Leigh Centurions 12 Salford City Reds 32 by Mike Hulme: WHAT an anti-climax! The pre-match hullabaloo surrounding Tommy Martyn's signing was quickly tempered by Karl Harrison's City slickers.

Salford looked every bit as good as their odds-on quote for a Super League return as they obliterated Leigh's challenge in the opening half hour.

There were times when the Reds swarmed all over Leigh. That the Centurions fought back from 20-0 down to make a game of it, is testament to their strength of character.

Below strength and below par, Leigh lost the match before the half hour as Salford ran in four tries in 16 minutes. The Centurions' credentials as Salford's major challengers were seriously questioned as they struggled to cope.

Leigh can point to the fact that the enforced absences of Rowley, Turley, Rivett and Cardoza were major body blows but, worryingly, when the heat was on in a big game they seriously under-performed.

Having got back to within eight points after trailing 20-0, Leigh lost their composure and attacking poise in the second half and only managed to complete eight of their 19 sets. Those are the statistics of failure.

H

ead coach Paul Terzis admitted that his team's failure to control the ball had been crucial.

"What we did with the ball today was disappointing," he admitted. "You could either say that Salford defended very well or that we executed poorly. I think it was the latter."

Salford have certainly come on since their early season meetings with Leigh in the Arriva Trains competition. Half backs Cliff Beverley and Gavin Clinch had it all; distribution, breaks, defence and a fantastic kicking game while the forwards, with Neil Baynes outstanding, laid the perfect platform.

Sadly there wasn't as much to admire from Leigh. Their usual fluency was missing although skipper Adam Bristow did more than most to try an oil Leigh's mis-firing machine.

Leigh were left with an insurmountable task having watched Salford seize the match by the throat with their first half salvo.

Had Leigh made a breakthrough when they had the Reds stretched for the first 10 minutes it might have been a different story. Instead it was Salford who took the game by the scruff of the neck when Baynes held off several challenges in midfield, Clinch and Jason Flowers carried it on and the division's top try scorer, Beverley, ghosted round Dave Alstead for a try converted by Chris Charles.

S

ix minutes later the Reds doubled their lead. A long pass had Leigh's defence in a mess and Simon Baldwin had the simple job of sending Clinch racing round to the posts.

Leigh could hardly put a foot right defensively and when Beverley got outside of Sean Richardson he sent Alan Hunte sprinting in from 40 metres.

In no time at all Salford had posted their fourth try, albeit controversially. When Damian Munro leapt to collect Clinch's bomb to the corner the Leigh winger appeared to get back into the field of play and grounding the ball before having it dislodged to present Danny Arnold with the easiest four-pointer of his career.

At 20-0 down Leigh were looking right down the barrel but to their credit they didn't throw the towel in.

By half time they lived in hope after getting it back to 20-12. The brief fightback was started by Richardson who came back on the angle to take Bristow's pass and force his way over the whitewash. Right on the hooter Leigh's top try scorer Munro took his total to 21 when he swooped on a long pass from Charles and sprinted 40 metres for a interception try. Pat Weisner's second conversion gave Leigh a glimmer of hope.

The tone of the second half was set immediately from the kick off when as Salford forced a goal-line drop out. It just when from bad to worse.

W

eisner suffered a possible cheekbone fracture, Alan Hadcroft a dislocated toe and Sonny Nickle was put on report for an alleged late challenge on Clinch as the match slowly drifted away from Leigh.

Three penalties from right in front - two by Charles and one by Steve Blakeley - had Salford 26-12 ahead by threequarter time.

Leigh huffed and puffed but turned over far too much ball. They were finally put out of their misery 11 minutes from time when Clinch's toe-poke to the Leigh line bounced wickedly off a Leigh leg and Flowers followed up for a six-pointer under the posts.

The Centurions now know the sort of standards they need to reach to beat Salford. Whether they can achieve that when the teams meet again in the Arriva Trains Final on Sunday week remains to be seen.

SCORERS

Leigh: Tries - Richardson (33), Munro (40). Gls: Weisner 2/2.

Salford: Tries - Beverley (11), Clinch (17), Hunte (21), Arnold (27), Flowers (69). Gls: Charles 4/6, Blakeley 2/2.

Leigh: Alstead; Munro, Hadcroft, Kendrick, Watts; Weisner, Swann; Nickle, Duffy, Norman, Richardson, Henare, Bristow. Subs used: Ball, Sanderson, Holdstock, Bradbury.

Salford: Flowers; Arnold, Littler, Hunte, Berne; Beverley, Clinch; Baynes, Alker, Coley, Baldwin, Paul Highton, Charles. Subs used: Blakeley, David Highton, Kirk, Haggerty.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 5, Salford 7

Handling errors: Leigh 14, Salford 10.

Referee: Colin Morris (Huddersfield).

Attendance: 4000

On report: Nickle (late challenge).

Man

rON a day when most players under-achieved it was only skipper Adam Bristow who really came up to scratch.

Moan

rANOTHER big game and another failure. Worryingly it's a statistic that's starting to become a habit.

Magic

rThe genuine warmth from the terraces shown to Tommy Martyn when introduced pre-match. The 'homecoming' will have meant a lot to him.