LEIGH'S Alliance side succeeded where the first grade squad failed - winning the Division One Grand Final last week.

The young Centurions shrugged off the early loss through injury of play-maker Lee Sanderson and a 7-0 deficit to lift the silverware after a 19-13 success at Widnes.

Two-try skipper Saf Patel was magnificent; prop Paul Norman showed a prodigious appetite for work both in attack and defence while sub Peter Clark put in some crunching big hits.

Stand-off Chris Dootson had to take on much of Leigh's attacking plays with the loss of Sanderson. He turned up trumps with a brilliant solo try and a perfect kicking game that kept turning Widnes round.

Trailing 7-0 to a converted try and drop goal, Dootson's chip, regather and sprint under the posts got them back to within a point. Not long afterwards Dootson popped over a drop goal to level it.

Two Patel tries either side of half time, turned the game Leigh's way. Both were similarly executed and came from grubber kicks to the Widnes line. Craig Wingfield added a couple of goals and Dootson another to push Leigh 19-7 in front.

Gareth Haggerty ploughed his way over for a converted try two minutes from time but Leigh were never threatened.

The Academy team won their 12th match out of 13 with a 42-12 success at Chorley.

Their tries came from new signing Chris Brindle, Mark Leigh, Chris Mellor, Chris Humphries, Alan Kilshaw, Peter Fairhurst and Kieron Maddox with Mellor adding seven goals.