LEIGH ARE A CLASS APART

Leigh Centurions...30 THE single-minded Centurions tried to put all thoughts of Challenge Cup glory on the back-burner and get down to the more important business of extending their lead at the top of the NFP to three points.

And when Warrington watch this video of Leigh's ninth successive Premiership victory, they will get plenty of food for thought.

The ominous thing from the Wolves' viewpoint is that Leigh can play far better than this - and it won't take them long to realise just what a potent weapon Leigh have in Simon Baldwin.

The second rower's destructive wide running and crunching defence won him the man of the match award in Leigh's Cup epic against Salford and at Featherstone it was his contribution that killed off a typically spirited Rovers challenge.

Baldwin swung what, up to that point had been a tight game, Leigh's way when he struck two decisive blows early in the second half. He scored one try and set up another as Leigh went from 12-10 up to 24-10 in a matter of minutes.

While Rovers were always going to struggle with five first teamers missing, the absences of Dave Whittle, Paul Anderson and Liam Bretherton only underlined just how strong Leigh's squad is. The Centurions again rammed home just how their blend of top flight experience and youthful talent sets them apart from the rest of the division.

Before Sunday's game Rovers were in third spot; Leigh now have a six point advantage over Peter Roe's side - and have a game in hand.

As well as Baldwin, the experience came from props Dave Bradbury, Andy Leathem and Tim Street. Sharing the workload, Bradbury repeatedly punched holes in the Rovers defence in the first half while after the break Street and Leathem did the same going up hill.

Rovers, while battling gamely, were outgunned in the forwards where Adam Bristow worked himself to a standstill and Chris Morley capped his best Leigh performance with a try.

Then there were the young guns Neil Turley and Simon Svabic.

Turley continued his remarkable scoring run by sweeping in for the first of Leigh's five tries. It was his 20th of the season, setting a new club record for a full-back and is now just four points short of reaching a century. Svabic has already passed the 100 points mark with his five goals from six shots making him the NFP's top points scorer with 112.

The two were in tandem for Leigh's first try in the 18th minute. But first Leigh had needed to fend off a spirited Rovers opening. In the best traditions of sporting rivalry, Rovers congratulated Leigh on their Cup exploits before kick off - then ripped into them like men possessed.

Leigh did well not to concede in the opening onslaught as Richard Chapman and Matt Bramald went perilously close to scoring before the Centurions launched an attack from half way that epitomised everything they are good at - vision, support and pace.

Bristow's long, flat pass on half way got Svabic outside his man and in a twinkling the stand-off had accelerated clear and found support on his inside from Andy Fairclough. Timing his pass perfectly, Fairclough sent Turley sprinting for the line. Svabic converted easily.

But Leigh's lead only lasted a couple of minutes as Morley was harshly adjudged to have knocked on at a play the ball and from the scrum Rovers whipped the ball across field for winger Matt Bramald to squeeze in at the corner.

Bramald almost had another from Chapman's clever kick over the line but when Chris Spurr picked off Svabic's intended long pass, the son of Rovers' 1983 Wembley-winning hooker, Bob, sped half the length of the field to put his side 10-6 up.

Leigh aren't used to being behind - and it showed as they upped the tempo and finished the half the stronger.

They edged 12-10 in front after another example of sweet inter-passing and support play. Kieron Purtill called a blind-side move inside Rovers '20' before Phil Kendrick and Dave Ingram telepathically exchanged passes for Kendrick to dive in out wide. Svabic turned four points into six with a magnificent touchline conversion.

Featherstone believed they should have had another score when Neil Lowe was held up over the line in the first minute of the second half but Leigh showed the sort of defensive organisation that's been their trademark all season, to hold out against the blue and white tide.

Leigh not only survived the pounding but produced a decisive two tries in three minute burst that went a long way to deciding the final outcome.

Street smuggled a reverse pass out of a tackle to send Baldwin striding clear inside the cover for a try goaled by Svabic. Minutes later Baldwin had smashed through the defence again before finding Fairclough on his inside, Leigh's joint captain riding Michael Rhodes' tackle to stretch over. Svabic miscued badly with his goal shot but quickly made amends when he knocked over a 55th minute penalty to make it 24-10.

Thirteen minutes from time Baldwin was again a central figure as Morley picked his way through a tiring defence to score his first try in Leigh colours. Svabic's fifth goal made it 30-10.

Perhaps minds began to wander towards Warrington, but whatever the reason they became defensively sloppy in the final nine minutes as Rovers came up with tries from Chapman and Stephen Jones. They were too late to affect the result but were a reminder that a game last 80 minutes not 70. LEIGH: Turley; Hadcroft, Kendrick, Fairclough, Ingram; Svabic, Purtill; Norman, Duffy, Bradbury, Baldwin, Morley, Bristow. Subs: Street (for Norman 25), Hamilton (for Duffy 21 BB-BBR 62), Swann (for Fairclough 54), Leathem (for Bradbury 35), Norman (for Street 66), Bradbury (for Baldwin 68), Hamilton (for Purtill 78).

ROVERS: Rhodes; Stokes, Spurr, Simpson, Bramald; Bastow, Gibson; Dickens, Chapman, Morgan, Helliwell, Lowe, Darley. Subs: Thaler (for Gibson 60), Evans (for Helliwell HT), Lord (for Morgan 36), Jones (for Simpson 68), Morgan (for Dickens 56).

SCORERS: Leigh - Tries: Turley, Kendrick, Baldwin, Fairclough, Morley. Gls: Svabic (5).

Rovers - Tries: Bramald, Spurr, Chapman, Jones. Gls: Dickens, Chapman.

PENALTIES AWARDED: Leigh 4, Rovers 9.

SCRUMS: Leigh 10, Rovers 7.

REFEREE: Ian Smith (Oldham).

ATTENDANCE: 2683.