A FINAL quarter blitz put paid to any suggestion of a shock Workington comeback as Leigh all but mathematically sealed their ticket to the Middle 8’s show down.

Leading 24-0, the Kingstone Press Championship table toppers allowed bottom of the table Town to reduce their arrears to 24-12 before five converted tries finally established Leigh’s 16th league win.

Victory sets up Sunday’s trip to second placed London Broncos who kept alive their hopes of the League Leaders’ Shield with a 56-16 hammering of struggling Oldham.

The wet conditions were always going to have an impact on the quality of the game and coach Neil Jukes admitted:“We did some really good things and some not so good things.

“Three times we dropped the ball on play one so it stopped the whole momentum of what we were trying to achieve.

“But in the second half when a couple of our kicks held up we managed to build a bit more pressure through our defence.

“For us, it’s about performance levels and energy levels no matter who we are playing against. And we will need to be better against London.”

Jukes admitted Centurions’ third quarter jitters when their visitors scored tries through Jason Mossop and Perry Whiteley left him “nervous.”

However, Josh Drinkwater’s second try of the game after 56 minutes calmed the jitters and four more touch downs from: Tom Spencer, Adam Higson, Ben Reynolds and Cory Paterson-all goaled by Lee Smith-completed a third win of 2016 over the Cumbrians.

This latest win came at a price with Brad Fash (concussion), Travis Burns (calf) and Fuifui Moimoi (knee) picking up injuries to be assessed before the trip to the capital.

Martyn Ridyard took his place on the bench in Jukes’ team selection for a first appearance since May 22 while Harrison Hansen was also named among the substitutes.

Town, winners of only two league games this year, kept Centurions at bay until 13 minutes when Ben Reynolds crossed for the first of his double.

Five minutes later Greg Worthington added try number two and Leigh were on their way to another two points.

Workington too suffered with casualties and their cause wasn’t helped by knocks to Theerapol Ritson and Jack Murphy.

Drinkwater and Liam Kay piled on the agony by touching down for further Leigh tries to give the home side a 24-0 interval advantage.

That should have been game over. Instead, Workington responded early in the second period through Mossop and Whiteley, both goaled by ex Crusaders, Bradford and Wakefield playmaker, Sammut.

Leigh, however, steadied the ship and racked up five further tries with the efforts of Higson and Paterson set-up by the returning Ridyard. Smith finished the game with nine goals from nine attempts.

Leigh: Smith; Higson, Armstrong, Worthington, Kay; Drinkwater, Burns; Moimoi, Reynolds, Weston, Maitua, Paterson, Evans; subs: Ridyard, Hansen, Fash, Spencer:

Tries: Reynolds (13 and 75), Worthington (18), Drinkwater (21, 56), Kay (35), Spencer (61), Higson (71), Paterson (77).

Goals: Smith (9)

Workington: Murphy; Ritson, Hulme, Whiteley, Mossop; Doran, Sammut; Gordon, Phillips, Shackley, Phillips, Gee, McAvoy; subs: Mattinson, Olstrum, Szostak, Verlinden.

Tries: Mossop (45), Whiteley (52)

Goals: Sammut 2/2

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas

Attendance: 3,002