PRICE £2.50

SUNDAY 19th January 2014

Kick-off 3.00pm

CENTURIONSv WIGAN WARRIORS

Featuring the ArthurThomas Memorial Trophy

FRIDAY 24th January 2014

Kick-off 7.30pm

CENTURIONSv SALFORD RED DEVILS

MAIN MATCH SPONSOR

2014 PRE-SEASOn FRIENDLIES

www.leighcenturions.comTHE CENTURION2

Hon Life PresidentMr Tommy Sale MBEHon Vice PresidentMr Andy Burnham MPHon Life MembersMr Brian BowmanMr Tommy ColemanMr Frank TaylorChairmanMr John RoddyBoard of ManagementMr Michael NorrisMr Derek BeaumontMr Andy MazeyMr Alan PlattMr Steve OpenshawMr Neil WilcockMs Jackie MottersheadMr Trevor Barton MBEMs Julia BradleyHead of RugbyMr Derek BeaumontFirst Team CoachMr Paul RowleyAssistant CoachMr Neil JukesConditionerMr Nathan PenningtonTraining AssistantMr Thomas WoodMasseurMr Rob StewartStatisticianMr Cliff Sumner

Kit menMr Frank TaylorMr Sean FairhurstMr Tommy MatherUnder 20’s CoachMr Paul AndersonUnder 20’s AssistantMr Steve MayoConditionerMr Dan OgdenPhysiotherapistsMs Emma FletcherMs Hannah LloydMr John Stopford (Under 20's)Club DoctorDr Maurice Doublet-StewartClub AmbassadorMr Alex Murphy OBECommercial ManagerMr Rob ParkerLottery ManagerMs Christine BrownLottery Co-ordinatorMr Johnathan SimpkinFinance ManagerMs Jane SmithIT & Ticket SalesMr Andrew ParkinsonClub AccountantsStyles & CoHon Programme EditorMr Alan Edge

HONOURSChampionship Winners: 1905-06Division One Champions: 1981-82Division Two Champions:1977-78, 1985-86, 1988-89Challenge Cup Winners: 1920-21, 1970-71Lancashire Cup Winners:1952-53, 1955-56, 1970-71, 1981-82BBC2 Floodlit Trophy:1969-70, 1972-73Promotion To Top Divisionachieved(Not as Champions):1963-64, 1975-76, 1991-92Other Promotion season:1997 (Division 3 to Division 2)Northern Ford Minor PremiershipWinners: 2001Trans-Pennine Cup Winners: 2001Arriva Trains Cup Winners: 2004LHF National League 1 Champions: 2004LHF National League 1 Grand FinalWinners: 2004Northern Rail Cup Winners: 2006, 2011, 2013

CLUB RECORDSBiggest Victory:92-2 vs Keighley (1986)Biggest Defeat:4-94 vs Workington Town (1995)Highest Home Attendance:31,326 vs St Helens (1953)Lowest Post War Home Attendance:451 vs Hull (1975)Most Tries in a game:Jack Wood 6 v York (1947),Neil Turley 6 v Workington Town (2001)Most Goals in a game:Mick Stacey 15 vs Doncaster (1976)Most Points in a game:Neil Turley 42 vs Chorley (2004)Most Tries in a season:Neil Turley 55 (2001)Most Goals in a season:Neil Turley 187 (2004)Most Points in a season:Neil Turley 468 (2004)Most Tries in a career:Mick Martyn 189 (1954-67)Most Goals in a career:Jimmy Ledgard 1043 (1948-58)Most Points in a career:John Woods 2492 (1976-85, 1990-92)Most Appearances:Albert Worrall – 503 (1920-38)

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Telephone: 01942 487887

CLUB CONTACTS

Email:General Enquiries – enquiries@leighrl.co.uk

Facebook:www.facebook.com/leighcenturionsfanpage

Twitter:twitter.com/LeighCenturions or tweet us @LeighCenturions

WHO’S WHOAt Leigh Centurions

FROM THE TOPBy Chairman JOHN RODDY

Well, here we are in 2014 and atlast a chance for us all to seeour new squad in action duringthe next few weeks starting todaywith Wigan Warriors followed bySalford Red Devils, WarringtonWolves and finally North WalesCrusaders.Welcome to the individual Club Directors, Management teams and ofcourse their respective supporters to Leigh Sports Village. We hopethat you enjoy your time with us and let’s hope for great individualgames whilst we all test our capabilities for the start of the season.

You will have noted in preparation for 2014, we have attracted manynew sponsors and may I take this opportunity again to thank them fortheir support and contribution; we are delighted to have you onboard. Thank you also to our regular sponsors for your continuedsupport - it is truly valued.

Those of you that follow our news updates will know that we havebeen very busy in recent months, introducing new squad membersand hopefully providing Paul with wider options during the season, tofield his best team, to deal with each game more tactically. The Boardhas been very impressed with the standard of new recruits to theteam and also how the former squad have bonded with the newadditions – we hope that we are in for a very successful season!

Behind the scenes, the Board has been very busy indeed with not onlyour commercial activities, but also finding new ways of furtherimproving our communication with our supporters and widercommunity. We hope that, on the back of a very successful World Cup,new supporters will have been introduced to the sport and also toLeigh Centurions – our job now is for the club to maintain thatinterest.

I have received many tweets and email messages from either newsupporters or from our existing loyal supporters, who will be bringingto the ‘friendlies’, friends and family for the first time – which really isgreat news!

It seems that our new kits, both home and away, have gone downreally well this year, with some really encouraging sales figures. Thank

you to all who have bought new merchandise, and a big vote ofthanks to our Leigh Centurions Retail staff based at the market – theyhave really done a spectacular job; well done guys!

The Future:We believe that the future of the game and the re-introduction of P&R will be announced during the periodthat this match day programme is being read; therefore itwould be wrong to comment just at this time. However what I will say is, that whilst others have been engaged indiscussions and debate in Super League, we at Leigh Centurions havegot on with building the strongest squad and developing behind thescenes the most proactive team possible, to prepare us for success.

The Board of Directors enjoys good relations with the RFL executiveteam and I am very confident that we have firmly established LeighCenturions once again as a contender for Super League in the future,and that we are providing the club with the foundations to return totop flight rugby league.

Our supporters are absolutely key to that success - hence we haveattempted to deliver the best ticket options possible, for both seasonticket holders and individual matches during the season. We lookforward to your continued support - the bottom line is We are inthis together!

THE MASCOT FORTHE WIGAN GAMEThe mascot for the game againstWigan, is Eleanor Lois Dainty.

Eleanor is twelve years old andattends St Mary’s Catholic HighSchool, where she has joined theschool rugby team. Eleanor is nostranger to the game, having playedat Leigh East since she was eight,and has been captain there for thelast two seasons. Indeed, she wasplayer of the year in 2013, and her

big ambition is to represent GreatBritain in the future.

In addition to playing rugby, Eleanorenjoys reading and drawing.

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As you will probably have noticedby now, this match day magazinecontains information on TWOvisiting teams, Wigan Warriors andSalford Red Devils!As the two pre-season games against our Super Leagueneighbours take place within five days, it made sense from aneconomic viewpoint (and an editorial stress one!) to publish ajoint magazine.We are delighted to welcome the players, officials, and supportersof both the Warriors and Red Devils, to Leigh Sports Village. Sincewe moved into the stadium, these two clubs have been regularvisitors at this stage of the ‘pre-season’ preparations. (I just can’tbring myself to use the word ‘friendly’ for any rugby leaguegame!)We welcome Wigan as 2013 Super League champions, and TetleyChallenge Cup winners, and wish them well in their quest inAustralia, to add the World Club Challenge trophy, to theirsilverware cabinet. Despite the exodus of a few star names fromtheir all-conquering team, most notably Sam Tomkins, the Warriorswill undoubtedly be the team to beat, once again, in 2014. At this stage last season, Salford Red Devils were in a desperatesituation, facing administration and possible demotion to theChampionship. Fortunately a saviour, in the form of Dr MarwanKoukash, stepped in, and this season’s squad is unrecognisablefrom the one that competed gamely in last season’s Super League.Indeed, Salford can now boast a number of star names of theirown, and Brian Noble’s squad is tipped to do well this season.Here’s hoping that both our visitors are able to field strong squadsthis week and that large numbers of supporters turn out to seethe best of what English Super league can offer.

The World CupThe 2013 RL World Cup was a spectacular success, in theUK. Alright, things could have been slightly better forEngland, but many of the games were witnessed byrecord attendances, which were a pleasant surprise, afterthe general slump in league gates last season. Much credit is due to the RFL, whose advertising and pricingpolicies seem to have been pitched just right for the competition.Locally, it was a joy to be at LSV, to witness the game betweentwo of the ‘lesser’ nations, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Theattendance of 10,544 that wet night was comfortably a stadiumrecord and the crowd was privileged to watch a close, enthralling,

contest, between two nations who gave it their all, in ascrupulously sporting manner. Those spectators, who were new torugby league, including hundreds of children, must surely want tocome back for more of ‘The Greatest Game’. For me, thespontaneous huddle of all thirty four players, at the end of thecontest, was the most moving spectacle I have witnessed on arugby pitch.

Junior CenturionsTalking of youngsters, elsewhere in this magazine, is alisting of birthdays of Junior Centurion members, duringthe close season.Given that we didn’t have a Junior club, just two seasons ago, thecurrent, growing membership is a testimony to the work of JohnWilliams, who re-started the club, and Sharon Dillon and her bandof helpers who are developing what has to be a big part of thefuture of Leigh Centurions, and indeed, Rugby League in general.

