The visitors came out swinging, launching a deep kick off that had Leigh scrambling from the get-go. Early pressure saw Leigh defending hard on their own line, and despite some brave resistance, a chaotic deflection off the chest of Neil Mardon somehow turned into a converted try.

The next ten minutes were a blur of defensive grit and missed chances. Leigh held firm against a relentless TJ attack, but a wide finish Santi Savage extended their lead to 0–12. Leigh’s tackles were crunching, the carries were committed and it looked as though with some sustained possession we might be in for the opening Layabout score. Sadly however, a costly intercept on about the 22 gave TJs a third score with Sam Costello running the length before adding the extras. 0–19.

Leigh rallied with purpose however, hammering the TJ line. With one effort held up and the turnover effected. Eventually Leigh's determination, and sharp support play saw Hector Ashby (forced in the scrum half position) dot down for a well-earned try. 7–19 at the break, and Leigh were back in the fight.

The second half was a scrappy and continued to be a bruising affair. Leigh dominated territory and possession but couldn't make the scoreboard swing in their favour. A penalty from Thomas Erskine narrowed the gap to 10–19.

TJs struck again after a penalty to the corner and a well-executed maul, with Richard Savage crashing over. The conversion bounced off the post, positioning the game 10–24.

Leigh weren’t done however. A messy lineout turned into a determined drive for the line, and a series of pick and goes eventually saw Louis Veneziani over the line bringing it to 15–24. The missed conversion kept the losing bonus point frustratingly out of reach, and despite a late TJ flourish, the score held.

A frustrating result, but plenty of positives with Leigh showing tremendous heart, physicality, and flashes of attacking flair. Every single Leigh player can hold their heads high following that performance.

A week off next week for the squad before we go again at home against Maidstone II on the 4th.