With Premier Division survival secured following the previous weeks win at Skirlaugh, Thornhill entered this game, one of the three remaining until the end of the season, with nothing at stake or to play for – and it showed.

The fact that the game was played throughout in driving rain, turning the field into a mud bath only added to the dismal state of affairs.

With one Thornhill player being sin binned and another sent off the only thing the Trojans took from this game were further disciplinary points to add to their already worrying total for the season.

Trojans M.O.M. Scott Green was in good form.

Thornhill started the game sprightly enough taking an early lead through a Liam Morley penalty goal. Man of the match Scott Green made some shrewd runs in play and the centre Matthew Roberts also put in a number of impressive tackles. The game also saw a debut for Dominic Mason from the substitutes bench and he did enough to suggest that he could figure more often in future first team line ups.

The games first real talking point came when Leigh East were awarded a penalty and opted to take a kick at goal. Dave Radley struck the kick cleanly and the ball went  between the posts causing the touch judges to raise their flags. However, the referee spotted a Leigh East player in an off side position at the kick. The referee cause a moment of uncertainty as he overruled the penalty goal and called for a scrum down.

Leigh East quickly recovered from this moment of confusion to score a try. This came when Rory Littlewood went in at the corner taking the flag with him. Thornhill appeals were ignored and the try was awarded.

From this moment the Leigh team got stronger and Thornhill challenge faded rapidly. Stephen Tooze then caught the Thornhill defence short when he took advantage of an overlap to cross for an unconverted try.

The Leigh East scoring was interrupted momentarily when, despite the perishable conditions, a spectator decided to lighten the mood by streaking the full length of the field. Not the best thing to do in Overthorpe Park even on the warmest of days.

On the stroke of half time Leigh East scored their third unconverted try when straight from a scrum down situation Liam Rowson broke clear and sprinted 40 meters to cross for a try.

Mozza scored the Trojans only points of the day.

As the second half got underway the weather took a further turn for the worse with the heavy rain now being blown around by a biting wind. But the conditions didn’t deter Leigh East’s Ryan Peters and he went diving between the posts to score a try. Dave Radley converted.

Richard Tabern added to Leigh East’s points haul when he slithered beneath a pile of Thornhill defenders to score a try which Dave Radley converted.

It was shortly after converting this try that Radley spoke out of turn to the referee. Radley was frustrated by the stop start nature of the game and the number of penalties awarded by the referee. The referee was having none of it and showed Radley a yellow card. With the game now beyond Thornhill, Leigh East really turned the screw as the game entered its final ten minutes. The ball was flung along the attacking line to create an overlap. Carl Redford took the pass and went over for a try which Dave Radley converted.

As the game limped towards its conclusion tempers boiled over. Once order had been restored Wayne Wilson and Leigh East’s Semisi Cocka were sent to the sin bin for fighting. They were immediately followed from the field of play by James Folan when he was shown a red card for alleged threatening behaviour towards the referee.

In the games final moment Carl Redford broke away from the half way line and crossed for an unconverted try. There was no time to restart play and the rain drenched players and spectators heard the welcome sound of the full time whistle from the referee.

Match report compiled by Andrew Byram.