LEIGH CENTURIONS 24
CASTLEFORD TIGERS 32
Dave Parkinson at Hilton Park.
Hilton Park may be approaching the end of its natural life, but rarely will the old stadium have witnessed such a titanic struggle as it did yesterday when Leigh Centurions and Castleford Tigers clashed for the first time in 14 years.
Other than a couple of close run games against Featherstone Rovers and a Challenge Cup loss to the Bradford Bulls few teams have come close to stopping their juggernaut but Leigh were just five minutes from causing an upset win.
"It was nice and tough” reflected Tigers coach Terry Matterson. “We got the test that I was chasing. I was really proud of our guys. We didn’t play our best, certainly didn’t defend our best but we hung in there and always knew that we had some points in us.”
“I was happy with a lot of lead-up in the first half, but we just couldn’t finish. It was bizarre. There was a few of those tries where I could have got to the line. To score in the first few minutes maybe gave us a false sense of what the game was going to be like but full credit to Leigh, they really came at us, and came at us hard.”
“I was looking for a test as prior to this game we hadn’t been tested but I can’t say that anymore.”
Danny Brough grabbed the first try of the game for Castleford after six minutes and when the Tigers broke down the right through Kirk Dixon, it looked like being a long afternoon for Leigh.
Within minutes the Centurions were back on level terms when Martin Ainscough sped into an opening before stepping around Tommy Saxton from 30 metres. Damien Couturier tagged on the extras before Saxton was held up over the line by David Alstead then Michael Shenton was put in touch on the left.
Castleford looked set to take the lead when a careless pass from Leigh was intercepted on half-way by Peter Lupton. Ryan McGoldrick followed up but Alstead and Ainscough again chased back.
With 21 minutes played, Leigh hit the front when Tony Stewart burst through and Miles Greenwood crossed in support. Couturier converted before missing a penalty and a breathless half came to a close with Leigh holding a 12-6 advantage.
The terraces were bouncing within five minutes of the restart when Sam Butterworth broke from deep and Aaron Heremaia stormed home for his 9th try of an impressive season. Another opportunity was presented when Butterworth cleverly kicked and collected before over-balancing and the pass failed to find support and the score.
Castleford built patiently and saw a try ruled out after 56 minutes when Lupton was adjudged offside following Brough’s delicate kick. There was no denying the loose-forward two minutes later when McGoldrick worked an opening. Referee Mike Dawber sinbinned Butterworth for interference after 64 minutes following a rising penalty count against Leigh.
Spurning goal points, the Tigers roared forward and Shenton pushed a final pass for Richard Owen to finish by the corner flag. Castleford continued their high tempo attack but McGoldrick threw an interception and Martin Ainscough ran over unopposed from forty metres for his second try of the game.
Sensing they still had a chance to take the game, Castleford went on the offensive. One-time Centurion Stuart Donlan was the catalyst, pulling the defence one way and then the other with a weaving run before McGoldrick supported to cross beneath the posts.
A grandstand finish was on the cards with the Tigers looking dangerous from every play, yet somehow, desperate Leigh defence managed to hold Castleford at bay until the 77th minute when Dixon got on the edge of the defence for his 12th try of the season.
Seconds from the end Lupton finally ensured the result following a reverse pass. Brough converted and although Leigh were able to recover possession from the restart, time ran out.
Centurions Football Manager Darren Shaw said, "I'm very very pleased, I thought the commitment level was fantastic even at the back end of the second half when we didn’t see much ball at all. We were under the cosh defensively a fair bit and had quite a high penalty count against us but you can't knock their effort and it's going to put us in good stead for the games ahead."
"I was willing that other try when Sammy (Butterworth) went through. I thought he might just have made it, but credit to them, they scrambled real hard and I knew they wouldn't go away. I knew they played for the eighty minutes and the score-line reflects that."
"I was disappointed we let them get away in the last ten minutes but overall we can take a lot of positives from the game."
GAMEBREAKER: The late glut of possession saw Castleford turn a potential loss into a hard-fought victory.
GAMESTAR: Peter Lupton. The Castleford loose forward linked things cleverly for the Tigers and scored two crucial tries.
GAMESTATS:
Leigh:
1. Miles Greenwood
2. Leroy Rivett
3. Damien Couturier
4. Danny Halliwell
5. David Alstead
6. Martin Ainscough
7. Aaron Heremaia
8. Dana Wilson
9. Sam Butterworth
10. Warren Stevens
11. James Taylor
12. Robert Roberts
13. Anthony Stewart
SUBS (ALL USED)
14. Adam Hughes
15. Gareth Pemberton
16. Mailangi Styles
17. Matt Astley
Tries: Ainscough (10, 68), Greenwood (21), Heremaia (45).
Goals: Couturier 4/5.
Sin-bin: Sam Butterworth (64 – interference at play-the-ball)
Castleford:
1. Tommy Saxton
2. Stuart Donlan
3. Michael Shenton
4. Kirk Dixon
5. Michael Wainwright
6. Ryan McGoldrick
7. Danny Brough
8. Liam Higgins
9. Andrew Henderson
11. Awen Guttenbeil
15. Dwayne Barker
16. Chris Charles
13. Peter Lupton
SUBS (ALL USED)
14. Richard Owen
10. Tere Glassie
12. Mark Leafa
17. Ryan Boyle
Tries: Brough (6), Lupton (58, 80), Owen (66), McGoldrick (72), Dixon (77).
Goals: Brough 4/6.
Referee: Mike Dawber
Penalties: 5-15
Attendance: 2,683
Half-time: 12-6
Full-time: 24-32
Rugby Leaguer and League Express Men-of-the-Match:
Leigh: Mailangi Styles
Castleford: Peter Lupton
Scoring Sequence:
0-6; 6-6; 12-6; 18-6; 18-12; 18-16; 24-16; 24-22; 24-26; 24-32.
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