This Wasn't Fun..!
This was expected to be a thrashing... and guess what, it was. Here's League Weekly's report:
Swinton Lions 6 Leigh Centurions 62 by Jeff Tyldesley
There was no charity whatsoever from the Shield Winners Leigh as they ruthlessly hammered neighbours Swinton Lions, on a day when the ailing home side was down to their last fit seventeen players.
After the Lions kept it relatively tight in the first half, Leigh cut lose after that, scoring seven times in the second half and only letting Swinton in when an injury to replacement forward Tom Spencer reduced them to twelve players, due to lack of any substitutions remaining.
The Centurions marched ominously in the early stages, with their first set, they ran it on the last tackle from the halfway line, Ryan Brierley spreading play for new signing Michael Platt who galloped away, only for desperate tackling to stop Brierley finishing the move he started.
Swinton through Ed Barber knocked on but Leigh then did likewise. In the next set, Swinton again lost the ball; Sam Barlow was held up by a quartet of Lions over the line and Jordan Burke was forced to boot the ball dead.
Liam Kay had a try disallowed for a forward pass before pressure finally told and Barlow charged through some tired tackling to score.
The Centurions mean defence meant that Swinton were forced to feed off the scraps of penalties given against the visitors, the Lions’ first real opportunity was stymied when Chris Atkin’s pass to Josh Barlow was ruled forward.
Swinton lured Adam Higson into touch but his centre partner Platt did not make the mistake shortly afterwards, he was grounded short of the line but with Swinton pulled over to the right, the ball shot left for Liam Kay to finish.
The kick off was left to bounce dead by the Centurions, so Swinton got a dropout back, Barber was tackled short and once again, the Lions lost the ball in the moderate breeze, this time Ritchie Hawkyard the culprit.
Tom Armstrong’s brilliant winding run, which took the ball half the length of the pitch probably deserved a try on its’ own but as confusion reigned in the Lions defence, Martin Ridyard was allowed to tap down his own grubber and then tag on his second goal out of three attempts.
A swirling opening kick off of the second half sailed out of play, Swinton got the possession and so nearly got on the scoresheet too, but a kick through just beat a sliding Burke.
At the other end, Burke was the latest person to knock on, the Centurions coolly scoring from the scrum, thanks to Brierley teeing up Armstrong.
That along with the next score a couple of minutes later, when Platt made a scintillating sixty metre down the right, killed the game as a contest; Brierley was the lucky recipient of the pass, one of four Leigh players running up in support.
The Leythers then had much to thank Sean Penkywicz for, his hit on Barber caused a knock on, from which substitute Anthony Bate dribbled a grubber to the corner, Platt just edging out Higson for the latest four pointer.
This was a sensational period for the Centurions, rounded off when Platt’s lovely reverse pass sixty metres out unlocked the Lions, Brierley sprinted away, drew in Burke and sent in McNally to bring up forty points to nil.
Credit to Swinton full back Burke, he then did wonderfully to pull down Sam Hopkins, who had bulldozed through three Lions tacklers before that but Leigh swung it wide for Armstrong to capitalise against his former club, once again.
Platt had another try ruled out for a forward pass by referee Mr Leatherbarrow but that didn’t divert Leigh from their goal of the half century for long, once again Swinton conceded possession of the ball earlier than they needed to and McNally picked up to score. Ridyard missed the goal, resulting in a chorus of ironic boos from the Leigh terraces!
Then came the bad looking injury to Tom Spencer, leaving the Centurions down to just a dozen, Andy Ackers taking full advantage for Swinton, scampering over from the play the ball, Nanyn converted.
Still there was time for more from Leigh, Higson’s sharp spin left Mick Nanyn for dead, Kevin Penny had the pace to cover but Penkywicz picked out a beauty of a pass for Bate to canter under the posts and as the hooter blew, a Brierley chip over the top was collected with ease by Higson to round off proceedings with another converted try.
SWINTON LIONS
Jordan Burke 7
Freddie Walker 6
Ed Barber 6
Mick Nanyn 5
Kevin Penny 6
Chris Atkin 6
Ritchie Hawkyard 6
Mike Morrison 8
Brad Dwyer 6
Gavin Bennion 6
Josh Barlow 7
Darren Hawkyard 7
Andy Ackers 7
Subs:
James Brown 6
Jacque Peet 7
Ben Warrilow 7
Lewis Hulme 5
Try: Ackers 77. Goal: Nanyn 77.
LEIGH CENTURIONS
Greg McNally 8
Adam Higson 7
Michael Platt 8
Tom Armstrong 8
Liam Kay 8
Martin Ridyard 8
Ryan Brierley 8
Sam Hopkins 8
Sean Penkywicz 8
Jake Emmitt 7
Kurt Haggerty 7
Sam Barlow 8
Subs:
Bob Beswick 7
Anthony Bate 8
Martin Aspinwall 7
Tom Spencer 8
Tries: Barlow 9, Kay 20, Ridyard 26, Armstrong 45, 62, Brierley 47, Platt 50, McNally 54, 69, Bate 74, Higson 80. Goals: Ridyard 9, 26, 45, 47, 50, 54, 62, 74, 80.
Referee: Chris Leatherbarrow 80/100 / HT: 0-16 / Pens: 5-8 / Sin Bins: None / Sent Off: None / MOTM: Ryan Brierley (Leigh) / Weather: Sunny with heavy showers / Attendance: 1,342 / Match Rating 3/5.
Iron Man: 3pts - Sam Barlow, 2pts - Sam Hopkins, 1pt - Sean Penkywicz.
