LEIGH East remain on course for promotion from NCL Division Two following a 40-8 victory at relegation candidates Castleford Panthers.

Josh Adudwumma scored a hat-trick as Leigh ran in seven tries to hold on to second place in the table.

The top two will move up a division, and East have a two-point cushion over third-placed Featherstone Lions, who they take on away from home in their next match, while they are just two points behind leaders Millom, although the table-toppers have a game in hand.

Leigh's victory at the weekend was never in doubt as they restricted a spirited Panthers side to a score in each half and kept the scoreboard ticking over at the other end.

Curtis Littlewood ran in two tries before the break and Adam Holland opened the scoring with a try of his own before kicking six out of seven conversions.

After powering in his opener just before half time, Adudwumma grabbed two more after the break, while Pat Grainey also touched down on his debut.

Elsewhere, there were wins for East's Under-18s, U14s, U12s, U9s and U7s, while the U15s' 56-10 victory at home to Hindley was tinged with sadness as head coach Ryan King announced he would be stepping down after the game following four years of success with the team.

Lewis Clarke, Oscar Hansen, David Griffiths and Ryan Horne all scored two tries, while Callum Lewis, Will Ludlow and Sean Sefton bagged a try apiece.