AS sporting drama goes, this was a match that will live long in the memory.

Sadly for Leigh boss Neil Jukes and his players, it will be for all the wrong reasons after a late collapse allowed Bradford to battle back for a point they scarcely deserved.

When you are 32-6 up with only 15 minutes remaining, you simply have to see out the game and secure the victory.

That Leigh were unable to do so left Jukes bitterly frustrated and pondering what might have been.

The Centurions head coach said: “It feels like a defeat and it must feel like a win for Bradford – Jimmy (Lowes) will be saying that to them.

“But if you had offered us a draw before the game with the injuries we had, we would have taken it.

“We couldn’t stop the flow of the game in the second half and Bradford had all the momentum.

“I sat there at 32-6 with a cigar in my hand, but it just goes to show that it’s never over until it’s over. Fair play to Bradford.”

The Bulls scored five tries in the final 15 minutes and Danny Addy converted the last of those from Omari Caro on the right-hand touchline to spark raucous home celebrations.

Yet the first hour was all about Leigh as they looked a class above their hosts for long periods.

Leigh were decimated by injury with Rangi Chase, Martyn Ridyard, Gregg McNally, Liam Kay, Bob Beswick, Willie Tonga Tom Armstrong and Andrew Dixon all missing.

The shock omission of Chase appeared a particularly heavy blow and the talk beforehand was how the Bulls would rack up a fourth straight win and stick another knife into Leigh’s promotion challenge.

Well, Leigh looked every bit promotion contenders with Cory Paterson coming in for competitive debut alongside Ryan Brierley in the halves.

The Centurions were soon 12-0 up after two well-worked tries.

After former Leigh star Kurt Haggerty knocked on 20 metres out, Leigh swiftly moving the ball through Brierley and Paterson before Jonathan Pownall finished clinically in the left corner.

Lee Smith added the conversion and a second try soon arrived when Jamie Acton found Brierley with a neat pass and the half-back sprinted clear from halfway.

Smith soon added a penalty following a high shot on Acton before Bradford got off the mark when Micky Higham’s pass was intercepted on halfway by Kris Welham and he raced clear to score.

It was probably Leigh’s first error the match and Addy improved the score to make it 14-6 before Adam Higson was sinbinned on the stroke of half-time for holding down Dale Ferguson.

Yet the 12 men of Leigh scored twice in quick succession after the restart as Smith went over for his 100th career try and then Reni Maitua bulldozed his way through.

In the 55th minute, Brierley scored another long-range effort after a mix-up between Lee Gaskell and James Clare, with Smith improving the score to make it 32-6 up.

However, Clare collected a long pass from Haggerty to score in the left corner before the winger scored again three minutes later in clinical fashion.

Adrian Purtell touched down after more excellent work from Haggerty before Addy went over and then Caro touched down Gaskell’s kick which Addy converted to level things up.

Teams; Bradford: Mathers; Clare, Purtell, Welham, Caro; Gaskell, Addy; Sidlow, O’Brien, Lovegrove, Olbison, Haggerty, Pitts; subs: Ferguson, Blythe, Clark, Walker.

Tries: Welham (28), Clare (65,67), Purtell (72), Addy (75), Caro (79).

Goals: Addy 4/6.

Leigh: Smith; Pownall, Worthington, Whiting, Higson; Paterson, Brierley; Moimoi, Higham, Weston, Hansen, Hock, Acton; subs: Foster, Hopkins, Maitua, Emmitt.

Tries: Pownall (4), Brierley (8, 56), Smith (44), Maitua (46).

Goals: Smith 6/6.

Attendance: 6563.

Referee: Richard Silverwood.