The Arthur Thomas Memorial TrophyThis trophy will now be a regular feature of one of ourpre-season fixtures, and will be awarded to Leigh’s manof the match – thus ensuring that the trophy will remainat the Leigh club. The rationale behind the trophy is to honour Arthur’s time at theclub, and to help us recognise our debt of gratitude to the lovelyman who sadly passed away last March.Arthur supported the club for many years as a significant sponsor,before taking over as Chairman and major shareholder in 2007It’s no exaggeration to say that his business acumen andgenerosity probably went a long way to saving our club fromextinction.It is appropriate that this memorial trophy should be attached tothe Wigan fixture, as Arthur also enjoyed a spell as Chairman ofthat club, in addition to having fulfilled a role of sponsor anddirector at St Helens. In my opinion, the most fitting tribute paid toArthur at the time of his passing, was made by RFL CEO NigelWood, who said, “Throughout his life Arthur was very passionateabout rugby league and made an immense and valuablecontribution to the sport in the north west. Having served aschairman of both Wigan and Leigh, and as a director of St Helens,Arthur was a tireless servant of the game he loved and who madea huge difference at all three clubs. Rugby league and sportgenerally are poorer for his passing." We welcome representatives of Arthur’s family, to present thetrophy, at the Wigan game.

In MemoriamDuring the close season, all at Leigh Centurions were saddenedto hear of the deaths of club photographer Maurice Jones, andformer grounds man, Billy Lea. Personal tributes to these twolovely men appear on pages 16 and 25 of this magazine.

FROM THEEDITOR By ALAN EDGE

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WIGAN WARRIORSSQUAD - 2014

HEAD COACH - SHAUN WANE

No NAME No NAME

Referee: Mr. J. BLOEM

Touch Judges: Mr. P. BROOKE & MR. A. GILL

Michael McIlorum SCOTT TAYLOR SEAN O’LOUGHLIN

1 Matty Bowen

2 Josh Charnley

3 Darrell Goulding

4 Iain Thornley

5 Anthony Gelling

6 Blake Green

7 Matty Smith

8 Scott Taylor

9 Michael McIlorum

10 Ben Flower

11

12 Liam Farrell

13 Sean O’Loughlin

14 Jack Hughes

15 Logan Tomkins

16 Gil Dudson

17 Dom Crosby

18 Warriors Fans

19 Sam Powell

20 Greg Burke

21 Andy Powell

22 Eddy Pettybourne

23 Dan Sarginson

24 Tony Clubb

25 John Bateman

26 Ryan Hampshire

27 George Williams

28 Rhodri Lloyd

29 Sam Hopkins

30 Epalahame Lauaki

31 Dom Manfredi

32 Joe Burgess

33 James Greenwood

34 Lewis Tierney

35 Rob Lever

39 Jack Murphy

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IN TOWN TODAYWIGAN WARRIORSBy ALAN EDGE

Following on from theirspectacular double of 2013, (SuperLeague champions and TetleyChallenge Cup winners) Wigancould be argued to be in theprocess of re-building for SuperLeague XIX. No fewer than nine of last seasons’ squad have departed fromthe club. Gareth Hock’s much publicised rift has becomepermanent, with a move, via Widnes, to Salford Red Devils, whoalso acquired, somewhat surprisingly, outstanding forwardHarrison Hansen. Paul Prescott was sadly forced by injury, toretire and points machine Pat Richards returned to his nativeAustralia, and Wests Tigers. Two more of the squad have departedto expand their career in the NRL – Lee Mossop with ParramattaEels, and the one-and-only Sam Tomkins, with New ZealandWarriors. Yet another first team regular, Chris Tuson, has joinedHull FC, after a late change of mind about signing for Wakefield,while two of the squad ‘fringe’ players, Liam Carberry and TomSpencer, have joined Widnes and Leigh, respectively. Spencer’smove has proved hugely popular with Centurions’ fans, whoreadily adopted him, following his barn-storming displays, as a‘dual-registered’ player.

Who’s New at the DW?Given the departures of some high-profile Warriors,Wigan’s roster of new signings appears somewhat ‘low-key’. However, previous similar acquisitions have proved spectacularlysuccessful and no doubt the new boys, along with thosegraduating from Wigan’s Academy set-up, will ensure that theWarriors are once again one of the teams to beat, in 2014.Matt Bowen – How on earth do you replace Sam Tomkins? Thatwas the question everyone was asking when Sam’s departurewas announced. Granted, Sam is a ‘one-off’, yet Wigan seem tohave attracted a replacement who possesses similar qualities, inMatt Bowen.Bowen has played all his senior RL at one club, North QueenslandCowboys, following early spells with Abergowrie College, andSouths Townsville. He made 270 appearances for the Cowboys,racking up an impressive 130 tries, 36 goals, and 5 drop goals.Matt has also represented Queensland ten times, in State ofOrigin and was capped once by Australia, in 2004. He was NRLleading scorer twice, in 2005 and 2007, and won the prestigious‘Dally M’ Full Back Of The Year award in 2007. He also holds theCowboys’ try scoring record with 22 in a season.

The above statistics may suggest that Bowen’s achievements areall in the past, but nothing could be wider of the mark, as the 31year-old is still reputed to be quick, dynamic and elusive. Dothose qualities sound familiar? They should, as all were displayedby Bowen’s predecessor, Sam Tomkins! Warriors’ chairman IanLenagan could well be right, when he announced Bowen as a“marquee signing” for 2014.Whilst Bowen could be argued to be ‘the wrong side of thirty’,the consistent theme of the rest of Wigan’s acquisitions isdefinitely youth.Eddy Pettybourne – At just 25, New Zealand-born Pettybournehas already figured in over one hundred NRL games, having spentfive years at South Sydney, before moving across the city to WestsTigers for the 2013 season. At South Sydney, Pettybourne came under the guidance of formerWarriors’ boss Michael Maguire, who rated him highly. Whilsthappy with his relationship with Maguire, Pettybourne citedfamily reasons for moving to Wests, where his strong running andability to play anywhere in the pack, brought him to the attentionof Shaun Wane, who reckons that Pettybourne’s “powerfulrunning style, aggression in defence, and overall desire tocompete,” will endear him to the Wigan public.Pettybourne was selected for the New Zealand squad in the 2009Four Nations competition, but never played. He recently figured inthe USA’s four fixtures at the 2013 RL World Cup.Tony Clubb – Wigan bought the 25 year-old centre/second rowforward from London Broncos. Clubb, who was born inGravesend, is possibly the leading example of a ‘Southerner’ whohas developed through the RL ranks, to the very top of our Game.He made his debut for Harlequins at the age of eighteen, andwent on to amass 153 appearances for the London-based club,scoring 47 tries in the process. He made four appearances forEngland, joining the select band of players who have scored fourtries in a game – against Papua New Guinea, in the 2010 FourNations contest.Clubb then became disillusioned with his career in the Capital,citing being “sick of losing” as his reason for wanting to leavethe Broncos. However, Clubb is also quick to acknowledge hisdebt to the Broncos, stating that he is “thankful for what Londondid for him, as a player and a person.”Warriors’ coach Shaun Wane is in no doubt about the qualitiesClubb will bring to his team – “Tony is everything I want in a

forward – powerful, dynamic and hungry for success.”Dan Sarginson – Young half back Sarginson, was part of thedeal that brought Clubb to the Warriors. Still only 20, Sarginsonhas already figured in 51 appearances for London, touchingdown for 17 tries in the process. Although born in Perth, WesternAustralia, Sarginson was raised in Hemel Hempstead, and startedhis RL career with Hemel Stags. He scored a try on his Broncos’debut against Gateshead, and two on his Super League debut ina defeat to Salford. Sarginson, who has represented England, atunder-18, and Knights’ levels, is recognised by Shaun Wane as “ayoung player with lots of potential”.John Bateman – Bateman is another 20 year-old, who joins theWarriors from another Super League club – the troubled BradfordBulls. Bateman shot to fame, very soon after signing for the Bulls,from local Conference side Dudley Hill. He captained the EnglandAcademy side in Australia, and won the coveted AlbertGoldthorpe Rookie of the Year award in 2012. His 35appearances with Bradford yielded nine tries, although injurycurtailed his season last year.During last season, second row Bateman became disillusionedwith life at Bradford and, following a series of transfer requests,the Bulls reluctantly placed him on the market. Wigan won therace to sign one of the hottest prospects in the Game, payingBradford an undisclosed transfer fee, for someone who Wanerecognises as having “lots of areas where he will improve.”Sam Hopkins - Last but not least, Wigan have acquired theservices of our own Sam Hopkins. Sam, like many local SuperLeague players, started his rugby career in the amateur game inLeigh, in his case with Leigh East. On signing for Leigh, he quicklyestablished himself as an outstanding prospect in theChampionship, notching 26 tries from his 65 appearances.(including 30 from the interchange bench)Sam, who is equally at home in the front and back rows, is stillonly 23 yet, according to Shaun Wane, is someone who he has“been keeping an eye on, for a while,” and has been ” impressedwith what he has seen.” In response, Sam reckons that joiningWigan was “an easy decision to make, as they are the biggestclub in Super League.”Despite the intense local rivalry between Leigh and Wigan, I don’treckon there is a Centurions’ supporter, who doesn’t join me inwishing Sam all the very best with his new club.

Definitely a Southerner - TonyClubb with an iconic backdrop.

Dan Sarginson scores a spectacular try againsthis new team mates.

Eddy Pettybourne in the colours of WestsTigers.

Sam Hopkins

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COACH’S CORNERPAUL ROWLEY TALKS TO DAVE PARKINSON

Paul it would be fair to say that therehave been a few different things goingon in training this close season butbefore I ask you about that, you havetwo captains?Stuart Littler will be backs captain, Ollie Wilkeswill be forwards captain.Stuart ended last season as captain and did afantastic job. We were never going to changethat. Playing in the backs he is a good leader,and has played at all levels. He is a goodexperienced player that has got the respect ofthe players and coaching staff.Ollie also has the respect of the players. I’veplayed alongside him. I’ve known him for along time and he has my respect. I know whathe is capable of. He is a forward and he’s alsoone of our travelling players. He representsthem.The key ingredient of both those players istheir communication with me. That needs tobe spot on. Bob Beswick retains his vicecaptaincy role. We don’t need to burden himwith making big speeches but Bob brings a lotto the dressing room and our team ethic.And so to training…Yes we had a Marine camp. What I saw fromthat is that we have a lot of leaders. Everybodyat some point stood up and led; they broughta team-mate through or brought somethingelse. It was good to see and all members ofthe squad are an inspiration in their own way.It certainly challenged the lads like they won’thave been challenged before. I’ve been inrugby a long time and have never seenanything even 50 percent as hard as they did.The first four hours were physical and the nexttwenty were mental.It just shows the stresses you can put the bodythrough. There were extremes and theyconquered it and did it. We don’t need to talkabout it now but we know we can use it.The team has also been doing a lot of physicalwrestling and there is a lot of hard work thathas been taking place before we actually wentout on the field.We had Tommy Martyn doing a session withour kickers. That was good; we appreciatedhaving someone of Tommy’s calibre. There wasno better kicker than Tommy. We reallyappreciate him coming and offering his help. Iknow the lads enjoyed it and we were verylucky to grab that opportunity.He is Paul Anderson’s brother-in-law. I did askhim previously. With Tommy knowing the club,we knew him. We all grew up together.From your point of view now, I guess youcan’t wait to get started on games now?

