LEIGH CENTURIONS 56
FEATHERSTONE ROVERS 12
A magnificent performance from the Centurions youngsters saw them completely outplay their opponents who went the whole of 2012 unbeaten and won their first two games of this season.
Leigh built a 24-12 half-time advantage following a competitive opening period but bossed the second forty minutes as they posted ten tries in total.
Scrum-half Josh Ward again led the scoring with a try and eight goals but this was a team performance of quality.
Leigh made an excellent start after two minutes when skipper Anthony Bate stole the ball from a Featherstone attacker one and one and the Centurions then fired the ball left for John O'Donnell to score. Ward goaled from an acute angle and although Bate was penalised for an incorrect play-the-ball, Leigh were on the front foot again moments later when the captain broke and only good defence denied Mitchell Cox. Then when the Centurions spread play left through Ward and Matthew Pendlebury, O'Donnell was tackled into touch two metres out.
The Centurions later coughed up possession when the otherwise solid Andrew Cunningham spilled a high kick and from the resulting possession James Kitchen forced his way over the line for Dave Scott to goal and level the game.
Leigh's response came quickly when Ward spotted a gap in the defence, raced through and found the supporting Bate on his shoulder for a try under the posts, but back came Featherstone and when Aaron Lloyd charged down an attempted clearance kick from Liam Mackay and quick thinking saw the Rovers halfback recover and fire the ball out to Lamont Bryan, who in turn found Kieran Johnson for the finish. Scott once again levelled and was then held on the line by solid defence that forced the visitors to turn over.
Leigh's third try came courtesy of Bate who spun in a tackle and offloaded for the supporting Brad Ashurst to go under the posts. Ward goaled and added a fourth kick before the break when expansive play involving Anthony Nicholson, Ward, Pendlebury, Cunningham and O'Donnell resulted in Australian trialist Cameron Pitman going over in the corner.
Rovers needed an early score in the second half but crucially the Centurions claimed it through Sam Peet after Nicholson, Pendlebury and Ward did the running.
Next Cox was the beneficiary as Ward cleared his lines with a kick, Nicholson contested with Scott, the ball rebounded, Ward then nudged the ball on and the centre took the bounce to finish out wide from thirty metres.
Nicholson started and finished the move for the next try, putting Matty Crow in space before taking his reverse pass to scoot over. Ward then brought up forty points with his sixth goal, but Leigh were far from finished.
Featherstone managed to slow the rate of scoring before the rampant Centurions claimed three tries in the last eleven minutes. First Ward and Lloyd opened the defence for Cunningham to break down the middle and the hooker appeared on his shoulder to take the return pass. Next Cunningham grabbed a deserved try of his own and when Crow was denied in the final minute, Ward was the most alert as he rolled over from dummy half and struck his final goal to confirm an impressive 56-12 win.
LEIGH: Andrew Cunningham, Joe Bullock, Mitchell Cox, John O'Donnell, Cameron Pitman, Matthew Pendlebury, Josh Ward; Alex Davidson, Aaron Lloyd, Anthony Bate, Chris Rowe, Adam Barber, Anthony Nicholson. Subs: Matty Crow, James Marsh, Sam Peet, Brad Ashcroft.
Tries: O'Donnell (2), Bate (17), Ashurst (34), Pitman (38), Peet (45), Cox (48), Nicholson (54), Lloyd (68), Cunningham (75), Ward (79)
Goals: Ward 8/10.
FEATHERSTONE: Dave Scott, Kieran Johnson, Jack Lee, Andy Tate, Nat Browne, Liam Mackay, Jack Pickerill; Nathan Harper, Luke Teasdale, Michael Haley, Lamont Bryan, Jack Ormonroyd, Jack Beddis. Subs: Kurtis Jackson, Joe Burns, James Kitchen, Richard Humphries.
Tries: Kitchen (14), Johnson (25).
Goals: Scott 2/2.
HT: 24-12
FT: 56-12
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