OLDHAM 20 LEIGH 26
By Dave Parkinson.
Gutsy Oldham took Leigh down to the wire in an often scrappy but never dull encounter at Rochdale's Spotland Stadium.
In his programme notes Oldham coach Mick Coates expected a tough encounter in the forwards. He wasn't disappointed as the clash between Jason Clegg and Tim Street was equal to the pre-match billing.
Leigh started brightly and scored their first try after just 7 minutes when Dave Ingram somehow wriggled through 3 defenders for an unconverted score.
Oldham had rarely threatened the visitors line but found themselves level when Leigh let their discipline slip and Wood added two penalty goals.
The Centurions hit back in the 27th minute with a close range try from Street. Ten minutes later the Oldham-born prop was over again following a barnstorming run and Leigh looked likely to romp to victory at 14-4.
Five minutes after the restart a bomb from Brown caused mayhem in the Leigh defence and the ball was fed to former Rochdale centre Farrell for a 6 pointer.
This try sparked Oldham's confidence and they took a shock lead in the 50th minute with a 30 metre run from exciting winger Mead following good approach play from the scrum by Wood and Jackman.
Leigh suffered a blow seven minutes later when their influential skipper Craig Dean was carried from the field with an ankle injury and Keiron Purtill switched from centre to half back as cover. At this stage the home side had victory in their sights.
Anthony Murray had other ideas and accelerated over on the hour after Oldham were found wanting at the play-the-ball.
Radney Bowker made the game safe with a trailing run on the inside after Keiron Purtill's break again found Oldham on the back foot. Paul Wingfield added his third goal to complete Leigh's score.
Cheered by an enthusiastic crowd, Oldham scored a deserved try in the final minute, Mead diving onto a kick after a slow reaction from Arkwright to make the final score 26-20 to the visitors.
Game Stars:
Oldham: Jason Clegg had a good game up front taking the fight to the Leigh pack. Arian Mead showed what an exciting prospect he is with two well taken tries.
Leigh: Tim Street was the pick of Leigh's pack, leading from the front with excellent yardage and no shortage of skill. Keiron Purtill impressed with a hard hitting defensive game and came to his own when switched to scrum-half, creating Bowker's matchwinning touchdown.
Attendance: 2163 - an encouraging attendance for Oldham, more than double the usual crowds of Rochdale Hornets.
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