We are looking forward to it. We’ve got twovery tough fixtures. It’s important that no-onegets carried away. We have increased the sizeof our squad, which hopefully has increasedthe intensity of the week in training and it isapplying a lot more pressure on positions.We were more than happy with the quality ofplayer we had last year. To get the consistencythat we strive for I think that competition inthe week and on match day just needed to becranked up.We have a healthier squad now in terms ofthe demands that the Championship throw atus.Are you happy with how thecompetitive nature within the squad isbuilding?I am, we’ve certainly brought the age of theteam down and I think the youngsters havebrought enthusiasm into training andcompetition. The senior players have reactedaccordingly.Again they have shown what they are about.We have always targeted the rightexperienced players and they haven’t failed todeliver in pre-season. They have beenoutstanding and now the games come, it istheir turn now to drive the youngsters on.As the youngsters have done it on the trainingpitch it is up to the senior players to lead theway and inspire during the matches and showthe youngsters what it is all about. I don’t think there has been a biggerfirst team squad since the Paul Terzisdays so that’s at least ten years ago?There are 29 in the squad, with three havingcome up from the 20s last year. I think peoplemay be getting a bit carried away. Wecurrently have five injuries, if you take thosethree out and the five injuries it takes us backdown to twenty/twenty one again.We are never running round with thirtyplayers. Last weekend we went up against the20s and only had one specialist centre whilejust after Christmas the only fit winger we hadavailable was Steve Maden. Everyone may beexpecting different players to be pushing theold players out if you like but like I said, SteveMaden was the only one available on thetraining pitch.Certainly get excited by the season, becausewe are, but calm down a bit if you are thinkingwe’ve suddenly got a lot more players.You can become a little bit insular when yousee what we’ve got in this town butsometimes we neglect to acknowledge thequality of what is outside in our competitors.As a team, players and coaching staff, I think

that we appreciate more than anyone thecompetition that we face and it’s going to beeven more difficult because they have allstrengthened again.Is this why you wanted the boys to befully prepared having arrangedfriendlies against Super Leagueopposition?No, not really. The best bit about getting SuperLeague opposition down for friendlies is thatyou get more money. I don’t think there is anyshame in saying that. It’s lucrative for the clubwhilst also giving our players that opportunity.From a coaching point of view it’s a massivechallenge because we are coming up againsttwo top six sides, one of which will be eitherthe best or second best in the world from2013.It is a huge challenge and both of those clubswould expect to dispose of us with their fullsquads pretty comfortably. It gives us a chanceto be put under a lot of pressure and see howwe cope with it, about how we stick togetherand handle those situations.What about playing and trainingconditions?We hope that it snows and freezes. Ourfacilities mean we don’t miss any time but itdisturbs the preparation of our oppositionteams throughout the Championship. TheCumbrian clubs last year were on to only theirfourth session and we’d done sixteen. Bringthe bad weather on - the more the merrier!You mentioned about other teamsimproving in the Championship, do youthink we are set to see another rise instandards?Yeah definitely. I think the Super Leagueplayers coming down to play in theChampionship are not coming down withnothing left in their legs. They still have lots tooffer. They either have a point to prove or theyare going for an opportunity because they areon their way up. The players are alsorecognising what the competition offers now.Featherstone and Sheffield will be the usualsuspects but Halifax are a team that catchesmy eye at the moment. They are a good outfit.And obviously you will get the chanceto look at them early on with anotherfriendly coming up against Halifax overat the Shay?Halifax did remarkably well against Castlefordand their best performance of the season lastyear was probably against us. We are fullyaware of what they have to offer; they havestrengthened considerably and it will beinteresting.

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COMMERCIALREPORTFROM ROB PARKER

Well it HAs certainly beena busy few months inthe close season foreveryone involved with ushere at Leigh Centurions. For me personally the thought of retiring was by farthe toughest decision of my career but now the dusthas settled I haven't had too much time to dwell onnot playing rugby, as I have been focusing all myattention into attracting some quality businesses tobe part of our bid for Super League.I would like to say a huge thank you to Nick Mussellat O2 Leigh for being our main shirt sponsor for2014 and I hope you will agree that the shirt looksamazing with their logo on. (definitely Super Leaguequality) O2 Leigh are joined by Lilleymans, JMSInteriors, Maxilead Metals, Bubbles and Dreams,Leigh Centurions Community Foundation andWestco, who are all new to the club, and Williamsand Co. Solicitors and Leigh Market TradersAssociation, who have both shown great loyalty to usover the years. I look forward to working with all ourshirt sponsors throughout the season.Another positive from the close season is how wellreceived the signature shirt was, and I know fromspeaking to a number of fans how pleased they areknowing that they have become part of history and

also to know that they are ''stepping onto the fieldwith the players,'' every game this season and thatthey are our ‘18th man’. Once again we are proud to be working with O'Neillsas our kit manufacturer. O'Neills are based at the LSVand it has been a privilege, along with Frank Taylor, tobe able to work with them so closely in designing ournew playing shirt, along with our extremely popularleisure range, which is sold at our retail store that islocated on Leigh Market, and successfully run byFrank, Christine and Gill.We are constantly trying to attract new businesses toLeigh Centurions, in the hope that we are able toprovide our fans with a number of discounts at oursponsors, so please keep checking our website andsocial media for all up to date offers and supportthese businesses, as they so valuably support us.If you would like to know more on how yourcompany could benefit from our business andhospitality packages then please contact me at theclub on rob.parker@leighrl.co.uk or on 01942487887Here's to a successful season both on and off thefield.

Regards,Rob ParkerCommercial Manager

One of Chris Taripo's hat trick for the Cook Islands.

The Cook Islands haka

The Tongans perform their haka - the Sipi Tau

The packed East and South stands at the LSV

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Alex Murphy and Ryan Brierley parade the World Cup

Try for Tonga's Konrad HurrellTonga's colourful prop Fuifui Moimoi in typical action

The players join together in a moving prayer at the end of the game.

THEWORLD CUP COMES TOLEIGH

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It’s Good To Be BackAt last, the replica shirts that Santabrought can be worn ‘in anger’ andthat time of eternal optimism is uponus – the start of a brand new rugbyleague season.This is the stage of the season, when all coaches, players, directors,sponsors and supporters are equally optimistic about what the seasonwill hold for their particular clubs. We’re all currently equal in theleague tables, and of course we are all going to win that Grand Final,in October, aren’t we?!Alright, these next few games are only ‘friendly’ matches, (and there’sa misnomer if ever I heard one – a ‘friendly’ RL game) but after aseemingly never-ending winter of no Rugby League – and they calledthe winter of strikes in 1978/9 ‘The Winter of Discontent! - at lastwe’ve got some action to watch! And there are good reasons for thefeeling of positivity, aren’t there?

The World CupAnyone us who witnessed the 2013 World Cup, could not failto have been impressed with what they saw. We had World class athletes knocking seven bells out of each other, inan exemplary sporting manner, before huge crowds. We had playersinter-acting with the public, before, during and after the games,setting a fantastic example to the youngsters whose lives theytouched. How many kids in the North of England primary schoolsdon’t now know how to perform a ‘haka’?

Even the England teamgave us cautious reasonfor optimism, reachingthe semi-finals, andcoming within secondsof earning a chance toget annihilated byAustralia, in the Final. Ofcourse, coach SteveMcNamara insists wewould have gone on to

win that final, as “the huge Old Trafford crowd would have beenworth several points to us.” Continuing in his positive vein,McNamara is now beating the drum for this season’s Four Nationscontest, stating somewhat bizarrely that “in many respects, winningthe Four Nations, with a limited preparation time, will be a BIGGERFEAT than winning the World Cup.”Indeed, McNamara is so confident about the future of our nationalteam, that he’s decided to clear off to Australia, to become one ofTHREE assistant coaches at the Roosters, and do his England job part-time. Whilst he is unsure exactly how he will fit in at the Roosters –“no doubt the role will evolve “ – he has managed to persuade theRFL that he can coach the England team from several thousand milesaway.Mind you, he should be able to spend his time in ‘Oz’ profitably, by

scouring the NRL for even more Australians, who are qualified to playfor us!

A New League FormatTowards the end of last season, there was much positive talkof the ‘new league structure’ that will be implemented inthe 2015 season. Surprise, surprise – it is still being talkedabout. What appeared to be aunanimous decision, onthe part of SooperDooper League, suddenlyturned out to be anythingbut unanimous, with sixof our top clubs wishingto review what they hadappeared to vote infavour of.Meetings were plannedto take place on the 14thand 24th of this month,(didn’t someone say this would be thrashed out ‘immediately’ afterthe RLWC?) to move the issue of structure forward. Of course, there’sno rush there – after all, the season is still a couple of weeks away,and why on earth would clubs need to know what they are playing forBEFORE they start?

The Northern Rail CupStill, even if we aren’t sure what we are playing for in theChampionship this season, at least we have the NorthernRail Cup – our moment of glory in 2013 – to play for, haven’twe? Oh, hang on a minute, that’s been scrapped, after Northern’ssponsorship expired! Suddenly, Championship One coaches, who wereunhappy about the lack of games last season, now have even moreblank weekends to contemplate – Oldham’s fixture list, for example,contains NINE blanks!

