LEIGH secured a 26-20 bonus-point success at Hoylake despite an extremely high penalty count against them.

Hoylake came out with all guns blazing and are now being talked about as one of the most disciplined teams in world rugby, with the referee only awarding one penalty against them.

Leigh weathered the storm thrown at them though in a much closer affair than Leigh’s home 40-15 victory last September.

Hoylake were first to trouble the scorers when they put together a good few phases early in the game to go over for a well constructed, unconverted try wide out on the left.

Leigh rallied and came back in the 25th minute when Alex Leadbetter latched on to a dropped ball and dribbled it through from 45 metres out to score an opportunistic try which was brilliantly converted from wide out by Rob Drake.

Good hands by Leigh, just before the break, got Johnny Drake over for a well set-up try, which was again superbly improved from range by his brother.

Hoylake, trailing 14-5 at the break, came out for the second half full of hard running and they were soon rewarded with a penalty which was landed to reduce the deficit to six points.

Leigh were quick to counter and several good phases of play constructed a platform for scrum-half Leadbetter to dummy and squeeze his way under two desperate defenders for his second great finish of the day, which was again turned into seven points by Rob Drake.

Hoylake again narrowed the deficit to six points when a pick and drive got them a converted try but Leigh again responded through a well executed try of their own courtesy of Johnny Drake.

The final 10 minutes was a torrid affair, with Hoylake pressing hard and Leigh defending manfully.

The hosts could only manage a well-taken consolation try.

Leigh entertain fifth-placed Glossop in South Lancs/Cheshire One at home on Saturday, 2.15pm.