LEIGH CENTURIONS 22 WIDNES VIKINGS 23
By Dave Parkinson
They say lightening doesn't strike twice, but the similarities between this League meeting at Hilton Park and the cup game were there for all to see.
A good crowd witnessed a titanic struggle with Widnes edging out the home side 23-22. Jason Critchley (a former Leigh Ranger) was the Viking hero with two tries and provided the final pass that sent fullback Salisbury over the line for the clincher 8 minutes from time.
Leigh started the game brightly, pinning Widnes in their own half in a ferocious opening 10 minutes. The visitors cut loose after quarter of an hour when Phil Cantillon outpaced the cover from the play the ball in a superb 45 metre dash.
Four minutes later Critchley burst through and 8-0 soon became 9-0 when Mark Hewitt landed a drop goal. Leigh hit back from close range when a short pass from Craig Dean put Tim Street over on 27 minutes. A brawl followed and referee Mr Gilmour put the incident on report.
Hewitt nudged another penalty over before a Dean grubber kick was pounced upon by Dave Ingram. Another melee erupted in-goal and Widnes winger Munro was sent off.
Leigh made their numerical advantage count early in the second half when Andy Fairclough scored a try, converted from the touchline by Paul Wingfield.
A short kick-off saw Widnes regain possession and some excellent support play was rewarded when Critchley crashed over for a converted try on 51 minutes.
Andy Fairclough again gave the home side the lead, racing onto a short pass and ploughing through 3 defenders to score beneath the posts.
Wingfield's conversion made it 22-17 but Leigh were never able to fully close the game down.
Another penalty brought the Vikings within 3 points of their hosts but Leigh still felt they could hold onto this lead and looked fairly composed until Stuart Donlan's 40 metre break came to nothing and the young fullback dropped the ball.
From the possession Widnes worked the ball wide and Critchley's basketball pass saw Jim Salisbury cash in.
Game Stars:-
Leigh - Andy Fairclough was again stand out performer with a brace of tries and some determined cover defence.
Widnes - Jason Critchley was a thorn in Leigh's side all afternoon, scoring 2 tries and creating another.
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