Premier SportsPremier Sports coverage, along with the BBC, of the RLWC,was first class. It was good to see the Sport get so much positive coverage, and Iguess Premier have earned the right to broadcast the Championshipleagues again this coming season, even though they will probably stillbe paying zilch for the privilege! At the time of writing this article,Premier still hadn’t announced the games they were going to televise,or even which night they would be televising them on! It must be a nightmare for Championship club commercial managers,trying to arrange sponsorship and entertainment, when they can’tactually tell their sponsors/diners when the games will take place. And, to finish on a positive note – as a non-Sky subscriber, at least Ican currently get Premier, on my Virgin Tivo box!

A VIEW FROM UNDERA FLAT CAP By ALAN EDGEViews expressed in this article are not necessarilythose of the Leigh Centurions club, or its Directors!

Steve McNamara, due to star in two roles -The Wizard of Oz and Stevie English.

A sight that is to become increasingly rare in2014 - Oldham in action at the Whitebankstadium.

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In our first issue of ‘TheCenturion’ last season, I reportedthe sad and untimely passing of oneof our club photographers, WayneKeegan.Just twelve months on, I find myself mourning the loss of ourother club photographer, Maurice Jones, who died on 30December 2013, after a brave battle with cancer. To lose one of the people who brought the pages of thismagazine to life, was a shock. To lose the other one, so soonafter, beggars belief. No doubt we will be able to call on theservices of another gifted photographer, but it will be a huge ask,to fill Maurice’s shoes.As you will see from the sub-heading to this tribute, there are anumber of letters following Maurice’s name. He was an ‘Associateof the Royal Photographic Society’ (ARPS) and a Master of thePhotographic Alliance of Great Britain (MPAGB) – that’s thehighest possible standard of amateur photography that can beattained in this country. He was a member of the ‘Wigan 10 FotoClub’, a group of highly talented amateur photographers, whohave won the FIAP (Fédération Internationale de l’ArtPhotographique) – a kind of photographic World Cup – threetimes now. I print below, one of Maurice’s contributions to lastyear’s winning effort. As you must know, one of Maurice’sspecialities was sports action photography, and we wereprivileged to be able to publish countless examples of his talent,in ‘The Centurion’. In addition to being a member of an awardwinning team, Maurice also gained numerous individualaccolades, but he wasn’t just a champion photographer, he was achampion person too.Maurice was an editor’s dream, just like Wayne. He was a totallyreliable person, who never let me down, whatever the request,and I have some fond memories of working with him, andsharing his mischievous sense of humour. At a club photo shoot, Maurice confided in me that it was easierworking with a class of infants, than our players. He wasparticularly grateful for digital cameras, as he had to contendwith all sorts of antics from the players, such as dropping theirshorts as he pressed the shutter! The lengths he went to, toachieve perfection, were legendary, including ‘air brushing’ out(sorry Maurice, I know that’s probably not the phrase these days)clocks and other intrusive objects, from the blank background hesought, inserting trainers onto the feet of players who hadforgotten to bring them, placing heads of absent players onto

someone else’s torso, (imagine say Rob Parker’s shining pate, onRyan Brierley’s body!) or delicately inserting eyes onto the face ofthe player who had repeatedly shut his, each time the shutterclicked!When heavy snow started to fall, before last year’s pre-seasongame with Swinton, Maurice phoned me, asking if the gamewould still be on. My advice to him was to stay at home, and nottake the risk of driving. Of course, Maurice didn’t want to letanybody down, turned up, took some brilliant photos, and thenspent several hours trying to get back home – eventually havingto abandon his car and wade through the Ladybridge snowdrifts!As I said, 100% dedicated and reliable, was Maurice.When he told me, before one of our later home matches lastseason, that he was suffering from terminal stomach cancer, Icouldn’t believe him – he seemed so well, and full of energy.Indeed, I watched him closely during that game, bounding alongthe touchline to get to where the action was going to take place.Watching him charging about like that, it was easy to understandwhy his colleagues nick-named him ‘Roadrunner’!A former editor of the New York Journal, Arthur Brisbane, iscredited with the phrase, “Every picture is worth a thousandwords.” If this is the case, then Maurice must have contributedthe equivalent of a million words to this magazine. Maurice, Ithank you for each and every one of them. I’ll miss you, and myheart goes out to your wife Vi, and daughters Laura and Gemma.

MAURICE JONES-A PERSONAL TRIBUTEBy Alan Edge

MAURICE JONES - ARPS MPAGB

Maurice Jones1945-2013

A contribution by Maurice to the winning Wigan 10 entry to theFIAP in 2013.

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LEIGHCENTURIONSSQUAD & SPONSORS - 2014

2 Steve MadenJMS Interiors

3 Stuart LittlerMarstrutt

4 Tom ArmstrongJunior Centurions

5 Alex BrownCorlett Electrical

6 Martin RidyardIntegrated ControlSolutions LTD

7 Ryan BrierleyO’Neills

8 Tom SpencerLISA

9 Bob BeswickAsk Platt Office Supplies

10 Oliver WilkesProf. Barry Dale

11 Matthew SarsfieldPam Ties

12 Tommy GouldenCDA Business Services

13 Sam BarlowThe Shield Group

14 Sean PenkywiczHFL

15 Liam KayAB Sundecks

16 Martin AspinwallC&S Tyres UK

17 Matt GardnerLiniar

1 Gregg McNallyMarstrut

18 Jamie ActonCS Civils and Groundworks

19 Mick GovinAB Sundecks

20 Andy Thornley 21 Simon FinniganJames QS

22 Adam HigsonImpact Insurance

23 Johnathan PownallGrada UK

24 Craig Briscoe 25 Michael OstickLinair

26 Ryan Duffy 27 Anthony BateTaylor Drilling

28 Joe BullockProf. Barry Dale

29 Jake Emmitt

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SALFORD RED DEVILSSQUAD - 2014

HEAD COACH - BRIAN NOBLE

No NAME No NAME

Referee: Mr. W. TURLEY

Touch Judges: Mr. T. HUDSON & MR. B. ROBINSON

Francis MeliADRIAN MORLEYRANGI CHASE

1 Jake Mullaney

2 Danny Williams

3 Martin Gleeson

4 Junior Sa’u

5 Francis Meli

6 Rangi Chase

7 Tim Smith

8 Adrian Morley (Captain)

9 Tommy Lee

10 Lama Tasi

11 Tony Puletua

12 Gareth Hock

13 Steve Rapira

14 Theo Fages

15 Darrell Griffin

16 Andrew Dixon

17 Shannan McPherson

18 HARRISON HANSEN

19 Matty Ashurst

20 Adam Walne

21 Jordan Walne

22 Jason Walton

23 Greg Johnson

24 Stuart Howarth

25 Jordan Davies

26 Niall Evalds

27 Gareth Owen

28 Jon Ford

29 Will Hope

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IN TOWN TODAYSALFORD RED DEVILS By ALAN EDGEIt’s difficult to know where tostart on this one! Just twelvemonths ago, the future for thethen Salford City Reds wasdistinctly uncertain, as financialproblems piled up on the club. The move to a new stadium hadn’t proved the hoped-forsalvation of the problems, and the very future of the club, letalone its Super league status, was beginning to look bleak.Indeed, the uncertainty forced the cancellation of this pre-seasonfixture, at Christmas 2012.Then along came Dr. Marwan Koukash, whose financial input andexpertise has transformed the ailing club, into the vibrantorganisation we see today. With shrewd new coach Brian Noblenow at the helm, many of last season’s squad members (the latestbeing Jake Emmitt, who has signed for Leigh) have departed, to bereplaced by fourteen high quality signings. If the Salford Red Devils,as they are now known, can gel quickly, they could well become aforce to be reckoned with in Super League XIX.

The New Red Devils – 2014The departures from the AJ Bell Stadium (something elsethat’s new about the club) are too numerous to expandon, so I will concentrate on the newcomers, for thisfeature. Nine of the fourteen newcomers were born in theSouthern Hemisphere, but it’s probably fitting to startwith three ‘local’ boys, who are returning to the city.Adrian Morley – The 36 year-old prop is returning to his roots,having been born in the city and raised within a stone’s throw ofthe Willows. The former Eccles amateur has done it all, at thehighest level in our Sport. His 260 games in Super League, (31tries) with Leeds, Bradford and latterly Warrington, aresupplemented by 113 games in the NRL, with the SydneyRoosters. (7 tries) Thirty Great Britain caps, and seventeen withEngland, over a span of sixteen years, reflect how highly Morley israted, in British Rugby League.Speaking of his move from Warrington, Morley states, “It is reallyimportant for me to be back in Salford, as I have massiveemotional ties to the area.” Captain Morley will undoubtedly leadfrom the front, for his new club, just as he has done throughouthis distinguished career.Harrison Hansen – Whilst his move away from Wigan came asa major surprise, there was an inevitability that second rowHansen would turn up at the AJ Bell Stadium. His father Shaneplayed for the club in the 80’s. Although born in Auckland,Hansen’s first amateur club was Folly Lane. From there heprogressed through Wigan’s academy ranks and made his firstteam debut for the Warriors in 2004. Having amassed an

