Leigh Centurions 60 Whitehaven 6

THERE may be teams in the same division but irresistible Leigh are in a different league when they get on a roll.

Sixty points, 11 tries and eight goals added up to an eighth Kingstone Press Championship victory of the campaign for Neil Jukes’ side.

All achieved without the services of Harrison Hansen, Fuifui Moimoi, Willie Tonga and Rangi Chase to name but four missing squad members.

‘Haven coach James Coyle can only dream of having such luxuries available to his opposite number.

And once the dam was finally breached after nearly 15 minutes, Leigh were once more unstoppable.

That’s 250 points in the last five league and cup games for the Leythers who have already passed 400 for the season.

They are easily the Championship’s highest scorers with loose forward Cory Paterson leading the landslide with a hat-trick to go with his four Cup touchdowns against Workington.

Equally pleasing for coach Jukes was to see his team concede only a single try to former Warrington forward Glenn Riley.

The great entertainers have not been as impressive defensively this year but this game was a step in the right direction.

And it will need to be against Toulouse in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup tie in France when both components will come into play.

The League One outfit’s three wins have brought 192 points with only six conceded.

So, as competitive preparation for a potentially testing trip to Toulouse, Leigh’s cakewalk against the Cumbrians wasn’t of great assistance.

But the latest 3,000 plus attendance, at least, were treated to some enterprising and entertaining play from a team now boasting a three-point lead over London Broncos at the top of the division.

Second bottom Whitehaven, who also conceded 60 in last season’s corresponding game, started positively, befitting a team with victory over Sheffield Eagles and a brace of single point defeats to Batley on this season’s record.

However, the stout resistance was never going to last too long. And in the space of 10 minutes ex Hull KR and Salford favourite Paterson plus Martyn Ridyard’s goal kicking took the game from 0-0 to 18-0.

By half-time Leigh plundered another 18 points thanks to touch downs from Tom Armstrong, Ben Reynolds and Jamie Acton from a Paterson assist.

The outcome was now a formality but Leigh had a chance to go through their play book repertoire in search of a much bigger winning margin.

Reni Maitua and Liam Kay’s double helped bring up Centurions’ half century before Whitehaven enjoyed their one moment of success through ex-Wath Brow Hornet amateur Riley after 61 minutes.

Leigh predictably finished on top with Dayne Weston and Liam Hood taking the home side’s try tally into double figures.

Ridyard, replacing Bradford’s Danny Addy as the Championship’s current highest points scorer, finished with eight goals from 11 attempts.

Leigh: Smith; Higson, Worthington, Armstrong, Kay; Ridyard, Reynolds; Spencer, Higham, Weston, Maitua, Hock, Paterson. Substitutes: Hood, Hopkins, Whiting, Acton.

Tries: Paterson (14, 20, 24), Armstrong (28), Acton (33), Reynolds (38), Maitua (45), Kay (50,52), Weston (67), Hood (74). Goals: Ridyard (8).

Whitehaven: Jouffret; Chamberlain, Taylor, Parker, Calvert; Aiye, Gore; Riley, Carberry, Chapelhow, Allen, McAvoy, Davies. Substitutes: Fox, Newton, Duffy, Brocklebank.

Try: Riley (61). Goal: Jouffret.

Referee: Chris Kendall.

Attendance: 3,089.