SEVEN days after being jeered off Hilton Park following a miserable defeat by South Wales, Leigh were given a standing ovation.

And Sunday's remarkable 42-16 thrashing of York almost brought a smile from hard-to-please coach Eric Hughes!

"Far, far, better," he enthused. "The response from all the players has been really pleasing.

"I experimented by switching a few players round, and by and large it worked."

The only disappointment for Hughes was the way Leigh let the game slip. They were 28-4 up and coasting until the sin-binning of both sub Shaun Brown and Alan Mason knocked them out of their stride.

York took advantage and at 30-16 Leigh were wobbling.

"We did get a bit ragged in that short spell but we soon picked up the threads," added Hughes. "Once we had the basics right there was never any doubt we would win."

Brown's return after a centenary season wrecked by two broken arms was particularly pleasing for Hughes.

He sharpened Leigh up in the last 20 minutes, laying on a sensational 50-yarder for David Lyon and then playing a big part in sending Dean Purtill over in the corner.

Purtill had a strange match. He missed his first four kicks at goal, then landed seven from seven, including two from the touchline, and picked up a last-minute try for an 18-point haul. That's 58 points in four games!

Purtill had already had one try disallowed before Mason's quick thinking saw him shoot over from a tap penalty to give Leigh an early lead.

Lyon, Jonathan Quigley and Alan Hadcroft all picked up first half tries as Leigh's domination was complete.

A Purtill penalty early in the second half made it 22-4 and when the outstanding Paul Daniel put in another powerful surge, Shaun Bannister had the easiest of tasks in sending Rob Ball diving in.

After overcoming their brief attack of the jitters, Leigh finished with a flourish.

LEIGH: Lyon; Hill, Veikoso, Hadcroft, Purtill; O'Loughlin, Quigley (Brown 54); Street, Bannister, Cain, Daniel, Ball (McGughan), Mason. Subs: Cheetham, McCulley. Att: 968.

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