WITH a perfect sense of timing, Leigh Centurions are showing signs of hitting peak form just when they need it most.

Another precious win in their chase for Northern Ford Premiership honours came with the sort of fluency expected, and demanded, at Hilton Park as Hunslet were hammered 44-4.

Three games to play, three points off the top and heavyweight clashes against Doncaster and Dewsbury still to come. It's all boiling up nicely.

After recent hiccups at Barrow and Oldham, Leigh knew they needed to come up with the goods in this one. Evan allowing for the modest opposition they didn't let anyone down. No wonder coach Paul Terzis wore the smile of satisfaction afterwards as he said: "Our first half performance set the tone and Hunslet just couldn't live with us.

"At Oldham our attacking edge was missing. Today we showed that we're capable of scoring from anywhere on the park.

"Defensively we were very sound. We only conceded one try and in the second half Hunslet didn't make our 20-metre area once. Such was our domination that I felt the scoreboard flattered Hunslet a bit."

Although hit by the late withdrawals of Craig Dean (virus) and Alan Hadcroft (leg), Leigh looked more like their old selves.

Stuart Donlan capped a typically adventurous display with a couple of tries; Mick Higham ran Hunslet senseless from dummy half and Paul Anderson had a towering game at centre.

Radney Bowker and Kieron Purtill ran the show in the middle with Adam Bristow causing untold damage out wide.

But all that came after Leigh had made a shocking start and conceded a try inside the first 90 seconds. Alan Cross spilled the ball in a tackle, giving Hunslet's Shaun Irwin the opportunity to get player/coach David Plange in at the corner.

But once Leigh got their noses in front, there was only going to be one winner.

They hit the lead in the 11th minute when Anderson thundered from out of his own half, drew the cover and sent the overlapping Donlan in for a try that Anderson converted.

Leigh kicked the floodgates open with a burst of four tries in 11 minutes in the second quarter.

Bristow started the ball rolling when his crossfield bomb was fumbled by Hunslet full-back Gareth King and Andy Fairclough's quick reactions laid on an easy try for Cross.

Hunslet barely had time to draw breath before the Bristow/Anderson combination did the trick again and another crisp move was finished off by Donlan.

From the re-start Leigh were over again; Purtill, Higham and Bowker all involved before Fairclough beat two men to go over. Hunslet didn't know what had hit them and 10 minutes from the break their defence was spread-eagled by Higham when sent sub Phil Kendrick galloping in unchallenged from 45 metres.

Two further goals from Anderson, proving to be an able deputy for the injured Paul Wingfield, stretched Leigh's half time advantage to 26-4.

The second half continued in much the same way; Leigh piling forward in waves and Hunslet hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

The only real surprise was that Leigh were restricted to three more tries.

The first came straight after half time when quick hands by Purtill and Baldwin get Anderson over for another six-pointer before Cruckshank had the ball stripped as he plunged for the line, but followed up to score.

Cruckshank and Willie Swann were sin-binned after a 71st minute dust up but Leigh finished things off with an eighth try when the impressive Kendrick seized on a loose ball and Higham collected his 18th touchdown of the season, Anderson taking his goals tally to six from eight.

LEIGH: Donlan; Ingram, Anderson, Fairclough, Cross; Bowker, Purtill; Street, Higham, Leathem, Baldwin, Cruckshank, Bristow. Subs: Norman, Kendrick, Arkwright, Whittle. Attendance: 1,675.