» January 31st 2001
» Town 0 v Leigh 70

It was always going to be tough for Workington Town, sending a weakened side in midweek to play the only team with a 100 percent record in the Northern Ford Premiership.

But none of the travelling party expected it to be as painful as things turned-out with rampant Leigh handing-out a 12-try hammering to the outclassed Cumbrians.

There was no denying Leigh's class. They played some lovely rugby - quick, expansive, supportive, imaginative and clearly, at this stage of the season, look worthy title favourites.

Town, with several youngsters in the lineup and with some older-hands not fully fit, were rocked by three early tries and they just never looked capable of coming back from that.

It didn't help, either, that some of the younger players took knocks which saw them making early exits - Scott Chilton, Carl Sice and Craig Rumney were all in the wars.

Leigh also have an emerging star of the game in full-back Neil Turley, son of the former Town and Whitehaven coach Norman Turley.

After spending some time with the Wigan Academy, young Turley has clearly been well-schooled and now he's exploded onto the scene in the NFP, it won't be too long before he's gracing the Super League.

Fast, elusive and a clever ball-handler, young Turley also has the knack of being able to jink, wriggle or twist his way out-of or through tackles. His support play was brilliant and on the night he crossed the Workington line seven times - although only six of them counted.

That equalled the Leigh try-scoring record set back in 1947 by Jack Wood in a match against York. What would have been a new record was cancelled-out because of a forward pass.

It had started going wrong from the forth minute when Town were exposed on the left where winger Alan Hadcroft eventually finished-off with the opening try. Simon Svabic kicked the first of his 11 conversions, only missing one on the night.

Town then had their best attacking spell of the whole game and there was just a squeak of a chance when Micky Horner sent-out a long pass but young Adam Coulson couldn't take it in his stride as he shaped up for the corner.

Turley started his record-equalling feat on 15 minutes when he gathered a kick over the top into space from Svabic and touched down unchallenged.

There was more trouble for Town three minutes later when Leigh just kept on passing the ball as some of the Workington tackling faltered for hooker John Duffy to finish off close to the line.

Turley's second came on 25 minutes, and again it was his ability to get behind Town to reach the kick through that undid the Cumbrians. Second row forward Simon Baldwin provided the clever grubber and Turley did the rest.

It was 30 - 0 after 31 minutes. This time another kick through by Svabic took a wicked deflection off a Workington leg and scrum-half Liam Bretherton, who spent some time on loan with Whitehaven a couple of years ago, was following up to score.

The best try of the half came right on halftime. Leigh spread the ball wide in their own half and from halfway winger David Ingram pinned back his ears and just shot down the touchline, beating the covering defender Stephen Stoddart to get the sixth Leigh try.

The game was lost and what coach Gary Murdock needed was his side to hang on in and try to win some pride back in the second half but Leigh cut loose again.

Turley completed his hat-trick on 45 minutes, again following up a kick over the top from Svabic. His forth four minutes later was his first from a running situation. He was backing-up Svabic's break to take the pass and race the last 30-metres for the try.

A minute later Leigh hit the half-century of points. Working the ball close to the line Leigh probed for the opening and the Town defence couldn't stop Dave Whittle from powering over for the ninth try. The only one of the night which Svabic failed to convert.

You couldn't keep Turley out of the spotlight for long however.

Another kick by Svabic over the top seemed to have been covered but the ball squeezed loose and yes, you've guessed it, Turley was there to pick up and dive in for the score.

To huge applause from the 2,000-plus crowd Turley went in to equal the record although loose-forward Andy Fairclough should have scored after a 20 metre run to the line, where he waited for Turley to catch up and gave him the score.

Turley thought he had got the record on 67 minutes but play was brought back for a forward pass and he was screaming for the ball when Svabic ignored him to go through himself and score the 12th try five minutes from the end.

It completed a sorry night for Town who had only one real sight of the opposition line in the second half when Rumney was hauled down a metre short after a good run.

» Town.Net extends its gratitude to John Walsh for permitting us to reproduce his report of a black day for the club