First Team suffer 11th Defeat of the Season.

After last week’s excellent showing away at Northwich, there was a quiet expectation that Leigh may give their Cumbrian opponents a run for their money but unfortunately it did not come to pass. Kirkby Lonsdale are a class act. A combination of withdrawals through injury and player unavailability led to yet another reorganised side taking to the field.

Kirkby were very quick off the mark and scored their first try, almost from the kick off, down their left hand flank. Leigh pulled back three points on fifteen minutes when Elliott Ryan slotted a penalty.

The Kirkby response was to scorch over for three very well constructed tries in the next twenty minutes to race away into a twenty one point lead.

However, an excellent break by Rob Drake, just before half time, put Jimmy Wilkinson away down the right hand flank for a well taken try which was brilliantly converted from wide out by Elliott Ryan to take the sides off at the break with the score Leigh 10 Kirkby Lonsdale 24.

Kirky came out in the second half and really put on a show. Their quite basic but very effective, offloading style of play ripped through the heart of Leigh’s defence and they added six converted tries in this second half period to finish up with a tally of sixty-six points, made up of ten tries and eight conversions. They have now racked up 605 points in 13 unbeaten matches and must be odds-on favourites for promotion this season. May Leigh wish them well in their quest.

Final score Leigh 10 Kirkby Lonsdale 66.

Next week, Leigh travel to Eccles, who are currently bottom of the League, in what must be a must win game.