Swinton Lions 6 Leigh Centurions 62 by Jeff Tyldesley
There was no charity whatsoever from the Shield Winners Leigh as they ruthlessly hammered neighbours Swinton Lions, on a day when the ailing home side was down to their last fit seventeen players.
After the Lions kept it relatively tight in the first half, Leigh cut lose after that, scoring seven times in the second half and only letting Swinton in when an injury to replacement forward Tom Spencer reduced them to twelve players, due to lack of any substitutions remaining.
The Centurions marched ominously in the early stages, with their first set, they ran it on the last tackle from the halfway line, Ryan Brierley spreading play for new signing Michael Platt who galloped away, only for desperate tackling to stop Brierley finishing the move he started.
Swinton through Ed Barber knocked on but Leigh then did likewise. In the next set, Swinton again lost the ball; Sam Barlow was held up by a quartet of Lions over the line and Jordan Burke was forced to boot the ball dead.
Liam Kay had a try disallowed for a forward pass before pressure finally told and Barlow charged through some tired tackling to score.
The Centurions mean defence meant that Swinton were forced to feed off the scraps of penalties given against the visitors, the Lions’ first real opportunity was stymied when Chris Atkin’s pass to Josh Barlow was ruled forward.
Swinton lured Adam Higson into touch but his centre partner Platt did not make the mistake shortly afterwards, he was grounded short of the line but with Swinton pulled over to the right, the ball shot left for Liam Kay to finish.
The kick off was left to bounce dead by the Centurions, so Swinton got a dropout back, Barber was tackled short and once again, the Lions lost the ball in the moderate breeze, this time Ritchie Hawkyard the culprit.
Tom Armstrong’s brilliant winding run, which took the ball half the length of the pitch probably deserved a try on its’ own but as confusion reigned in the Lions defence, Martin Ridyard was allowed to tap down his own grubber and then tag on his second goal out of three attempts.
A swirling opening kick off of the second half sailed out of play, Swinton got the possession and so nearly got on the scoresheet too, but a kick through just beat a sliding Burke.
At the other end, Burke was the latest person to knock on, the Centurions coolly scoring from the scrum, thanks to Brierley teeing up Armstrong.
That along with the next score a couple of minutes later, when Platt made a scintillating sixty metre down the right, killed the game as a contest; Brierley was the lucky recipient of the pass, one of four Leigh players running up in support.
The Leythers then had much to thank Sean Penkywicz for, his hit on Barber caused a knock on, from which substitute Anthony Bate dribbled a grubber to the corner, Platt just edging out Higson for the latest four pointer.
This was a sensational period for the Centurions, rounded off when Platt’s lovely reverse pass sixty metres out unlocked the Lions, Brierley sprinted away, drew in Burke and sent in McNally to bring up forty points to nil.
Credit to Swinton full back Burke, he then did wonderfully to pull down Sam Hopkins, who had bulldozed through three Lions tacklers before that but Leigh swung it wide for Armstrong to capitalise against his former club, once again.
Platt had another try ruled out for a forward pass by referee Mr Leatherbarrow but that didn’t divert Leigh from their goal of the half century for long, once again Swinton conceded possession of the ball earlier than they needed to and McNally picked up to score. Ridyard missed the goal, resulting in a chorus of ironic boos from the Leigh terraces!
Then came the bad looking injury to Tom Spencer, leaving the Centurions down to just a dozen, Andy Ackers taking full advantage for Swinton, scampering over from the play the ball, Nanyn converted.
Still there was time for more from Leigh, Higson’s sharp spin left Mick Nanyn for dead, Kevin Penny had the pace to cover but Penkywicz picked out a beauty of a pass for Bate to canter under the posts and as the hooter blew, a Brierley chip over the top was collected with ease by Higson to round off proceedings with another converted try.
SWINTON LIONS
Jordan Burke 7
Freddie Walker 6
Ed Barber 6
Mick Nanyn 5
Kevin Penny 6
Chris Atkin 6
Ritchie Hawkyard 6
Mike Morrison 8
Brad Dwyer 6
Gavin Bennion 6
Josh Barlow 7
Darren Hawkyard 7
Andy Ackers 7
Subs:
James Brown 6
Jacque Peet 7
Ben Warrilow 7
Lewis Hulme 5
Try: Ackers 77. Goal: Nanyn 77.
LEIGH CENTURIONS
Greg McNally 8
Adam Higson 7
Michael Platt 8
Tom Armstrong 8
Liam Kay 8
Martin Ridyard 8
Ryan Brierley 8
Sam Hopkins 8
Sean Penkywicz 8
Jake Emmitt 7
Kurt Haggerty 7
Sam Barlow 8
Subs:
Bob Beswick 7
Anthony Bate 8
Martin Aspinwall 7
Tom Spencer 8
Tries: Barlow 9, Kay 20, Ridyard 26, Armstrong 45, 62, Brierley 47, Platt 50, McNally 54, 69, Bate 74, Higson 80. Goals: Ridyard 9, 26, 45, 47, 50, 54, 62, 74, 80.
Referee: Chris Leatherbarrow 80/100 / HT: 0-16 / Pens: 5-8 / Sin Bins: None / Sent Off: None / MOTM: Ryan Brierley (Leigh) / Weather: Sunny with heavy showers / Attendance: 1,342 / Match Rating 3/5.
Iron Man: 3pts - Sam Barlow, 2pts - Sam Hopkins, 1pt - Sean Penkywicz.