Four months ago I reported a pivotal game in Leigh Centurions history. Of course we all know that in November the Centurions were reinstated to the Co-operative Championship but this was the final game of the 2009 season.
LEIGH CENTURIONS 47
WHITEHAVEN 14
By Dave Parkinson
Leigh Centurions saved their best until last with a thoroughly convincing win over play-off contenders Whitehaven.
Despite keeping their end of the bargain and winning on the final day of the Championship season, victories elsewhere for Gateshead and Batley on a dramatic last day, allied with Toulouse Olympique’s exemption from relegation sent the Centurions through the trapdoor to RFL’s third tier for the first time since 1997.
Whitehaven began the game confidently, looking to erase memories of their last outing. Carl Rudd surged through a hole in the defence and his long pass, despite appearing forward found Paul Ballard for the winger to go in at the corner after two minutes. Rudd couldn’t convert and Leigh surged upfield with David Armitstead forcing a drop-out with a well weighted grubber kick.
With Leigh applying the pressure it was Dave McConnell who crashed through from a short dummy half run after ten minutes. Mick Nanyn converted and McConnell doubled up after 19 minutes when Whitehaven had just prevented Tony Stewart from crossing the line.
Three minutes later Nanyn was on target with a penalty and things got a whole lot better for Leigh after 26 minutes when the outstanding Martyn Ridyard cleverly disguised a pass for Nanyn to charge through a gaping hole that was opened in the defence.
Leigh continued to have the upper hand although Steve Maden tackled well to prevent a try from Spencer Miller. The game appeared to enter a short holding phase with neither side making headway until a couple of offloads by Leigh kick-started momentum. One such offload came from Ian Watson as he smuggled the ball out of a tackle and popped it over the top for a rampaging Lee Wingfield to take at full tilt and there was no chance of anyone stopping the former Leigh East product as he went over near the corner flag.
Once again Nanyn missed the difficult conversion and when he missed what appeared to be a straightforward penalty in front of the posts, albeit from 35 metres, Leigh fans must have wondered if he’d lost his kicking boots in London. They needn’t have worried.
Five minutes into the new half came a piece of magic from Ridyard as Watson fired the ball out and he stepped, skipped and swerved like a prize dancer before evading a fourth man on the line in a mazy 15 metre try scoring run.
At 28-4 the visitors chances looked remote and when Watson’s deft kick was taken on the full by Dave Alstead, the powerful winger shrugged off an attempted tackle and swerved another before adding a twenty metre finish. A drop goal from Watson, playing his final game before a third move to Swinton made it 35-4 and there was no way back for Whitehaven despite a couple of spells of pressure that had earlier been repelled by solid defence.
Eventually, Haven did find their way to the line when Ballard went in at the corner for his second. Rudd converted superbly from the touchline but Leigh extended their lead after 66 minutes to take the score past forty when Alstead latched onto Rudd’s looping ball and linked with Nanyn for the centre to storm the remaining thirty metres and tag on his sixth goal.
In the final ten minutes Whitehaven grabbed further consolation when a well worked passing move resulted in Kiwi veteran Leroy Joe sending one time Leigh centre Rob Jackson over on the left, but as news filtered through about Batley’s exploits and visiting fans began their taunts, Leigh silenced them through Alstead who again took a liking to Rudd’s wide pass and outpaced Ballard in an 80 metre run to the line for Nanyn to complete his 22 point haul.
LEIGH: Stuart Donlan, Dave Alstead, Tony Stewart, Mick Nanyn, Steve Maden; Martyn Ridyard, Ian Watson; Chris Hill, Dave McConnell, Danny Meekin, Jimmy Taylor, David Armitstead, Aaron Smith. SUBS: Adam Higson, Macgraff Leuluai, Jamie Durbin, Lee Wingfield.
Tries: McConnell (10, 19), Nanyn (26, 66), Wingfield (36), Ridyard (45), Alstead (57, 77).
Goals: Nanyn 7/10
Field goal: Watson (59)
WHITEHAVEN: Craig Benson, Paul Ballard, Rob Jackson, Scott McAvoy, Craig Calvert; Carl Rudd, Gregg McNally; Karl Edmondson, Graeme Mattinson, Leroy Joe, Spencer Miller, Andy Gorski, Jamie Theorharous. SUBS: Chris Smith, Marc Jackson, Kyle Amor, Dexter Miller.
Tries: Ballard (2, 62), Rob Jackson (71).
Goals: Rudd 1/3
Referee: Ronnie Laughton
Penalties: 5-5
Attendance: 2,721.
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