LEIGH LEOPARDS 20 BARROW RAIDERS 18
LORRAINE MARSDEN, Twist Lane, Saturday

A SINGLE goal kick from Charlotte Melvin proved the difference as Leigh and Barrow played out a close encounter in the bottom half of the league.

Barrow, who are still awaiting their first win of the season, took an early lead when Nicole Stewart’s cross-field kick bounced in goal, allowing debutant Zara Clough to gather and touch down. 

Beth Pattinson was off target for the visitors, but soon made up for it when Barrow grabbed their second through Sam Norman, who scored under the posts.

But as quickly as Barrow built up that 10-0 lead, Leigh pegged them back with two tries of their own through Toryn Blackwood and Kate Howard. 

In a carbon copy of Barrow’s scoring, Leigh’s Charlotte Melvin missed her first conversion attempt but landed the second to level the scores.

With half-time approaching, Barrow regained the lead when Vanessa Temple powered her way through the Leigh defence, but again the goal was missed.

Just when the visitors thought they’d done enough to go in at the break in front, Leigh took full advantage of a penalty to go in at the corner through Isabelle Malyon. Crucially, Melvin landed the goal from out wide to make it 16-14 at half-time.

The second half was just as tight, with Temple getting her second just minutes after the re-start as the lead changed hands once again. 

But when Blackwood also bagged her second for Leigh, the hosts regained a lead they never surrendered as the final 30 minutes remained scoreless.

LEOPARDS: 1 Hattie Dogus, 2 Toryn Blackwood, 3 Nicole Barnett, 20 Becky Webb, 18 Isabelle Malyon, 6 Rhianna Burke, 7 Leah Morris, 8 Eleanor Dainty, 9 Kate Howard, 16 Lucy Johnson, 11 Emily Baggaley, 12 Charlotte Melvin, 13 Storm Cobain. Subs (all used): 10 Mairead Quinn, 14 Abi Gordon, 19 Libby Wall, 25 Freya Turner

Tries: Blackwood (18, 47), Howard (22), Malyon (40); Goals: Melvin 2/4

RAIDERS: 1 Sam Norman, 2 Chloe Capstick, 3 Emily Stirzaker, 12 Vanessa Temple, 25 Zara Clough, 9 Beth Lindsay, 7 Beth Pattinson, 15 Jodie Crawford, 14 Leah Cottier, 10 Jodie Morley, 8 Leah Clough, 11 Lucy Dickinson, 13 Nicole Stewart. Subs (all used, only three named): 5 Emma Hutchinson, 16 Mia Dobson, 27 Sam Unsworth

Tries: Z Clough (6), Norman (14), Temple (37, 42); Goals: Pattinson 1/2, Stewart 0/2

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 4-10, 10-10, 10-14, 16-14; 16-18, 20-18

Half-time: 16-14; Referee: Shea Harrison