Leigh Miners Rangers 34 Leigh East 10: LEIGH Miners Rangers took their revenge for an early season drubbing by their neighbours and local rivals Leigh East, with an equally one-sided victory in which the sparkling Lee Lomax notched a hat-trick of tries.

The Twist Lane outfit are in top form, and although East's tried hard to break down their host's resistance, some magnificant tackling ensured that the visitors were only able to cross for two late tries when goal-kicking second row forward Dave Radley was in the sin bin.

This was the Miners sixth straight Arriva Trains Conference win, and it cemented their place in the top six, this ahead of Saturday's home Challenge Cup tie, against leaders Siddal.

Games between the two Leigh enemies are always well supported, and another big crowd looked forward to a fiery and entertaining clash.

With hooker Lomax typifying the spirit in the Miners pack, that had Mark Shepherd, Jon Light and Dave Patterson always prominent, and half-backs Sean Phoenix and Ian Hodson to ensure the pace of threequarters like Alan Reddicliffe and

Saun Daley were fully utilised.

Despite efforts

East's were never in the hunt, despite the efforts of their stand-out players, Gary Fletcher, John Gunning and Simon Warhurst.

The opening try came after seven minutes, when Reddicliffe and Daley combined down the left to put the ball inside to Phoenix for him to score a Radley goaled try. Three minutes later Reddicliffe was putting Lomax under the posts for his first try and another conversion.

East's threatened with John Woods on the break, but Darren Pilkington pulled off a superb tackle, before play moved to the other end, where loose forward Tommy Goulden and Phoenix combined with slick hands for Chris Humphries to slide in. Just before half time second row Patterson was romping 35 metres after picking the ball up from the base of the scrum, and with Radley adding the goal, East had never been in it and trailed 22-0.

Lee Rowley and Gunning set the example for East to follow at the retart, looking to stretch the home defence, but all to often the final pass went astray.

On 49 minutes the Miners first raid of the half took play close to the East's posts, and from dummy half Lomax scampered in for his second try and again Radley goaled. More East pressure failed to bring the score they desperately wanted, and on the hour Lomax smashed them with his hat-trick, Radley adding the fifth conversion.

Radley was then sin-binned for lying on when Woods made a break, and almost immediately East cut loose and Fletcher grabbed a try his efforts deserved, and Woods goaled. With five minutes remaining East showed their capabilities, Kilshaw broke and put Woods in for a second try which he converted. But it was nothing more than a consolation, and the Miners finished well in control.