Leigh 24, Whitehaven 20 THEY say league tables don't lie. It didn't last year when Leigh ran a poor last. And it doesn't this morning with the cock-a-hoop Centurions racing up to sixth place. It's an indication of just how much Leigh have improved over the last few months that they can now fully justify claims of being serious contenders for the Top Five play-off spot at the season's end.

Leigh and coach Ian Millward know there's a long way to go in the marathon - but at least they are on the right road.

Having seen a 16-6 lead disappear Leigh showed their mettle by pulling themselves together and grabbing a winner seven minutes from time.

The gritty character of the side shone through as outstanding skipper Kieron Purtill cut Warriors winger Graeme Lewthwaite in half as he collected Saf Patel's crossfield bomb. The ball popped out and the supporting Alan Hadcroft flopped in for the winner. It was no more than Leigh deserved who, particularly in the opening half hour, played some champagne stuff.

Coach Millward was rightly proud of his team's effort, especially after the heartbreak of the cup defeat at Widnes the previous week. He admitted: "I wasn't sure how the lads would respond after the Widnes game - but I didn't need to have worried.

"It gave me a lot of personal satisfaction to see us win a game from a tough position. When things were running against us we kept our structure and kept solid.

"If we'd narrowly lost a third game in a row today it would have been tough to lift them again."

Leigh cut the Warriors down with some impressive stuff in the opening half hour and despite leading 16-6 at the break they should really have put the game to bed. Millward agrees. "If we'd handled things slightly better in the first half we could have had three or four more tries. We've got to learn to be a bit more patient and more ruthless in our decision making. But that will come in time."

Leigh couldn't have made a better start with a try on the board inside 43 seconds. And those fans not in place for the start missed a cracker. Tau Liku started it with the charge up the right touchline and with Leigh flooding up in support Patel, Anthony Murray and Scott Hilton all handled before Kieron Purtill muscled over out wide. And just to keep it in the family brother Dean banged over the touchline conversion. Leigh doubled their advantage on 13 minutes when the alert Kieron Purtill intercepted a pass from Leroy Joe, broke clear, drew the cover and Hilton finished under the posts for another six pointer.

The Warriors, themselves on the back of a three-game winning run, had hardly had a sniff until Wayne Kitchen stretched out for a converted try at the side of the posts after 31 minutes.

But when the much under-rated Andy Fairclough broke twice in the same attacking move, Liku popped a basketball pass inside for Murray to dive in and make it 16-6.

Millward's warning words that Whitehaven were a better attacking side than Widnes, moving the ball quicker and wider, looked as they might come back to haunt him when twice in the opening 15 minutes of the half Leigh were prised open and David Seeds touched down for two Kitchen improved tries to put them two points ahead. Leigh's ploy of using a short, high re-start worked a treat. They regained possession and on the last tackle Murray whipped out a long pass and Kieron Purtill dived in for his second.

When David Ingram gave away a penalty on the sixth tackle and Kitchen equalised from a long way out, Leigh must have feared the worst.

But in a complete reversal of the Widnes defeat it was they who came up with the last gasp winner, ironically from the same type of crossfield kick that had broken their hearts seven days before.

Leigh: Donlan; D.Purtill, K.Purtill, Kendrick, Hadcroft; Patel, Hilton; Street, Murray, Whittle, Liku, Kennedy, Fairclough. Subs (all used): Arkwright, Ingram, Pucill, Lewis. Attendance: 1,124.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.