance that the cricket club will pay up.

She told the Gazette: "It was the most I had ever spent on a car and it was what I had always wanted. I decided to take it out for a spin with the roof down and show it off a bit.

"Out of nowhere a cricket ball launched itself into my brand new car and cracked the window and nearly killed my boyfriend, it was inches away from hitting him."

The incident happened on September 6, but three months later the cricket club's insurers are maintaining that because it was a one-off freak occurrence, they are not liable to pay the cost of repair.

John Clouting, the club's chairman, explained: "Obviously we accept the ball came from one of our cricket pitches and we are handling it with our insurers.

"They have said it is such a rare event that we are not liable, but we are quite willing to meet her [Kayleigh] and resolve the matter amicably, the sooner the better."

But Ms Richardson-Flitt said she has seen other balls from the club land in the road, and is calling for them to erect a protective netting to stop it happening in future.

She said: "If I go through my insurers I will have to pay my excess and lose my no claims. I don't understand how there is even a question of liability when a cricket ball went into my car from their club while a match was on.

"They said it was an act of God!"

Mr Clouting said it was too expensive to erect netting without help from the council, and that he had not heard of any other instances of cricket balls landing in the road.

"Under our insurance policy, unless we are proved to be negligent we are not liable," the chairman said.

"This is the first incident of this nature we have had in the 18 years I have been here."