Wigan St Pats v Leigh Miners 28-3-13

Wigan St Pats 14 v 12 Leigh Miners

Leigh Miners suffered their second defeat of the season last night going down 14-12 at local rivals Wigan St Pats on a cold Thursday evening in Wigan. It was the home side who started the brighter of the two, playing the game fast and getting a roll on with quick play the balls to put Miners on the back foot and from the good start St Pats opened the scoring on ten minutes to give them a 6-0 lead. St Pats had further chances to increase their lead but were unable to add any more points before the break. As the half went on Miners got themselves into the game after starting slowly and a few minutes before the break Miners scored their first try when Martin Lewis went over in the left corner to give the score 6-4 in favour of St Pats.

Miners started the brighter in the second half having plenty of field position and forcing the home side into errors inside their own half but after opting to tap a penalty instead of kicking at goal to tie the game up at 6-6 Miners spilled the ball early in the tackle count and from the next set against the run of play St Pats scored their second try, ex Miners half back Ryan Smith cut through the defence to run a good sixty yards to score under the posts to increase the home teams lead to eight points leading 12-4. Miners hit back when winger Sean Pendlebury squeezed in at the left corner to make the score 12-8 and with only a few minutes remaining the scores were level at 12-12 when Ross Bradley scored out wide on the right. With the game looking like ending in a draw the referee come up with a shocker of a decision in the last minute when St Pats had offloaded the ball forward just inside the Miners half the referee gave the home side a penalty for unsporting behavour after a Miners player shouted "last tackle". St Pats kicking the penalty goal forty odd yards out from in front of the posts to win the game in dramatic style much to the disappointment of all at Miners when over the eighty minutes a draw would have probably been a fare result.

Next week Miners are away to Barrow Raiders in the Tetley's Challenge Cup.

Miners team - Jonny Youds, Andrew Groves, Sean McDonald, Martin Lewis, Sean Pendlebury, Steven Marsh, Scott O'Brien, Danny Jackson, Tom Farrimond, Darryl Kay, Adam Thomason, Ross Bradley, Lee Gittins, SUBS = Danny Jones, Jimmy Muir, Jonny Carroll, Todd Appleby

Miners MOM - Ross Bradley