WORKINGTON TOWN 0 LEIGH LEOPARDS 60
CALLUM LINFORD, Fibrus Community Stadium, Friday
TESI NIU scored twice on debut as Leigh notched eleven tries without response at Workington to progress to the Challenge Cup fourth round.
David Armstrong, Bailey Hodgson and Andy Badrock also scored tries on their first competitive appearances as the Leopards did a professional job on their League One hosts.
It was a special occasion in Cumbria as an estimated crowd of 2,800 turned out for the visit of a top Super League side, but Leigh’s class told throughout as coach Adrian Lam brought his stars to Town.
Workington actually started well in the first five minutes, but when a gap opened up Lachlan Lam took full advantage to feed Armstrong through to score.
Leigh quickly got on top from there and when Town failed to deal with a wicked kick, ex-Dolphins centre Nui scored his first.
Town were awarded successive penalties, for offside and then a high shot, but the Super League side held firm and then hit back as Gareth O’Brien outmuscled home fullback Zallin Galea to score under the posts.
On 25 minutes, Guy Graham was sent to the bin for a tip tackle. During his absence – and following another two penalties, the second for dissent – Hodgson scored his try out wide.
Workington had their best spell at the end of the first half. Levi Atiga was only inches away from scoring after the ball was kept alive, and then Town did actually cross a minute before the interval, only for referee Liam Rush to rule it offside.
That turned out to be their best chance to score, as the Leopards instead put seven more tries past Town in the second half.
The first of those came as Lam squeezed a pass out for Badrock to get the score, and the Leigh then crossed 30 points through Keanan Brand after Umyla Hanley broke away on the last.
To the disgust of the home support, a penalty for a high tackle led to Leigh’s next through Jack Hughes, who went straight through a hole.
Leigh then went back-to-back as Frankie Halton scored following a pass that some claimed had gone forward.
Prop Aaron Pene followed in with the first of three tries in the closing ten minutes, the others coming from Niu for a second time and then Brad Dwyer under the posts.
O’Brien converted all three of those to take his tally of goals to eight from eleven and bring up 60 points for dominant Leigh.
GAMESTAR: Lachlan Lam was instrumental in leading the Leopards.
GAMEBREAKER: Leigh’s third try after Town pressure sank the hosts.
MATCHFACTS
TOWN
1 Zarrin Galea
5 Jonny Hutton
3 Rio Corkill
4 Will Evans
2 Levi Atiga
28 Jake Carter
7 Dom Weir
10 Stevie Scholey
9 Jamie Doran
16 Guy Graham
17 Caine Barnes
11 Cooper Howlett
12 Jake Bradley
Subs (all used)
14 Callum Phillips
25 Callum Farrer
13 Jack Stephenson
19 Grant Reid
Sin bin: Graham (25) – dangerous tackle
LEOPARDS
1 David Armstrong (D)
18 Keanan Brand
3 Tesi Niu (D)
4 Umyla Hanley
24 Bailey Hodgson (D)
6 Gareth O’Brien
7 Lachlan Lam
8 Owen Trout
16 Matt Davis
14 Aaron Pene
11 Frankie Halton
20 Ethan O’Neill (D)
13 Isaac Liu (D)
Subs (all used)
15 Alec Tuitavake (D)
12 Jack Hughes
17 Brad Dwyer
21 Andy Badrock (D)
Tries: Armstrong (6), Niu (11, 77), O’Brien (15), Hodgson (30), Badrock (50), Brand (54), Hughes (60), Halton (62), Pene (70), Dwyer (79)
Goals: O’Brien 8/11
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-12, 0-18, 0-22; 0-28, 0-32, 0-38, 0-42, 0-48, 0-54, 0-60
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Town: Callum Phillips; Leopards: Lachlan Lam
Penalty count: 4-14
Half-time: 0-22
Referee: Liam Rush
Attendance: 3,033
