LEIGH OLD BOYS GIVE WOLFPACK BITE
Widnes coach: We’re fit, healthy and aim to compete
TORONTO’S pack of former Leigh players returned to haunt their old club and lay down a major mark of their Super League aspirations. The Canadian side were big outsiders against an expensivelyassembled Centurions team aiming to bounce straight back into the top flight. But former Leigh boss Paul Rowley enjoyed a triumphant return to the club he walked out on, along with hat-trick hero Liam Kay.
The home side led 12-0 early on through Harrison Hansen and Matty Dawson but had been almost pegged back by the break when Adam Sidlow (left) and Kay responded.
The Wolfpack led for the first time after Cory Paterson sprinted 70 metres against his ex-employers and Kay then grabbed his second.
Ryan Brierley – who kicked five goals – was the next to cross and Kay completed his treble in the final minute.
Wolfpack assistant coach Simon Finnigan said: “We didn’t really have to talk to the former Leigh players, as this group doesn’t let stuff like that affect them.
“Paul was fine. Not a lot gets in his head and riles him up. The emotion’s probably upstairs, with the owners. But it’s round one, let’s not start doing cartwheels.” thought it was a one-off what he produced on Friday, but he did it again today against another really high-quality player.”
Norrie, who sits 114th in the world, gave 21st-ranked Ramos-Vinolas a torrid time for long stretches of the match and Smith added: “Physically, endurancewise, he looks in really good shape. He’s sitting on the bench even at the end saying, ‘I could run all day’.
“The big thing for him now is he can get a lot physically more powerful so he can get more power in his strokes.”
The left-hander, 22, born in South Africa but spending much of his childhood in New Zealand, earned the praise of teammate Jamie Murray, who lost his doubles with Dominic Inglot on Saturday.
Murray said on social media: “You should be super proud of yourself!”