Leigh Centurions 52

Chorley Lynx 18 LEIGH Centurions duly wrapped up the Northern Ford Premiership Minor Premiership with four games to spare and collected their first piece of silverware for 11 years.

But Leigh know that the end product was better than the whole. Head coach Paul Terzis chose to rest several of his front-line stars - and it showed as Leigh misfired quite badly against one of the division's whipping boys.

"We didn't play well," Terzis conceded. "I think the majority of us, and myself included, had one eye on the Trans-Pennine Final at Keighley on Wednesday.

"But at the end of the day we've brought some silverware back to Hilton Park and that's what will go down in the record books, not how well or otherwise we played.

Leigh were also disappointed that they fell five points short of passing the 1000 league points in a season total.

"We would have liked to have wrapped that up as well, but we wasted far too many opportunities. We'll just have to wait a week or two to pass the thousand."

Leigh were able to canter through the game and still pick up nine tries from eight different players while teenage scrum-half Lee Sanderson knocked over eight goals from nine shots.

Leigh scored with their first touch of the ball, Phil Kendrick striding clear after smart approach play had ripped Chorley wide open and when Dave Bradbury smashed his way over four minutes later, a landslide victory was already on the cards.

But just as Leigh were getting into their stride they were rocked when ex-Hilton Park centre Stuart Dickinson intercepted an intended long pass and raced 80 metres for a try that Ian Talbot improved.

Some semblance of normality was restored when Liam Bretherton and Neil Turley touched down in quick succession but when on loan Lee Birdseye picked off another long Leigh pass for Chorley's second interception try, the Centurions were pegged back again.

But the home side were never in any danger and increased their lead to 28-12 at half time when popular prop Tim Street rumbled over a minute from the break.

Leigh started the second half brightly and within eight minutes had another 12 points on the board. Skipper Adam Bristow went in off a Sanderson pass and Turley collected his 43rd of the season when he shot straight through from the base of a scrum.

Leigh's final try in the 68th minute came from man of the match Willie Swann and again took Leigh over the 50-point mark.

But it was Chorley who had the final word when prop Lee Prest steamrolled through some feeble defence defence for a try converted by Birdseye.

Leigh: Turley; Hadcroft, Fairclough, Kendrick, Jones; Bretherton, Sanderson; Norman, Duffy, Bradbury, Bristow, Morley, Swann. Subs: Street, Hamilton, Johnson, Whittle. Att: 2639.