Leigh ‘Rob’ Sefton in the dying seconds

Leigh travelled away to Sefton, with a few changes from the week before, with Jimmy Wilkinson and Joe Harrison returning in the backs and Jack Burdon, Glenn Stephens and Paul Hampson coming back into the forwards.

The pitch was quite heavy but certainly playable and this game turned out to be one of only two played in South Lancs/Cheshire Division One yesterday, the other game being LSH v Bowdon which LSH won 65-5.

Sefton came at Leigh from the first whistle and their big Centre crashed over under the Leigh uprights for a converted try in the third minute.

Leigh immediately regrouped and a good run from Johnny Drake culminated in a try, on the other side of the pitch, in the thirteenth minute for Ollie Shepherd, who used his superior strength and pace to round the Sefton defence for a well-taken finish. Rob Drake narrowly missed the conversion, from wide out on the right.

A Rob Drake penalty, on seventeen minutes, took Leigh into an eight points to seven lead but Sefton briefly recaptured the lead through a penalty of their own, in the thirty-eighth minute.

However, a Leigh scrum on the Sefton line, followed by a rolling maul, got Connor Longford over for a try, which was brilliantly converted from the touchline by Rob Drake, in the thirty-ninth minute, to take the sides off for their oranges, with Leigh leading by fifteen points to ten at the break.

Sefton almost replicated their first half start, when they crashed over early in the second half, for a converted try, in the forty-fifth minute but they also soon added another converted try, in the fiftieth minute, to take them out into a nine point lead, with thirty minutes left to play.

An athletic interception by Leigh’s speedster, Ollie Shepherd, saw him streak away from sixty-five metres out, for a thrilling try, that was again crucially converted, from wide out, by the trusty boot of Rob Drake, to put Leigh two points behind with ten minutes to go.

Leigh pressed hard from the kick off and an excellent line break by Rob Drake was, unfortunately, not finished off when the final pass in the move went to ground with the line beckoning but Leigh were eventually rewarded for their spirit and perseverance, when they were awarded a penalty, under the Sefton posts, with one minute left to play. Rob Drake dutifully stepped up and slotted the three points to ‘Rob’ Sefton in the dying seconds.

Final score Sefton 24 Leigh 25.

This was a spirited and workmanlike performance from this developing side and they should take heart from this showing and come out rejuvenated after the Christmas break, when they meet New Brighton at Hand Lane on 6th January K.O. 2.15 p.m.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!