THREE is the magic number for Leigh Centurions after a crushing 10-try win clinched a third successive Kingstone Press Championship League Leaders’ Shield.

For coach Neil Jukes, the achievement was particularly satisfying after being Paul Rowley’s understudy for the previous two.

Now Jukes wants his table toppers to finish the regular campaign with two final victories, starting with Sheffield Eagles on Friday, to hit the ground running in the Middle 8’s.

Leigh’s latest win came against a side unbeaten in its last seven matches and with its own designs on the locking horns with Super League opposition for a second successive year.

Instead, the game was over as a contest by half-time and the Shield was staying at Leigh Sports Village.

“I was really pleased with the performances individually and when you get that right you click as a team,” said happy Jukes.

“We were a lot more clinical without opportunities than we were the previous week and put them all to bed.

“From a personal point of view I am really delighted to lead this club this year and to get the League Leaders’ Shield again.

“It’s been in our cabinet for two years and we wanted to keep hold of that. There have been a lot of ups and downs this season.

“And if we hadn’t been as tight as we were as a group it could have gone differently.”

Leigh’s triumph took their own unbeaten run to 20 league matches with eight scorers on the try sheet. Martyn Ridyard, starting alongside Josh Drinkwater, booted nine goals.

“We will go to Sheffield on Friday and put in a good performance,” added Jukes. “I don’t want to be a team that goes into the Middle 8’s a bit up and down.”

The early signs suggested a far closer game than what later followed. Cory Paterson’s first of two tries and the first of Ridyard’s conversions quickly put the Centurions 6-0 in front.

However, ‘Fax levelled after 16 minutes as full-back Ben Johnston touched down and Ste Tyrer, a rumoured target for Salford, converted to tie the scores at 6-all.

But before Johnston crossed again 10 minutes into the second half, Leigh had taken total control.

Lee Smith, switched from full-back to centre and bringing up a seasonal century of points, Adam Higson, Greg Worthington and Drinkwater-to continue his almost try a game ratio since joining the club- crossed in the space of 12 minutes to blow the game wide open.

Worthington’s latest try was his seventh in six games such has been Leigh’s recent strike power.

Andrew Dixon got in on the act too before half-time as Leigh led 34-6. That advantage became 40-6 when Paterson took Ridyard’s ball to score before Richard Marshall’s men briefly stopped the onslaught through Johnston and Will Sharp.

Leigh though weren’t finished and tries in the final quarter by Dixon, Fuifui Moimoi and Liam Kay completed the rout.

Match stats Leigh: Reynolds; Higson, Worthington, Smith, Kay; Ridyard, Drinkwater; Hopkins, Hood, Spencer, Dixon, Paterson, Hansen; subs: Moimoi, Higham, Weston, Hock.

Tries: Paterson (4 and 46), Smith (18), Higson (20), Worthington (25), Drinkwater (30), Dixon (36 and 62), Moimoi (71), Kay (73).

Goals: Ridyard (9) Halifax: Johnston, Saltonstall, Heaton, Tyrer, Sharp; Moore, Murrell; Cahalane, Robinson, Tangata, Grix, Sarsfield, Fairbank; subs: Bennion, Ambler, Barber, Moore.

Tries: Johnston (16, 50), Sharp (52).

Goals: Tyrer 3/3 Referee: Robert Hicks Half-time: 34-6.

Attendance: 4,052.