Leigh Centurions 36, Keighley Cougars 18

Leigh Centurions again reminded Keighley Cougars of the necessity of concentrating for the whole match today.

Cougars began and ended the Co-operative Championship contest well but paid for lapses in the middle period.

“We were the better side in the opening 20 minutes and we ended the match well but we paid for a ten-minute period either side of half-time,” said Cougars coach Barry Eaton.

“Leigh scored three tries in that first lapse and two in that second, and we need to be playing from minute one to minute 80.”

The defeat, and Dewsbury’s stunning 37-30 victory over Halifax, makes Cougars’ survival bid even more unlikely.

But Eaton said: “We have six games left and, although we are playing Featherstone next Sunday, we have some very winnable games after that, such as Toulouse, Whitehaven and Batley, and while it is still mathematically possible for us to stay up, we’ll keep fighting.

“However, we now need wins rather than hoping to merely pick up bonus points.”

Eaton was, though, delighted with some of his team’s individual displays.

He said: “Ryan Benjafield was outstanding and Chris Baines performed very well, although we again had to put him in the centres, which meant he didn’t see as much of the ball as we wanted.

"And, although Jon Presley was coming back from a knee ligament injury, he set up all of our tries.”

Tries for the visitors came from the returning John Duffy (2), Benjafield and James Hutchinson, Danny Jones adding a goal.

Matty Blythe scored two tries for the Centurions in what was ultimately a comfortable seven-try win.