Centurions fell Giants for second league win
LEIGH 30 HUDDERSFIELD 0 LEIGH Centurions picked up their second win of the Betfred Super League season with a 30-0 win over Huddersfield Giants.
The win means Leigh have already won as many games as they did in the entire 2005 season – their last in the top flight.
Half-back Ben Reynolds scored a try and kicked five goals, although Huddersfield dominated the early exchanges but were thwarted by a combination of handling errors and some desperate Leigh defence.
They were made to pay for missing those chances as Leigh scored with their first real attack. The ball was quickly worked to the right edge, with Reynolds and Ryan Hampshire combining before Ben Crooks found winger Adam Higson to score in the corner. Reynolds converted from the touchline to give Leigh a 6-0 lead.
Five minutes before halftime, Josh Drinkwater’s delicate kick was cleared dead and from the drop-out, Leigh set up the second try – Jamie Acton somehow reaching out of the tackle to ground the ball from Eloi Pelissier’s short pass Huddersfield started the second half brightly but they were continually thwarted by some outstanding Leigh defence. With just over a quarter of the game remaining, both sides were reduced to 12 men when Huddersfield’s Sebastiane Ikahihifo was guilty of hitting out at Pelissier. Centurions forward Acton was also sent to the sin bin for getting involved in the aftermath.
Centurions piled more misery on the Giants when Reynolds shot through a gap in the defence to score a try he also converted and with time almost up, Sam Hopkins charged over from 20 metres for a try.
HULL 24 ST HELENS 14 HULL twice came from behind to condemn St Helens to a third straight defeat and give their coach Lee Radford a hard-fought victory on his 100th match in charge.
A dour, penalty-ridden game finally came to life in the final quarter and the Black and Whites sealed their third win of the season 12 minutes from the end with a rare eight-point try from Carlos Tuimavave, before Albert Kelly made sure of a 24-14 success with his second touchdown of the game.