AFTER a few heavy showers overnight and during the morning, the pitch was declared fit and the First Team’s last match of the season, against fifth placed Vale of Lune, went ahead.

Early pressure, from the well-drilled Vale, produced a well-worked, converted try for them after ten minutes. However, Leigh were quick to respond through a well engineered try of their own, through their nippy winger, Ollie Shepherd who went over for an unconverted try.

A loose clearance kick by Leigh, just before half time, gifted Vale a chance to counter and they did this well and found space to score out wide on the left hand side for a try, that went unconverted.

An Elliott Ryan penalty on the stroke of half time took the teams off into the Sheds with the score at 8 – 12 to Vale of Lune.

Leigh took the lead, with the first real play of the second half, when they got Ross Shepherd over the line for a try, which was superbly converted by Elliott Ryan 15-12.

Vale levelled the score, two minutes later, when they slotted a penalty and they added a further three points on 75 minutes when they scored another one from twenty metres out. 15 - 18.

Leigh were in front again, within a minute, when a brilliant long, flat pass from Rob Drake found Ollie Shepherd, in space on the right wing, for him to step and scorch his way over for his second try of the game, which was again brilliantly converted, from wide out, by the trusty boot of Elliott Ryan – ‘The Points Machine’.

The best was yet to come and it did a minute later, when Vale attempted a quick drop out wide on their left.Fortunately for Leigh, the ever-alert Ollie Shepherd was wise to it, he half volleyed the ball back over the heads of the advancing Vale players and pounced on it to complete his hat trick. Elliott Ryan yet again added the extras.

Another excellent performance from the Leigh lads who really have had remarkable second half to their season.