Thunder win lifts hopes of survival
Jun 15 2009 The Journal
Leigh Centurions 12, Gateshead Thunder 40
GATESHEAD Thunder boosted their Co-Operative Championship survival hopes with an emphatic 28-point win at mid-table Leigh Centurions.
A much improved Thunder ran in seven tries to record only their third league win of the season, and the first under head coach Steve McCormack.
It was a triumphant return to Lancashire for Wigan-born McCormack, whose side were never behind and put in one of their best defensive displays of the campaign.
Michael Knowles got the ball rolling early on when he finished off a Dylan Nash break only for Aaron Smith to get on the end of his own grubber kick.
Luke Branighan then took on the Leigh line to set up the first of Nick Youngquest’s two tries, but Sam Reay levelled the scores for the second time. It was, however, to be the Centurions’ last score of the game as Gateshead’s much-maligned defence held firm for more than an hour.
The Tynesiders led by 10 points at half-time and then dominated the second period to run in three unopposed tries, with Michael Knowles kicking six from seven conversions.
Ben McAlpine’s offload restored Gateshead’s lead as Nash touched down in the corner and then a fine move saw Matt Barron’s offload put Youngquest in between the posts.
It got better for McCormack’s men after the break.
With Leigh winger Steve Maiden sin-binned, Branighan hit a gap to find the supporting Paul Franze, and then Stewart Sanderson cut inside to put packman Jamie Cording over the whitewash.
The outplayed Centurions had seen a Maiden “try” ruled out at the start of the half, but after that they rarely threatened, with Gateshead’s defence particularly impressive.
Sanderson took a Franze pass to dive over for Thunder’s seventh and final try as a dispirited Leigh were booed off the field by their fans in a four-figure crowd at the new Leigh Sports Village complex.
GATESHEAD THUNDER: Youngquest, McAlpine, Franze, Nash, Sanderson, Aitken, Branighan, McBride, Henderson, Kahler, Cording, Watts, Knowles Subs: Barron, Thorman, Cakacaka, Massey
Referee: Ronnie Laughton (Barnsley)
Attendance: 1,645
Scoring – Gateshead tries: Youngquest (19,35), Knowles(4), Nash (28), Franze (56), Cording (63), Sanderson (69); goals: Knowles (6/7); Leigh tries: Smith (10), Reay (23); goals: Stanton (2/2)
