LEIGH'S troubles since achieving promotion to North One West took a turn for the worse on Saturday as fellow strugglers Broughton Park inflicted their eighth straight defeat.

The visitors to Hand Lane took the game to Leigh from the opening minute and after a tight opening half swept them aside after the break to run out 41-8 winners.

Early pressure paid off for Broughton Park in the 15th minute when they squeezed in at the corner for the opening try.

But Leigh levelled within five minutes when a scintillating break by full-back Jimmy Wilkinson opened up space for him to offload to Ollie Shepherd who touched down.

Neither side converted their tries, but the home side went into half time with an 8-5 lead after Elliot Ryan slotted a penalty between the posts from 28 metres out.

The first score after the interval proved crucial as Broughton Park's right winger finished off a well-worked move for a converted try.

Leigh lost a player to the sin-bin on 57 minutes and visitors immediately seized on the extra man advantage to get their right winger over for his second try of the game.

This was swiftly followed two minutes later when he completed his hat-trick.

Things went from bad to worse for the Leigh side when Broughton Park were awarded a penalty try on 70 minutes for an infringement in a maul, resulting in a further yellow card, which was converted.

Broughton Park's star man went on to run in a further two tries, one of which was converted.