astonishing 238 appearances for Wigan, the 28 year-old felt thathe had “achieved everything he could there” and that the moveto Salford “is a great new challenge.”Hansen played once for his native New Zealand, before switchingallegiance to Samoa, who has now represented six times. He hasscored 43 tries and two for Samoa.Jason Walton - A former Hunslet Parkside and Leedsscholarship player, Walton made five appearances for Salford,before opting to drop down to the Championship to gainexperience, with Batley Bulldogs, where he gained a reputation asa good ‘edge’ player, with an aggressive defence. However, thecentre always dreamt of a return to his first professional club andhe readily accepted Brian Noble’s offer of a contract. Noble hadbeen monitoring Walton’s progress, whilst commentating onChampionship games, for Premier Sports.There are some famous names amongst Salford’soverseas’ signings for 2014.Francis Meli – Ex-Saint, Meli is another player with vastexperience at the top level of the Game, as testified by his 110appearances for Auckland Warriors (60 tries) and 223 games forSt Helens. (145 tries) 34 year-old wingman Meli has been veryloyal to both his senior clubs, having notched up eight years ateach one. Meli initially represented his native Samoa, beforeswitching allegiance to New Zealand, and then back to Samoa.He has eight international tries to his credit, from 21 games. Tony Puletua – Second row Puletua is another player to departSt Helens for Salford. The same age as Meli, (34) Puletua has alsospread his long career over two clubs – his home club AucklandWarriors, for whom he played 211 games, in ten years, scoring 40tries, and St Helens, where his 40 tries came in just five years and137 games. He has 28 international caps in his cabinet – 21 withNew Zealand, and seven with Samoa, the most recent being inthe 2013 World Cup.Junior Sa’u – The former Newcastle Knights and MelbourneStorm centre is expected to make a big impact in Super League,having built up a reputation as a hard hitting centre in the NRL,where he amassed 27 tries in 90 appearances. The 26 year-oldAucklander represented New Zealand eight times (7 tries) beforeswitching to Samoa, for the recent World Cup. Coach Noble says,“Junior is box office. He is an explosive talent.”Tim Smith – Queenslander Smith (29) arrived in the NRL with abang, at Parramatta, where his forty ‘try-assists’ in his first season,had critics hailing him as the ‘next Peter Sterling’ or ‘AndrewJohns’! After making over 70 appearances for the Eels, Smith’scareer took a wrong turn, and suspension by his club, led to himmaking a fresh start at Wigan in 2008. The following season, thelure of playing ‘footy’ by the sea, at Cronulla, saw Smith return toAustralia. However, it wasn’t long before the scrum half was back

in the UK, where he has enjoyed probably the best rugby of hiscareer, guiding the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats team.Smith is recognised as possessing great vision, both tactical, andtechnical. These qualities, allied to high skill, a deceptive runningstyle, and an outstanding kicking game, are what attracted BrianNoble to sign him as the player to make things happen for theRed Devils.Rangi Chase – Smith’s half back partner will probably be NewZealand-born Rangi Chase. The 27 year-old’s first senior club wasWests Tigers, for whom he played one game (scoring one try)before spending two seasons at St George Illawarra. (31appearances, 7 tries) Chase signed for Castleford in 2009,spending four years as a stand-out performer, in a strugglingside, for whom he appeared 129 times, scoring 47 tries and 3drop goals. Chase’s four year stint at Castleford was not without controversy,involving suspensions by both the RFL and his club, and leadingto an inevitable parting of the ways, with Salford being thebeneficiary of his amazing array of skills. Whilst at Castleford,Chase announced his desire to be considered for selection byEngland, citing English roots, in his family tree! He has worn thewhite shirt of his adopted country eight times, scoring one try.Jake Mullaney – Full back Mullaney, (23) has just completedhis first season in the NRL, with Parramatta, where he made 18appearances. (5 tries, 6 goals) Despite being awarded theaccolade of “the best full back to come out of Western Suburbs,since Brett Hodgson,” he wasn’t offered a new contract by theEels. Mullaney was a record points scorer with Wests Tigers under20’s in 2009.Lama Tasi – During thirty appearances with the SydneyRoosters, 23 year-old second row Tasi earned the nickname of the‘Bondi Bruiser’, as a result of his huge hits and strong runningstyle. He made just seven appearances for the Brisbane Broncos,before joining Salford.

Steve Rapira – second row Rapira, (25) made 40 NRLappearances for North Queensland Cowboys, and New ZealandWarriors, in four seasons.Completing Salford’s roster of new players, are fourEnglishmen:-Gareth Hock – Now 30, Hock made 191 appearances for hisfirst club, Wigan, scoring 48 tries, before spending a season onloan at Widnes, touching down ten more times, as well asnotching a rare goal. A graduate of the Wigan scholarship andacademy systems, Hock overcame a couple of nasty leg injuries togain international recognition, by Great Britain and England.Things started to go wrong in 2009, when the second row washanded a ban, after testing positive for cocaine. Wigan stood byhim during the ban, and Hock swiftly resumed his career, despitethe two year absence. However, his relationship with Wigan thensoured, and he was sent out on loan to Widnes, last season.Hock will assure Salford fans that no team will be bossing theirpack easily - “I have always played tough and that’s not going tochange.”Tommy Lee – The Hull-born hooker has picked up considerableSuper League experience, despite only being 25. He spent fiveyears with Hull (78 appearances) before doing one year stints atCrusaders, (12 games) Wakefield, (27) Huddersfield, (18) andLondon Broncos. (24) He was coached at Crusaders by BrianNoble, who obviously appreciates his experience and influence onhis team mates.Greg Johnson –Johnson’s first love was football, but he signedfor Huddersfield Giants, following a trial. He then moved toWakefield, making 13 appearances in John Kear’s side. Kear wasquick to take Johnson to Batley, when the chance arose, and itwas there that the flying winger was spotted by Premiercommentator Noble!

Jake Mullaney in action for the Eels Junior Sa'u in action for the Knights

Tony Puletua in action for Saints Latest recruit Harrison Hansen

Iwas saddened to hear about Billy’spassing a few days ago and I knowhe has been unwell for some time.Influences come in many different forms, as do opportunities andI am proud to have Billy Lea on both of those lists.Not only did he have the Hilton Park pitch looking and playingthe best of any rugby league surfaces, he was also aLifeline/Super Leigh lottery agent for the club. What he didn’tknow about tending fields, growth patterns, rotovators, groundtemperatures and drainage was simply not worth knowing. I always found Billy to be a warm man and a generous character.For several years he came round to my dad’s house, collectinglottery payment and was always willing to stop and have a chatabout the fortunes of the team.I liked Billy’s straightforward and honest views, which sometimesput him at odds with people, but I would sooner someone be likethat than not. I knew that he did not suffer fools and hisapproach could be deemed by some to be non-diplomatic but, ifyou wanted honest opinion or to really hear what was going onat the club, then Billy was certainly your man. He did a lot ofgood work to promote the club.During the 1980s he pioneered the recording of games for theclub using a video camera, filming initially from the scoreboard,

leading the way before other firms and people came along.Like a lot of people who served the club in their time, Billy did notget the accolades or respect he deserved. He will not feature inHalls of Fame, he did not play 300 games for the club or kick twohundred goals, but he was no less important to the club in myeyes. He worked hard at Hilton Park and I found it touchingreading the tributes to him over on the Leythers Messageboard.His true nature often came to the fore at times of personal griefto families, in organising for ashes to be buried on the hallowedturf. Indeed this is something he arranged for my own Grandad in2002Billy also set up an opportunity for me, a meeting at the clubwhich led to me starting the first official website in 1999. He alsointroduced me to Ian Millward. Without those breaks it is doubtful that I would ever have writtena word about rugby league for anyone other than myself to read.In this respect I owe Billy everything and will always be gratefuland very proud to have been able to call him a friend.It is said that people come and go and the club traditions remain.While I agree with this, to me people like Billy are the club. He is,and will continue to be, fondly remembered - certainly by me andmy family.

IN MEMORIAMBILLY LEATWO PERSONAL TRIBUTESDAVE PARKINSON

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LEIGH CENTURIONSCOMMUNITYFOUNDATION By TREVOR BARTONDear All,Community Foundation RationaleLeigh Centurions Community Foundation is intent in inspiring our wholecommunity by providing our young people with pathways to participate inpositive activity. We will work, through a range of partners, to providevarious diverse activities by creating sporting and physical programmes toengage with our young people and help them become a strong andvibrant part of our community. We will create an environment which willsupport learning and hopefully contribute to the improvement of self-confidence and employability. We will achieve this through sportsleadership programmes, volunteering opportunities and by creating amodern and welcoming learning environment.

The Community Foundation TrusteesTrevor Barton MBE – ChairMiranda BarkerWalter Brown Colin GreenhalghSuzanne GrimshawMike TyeJohn Duffy – Community Foundation ManagerSo, here’s to the start of hopefully a very exciting season at the Club. TheFoundation stands firmly in support of the team and the Club and we arehoping to play our part in growing the number of people watching thegreatest game in the world and supporting the best Club in the bestfacilities in rugby league.

It has been a busy time, during the closed season, for the Foundation. Ourapprentices continue to develop and have achieved various sporting andeducational qualifications. Through Stuart Littler, the Apprentice Co-ordinator, we are in more schools than ever before. The schools seem tolike the content and our approach and they are beginning to understand

how the pathway between sport and education and a respect agenda guidesyoung people and their families in becoming as good as they can be.

We are also indebted to several local companies who have ourapprentices one day a week so that they can get a real feel as to theworld of work.

The Under-18s team at Wigan and Leigh College, which includes ourapprentices, is having a fantastic season and has won seven games out ofeight. Within the next two years we would hope that, with the strongerlinks between local companies, schools and the College, we should beable to provide our young people with a future that matches any providedby the official academies of Super League Clubs.

In November just gone, we lost one of ourrugby league supporters, Trevor Southworth,who besides being a rugby fan of bothcodes, was also a keen bowler. To mark hispassing in some tangible form, his widowNorma and her wider family decided todonate £300 to the Foundation in memoryof ‘Big T’ as he was affectionately known.We are to hold an inter-schools competitionon 12th February at Leigh Sports Village andthe competition will be named in Big T’shonour with Norma presenting the prizes to the participating schools.This is the first legacy that the Foundation has received and I think it isa great example of how we interact with our wider community.

Regards,Trevor.

LET’S MAKE LEIGH DEMENTIA-FRIENDLYYou will have noticed as you entered the ground today, thatleaflets were being handed out entitled ‘Let’s make LeighDementia Friendly’. This is an excellent initiative promotedby our Local Authority and I am sure that all of us have beenaffected by this pernicious disease and we now have achance to do something about it.Leigh residents are now invited to decide on funding issues related todementia care. This follows the success of initiatives elsewhere in theBorough and we are urged to get involved this month.

