LEIGH EAST ARLFC

Leigh East landed the Hattons Solicitors National Conference League Championship for the very first time with a commanding victory over former Champions Siddal.

LEIGH EAST 37 v 10 SIDDAL

Leigh East landed the Hattons Solicitors National Conference League Championship for the very first time with a commanding victory over former Champions Siddal.

The Leigh side ensured they moved on from the League leader’s trophy to claim the ultimate amateur League crown in sensational style as magnificent loose forward Gary Middlehurst notched a hat trick of tries and superb half back Ryan Peters  kicked eight goals , including a one pointer.

The Leigh side romped into a commanding first half lead, and then headed on to record the largest score in the nine years of NCL Grand Finals the largest winning margin with Middlehurst and Peters also hitting the record books with their personal points hauls.

Siddal were their own worst enemy giving away numerous penalties to finish on the wrong side of a 20-12 count, and suffering the ignominy of not only having three players sin binned but also seeing one of their water carriers being red carded.

Sadly for Siddal, they had all but surrendered the trophy they had won magnificently some twelve months earlier within the opening quarter as the marvellous East attacking machine ripped them to pieces with Ryan Fieldhouse creating havoc with his penetrating runs from full back, Middlehurst forever probing and Danny Kilshaw and Peters dominating mid field behind a powerful pack in which Craig Wingfield Carl Mort and later Simon Stevens were superb.

Siddal’s Shaun Garrod was their stand out player with centre Chris Marsh always a threat, but with too many petty gripes and a continual inability to hold onto the ball or make their passes tell, there was only going to be one winner once East had bagged their first three tries.

East ripped in for their first try on six minutes when a typical Middlehurst burst saw Mort held up in the tackle from where his offload found John Taylor and he sent Gareth Pemberton crashing in for the opening try, that Peters was unable to goal.

Within three minutes East had scored again when a great Peters run down the centre of the field saw him flick a one-handed pass to Middlehurst and the loose forward scampered in for his first try which Peters goaled.

Marsh put a poor pass behind Blackburn when the winger surely would have scored had the ball gone to hand, and then Peters then added a penalty for a high tackle.

Garrod was hauled down at the other end by Andrew Groves, before Peters superb off load sent Fieldhouse scything through the Siddal defence for a third try. Peters goaled and that was effectively the ball game.

Siddal camped on the Eats line for four back to back sets but couldn’t beach their magnificent defence  and after Peters put a penalty shot wide, Peters was again the provider as he linked with Stevens for Middlehurst to grab his second try which Peters goaled for a 24-0 interval lead.

Within three minutes of the restart Siddal finally got some points on the board when a Gudor 40/20 set up the position for Garrod to put in Simeon Hoyle for a Blackburn goaled try, and the Halifax team tried hard to get back in the game.

But they then had Richard Pearson sin binned for a reckless tackle with Peters adding the penalty on 53 minutes, before Luke Simeunovich was also yellow carded two minutes later for dissent.

To Siddal’s credit their eleven men defended heroically with Stuart Procter, Hoyle, Ben Kendall and Attwood to the fore, before Peters extended the Leigh lead with a further penalty.

Garrod finally created the opening for Blackburn to cross, but when Peters added a field goal on 71 minutes the scene was set for Middlehurst’s third try that Peters goaled.

It all finished messily through with Craig Millington and Procter being yellow carded and Kilshaw putting over yet another penalty to complete the scoring and emphasise Leigh East’s superiority as they now head to Blackpool to take on Queens in next Saturday’s BARLA National Final.


LEIGH EAST

1 Ryan Fieldhouse
2 Andrew Groves
3 Mark Kay
4 Gareth Pemberton
5 Kevin Murphy
6 Ryan Peters
7 Daniel Kilshaw
8 Craig Wingfield
9 John Taylor
10 Lee Rowley
11 Craig Millington
12 Carl Mort
13 Gary Middlehurst
Subs all used
14 Gavin Hunter
15 Simon Stevens
16 Brett Longstaff
17 John Walker

Tries: Pemberston (6), Middlehurst (9, 35, 71), Fieldhouse (20)
Goals; Peters 7/9, Kilshaw 1/1
Sin bin: Millington (79) for punching

SIDDAL

1 Brad Attwood
2 Gareth Blackburn
3 Chris Marsh
4 Andy Bowman
5 Scott Caley
6 Shaun Garrod
7 Lee Gudor
8 Luke Garnett
9 Stuart Proctor
10 Jamie Wrigley
11 James Simeunovich
12 Nick Smith
13 Luke Simeunovich
Subs all used
14 Simeon Hoyle
18 Mark Boothroyd
16 Richard Pearson
17 Ben Kendall

Tries: Hoyle (43), Blakcburn (67)
Goals: Blackburn 1/2

Sin bin: Pearson (51) reckless tackle; L Simeunovich (55) dissent; Proctor (79) punching

Halftime: 24-0
Referee: Chris Hancock (Hull)