NATIONAL League One favourites Salford gave fellow contenders Leigh Centurions a lesson on how to play wet weather rugby on the league season's opening night.
Storm-lashed Hilton Park was no place for the faint-hearted as two of the division's heavyweights slugged it out in appalling conditions.
Leigh will be kicking themselves that they didn't make the most of the conditions in the first half when they were the dominant side.
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For all their possession and field position Leigh only had an Ian Watson penalty goal to show for their efforts at half time.
Salford showed them how it's done with four second half tries to underline why they are favourites to finish top of the table.
Leigh may have dominated territorially in the first half but apart from a couple of half chances they rarely looked like breaking down the Salford defence.
Watson kicked Leigh into a 12th minute lead with a penalty but Andy Ballard quickly equalised to leave the teams locked at 2-2 at the break.
Just three minutes into the second half and Salford took a lead they were never to lose when Richard Myler's low kick wasn't dealt with by the Leigh defence and Paul White pounced to score a try converted by Ballard.
Ten minutes later another Myler kick created a try from ex-Leigh star John Wilshere. Again Ballard converted.
Leigh gave themselves a glimmer of a chance when Lee Marsh dummied over for a try goaled by Watson to cut the deficit to 14-8.
But that was as close as Leigh got with Salford wrapping up their victory with two further tries from Ballard and another former Leigh favourite, prop Craig Stapleton.
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