Although we have missed the first meeting held on 17th January, thereis a further opportunity on Wednesday, 29th January, between 12.00noon and 2.00 p.m. at Leigh Miners. We will be reflecting on what waslearned from the first session and will be making a decision that couldmake a difference in Leigh. The public will then vote at the final eventon Thursday 27th February where the organisations will pitch theirservice to the audience. The main ‘Dragons’ Den’ event will take placebetween 2pm and 4pm. For anyone unable to attend, an opportunityto ‘speed vote’ will be available as the people pitching for the moneywill be on their promotional stands for to talk about their servicebetween 12pm and 2pm.

Councillor Keith Cunliffe, portfolio holder for health and adult socialcare, said: “We have already seen communities embrace the dementia

friendly projects in Hindley and Scholes, getting actively involved anddriving what happens. Now we’re extending this to an area with alarger population and want to listen to what people think wouldimprove Leigh. How can we improve the lives of people with dementiaand their carers in Leigh by doing things differently? I would urgeeveryone with any experience of dementia to join the conversationover a free lunch and let us know what you think will make adifference. Everyone can help shape ‘dementia-friendly Leigh’ andinfluence how this money is used.

People who can help to deliver a service – whether individuals,businesses, charities, or any other organisation – are encouraged toapply for the funding to help them increase or develop what they canoffer. Support may be available for anyone looking to start up a newservice if they have a worthwhile idea they are looking to get off theground, so come along to the sessions and hear what people say theyneed, and let us know if you can deliver it.”

The event is free to attend but people are asked to let theteam know if they plan on going along, so they order enoughlobby! Call 01942 404260 or email R.Killen@wigan.gov.uk toreserve your free place or find out more. The venue for all the events is Leigh Miners, Twist Lane,Leigh, WN7 4EF.

It was with a heavy heart that Iheard that former Hilton Parkgroundsman Billy Lea had passedaway on 9th January, after his bravebattle against cancer. Billy might not have had the letters after his name, that latephotographer Maurice Jones had, but he was just as much theprofessional, in his field.In fact, I would suggest that what Billy achieved, on limitedfunds, was nigh on miraculous, at times. What he didn’t knowabout pitch maintenance wasn’t worth knowing. He was able tocoax the Hilton Park pitch back to life, no matter what conditionsthe players had churned it into! The one bane of his life was thatsquare of turf on the centre of the half way line – it just wouldn’tgrow, despite his best efforts!I remember having to act as translator for Ian Millward, whenBilly was moaning about the number of games being played atHilton Park, (by the Centurions, the Academy, Leigh RMI etc) “If

we play any moor games on theer, will be down to’t Parsonage!”Whilst Ian had actually understood the words, being anAntipodean, he hadn’t a clue what the ‘Parsonage’ was.Billy was one of life’s gentlemen, who always greeted me as“young man” (a term guaranteed to endear him to me!) and Inever tired of listening to his tales, or passing the time of daywith him. He would never pass you by, and always had the timefor a smile and a chat. He was a truly lovely bloke. Many’s thenatter we would have, when I worked at Hilton Park –conversations that continued after his retirement, when my wifeand I would regularly bump into Billy and Hilda, when we wereall on the ‘grandparent run’.I first suspected all was not well with Billy, when I found out thathe’d had an artificial lawn laid at home – after all the advice he’ddoled out to me about the upkeep of my lawn! I’ll really miss our chats Billy, and your cheerful greetings. Rest inpeace, and my thoughts are with Hilda, and your family.

ALAN EDGE

Martin Aspinwall feels the crunch

Martyn Ridyard halts BenBlack's progress

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Jason Walton blocks Simon Finnigan'sprogress

Adam Higson is confrontedby three Batley defenders

Keegan Hirst offerscommiseration to Stuart Littler

Martyn Ridyard attempts toopen up the Bulldogs defence

BATLEYPLAY-OFF ACTION

Jon Pownall scores in the corner to level the game

Sadly, our popular clubphotographer MauriceJones passed away in December.The last action photosMaurice took for theCenturions, were of the play-off game against Batley, at theend of last season.

We never got the chance to reproduce Maurice’s actionshots, as the game turned out to be our last of theseason. As a tribute to Maurice, we now publish thosephotos, which vividly capture the team’s frustration atbeing unable to break down our opponents, who wenton to compete in the Grand Final.

Tom Spencer is stopped byGeorge Flanagan

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LOVE RUGBYLEAGUE

The Rugby League World Cup was aresounding success, far surpassingour expectations of what thetournament could deliver. There were the highly creditable performances from lower-rankedteams such as Italy, the USA and Scotland; there were big crowds forthe opening ceremony (45,053), semi finals (67,545) and final(74,469) as well as respectable attendances elsewhere; and therewere a decent number of competitive games versus the relative lackof one-sided encounters.

Such are the positive feelings stirred up by the World Cup that in aLeague Express survey just over half of fans polled said they feel moreconfident about the future of rugby league than they did this time lastyear.

That said, not everything about the World Cup was fantastic. The fourquarter finals were of inferior quality, as was Australia’s 64-0 semi-

final hammering of Fiji(although this will alwaysbe the case while threesides are so superior to theother nations). The fact thatonly seven games wereshown live on the BBCwhile the rest werescreened on Premier Sportswas disappointing – butcome 2017 the organiserscan point to competitivegames the BBC missed outon as an argument forgreater live coverage.

What about Englandthough? Was their World Cup a success? On the one hand it wasvisibly an improvement on the 2008 effort, which included a 52-4hammering by Australia and a serious scare from Papua New Guinea.On the other, England were still knocked out by New Zealand in thesemi final – and although this was possibly the highest-quality matchof the tournament, failing to reach the final was desperatelydisappointing.

One of the main stories over the off-season was the eventual move ofEngland coach Steve McNamara to become an assistant coach atSydney Roosters. The discussions around McNamara’s future –whether he would move to the Roosters or to Bath rugby union, andthen whether he would stay on as England coach – revealed howbafflingly hated our national coach is in a way that I can’t rememberbeing the case for his immediate predecessors.

I certainly don’t agree with all of McNamara’s decisions: I would

never have pickedGareth Hock given thepotential, realisedbefore the tournamenteven began, for him tocause trouble on or ofthe pitch; I would haveincluded in the squadEorl Crabtree, given hisform for Huddersfield in

2013 and in an Englandshirt on previous occasions. Nor do I think it practical to coach in theNRL and coach the England team part-time.

Yet I can’t understand why McNamara is so despised. His record onthe pitch isn’t too dissimilar to those who did the job previously: hefinished third in the 2010 Four Nations in Australia and reached thefinal of the 2011 Four Nations in England and Wales, a similar recordto Brian Noble’s Tri-Nations record as Great Britain boss; he tookEngland to the World Cup semi finals, on paper matching Tony Smith’srecord, but with performances far more respectable than Smith’s side.

Off the pitch McNamara has made sweeping improvements, withmore training camps during the season, better communication withplayers and the introduction of the “two-team” mentality – playersbeing taught to think of themselves as club players and Englandplayers equally. This is in contrast to when Phil Clarke resigned asteam manager in 2006 citing "lack of leadership and direction", orwhen the 2008 World Cup squad behaved not as a unit but as threeseparate groups: Leeds players, St Helens players, and the rest.

It may not be practical for McNamara to continue as a part-timeEngland coach, but that’s the situation we have for the moment.Overall though he’s done a good job and hopefully working in theNRL under Trent Robinson can improve him that bit further, enough tolead England to a Four Nations final in Australia in 2014.

tony@loverugbyleague.comTwitter: @Tony_Williams88

Editor: - Tony Williams is a leading journalist on the excellent ‘Love Rugby League’ website.

Eorl Crabtree - a glaring omission fromthe England squad

Tony Williams

By TONYWILLIAMS

Gareth Hock - a risky selection for England

www.leighlife.com THE CENTURION 29

THE MASCOT FORTHE SALFORDGAMEThe mascot for the game againstSalford is Lewis Hill. Lewis iseleven years old and attendsHindley High School. His favouriteplayer is Ryan Brierley.Have a great day, Lewis!

www.leighcenturions.comTHE CENTURION30 www.leighlife.com THE CENTURION 31

LISA NEWS From LYNDA PIKE

And Still On A ‘Positive’NoteThere has been a lot of positivity surrounding theCenturions, this close season. The new BOD is to becongratulated on the plethora of positiveannouncements that have maintained supporters’interest at a time when rugby league is generally in astate of hibernation.Announcements of a range of top quality player signings havebeen cleverly spaced to excite supporters but one in particularcaught my imagination. Having just got home ‘buzzing’ afterwitnessing the splendid Tonga v Cook Islands World Cup clash, ina packed stadium, I was wondering how on earth we could topthat. Then I saw the headline:-“Elton John to appear at LSV!”We’d already signed Ollie Wilkes, Jamie Acton, Sam Barlow et al,but I had no idea we were in for Elton! Alright, the guy admittedlyisn’t at the beginning of his playing career, but he can’t fail tocome good, what with coming from a legendary Australian RLfamily, and having Matthew and Andrew as his brothers.

Apparently, he’s a ‘Sir’ too, so hemust have been outstandingback in the NRL.Reading his blog’ on Wikipedia,he does have his idiosyncrasies.They say he likes to sing a bit,but that’s ok – he and BobBeswick should go down a bombwith a post-match duet, in thedressing room! Apparently healso likes the dressing room to be

stuffed full with white flowers. I’m not sure how that will godown with the aforementioned Messrs Wilkes, Acton and Barlow,but I guess they’re all modern men, and I’m sure they’llaccommodate the new guy’s wishes!

