LEIGH Centurions returned to the bread and butter of the Kingstone Press Championship following Challenge Cup heroics and scored 10 tries to extend their club record winning run to 22 games.

THE Bulldogs very quickly realised they had bitten off more than they could chew as Ryan Brierley romped to a first half hat-trick.

Adam Higson and Jonathan Pownall both bagged two tries and Liam Kay, Tom Armstrong and Andrew Dixon scored one each, while Martyn Ridyard kicked eight conversions.

Brierley started the scoring after three minutes when he burned off two players in a 35-metre surge following a scrum, as Leigh fed the ball left through Sam Barlow and Ridyard.

On the next set, Kurt Haggerty got Higson running down the right for Brierley to bag his second from an adjacent pass and then Sam Hopkins went down the left before Dixon and Armstrong combined to put Kay clear for his18th try of the season. Ridyard kicked all three.

Batley finally responded in the 17th minute when Cain Southernwood kicked left and Shaun Squires palmed on for Shaun Ainscough to score at the corner.

This only succeeded in poking Leigh back into action as Brierley and Ridyard combined to create a walk-in for Higson.

The Bulldogs were shellshocked and moments later Pownall put a well-judged pass left for Kay to race down the touchline and Armstrong supported to ground his eighth try of the season.

Youngster Lewis Foster came into the action and looked the part with smart distribution around the ruck.

Leigh were soon flooding forward in numbers again and Pownall stepped through the defence for his first try off Brierley’s pass.

Haggerty was next to show his class as he stepped up to send Brierley clear for his hat-trick, but Leigh's rhythm was disrupted when Sam Barlow was sinbinned for fighting and the Centurions had to be content with a 38-4 half-time advantage.

Batley also lost Southernwood to injury at the end of the first half but this seemed to galvanise the visitors. They put in a spirited effort in the second half, inspired by strong runs from Joe Chandler, Tom Lillycrop and Tom Thackray.

Still, Leigh opened their second-half account through Higson on 49 minutes after collecting a Brierley kick.

Thackray saw a try disallowed for the Bulldogs before a switch play from Brierley caught the defence out and Dixon crossed just after the hour, with Ridyard kicking the afters to bring up the half century.

Ten minutes from time Pownall strolled through a yawning gap for his second but there was still time near the end for Fozzard to plunder over from dummy half for Batley while Jake Emmitt was yellow carded for dissent.

Leigh Centurions: Jonathan Pownall, Adam Higson, Greg Worthington, Tom Armstrong, Liam Kay; Martyn Ridyard, Ryan Brierley; Tom Spencer, Bob Beswick, Sam Hopkins, Andrew Dixon, Kurt Haggerty, Sam Barlow.

Replacements: Lewis Foster, Jamie Acton, Oliver Wilkes, Jake Emmitt.

Referee: Joe Cobb.

Attendance: 3,036.