Halifax 16 Leigh Centurions 27 by Mike Hulme: CONFIRMATION that Halifax are no Salford or Huddersfield undeniably came at the Shay on Sunday afternoon.

Leigh's first-ever win over a side relegated from Super League gives the Centurions a huge psychological edge with the start of the league campaign just around the corner.

In what could be the first of as many as six meetings between the sides this season, Leigh put down their marker as the team to beat.

But Leigh remain fully aware that Halifax will still be one of the main dangers to their Super League aspirations.

Coach Darren Abram knows that better than most. "Take nothing away from Halifax. They are a good team and I think they have a lot more to offer than perhaps we saw today."

If Halifax have more to offer, then so do Leigh. This won't go down as one of Leigh's classic victories. They made too many unforced errors to be completely satisfied with their afternoon's work, but in two key areas they were superior.

The steely defence, especially in the first half, was magnificent and their ability to take their chances when they came, got them home.

On the wrong end of a crippling penalty count dished out by rookie ref Ben Thaler, Leigh had to concede the majority of territory and possession. Given a more equal share of both and it's pretty safe to assume that the margin of victory would have been considerably higher.

"We came to do a job and we did it," said Abram. "But some of our execution was pretty poor and it was only our mistakes that kept them in the game.

"In the second half I think we only got into their '20' three times - and came up with tries each time. That wasn't the problem, the problem was getting into the '20' in the first place."

Halifax boss Tony Anderson admitted that he's changed his team's style to try and disrupt Leigh. Instead of playing a lateral game to try and get on the outsides, 'Fax adopted a more direct approach and tried to out-muscle Leigh through their abrasive forwards such as Ryan MacDonald, Paul Davidson, Anthony Farrell and Jamie Bloem. Only Farrell's bullocking runs caused Leigh much concern.

"I'm pretty disappointed that we lost," said Anderson. "But it was a big improvement on our recent performances and that's pleasing."

In a game littered with 31 penalties - the majority for technical offences - it's testament to both sides that they produced a game of some quality.

Leigh set their stall out from the first whistle and fittingly it was Paul Rowley who drew first blood with a fourth minutes try against his old club. Rowley, whose non-stop work round the ruck, was a highlight had just sent John Duffy to within a foot of the tryline when he forced his way over with a dive from dummy half. Neil Turley's conversion was a formality.

Strangely the scoreline remained unchanged for the next 36 minutes. Halifax had their moments; Bloem missing with a penalty shot and Phil Cantillon having a try chalked off for a double movement while at the other end only a cruel bounce robbed Turley of a try from Duffy's banana kick.

Leigh defended heroically as Halifax threw everything at them. Centres Dan Potter and Chris Percival both came up with the goods when Halifax tries looked 'on' but as so often happens when a team can't turn possession into points, Leigh caught them on the counter-attack.

Tommy Martyn's perfectly timed pass sent Percival steam through a gap and second rower Dave Larder looped round on his outside to take the final pass and squeeze over at the flag for a 10-0 half time lead.

Eight minutes into the second half and Leigh were well clear at 16-0. When Duffy drilled a kick towards the foot of the posts, Turley, in a well-rehearsed move, scooped it up in a flash and forced his way through Danny Arnold and Simon Grix to touchdown and add the conversion to send him past 100 points for the season.

Pat Weisner, discarded by Leigh at the end of last season, began to have a growing influence on the game with his distribution stretching Leigh on both flanks. But it was from two Weisner bombs that Halifax got back into the game.

The first one was collected by Jaymes Chapman who, as he hit the floor, got the ball away for Richard Smith to go in unopposed as Leigh appealed in vain for a knock-on. Bloem converted.

Six minutes later a repeat from Weisner saw Chris Norman out-jump Damian Munro and cut Leigh's lead to just a converted try.

It could have been all-square had sub Danny Halliwell not turned, chased and cut down a runaway Smith after Percival had spilled possession on half way.

Leigh recovered from their attack of the wobbles and sealed their win 12 minutes from time.

A scampering run from Rowley started the move that saw Turley float out a long pass to Potter whose outrageous inside dummy foxed everyone and left him a clear run to the line for his seventh try of the season.

Leigh could breathe even more easily when another defence-splitting pass from Martyn hit Percival who forced his way over for Turley to convert from wide out.

'Fax sub Martin Moxon responded with a converted try at the side of the posts in the dying minutes but there was still time for Leigh to go up to the other end and for Turley to pop over a one-pointer.

SCORERS: Leigh - Tries: Rowley (4), Larder (36), Turley (48), Potter (68), Percival (76). Gls: Turley 3/5. FG: Turley.

Halifax - Tries: Smith (57), Norman (63), Moxon (79). Gls: Bloem 2/4.

Halifax: Arnold; Smith, Norman, Hadcroft, Marns; Grix, Weisner; Farrell, Cantillon, MacDonald, Chapman, Corcoran, Bloem. Subs (all used): Moxon. Law, Bates, Davidson.

Leigh: Turley; Maden, Potter, Percival, Munro; Duffy, Martyn; Knox, Rowley, Cruckshank, Larder, Wilkes, Knott. Subs (all used): McConnell, Isherwood, Halliwell, Norman.

Handling errors: Leigh 8, Halifax 7.

Penalties conceded: Leigh 18, Halifax 13.

Half time: 10-0

Full time: 27-16

Referee: Ben Thaler (Wakefield).

Attendance: 2815.

Man

rTOUGH call in an all-round solid team effort. But Rowley probably deserves the nod for the way he constantly broke Halifax up with his sniping from dummy half. Honourable mentions for Potter, Knott, Turley, Larder , Wilkes and Maden

Magic

rPOTTER'S outrageous dummy and try that finally put paid to any Halifax hopes of a comeback.

Moan

rTHE RFL for appointing a rookie ref to a game of such passion. His inexperience let him down and his decisions made a tense game all the more tetchy.