On A Less Positive NoteWhilst the owners of Sooper Dooper league clubs, suchas Bradford, Wakefield and London, and our neighboursSwinton, are all making positive noises, the future ofthese clubs looks anything but rosy. It’s only twelve months since Bradford announced that they had anew owner, Omar Khan, who was in it for ‘the long haul’ and thefuture looked, well, bullish! Now Mr Khan has walked away, andit appears that the Bulls have racked up another mountain ofdebt. I hate to say ‘I told you so’ in a situation like this, but theimmediate source of their financial woes – a large, well paidsquad, remained in situ, along with the cost implications, after the

last crisis.Meanwhile, the Broncos lurch from one crisis to another. This timethey are pinning their hopes on yet another move, this time to thenew home of Barnet FC – The Hive. Here’s hoping they don’t getstung by this move, although with a stadium capacity of just5,176 – which is admittedly probably sufficient to meet theirdemands – it’s difficult to see how they are going to prosper!For the record, this isthe London club’sELEVENTH move ofhome, since they set upat Craven Cottage in1980. The other homeshave been CrystalPalace National SportsCentre, (1984/5)Chiswick PolytechnicSports Ground,(1985/90) Crystal Place National Sports Centre – again, (1990/3)Barnet Copthall, (1993/5) The Stoop, (1995/6) The Valley, (1996/7)The Stoop – again, (1997/9) The Valley – again, (1999/2001)Griffin Park, (2002/6) The Stoop – yet again. (2007/13)Imagine being a Broncos’ fan! We only have to plot a route toChampionship away grounds every other week, but they havealmost the same problem with their home games!

Dual StandardsWarrington coach Tony Smith has been expressingconcern at the somewhat radical proposals for change inour league structures. More specifically, he bemoans thelack of provision for fostering young talent in our Sport.He argues that, once the Sooper Dooper League clubsvoted to scrap their under 23 sides, there was nowherefor his (and other clubs’) youngsters to develop. I’m with him all the way up to that point. He sees the dualregistration system as being the replacement vehicle, for thedevelopment of SL club youngsters. He doesn’t explain why hethen chose Warrington’s DR relationship with Swinton to providegame time for the likes of Adrian Morley, Lee Briers, Paul Wood,Chris Bridge, and Ben Harrison – hardly the crop of his young,developing talent!

And Finally..I see that Championship One side, The University ofGloucestershire All Golds, have just revealed theirplaying kits for the 2014 season. The home kit will be light and dark blue, and the alternative kitwill be all black. Maybe they could make a start on reducing theirrather lengthy name, by removing ‘All Golds’?

VIEW FROM UNDERA FLAT CAP By ALAN EDGEViews expressed in this article are not necessarilythose of the Leigh Centurions club, or its Directors!

Sir Elton in his younger daystraining with his Aussie team mates

The Hive - new home of Barnet FC - andhopefully twelfth time lucky for London Broncos

ANOTHER

Coach TravelLISA will be running a coach to the pre-season game atHalifax on 9th February 2014. The coach will leave theLSV at 12:15 p.m. St Mary’s Way at 12:20 p.m. andAtherton at 12:30 p.m. It will cost £7.00 for LISAmembers and £9.00 for non- members.Tickets will be available this week from the retail outlet inLeigh Market Hall.

LISA Sponsored PlayerLISA are delighted to announcethat they will be sponsoring theever-popular Tom Spencer thisseason. Thanks to all LISAmembers, whose contributionshave made this possible.

DATE KICK-OFF OPPONENTS VENUE

26/02/2014 7-30pm Featherstone Rovers H

08/03/2014 2-30pm Oldham A

19/03/2014 7-30pm Keighley Cougars H

27/03/2014 7-30pm Halifax A

12/04/2014 2-30pm North East Academy H

26/04/2014 2-30pm Cumbria Academy A

03/05/2014 2-30pm Midland Academy A

07/05/2014 7-30pm Featherstone Rovers H

24/05/2014 2-00pm Sheffield Eagles A

28/05/2014 7-30pm Keighley Cougars H

12/06/2014 7-30pm Halifax A

DATE KICK-OFF OPPONENTS VENUE

21/06/2014 2-30pm Cumbria Acadamy H

28/06/2014 2-30pm Midlands Academy H

05/07/2014 2-30pm North East Academy A

12/07/2014 2-30pm Featherstone Rovers A

16/07/2014 7-30pm Sheffield Eagles H

24/07/2014 7-30pm Keighley Cougars A

30/07/2014 7-30pm Oldham H

06/08/2014 7-30pm Halifax H

16/08/2014 2-00pm Sheffield Eagles A

UNDER 20sFIXTURES - 2014There are only six Championship clubs running anUnder 20’s team this season – Leigh, Featherstone,Sheffield, Halifax, Keighley and Oldham. The fixtureshave been boosted by the addition of three regionalacademies – Cumbria, the Midlands and the NorthEast. The academies have been developed in regionswhere there are no Super League or professionalclubs with the capacity to develop a player pathway.

Given the shortage of Under 20’s teams, the RFL fixtureplanners have once again been innovative in compiling atwenty game fixture list. Each regional academy team will beplayed twice, as will Oldham. The remaining teams will beplayed three times. Hopefully, league placings will be decidedon the results of all twenty games, this time! Venues will be announced at a future date.

www.leighlife.com THE CENTURION 33www.leighcenturions.comTHE CENTURION32

Junior Centurionswith SHARON DILLON

www.leighcenturions.co.uk for more infoJoin us for free today and don’t miss out!

We would like to thank our official sponsors for the Junior Centurions, ASK Platt, Atico Hair Studio, Matrix Tax and C & S Tyres UK Ltd.

Happy New Year to all our Junior Centurions and their families!Leigh Junior Centurions are proud to announce for the 2014 season we will beofficial shirt sponsor for Tom Armstrong.We are currently putting together Junior Member Packs for the new season andthey will be ready for collection at the reception desk, at our match v Batley on16th Feb 2014.

Happy Birthday to all our members who havehad a birthday since last season:-

Happy Decemberbirthday to ThomasEdge, pictured with hishero Ryan Brierley

Tom Armstrong -sponsored by the JuniorCenturions.

OCTOBER 2013 DECEMBER 2013Joshua Heyes was ten on 01/10/2013 Ethan Boylan was six on 01/12/2013Tyler Finnigan was four on 02/10/2013 Matthew Snell was ten on 01/12/2013Matthew Travers was eight on 09/10/2013 Jessica Solan-Smith was twelve on 05/12/2013Declan Chilton was seven on 11/10/2013 Martin Green was eleven on 08/12/2013Benjamin Robinson was eight on 12/10/2013 Joshua Collins was ten on 08/12/2013Jordan Wildman was five on 15/10/2013 Jacob Cottrell was ten on 09/12/2013 Maya Buxton was five on 16/10/2013 Joe Gallagher was nine on 12/12/2013Katie Williams was ten on 16/10/2013 Cheryl McHugh was six on 14/12/2013Georgia Blinkhorn was eleven on 21/10/2013 Harry Hesketh was nine on 16/12/2013Olivia Rangeley was seven on 22/10/2013 Kyle Hession was four on 21/12/2013Olivia Sweeney was six on 23/10/2013 Jacob Smith was ten on 24/12/2013Olivia Barlow was thirteen on 23/10/2013 Crystal Chilton was eleven on 26/12/2013Jack Farrimond was eight on 26/10/2013 Jacob Farrimond was ten on 26/12/2013Luke Boardman was eight on 30/10/2013 Natalya Brown was ten on 28/12/2013

Thomas Edge was nine on 29/12/2013 Ben Ridge was ten on 27/12/2013

NOVEMBER 2013 JANUARY 2014Robyn Rangeley was eight on 05/11/2013 Kian Robb was seven on 01/01/2014Jonas Eddleston was six on 06/11/2013 Caden Stephens was seven on 01/01/2014Ben Monkmoon was seven on 07/11/2013 Jacob Whitworth was twelve on 02/01/2014Mervin Smith was ten on 08/11/2013 Callum Forshaw was nine on 05/01/2014James Medling was twelve on 09/11/2013 Tegan May was four on 07/01/2014Billy-Joe Ogden was eight on 10/11/2013 Cora Ogden was seven on 09/01/2014Molly Barrett was ten on 11/11/2013 Caleb Morgan was ten on 13/01/2014 Joshua Clarke was eleven on 11/11/2013 Maiya Stringer was thirteen on 14/01/2014Brandon Niazmand was eight on 15/11/2013 Adam Carter-Bailey was twelve on 15/01/2014Joseph Sweeney was ten on 16/11/2013 Lily Jones was nine on 17/01/2014Leah Clegg was three on 16/11/2013 Isabelle Lewis was eight on 17/01/2014Savannah Travis was nine on 19/11/2013 Elise Stephens will be ten on 21/01/2014John Jackson was seven on 20/11/2013 Billy Southworth will be nine on 24/01/2014Jessica Carter-Bailey was nine on 20/11/2013 Evelyn Hindley will be five on 29/01/14Ben Cooke was eight on 23/11/2013 Adam Blumsum will be nine on 27/01/2014Tilly Birt was nine on 24/11/2013 Sean Green will be ten on 31/01/2014Poppy Mort was eight on 28/11/2013

The Superleigh Lottery's Annual JackpotDraw will take place on Friday 31stJanuary. This draw will include an extraspecial prize of £2,600 which will be upfor grabs in addition to the regular topprize of £1,000.If you are already a member of the SuperleighLottery and continue to pay your subscriptionsuntil that date then you are already eligible towin this fantastic prize. If you are not currently amember, then time is of the essence! As anadded incentive, if you join before 31st January,you will also have a chance of winning matchday hospitality for two people at a 2014 LeighCenturions Kingstone Press Championshipfixture.

Superleigh Lottery Manager ChristineBrown commented;"If you're not a member of the lottery, now isdefinitely the time join as the Jackpot prize isonly drawn once a year. You can join from aslittle as £1 per week, and of course you will behelping raise money for Leigh Centurions in afun way, whilst getting the chance to win up to£1,000 every week."You can join the Superleigh Lottery bytelephoning 01942 487892 or by e-mailinglottery@leighrl.co.uk. Representatives of theSuperleigh Lottery will be on hand in theLegends Bar at the Leigh Vs Wigan game on19th January, and will be able to provideinformation and sign up new members.You've got to be in it to win it!

LOTTERY NEWS

Superleigh LotteryCompany Members• CORLETT ELECTRICAL• JR TAXIS• JR MINI BUSES• JR AIRPORT EXPRESS• MMI ENGINEERING• TAYLOR DRILLING SERVICES• DK MOTOR ACCESSORIES• MUNCHIES• HATTONS SOLICITORS• ROYAL OAK• LANCASTRIAN LEISURE• ASK PLATT OFFICE SUPPLIES• THE CENTURION PUB• INTEGRATED CONTROL SOLUTIONS• PENNINE UTILITIES• DARREN LEWIS PLUMBING• RED LION ATHERTON• S & J AUTOS• THE ALE HOUSE

AGENTS WANTEDWe are looking for Lottery Agents in theLeigh, Atherton and Lowton Areas.

