Leigh Centurions 14 Oldham 22

THE jury remains out after the Centurions' solitary pre-season trial.

Justifiably Leigh say that the scoreboard is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The serious stuff only starts in just over a week and by then coach Paul Terzis will have a far clearer picture than was painted on Sunday.

Experimentation was the name of the Centurions' game with Terzis using his all of a 25-man squad in a procession of substitutions.

Leigh gave the chance to blood seven of their close recruits while Neil Turley, Simon Svabic, Liam Bretherton and Gareth Price didn't figure at all. All the newcomers were steady rather than spectacular but a couple did catch the eye. Chris Irwin, who started at full-back and finished on the wing, acquitted himself well; Danny Turner was forceful in the second row early on and a couple of Jon Roper bursts after half time indicated that Leigh have signed a centre of some quality.

But the overall picture remains muddied but as an experimental hit-up it served its purpose. Leigh would have got more benefit from the game than, say, a 60-0 thrashing of someone like Chorley.

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erzis admitted as much when he commented: "It was a worthwhile exercise and while we're proud of our home record, today's game counts for nothing really.

"I was satisfied with some aspects our game, and not so happy with others. I showed to the players that's there's still a lot of hard work to do."

But for agreeing to assist former Hilton Park scrum-half and current Oldham coach Mike Ford in his testimonial year, Terzis wouldn't have risked his players in a pre-season trial at all.

"We'll probably play more than 40 games this season, so it would be stupid to overload them at this stage," he points out.

But for one or two players, they put themselves right in the picture for selection on the NFP's opening day on December 2.

Wigan recruit Irwin was one, young Lee Sanderson - handed the stand-off role in Svabic's continued injury absence - and the club's longest serving player, Dave Ingram.

Sanderson showed great maturity in his time on the field while Ingram did everything that was asked both on the winger and later at full-back.

Leigh started the game brightly and within 19 minutes seemed set fair for victory. They had two tries on the board in that time and looked the more organised of the two sides.

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hris Morley, another to shine, opened the scoring after 15 minutes when the crafty Sanderson held back a pass just long enough to put Morley away on a 20 metres diagonal run towards the left corner. Not long afterwards Phil Kendrick produced the pass of the game when he curled one round two tacklers to give Ingram the chance to dart in for number two. Sanderson failed with both shots at goal, but at 8-0 Leigh were in command.

Leigh's ascendency began to disappear with the procession on interchanges and Oldham turned the screw in the closing 16 minutes of the half.

The beaten NFP Grand Finalists showed they could play a bit when they put together a sweeping move started by Dave Gibbons and finished on the opposite flank by Jon Goddard. Powerful winger Gavin Dodd, who gave opposite number Eric Andrews a hard time, muscled through a three-man tackle at the right hand flag to level the scores at 8-8 at the break.

Oldham's supremacy continued into the second half and it wasn't much of a shock to see them sneak into the lead in the 44th minute when a ball ran loose on Leigh's line and Mark Sibson claimed the touchdown that John Braddish converted.

Leigh quickly replied with a lucky try of their own. The impressive Willie Swann chipped over the top, the ball bouncing awkwardly for a clutch of Oldham defenders but straight into the arms of Mark McCulley who was left with a clear run to the posts for a try converted by Roper.

Leigh created enough opening to go on from there and win the game, but the final crucial pass tended to miss it's mark.

They were made to pay when, on 66 minutes, Leigh's defence was outflanked and Gavin Johnson went in at the corner from Braddish's long pass.

Four points adrift going into the final four minutes, Leigh left a hole in the right-hand defence that Lee Doran spotted. Galloping clear, the Oldham sub drew in the cover before sending Goddard in for the clincher.

Match Facts

Scorers: Leigh - Tries: Morley, Ingram, McCulley. Gl: Roper. Oldham - Tries: Goddard (2), Dodd, Johnson. Gl: Braddish.

Half time: 8-8

Full time: 14-22

Penalties awarded: Leigh 10, Oldham 13

Scrums won: Leigh 3, Oldham 6

Referee: Stuart Cummings

Attendance: 1423