Batley Bulldogs 12 Leigh Centurions 38 by Mike Hulme

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HE Centurions' reward for playing a perfect game of patience was a third straight National League One victory and a firm grip on top spot.

Leigh's character and bloody-minded will to win were the highlights of a game that they won more easily than they could have expected.

But they earned the right to a comprehensive victory with a solid defensive display before ruthlessly punishing the Bulldogs and the end of each half.

"I always preach that a game lasts 80 minutes and teams should compete for that length of time,' coach Paul Terzis pointed out. "A lot of our tries came at the end of each half and that proves my point. We were very patient, waiting for the chances to come and then execute them well."

Leigh's attitude - with and without the ball - was spot on, despite labouring under a whopping 12-4 penalty count. "The only way Batley got out of their half in the first period was through penalties," added Terzis. "They only made on line break in the entire match, that was how good our defence was."

Batley's gameplan was obvious. Coach Paul Story packed his team with heavyweight forwards - nine in all - in a clear strategy to steamroll the Centurions. It didn't work. Leigh's pack not only stood up to the challenge but won their own private battle hands down.

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ront rowers Paul Norman, Sonny Nickle and Dave Bradbury were magnificent and, fittingly, two of them were rewarded with tries. Hooker Paul Rowley excelled in the middle of the park while halves Pat Weisner and John Duffy created a string of openings with their crafty distribution.

Playing down the considerable Mount Pleasant slope in the first half, Leigh would have felt slightly disappointed only to have scored once in the opening 34 minutes.

That came early on when Dale Cardoza, restored to the team after suspension, picked his away across field to find skipper Adam Bristow who was strong enough to stand and unload in the tackle for Phil Kendrick to burst over.

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espite enjoying quality field position, Leigh just couldn't make it count until late in the half. In the 34th minute they produced a classic counter-attack by punching a hole in the heart of the Batley defence. Opening created, Duffy took charge and sent Bristow striding through one tackle on a 20 metre gallop to the line.

Duffy missed both straightforward kicks at goal before handing the duty on to Weisner who went on to land five from six.

Weisner had a try wiped out for a forward pass off Duffy before Leigh gave themselves a handy 12-0 interval lead with their third try. Paul Norman did the initial damage with a surge towards the posts before Leigh worked the ball right for Duffy to squeeze over at the corner. When Duffy was flattened after he'd scored, a few punches were thrown in the tryline melee that followed and referee Steve Nicholson put the whole matter on report.

A 12-0 up, Leigh would have been satisfied but ruing a couple of missed opportunities to put the game to bed - especially Michael Watts' gaff when he knocked on as he pounced on Wesiner's grubber kick over the line.

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atley's traditional second half onslaught down the slope at the start of the second half was helped by a careless Watts as he allowed Dave Gibbons' long touchfinder to roll over the line and present the 'Dogs with a 40/20. They didn't waste it. At the end of the six tackles Mark Cass's toe-poke through the defensive line struck a Leigh leg and Bulldogs winger Leon Williamson was onto it and over in a flash. Barry Eaton's touchline goal halved the lead to 12-6.

Leigh needed to take the sting out of Batley's revival and they did just that after 'no try' was ruled after Nickle was held up over the line. The relief came either side of the hour mark. The first was a Weisner penalty and the second a 60 metre move started by Cardoza and finished on all-fours in the corner by a stumbling Dave Alstead. Weisner's touchline conversion took Leigh well clear at 20-6.

Batley again got back within touching distance when full-back Craig Lingard burst under the posts and Eaton added the conversion.

But Leigh's patent approach was about to pay off. Willie Swann, who had an impact each time he came off the bench, was the central figure in setting up Nickle in the 71st minute. Swann bounced through three tackles before sending the supporting Nickle charging clear for a six-pointer.

That try broke Batley's resistance for good and twice in the last six minutes they were shredded by quality Leigh attacks. Duffy and another sub, Dale Holdstock, combined perfectly to send Rowley haring to the posts and in the closing minute Lee Sanderson's second touch saw him shoot between two defenders and find Norman on his shoulder for another try right under the black dot.

SCORERS

Leigh: Tries - Kendrick (9), Bristow (34), Duffy (39), Alstead (62), Nickle (71), Rowley (74), Norman (79). Gls: Duffy 0/2; Weisner 5/6.

Batley: Tries - Williamson (42), Lingard (65). Gls: Eaton 2/2.

Leigh: Alstead; Watts, Cardoza, Kendrick, Munro; Weisner, Duffy; Nickle, Rowley, Norman, Richardson, Henare, Bristow. Subs used: Swann, Holdstock, Sanderson, Bradbury.

Batley: Lingard; Bramald, Lewis, Maun, Williamson; Gibbons, Eaton; Spink, Cartledge, Hill, Harrison, Berry, Horsley. Subs used: Sibson, Cass, Booth, Nadiole.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 12, Batley 4

Handling errors: Leigh 9, Batley 11.

Attendance: 1034.

Referee: Steve Nicholson (Whitehaven).

Man

rA JOINT award this week. It was almost impossible to split Pat Weisner and John Duffy who between them created enough chances to win two matches. Honourable mentions for Norman, Rowley, Nickle, Bradbury and Bristow in a top class team effort.

Magic

rTHE burst of three tries at the end of the second half. The support play for them all was out of this world.

Moan

rSHOCKING support from Bulldogs' fans. One of last year's play-off semi-finalists deserve better than this.