LEIGH Centurions flexed their muscles for this Sunday's Challenge Cup tie against Salford - one in which they have a genuine chance - with a performance that again underlined their domination of the Northern Ford Premiership.

They took their tally of points in the week to an astonishing 118 without reply with this 48-0 thumping of Rochdale Hornets.

It followed Wednesday's 70-0 walloping of Workington -- and they've now gone 257 minutes without conceding a try.

Although Salford will provide a far sterner test, Leigh's perfect start to the campaign has given them limitless confidence; the Reds won't exactly be relishing their trip to Hilton Park.

A second try spree in the space of four days took Leigh to the top of the NFP ladder. They oozed all the confidence of a team that's won all nine Premiership and Challenge Cup matches this season, and, on a pudding of pitch, which, in theory, shouldn't have suited their expansive style, they polished off another side in double quick time.

A biting wind, heavy pitch and driving rain didn't deter them one iota. Rochdale must have known they were in for a rout when Leigh rattled up 28 points in the opening half hour.

Tim Street, Dave Whittle and Dave Bradbury were rock solid up the middle, half-backs Simon Svabic and Liam Bretherton were at their creative best, Simon Baldwin and Adam Bristow were damaging wide runners; Leigh were awesome all across the park.

Svabic is the NFP leading kicker with 40 and top points scorer with 102 in just eight games and Turley has 92, also in eight.

The first of their six first-half tries came inside six minutes and after Svabic had kicked his team into an early lead with a penalty. Rochdale didn't know what had hit them when Leigh switched play to the right and Street, lurking in the centres, put Paul Anderson over.

Leigh were quickly into their attacking stride and when Bristow and Anderson produced some lovely handling, Aussie winger Michael Watts scrambled in for a try that gave Svabic the first of his six goals from nine shots.

After Brendan O'Mera had been penalised for a petulant flurry of blows at the innocent Neil Turley, Leigh exacted immediate retribution as they swept upfield and John Hamilton's sweet reverse pass sent Dave Whittle crashing over for an 18-0 lead.

That quickly became 24-0 as Bretherton's kick eluded 'Dale full-back Casey Mayberry and the ever-alert Neil Turley pounced for his 18th try of the season. When Bristow and Anderson linked to get Turley away again, the supporting Bretherton slid in at the side the uprights.

The most audacious try of the lot came four minutes from the break when Svabic kicked on the first tackle after a scrum, found the Rochdale defence had gone AWOL and he raced through to touch down. His fifth goal made it 34-0 against opponents who had hardly been out of their own half.

Leigh's scoring rate slackened somewhat in the second half but there was still plenty to admire.

The third quarter brought two more tries - and the first from Alan Hadcroft was arguably the best of the lot. Svabic's midfield break brought Bristow, Baldwin and Phil Kendrick into play with Hadcroft gliding away to complete a dazzling move.

On the hour Baldwin got the try his efforts deserved after Hadcroft's long break out of his own half had set up the position. In between Rochdale managed to get into Leigh's '22' on a couple of occasions - a not insignificant feat considering what had gone on before.

Anderson added his second of the game, and Leigh's ninth in total, four minutes from time.