Swinton Lions 10, Leigh Centurions 24 by Mike Hulme

CANNY coach Paul Terzis was happy to play a game of patience, content in the knowledge that his new-look Leigh side had enough firepower to blow improving Swinton out of the water.

On a day when you wouldn't put the dog out, Leigh will be the first to admit that they were well below their best. But in centre pair Damian Munro and Dale Cardoza they again showed they have two of the division's most lethal finishers.

On their day there's no holding the strike pair. For all their honest endeavour, Swinton just didn't have the finishing power to go with their toil.

Cardoza helped himself to a hat-trick, Munro chipped in with another and now the pair have five apiece in just three games.

"I'm happy with the result in these conditions," declared coach Terzis. "It was never going to be a day for really expansive football, we had to play a patient game and I think that paid off for us at the end. We kept plugging away and got our rewards late on.

"We scored some good tries and that sniper in the stand shot a couple of our blokes as they looked likely to score more. Bristow, Sanderson and Weisner all fell at the last fence.

"A fourteen point margin in these conditions was probably worth something like 30 on a dry track."

Reflecting on Cardoza's treble, Terzis added: "Dale certainly knows where the tryline is and he's going to be a real handful for opposition defences."

T

erzis always felt that Swinton would be a tougher nut to crack than last season when Leigh had a couple of runaway wins.

"Peter Roe is putting together a useful squad and they won't be the whipping boys any more. We had to work hard for our win - just as I thought we would."

The Lions put Leigh's defence to the test and considering the amount of possession they did have, just to concede two tries will be seen as a job well done.

"I'm really pleased with our defensive formation. They hardly broke our line and both of their tries were scrambled efforts," added Terzis.

Two wins from two starts in the Arriva Trains National Cup will do nicely to start as they already hold a one point lead at the top of the West group.

But it was only in the closing stages that Leigh finally shook off the Lions' dogged challenge. Until then both sides had virtually traded try for try.

Referee Steve Presley's keen eye for off side did nothing to help the game flow. Eighteen penalties in all made for a stop start afternoon.

Both sides had tries disallowed in the opening stages; Jason Roach's effort wiped out for a forward pass and Damian Munro brought back for a knock on.

Despite Swinton having the advantage of the elements, it was Leigh who took the lead against the run of play. Adventerous play on the last tackle saw Leigh sweep the ball through more than a dozen pairs of hands before they finally found the opening that brought Munro his fifth try of the season.

Lions play-maker Chris Hough, on loan from Batley, suffered a suspected broken leg in the build-up but the Lions picked themselves up and crept 6-4 ahead when ex-Leigh second rower Craig Wingfield was awarded a penalty try after having the ball stripped from his grasp over the try line. Kris Smith added the extras from in front.

J

ust three minutes from the break, Leigh hit the front again. They launched a probing counter attack and when Dave Bradbury switched the point of attack, sub Phil Kendrick supplied the pass for Cardoza to smash his way over for a try goaled by John Duffy.

The lead only lasted four minutes into the second half when Hugh Thorpe touched down in the corner after an almighty scramble to reach a loose ball.

Slowly Leigh's patent approach started to pay dividends. Full-back Michael Watts was a growing influence with his strong runs from the back, Sean Richardson was handful in attack and defence and Paul Rowley a probing and dangerous runner from dummy half.

The turning point came just before the hour when Duffy and Richardson unlocked the Lions defence and Pat Weisner sent Cardoza racing in again. Duffy added a penalty soon afterwards to open up a crucial 16-10 lead.

Lee Sanderson and Adam Bristow both went close as Leigh finished strongly.

They put the game well out of Swinton's reach two minutes from time when a flowing crossfield move ended with Dale Holdstock getting Cardoza in for his third. In stoppage time Leigh put together a trademark handling move involving Weisner, Holdstock, Rowley and Cardoza for Leroy Rivett to touchdown on his debut.

SCORERS

Leigh - Tries: Munro (21mins), Cardoza (37, 53, 78), Rivett (80). Gls: Duffy 2/4, Sanderson 0/2.

Swinton - Tries: Wingfield (26), Thorpe (45). Gls: 1/2.

TEAMS

Leigh: Watts; Andrews, Munro, Cardoza, Rivett; Weisner, Duffy; Nickle, Rowley, Ball, Richardson, Holdstock, Bristow. Subs used: Kendrick, Hamilton, Sanderson, Bradbury.

Swinton: English; Roach, Cheetham, Russell, Thorpe; Gallagher, Hough; Leathem, Cannon, Knox, Wingfield, Ellison, Smith. Subs used: Hudson, Johnson, Turner, Roe.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 10, Swinton 8.

Handling errors: Leigh 11, Swinton 9

Sin-bin: English (Swinton) - holding down.

Attendance: 950

Referee: Steve Presley (Castleford).

Man

rFOR a third game in row Richardson was a towering figure but it was Michael Watts at full-back who was solid as a rock. Sound in defence it was watts who carried Leigh forward at every opportunity

Magic

rNOT many on a grey and miserable afternoon but Leory Rivett's long break out of defence in the second half will have whetted the appetite of more to come from the flying winger

Moan

rNO real complaints about the pitch but all the other facilities at Swinton's new home are primitive to say the least. Bit of a culture shock for the likes of Sonny Nickle and Sean Richardson.