Dewsbury Rams 12 Leigh Centurions 31 by Mike Hulme

TOP against bottom didn't bring the sort of lop-sided result that's blighted recent seasons. But it still went with the formbook.

The 10-team National League One is providing stiff competition week in, week out. The days of forgone conclusions and one-way scorelines are long gone - and the game will all the better for it.

Leigh found that although Dewsbury had conceded 190 points in their previous three matches and were rooted at the foot of the table, they can still pose problems on their own tight pitch.

Rams' coach Andy Fisher, clearly fearful of what Leigh are capable of on a wide playing surface, narrowed the pitch by a metre on each side. His 'strait-jacket' plan clearly had some effect, as Leigh didn't make the best use of their plentiful possession.

They made enough openings to have doubled their five tries tally but, perhaps with one eye on next week's eagerly-awaited clash with second placed Salford, took their foot off the gas after cruising into a 31-6 lead with 20 minutes left.

"We didn't execute as we'd have liked," admitted coach Paul Terzis. "But we had been badly disrupted by injuries and they ruined what we planned to do during the game."

T

erzis was forced into a hasty re-think when Neil Turley pulled out on the morning of the match when a back muscle spasm laid him low. Seventy-five per cent fit Leroy Rivett was drafted in to spend his afternoon as a non-playing sub.

With Sonny Nickle another non-starter and then Paul Rowley coming off with a suspected broken hand before half time, it's little wonder Leigh looked at sixes and sevens at times.

Leigh didn't make the best of starts. They ran into trouble with referee Steve Nicholson who handed out a 6-0 penalty count in the opening quarter - four of them for head shots.

But Leigh addressed the problem and systematically built up a 15-0 half time lead running up the slope.

"The referee was a bit inconsistent. He had us back eight metres, 10 metres and at times 12. Once we'd come to terms with all that, I thought we did reasonably well," Terzis said.

Leigh had to play themselves out of trouble early on and it was Pat Weisner who generally released the pressure with a high-quality kicking game. He produced one monstrous 40-20 and backed it up several other penetrative deep kicks.

O

nce they had a foothold in the game, Leigh never really looked back. The deadlock was broken in the 16th minute when Sean Richardson, against his old club, drew in four defenders to allow Weisner the chance to drill in a bouncing kick behind the Rams' defence. Damian Munro was the first to react, beating Michael Wainwright to the ball and swopping for the first try. Weisner added the extras from wide out.

When Dave Bradbury had the ball stripped illegally, Weisner put over the resultant penalty for an 8-0 lead.

Weisner's influence on the game was to become even more significant. His smart inside ball almost brought another try until Jimmy Elston saved the Rams bacon behind his own line.

Weisner's half-back partner, Willie Swann, was...Willie Swann - combative in defence, creative in attack and covering every inch of the pitch. It was from his long pass that Leigh scored their second try; Munro picking up his 20th of the season after handling sweetly on the half volley. Weisner's goal made it 14-0.

Just before the hooter Weisner had the Leigh contingent of fans wondering if they'd ever seen a longer field goal when he launched a one-pointer over the bar from five metres inside his own half.

E

lston and Frank Watene gave the Rams some impetus off the bench but Leigh's defence remained water-tight until just before the hour mark.

By that time Leigh had moved into a 25-0 lead with a couple more tries. Seven minutes after the break John Duffy's reverse pass saw Swann skittle three Dewsbury defenders on the line for a try under the posts and not long afterwards Weisner's long, floated pass to the corner gave Alan Hadcroft a walk-in.

When Weisner dinked a kick through the defensive line again, Leigh posed more danger but is was collected by Rams full-back Nathan Batty who surprised everyone by haring 80 metres up the touchline for a sensational solo effort. Danny Wood added the touchline conversion.

Dewsbury almost had another soon afterwards as Craig Miles tried to dribble a loose ball half the length of the pitch before Richardson's break and Munro's support created a try under the sticks for Duffy to give Weisner his fifth goal from six shots.

With Bryan Henare in the sin-bin for obstruction, Leigh's defence momentarily switched off just before the end. After defending successive sets on their own line, Watene ploughed over for a six-pointer from a tap penalty.

SCORERS

Leigh: Tries - Munro (16, 37), Swann (47), Hadcroft (51), Duffy (63). Gls: Weisner 5/6. FG Weisner.

Dewsbury: Tries - Batty (58), Watene (74). Gls: Wood 2/2.

DEWSBURY: Batty; Wainwright, Hardy, Crouthers, Miles; Wood, Nipperess; Smith, Thaler, Hicks, Thewliss, Kershaw, Law. Subs used: Elston, Kirke, Spedding, Watene.

LEIGH: Alstead; Munro, Hadcroft, Kendrick, Watts; Weisner, Swann; Norman, Rowley, Bradbury, Richardson, Henare, Bristow. Subs used: Ball, Duffy, Holdstock. Not used: Rivett.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 7, Dewsbury 4.

Handling errors: Dewsbury 7, Leigh 10.

Half time: 15-0

Sin-bin: Henare (67 mins, obstruction).

Referee: Steve Nicholson (Whitehaven)

Attendance: 971.

Man

rWEISNER'S influence on the game can't be over-stated. He set up two of the five tries, kicked five from six and a field goal from inside his own half - not a bad afternoon's work. Honourable mention also for workaholic Swann.

Magic

rIT might have only been worth one point but Weisner's monster field goal will make sure this game is long remembered.

Moan

rROWLEY coming off with a suspected broken hand. Sod's Law after Leigh had just released their other hooker, John Hamilton, to Rochdale.