We have ready made rounds available. GoodCommision paid.

Agents who bring in over £30.00 per weekreceive a free season ticket.

RUGBYCARDSWe now have rugby cards available togenerate extra revenue for the club.Can you sell a rugby card to family andfriends.

The cards are made up of 50 squares at50p a go. The prize is 1 Adult Match Ticketto a game of the winner’s choice. If youcan help contact the ticket office on 01942487892.

www.leighcenturions.comTHE CENTURION www.leighlife.com THE CENTURION 3534

As a result of our untimely defeat at the hands of Batley, in theplay-offs, we were unable to bring you a final ‘Facts ‘N Stats’ tablefor 2013 season – so here it is. Watch out for a new ‘Facts ‘N Stats’when the 2014 season proper gets underway.

Congratulations to Jonny Pownall who clocked up his 50th appearance forthe club that day, to Martyn Ridyard on another 280 points for the season,and to Ryan Brierley, who once again finished top try scorer, with 25.

Date Opposition CompFebruarySun 16th BATLEY BULLDOGS CHAMPSun 23rd Barrow Raiders CHAMPMarchSun 2nd WHITEHAVEN CHAMPSun 9th Keighley Cougars CHAMPSun 16th Challenge Cup 3 TCC3 Sun 23rd NORTH WALES CRUSADERS CHAMPSun 30th ROCHDALE HORNETS CHAMPAprilSun 6th Challenge Cup 4 TCC4Sun 13th Halifax CHAMPFri 18th SWINTON LIONS CHAMPSun 27th Challenge Cup 5 TCC5MaySun 4th Featherstone Rovers CHAMPSun 11th Dewsbury Rams CHAMPSun 18th DONCASTER CHAMPSun 25th Sheffield Eagles CHAMPJuneSat 1st Workington Town CHAMPSun 8th HALIFAX CHAMPSun 15th BARROW RAIDERS CHAMPSun 22nd Whitehaven CHAMPSun 29th DEWSBURY RAMS CHAMPJulySun 6th SHEFFIELD EAGLES CHAMPSun 13th Doncaster CHAMPSun 20th KEIGHLEY COUGARS CHAMPSun 27th Rochdale Hornets CHAMPAugustSun 3rd Batley Bulldogs CHAMPSun 10th FEATHERSTONE ROVERS CHAMPSun 17th Swinton Lions CHAMPSun 24thSun 31st WORKINGTON TOWN CHAMPSeptemberSun 7th North Wales Crusaders CHAMP

CHAMP = Kingstone Press ChampionshipTCC = Tetleys Challenge Cup

LEIGH CENTURIONSFIXTURES - 2014The fixture list is subject to change, when Premier Sports select which games they intendto televise. As soon as any changes are known, they will be published on the Clubwebsite, in the local press, and in future editions of ‘The Centurion’.

SUNDAY 26th January 2014Pre-season game

CENTURIONSv

North walescrusadersKick-Off 3:00 p.m.

All to pay

NEXT UP AT LSV

SUNDAY 2nd February 2014Pre-season game

CENTURIONSv

WarringtonWolves

Kick-Off 3:00 p.m.All to pay

SUNDAY 16th February 2014Kingstone Press

Championship - Round 1

CENTURIONSv

BATLEY BULLDOGS Kick-Off 3:00 p.m.SEASON TICKETS APPLY

2013 Leigh CareerDebuted Squad No DOB Apps Sub Tries Goals Drop Points Apps Sub Tries Goals Drop Points

Goals GoalsMartin Aspinwall 2013 13 21/10/1981 9 3 0 0 0 0 9 3 0 0 0 0Anthony Bate 2013 28/04/1992 3 8 2 0 0 8 3 8 2 0 0 8Bob Beswick 2012 9 08/12/1984 32 1 5 0 0 20 55 4 8 0 1 33Ryan Brierley 2012 7 12/03/1992 23 6 25 1 2 104 30 26 50 6 2 214Craig Briscoe 2010 16 08/12/1992 8 9 1 0 0 4 28 24 8 0 0 32Joe Bullock 2013 27/11/1992 1 6 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0Greg Burke 2012 12/02/1993 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0Thomas Coyle 2013 17 10/05/1988 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0Dominic Crosby 2013 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0Ryan Duffy 2013 21 13/05/1993 5 18 4 0 0 16 5 18 4 0 0 16Simon Finnigan 2013 11 08/12/1981 27 0 12 0 0 48 27 0 12 0 0 48Matt Gardner 2012 4 24/08/1984 28 0 12 0 0 48 58 0 26 0 0 104Tommy Goulden 2010 12 30/06/1981 25 3 9 0 0 36 98 10 40 0 0 160Adam Higson 2008/2013 22 19/05/1987 6 1 4 0 0 16 45 22 17 0 0 68James Hill 2013 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0Sam Hopkins 2011 8 17/02/1990 17 10 10 0 0 40 35 30 26 0 0 104Jack Hughes 2013 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Stuart Littler 2011 3 19/02/1979 34 0 8 0 0 32 93 1 31 0 0 124Rhodri Lloyd 2013 22/07/1993 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0Gregg McNally 2012 1 02/01/1991 32 0 14 19 0 94 60 0 31 20 0 164Steve Maden 2004/2008 2 13/09/1982 30 0 10 0 0 40 206 3 73 0 0 292Anthony Nicholson 2010 18 28/11/1990 2 6 1 0 0 4 19 26 8 0 0 32John O'Donnell 2013 24/06/1993 6 1 2 0 0 8 6 1 2 0 0 8Michael Ostick 2012 19 23/01/1988 28 3 5 0 0 20 46 8 5 0 0 20Rob Parker 2012 10 05/09/1981 15 3 2 0 0 8 36 5 6 0 0 24Sean Penkywicz 2013 14 18/05/1982 12 19 10 0 0 40 12 19 10 0 0 40Cameron Pitman 2013 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Jonny Pownall 2011 5 22/08/1991 28 0 17 0 0 68 48 2 30 0 0 120Martyn Ridyard 2009 6 25/07/1986 30 0 9 121 2 280 122 10 62 280 4 812Chris Rowe 2012 23 08/02/1994 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Tom Spencer 2012 02/01/1991 14 12 4 0 0 16 25 19 7 0 0 28James Taylor 2005 20 11/09/1984 4 6 2 0 0 8 148 36 24 0 0 96Scott Taylor 2013 27/02/1991 0 2 1 0 0 4 0 2 1 0 0 4Andy Thornley 2011 15 01/03/1989 10 18 3 0 0 12 26 42 10 0 0 40Iain Thornley 2013 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Totals 442 136 172 141 4 974 1255 327 493 306 7 2591

TRY CREATORS Individual Pass Kick Other TotalMartyn Ridyard 4 17 11 0 32Sean Penkywicz 10 13 3 0 26Gregg McNally 6 15 3 0 24Ryan Brierley 8 7 2 0 17Bob Beswick 3 9 1 0 13Simon Finnigan 0 6 4 1 11Tommy Goulden 1 9 0 0 10Sam Hopkins 5 2 0 0 7Matt Gardner 2 4 0 0 6Jonny Pownall 1 3 0 1 5Stuart Littler 1 3 0 0 4Steve Maden 1 1 1 1 4Anthony Nicholson 0 2 1 0 3Scott Taylor 1 1 0 0 2John O'Donnell 0 1 0 0 1Michael Ostick 1 0 0 0 1Ryan Duffy 1 0 0 0 1Thomas Coyle 0 1 0 0 1Greg Burke 0 1 0 0 1Anthony Bate 1 0 0 0 1Iain Thornley 0 1 0 0 1Rhodri Lloyd 0 1 0 0 1

Totals 46 97 26 3 172

TRY TRACKER After 17 gamesTry Tracker – For Try Tracker – Against0-9 minutes 15 0-9 minutes 810-19 minutes 15 10-19 minutes 2020-29 minutes 18 20-29 minutes 1330 minutes – half-time 24 30 minutes – half-time 1540-49 minutes 17 40-49 minutes 1550-59 minutes 25 50-59 minutes 1860-69 minutes 33 60-69 minutes 1070 minutes – full-time 25 70 minutes – full-time 24

172 123

Goal Kickers Goals Attempts %Martyn Ridyard 121 158 77Ryan Brierley 1 3 33Gregg McNally 19 24 79Bob Beswick 0 1 0Totals 141 186 76

2013 Leigh Career

CENTURIONSFACTS & STATS 2013

Programme designed and printed by Graphic Press 0151 236 8022

LEIGH CENTURIONSSQUAD - 2014 HEAD COACH -PAUL ROWLEYNo PLAYER SPONSOR

1 Gregg McNally Marstrutt

2 Steve Maden JMS Interiors

3 Stuart Littler Marstrutt

4 Tom Armstrong Junior Centurions

5 Alex Brown Corlett Electrical

6 Martyn Ridyard Intergrated Control Solutions LTD

7 Ryan Brierley O�Neills

8 Tom Spencer L.I.S.A.

9 Bob Beswick Ask Platt Office Supplies

10 Oliver Wilkes Prof. Barry Dale

11 Matthew Sarsfield Pam Ties

12 Tommy Goulden CDA Business services

13 Sam Barlow The Shield Group

14 Sean Penkywicz HFL

15 Liam Kay AB Sundecks

16 Martin Aspinwall C & S Tyres UK

17 Matt Gardner Liniar

18 Jamie Acton C S Civils and Groundworks

19 Mick Govin AB Sundecks

20 Andy Thornley

21 Simon Finnigan James QS

22 Adam Higson Impact Insurance

23 Johnathan Pownall Grada UK

24 Craig Briscoe

25 Michael Ostick Liniar

26 Ryan Duffy

27 Anthony Bate Taylor Drilling

28 Joe Bullock Prof. Barry Dale

29 Jake Emmitt