Leigh Centurions 20, Salford City Reds 20 by Mike Hulme

IF Salford were under any misapprehension that life outside Super League was a doddle, they were given a stark warning to the contrary by the National League One's 'old hands'.

Leigh know what this division is all about. Salford are the rookies - and for two-thirds of Sunday's game it showed. Few would deny Salford were lucky to escape with a point.

The City Reds may be the overwhelming favourites for promotion when the main business of National League One begins at Easter, but they need to improve some to justify that rating.

They are certainly no Huddersfield, the team that totally dominated last season's competition and beat Leigh in the Grand Final. All the indications are that this year's scrap for a Super League place won't be a one-horse race.

Reds' coach Karl Harrison blamed that fact that he had six or seven new players in his side for their lack of cohesion but added: "I thought Leigh played really, really well today but we were poor with the ball.

"In the end we deserved a draw because we kept plugging away and scored four tries to three."

W

hile Harrison was mightily relieved to sneak away with a draw, opposite number Paul Terzis felt his side had done enough to win the game.

"For two-thirds of the game we were the best team," he said. "And only to come out of it with a point is disappointing. It showed the character of the side that they bounced back from a poor show at Featherstone.

"This game is all about the future and putting down a marker for Salford. I think they now know it's not going to be an easy ride for them."

There's no arguing with the fact that round one went to the Centurions who outplayed the City Reds in many of the key areas.

Second rower Sean Richardson was head and shoulders the best forward on the field. Creative and running strongly, Richardson backed up the attacking side of his game with a awesome defensive effort. Paul Rowley outshone Malcolm Alker; Adam Bristow was back to something like his best while halves Pat Weisner and John Duffy eclipsed Radney Bowker and Gavin Clinch.

In fact Leigh were so superior in many departments that it's hard to figure just why they didn't win it. They didn't because of a couple of enforced errors late on which spoiled much of the good work that had gone on before.

Leigh started almost as badly as they finished, knocking on twice and conceding a penalty in the first 90 seconds. Not surprisingly Leigh fell behind when, from a quick tap, Neil Baynes used his bulk to clatter his way over for an unconverted try and 4-0 lead.

After that, the first half belonged to Leigh. They were level four minutes later when their first attack was rewarded with a Richardson try from close in. They should have gone in front when Damian Munro missed a sitter when he fumbled after being put clear by Bristow.

But it hardly seemed to matter when Leigh forced a Salford drop out, kept up the pressure and saw Bristow adroitly stepped past three defenders for a try converted by John Duffy. When Chris Charles was sin-binned 10 minutes from the break and Duffy kicked the ensuing penalty for a 12-4 lead, Leigh looked well set.

L

eigh strengthened their grip on the game in the early minutes of the second half. Rowley's speed out of dummy half got Salford on the back foot and when he got a sight of a tryline, Duffy had the footwork to beat a couple of men a stretch over for a try he converted himself and an 18-4 advantage.

That should have been enough but Salford went a long way to rescuing the game with a burst of two tries in as many minutes. After surviving 13 successive tackles on their own line, Leigh's defences were broken on the left and Stuart Littler went in. From the re-start Alker's defence-splitting run out of his own half was carried on by Littler and finished by Alan Hunte in the corner.

When Hunte was penalised for not playing the ball correctly in front of his own posts, Duffy's third goal again gave Leigh some breathing space at 20-12.

It all went wrong for Leigh in the closing nine minutes. Sub Michael Watts knocked on from the kick off and from a scrum-base move Littler scrambled across for his second. Lee Marsh's touchline conversion cut Leigh's lead to two.

That lead disappeared completely when Phil Kendrick was pulled up for interference in a tackle on the tryline and Marsh kicked the equalising penalty.

match facts

SCORERS

Leigh - Tries: Richardson (6 mins), Bristow (22), Duffy (48). Gls: Duffy 4/6.

Salford - Tries: Baynes (2 mins), Littler (51, 71), Hunte (53). Gls: Clinch 0/2, Marsh 2/3.

TEAMS

LEIGH: Alstead; Rivett, Munro, Cardoza, Hadcroft; Weisner, Duffy; Nickle, Rowley, Ball, Richardson, Henare, Bristow. Subs used: Bradbury, Watts, Hamilton, Kendrick.

SALFORD: Flowers; Hunte, Littler, Beverley, Platt; Bowker, Clinch; Baynes, Alker, Coley, Baldwin, Lowe, Charles. Subs used: Marsh Highton D, Gorski, Highton P.

Sin-binned: Charles 30mins (Salford), holding down; Kendrick 78mins (Leigh), holding down.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 12, Salford 11.

Handling errors: Leigh 8, Salford 12.

Half time: 12-4

Attendance: 4445

Referee: Ronnie Laughton (Barnsley)

man

rIT'S that man again. Another towering performance from Sean Richardson, stamping his authority on the game from the first whistle. Not far behind were Rowley, Bristow and Ball.

magic

rJOHN Duffy's try early in the second half sent Leigh into a 18-4 lead and Salford looked dead and buried.

moan

rTHE two late errors that cost Leigh a point and saw Salford sneak away with a draw they barely deserved.