Elland 4 Leigh Centurions 64 by Mike Hulme

MISSION accomplished. The Centurions completed the job they'd been set by coach Darren Abram with plenty to spare.

Pennine League champions and Yorkshire Cup winners Elland may be top dogs in their own competition but they were given the runaround by a Leigh side that's still trying to find its best form.

Elland's simple game plan of using their big pack as a battering ram tested Leigh's midfield defence often enough. But they didn't have the guile or speed to get round the outsides and it was only when the Centurions left flank defence lost its radar did they score at all.

Leigh, on the other hand, looked far sharper than they had at Swinton the previous week. The execution was ten times better and consequently they rattled up a dozen tries.

But they were still too slapdash with possession at times and turned the ball over 21 times. Twelve of those came in the first 40 as they ran into the face of a biting wind and a low, setting sun.

It was those conditions, Abram said, that resulted in a disjointed first half. "All the players complained that the wind was so strong and cold it took their breath away. They also said that the setting sun played havoc on the right side of the field. We proved in the second half, once we had the benefit of the conditions, that we can play a bit.

"If anyone had offered me a 64-4 win before kick off I'd have snatched their hands off."

Elland coach Karl Fairbank, the ex-Bradford and Great Britain forward, while disappointed with the margin of defeat, was full of praise for his side's efforts.

"Let's face it," he said. "Leigh are all but a Super League side. You come to places like this hoping for a good performance, not expecting to win. My boys gave me that today, I can't complain about their efforts."

Abram had been forced to make changes in key positions when John Duffy badly cut his foot in a training ground accident and Damien Munro pulled up with a hamstring strain. Neil Turley was switched to half-back as cover for Duffy and in came Mark McCully and Dale Cardoza. Neither put a foot wrong and picked up three tries between them.

Turley's partnership with Tommy Martyn showed promise and the duo were heavily involved in Leigh's first two tries which put them 12-0 up inside nine minutes. Leigh had already regained possession from the kick off, thanks to the howling gale, when Martyn's eye for an opening put Chris Percival through for the first score.

Despite kicking into the wind, Turley's landed the first of eight conversions, with a bit of help from the woodwork. Turley's nifty footwork brought him a try on nine minutes, effortlessly stepping round one defender to scamper in for another six-pointer.

A combination of the elements and unsteady handling gave Elland some encouragement and for a while they bombarded the Leigh line with their heavyweight forwards. Leigh looked to have protected their line until they left a big hole on the right and Neil Walton dumped an overhead pass right into the arms of winger Oliver Fairbank who easily made it to the corner.

But there chances of closing the gap even further quickly disappeared as Martyn and Percival showed good understanding to present Cardoza with a walk-in at the corner and a 16-4 lead.

Second rower Oliver Wilkes, a contender for man of the match, punched a hole in the middle of the Elland defence with a trademark burst, Heath Cruckshank carried it on and ushered Martyn straight under the posts for a 22-4 half time advantage.

The traffic was even more one-way in the second half. The introduction of Paul Rowley and Andy Isherwood off the bench sharpened up Leigh's attacking plays and against an increasingly tiring Elland defence, they had a field day. A word to for Heath Cruckshank who made some big yardage against some big forwards.

Turley's instincts set up Leigh's first try of the second half when he drilled a kick towards the posts and McCully swooped to score by the uprights.

The trickle of tries quickly turned into a flood as Leigh stepped on the gas. A scrum-base move between Ian Knott and Martyn gave Dan Potter the opportunity to show some nifty footwork to round and couple of defenders and romp clear.

Minutes later clever touchline play by Rowley and Turley saw the stand-off make 30 metres before flicking a pass inside for Rowley to finish. Textbook centre play by Potter set up a touchdown for Isherwood and Rowley exploded through a gap to clock up the half century of points with more than 20 minutes left.

When Elland prop Andrew Shickell was sin-binned for lying on, Rowley's quick tap penalty and long pass got Isherwood in for his second.

Leigh struck twice more in the last 10 minutes. Martyn and Turley split the defence to get McCully striding in for his second of the afternoon and the man who'd started it all off, Percival, rounded things off four minutes from time.

Scorers: Leigh - Tries: Percival (2, 76), Turley (9), Cardoza (29), Martyn (35), McCully (43, 70), Potter (47), Rowley (50, 58), Isherwood (56, 60), Gls: Turley 8/12.

Elland - Try: O.Fairbank (21).

Centurions: McCully; Maden, Potter, Percival, Cardoza; Turley, Martyn; Marshall, McConnell, Bradbury, Larder, Wilkes, Knott. Subs (all used): Rowley, Isherwood, Knox, Cruckshank.

Elland: Moore; O.Fairbank, Foulds, Bishop, Bradford; Walton, Taylor; M.Shickell, Bowker, A.Shickell, J.Simpson, I.Simpson, Shackleton. Subs (all used): J.Fairbank, Bailey, Wood, Becklehorst.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 6, Elland 12.

Handling errors: Leigh 21, Elland 10.

Sin-bin: A.Shickell (Elland) - lying on 60 mins.

Half time: 22-4.

Full time: 64-4

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).

Attendance: 1365.

Man

rA SOLID team effort with one or two notable exceptions. Cruckshank and Wilkes stood out in the pack, Martyn and Turley stuck up a good combination at half-back but it was Rowley's little 30 minute cameo which showed just what the team's been missing while he's been out injured.

Moan

rTHE bitterly cold and strong wind made watching a bit of an endurance. It certainly didn't help Leigh who saw many of their first half attacking plays blow off course.

Magic

rINSTINCTIVE play by Rowley and Turley tight on the right touchline that led to Rowley's first try. Pure magic and instinctive. That sort of play can't be taught on the training ground.