LEIGH are this morning sitting pretty at the top of the Northern Ford Premiership.

Pause a moment and reflect on that statement.

The team which 12 months ago shipped more than 1,000 points and finished bottom are now just two wins away from a staggering achievement.

Victories against Keighley and Swinton will leave them top of the pile, just one win away from a place in the Grand Final.

The turnaround even caught coach Ian Millward by surprise. "If we win the league it will be way above all our expectations," he said. "I expected improvement on last year. This is pure fantasy.

"With a couple of exceptions, this is the same bunch of lads who were abused and ridiculed by the supporters last season. I wasn't here than, so this is their moment of glory.

"The most important thing now is our destiny is in our own hands. If we beat Keighley next weekend and then Swinton the week after we finish top - and that puts us just one game away from a Grand Final place. Scary isn't it!"

And it would be difficult not to see Leigh going all the way. They have the bit between their teeth and have the scent of victory.

But, whatever twists and turns the season may yet hold, they won't have a more difficult time than they had against the Lancashire Lynx on Sunday.

Steve Hampson's boys made a mockery of their lowly league position; they gave Leigh one of their toughest home games of the entire campaign before going down 32-20.

Lynx led 6-0 and levelled at 14-14 midway through the second half before three quick tries saw Leigh ease home.

While Leigh weren't quite at their best, Millward was quick to praise the Lynx effort.

"They've given Featherstone and Widnes tough games in recent weeks and I expected them make it tough for us," he said. "They were well organised, worked hard and had bags of enthusiasm. I can't believe they're only second bottom."

It all may have ended well for Leigh but there were alarm bells ringing all round Hilton Park as they laboured for 34 minutes before scoring their first points.

Stuart Donlan made the initial burst and the supporting Anthony Murray scurried over to give Paul Wingfield the first of six kicks.

Within minutes new signing Graeme Close sprinted away from the base of a scrum, Murray and Donlan joined in and Ken Kerr flew over.

Lynx hit back before Heath Cruickshank topped another big game by smashing his way through for a touchdown as Leigh stretched their lead to 22-14.

When Kieron Purtill scored on the back of another fine Leigh handling move, Leigh looked home and dry. Lynx, perhaps sniffing a possible shock draw, again threatened, but Leigh pulled themselves together and a smart break from sub Mick Higham set up the position for Purtill's second try.

LEIGH: Donlan; Wingfield, Kendrick, Kerr, Ingram; Purtill, Close; Street, Murray, Whittle, Cruickshank, Kennedy, Fairclough. Subs: Halliwell, Norman, Pucill, Higham. Attendance: 1,846.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.