LEIGH MR are again champions of the Champions Challenge. They retained the title in a thrill-packed 22-16 win against Thatto Heath - and they don't come much more exciting.

MR coach Ian Taylor likes to mix his cards and he used 31 players through the competition.

And it all came down to the wire. The St Helens side looked to have the game in the bag at 16-10. But Miners had two aces up their sleeve:

Shane Hindley and Winston Sarsfield!

Packman Hindley blasted through four tacklers for a try, then wonder winger Sarsfield intercepted to streak 60 metres for the clinching TD.

Thatto Heath began well, despite having Barry Ashall sent off; a Sarsfield penalty was all MR had to show in the first half-hour with the St Helens side 12-2 ahead.

Then scrum-half Mike Devine showed his deadly finishing skills to slip by the cover and score in the corner. New signing Damien Fletcher squeezed in to put MR in 12-10 down at the break.

Again Thatto Heath surged. But at 16-10 it all changed.

It looked bad for Miners when Steve Flannery was red-carded, but the Hindley try and Sarsfield goal gave them fresh impetus and set up a grandstand finale.

Sarsfield needed no second invitation as he darted in to clinch one of the best games yet in the 17-year history of Champions Challenge at Twist Lane.

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