LEIGH Miners’ challenging run against the NCL big beasts continued as West Hull were ultimately comprehensive 50-16 winners in this Twist Lane tie.

The Humberside outfit are unbeaten thus far in league action as they bid to emulate their conquerors in the 2018 Grand Final Hunslet Club Parkside and they continued their indomitable run with this victory.

Miners can take heart from pushing their high-flying visitors hard for the first hour but the game ran away from them in the closing stages.

Wests opened ominously as they kept the ball alive on the last tackle in the impressive Ryan Steen stepped his way through to score behind the posts and although Miners responded positively with some spells of pressure on the visitors’ line they turned possession over inside the Wests’ 20 and saw their opponents go the length of the field before Jack Lazenby showed a neat turn of pace to accelerate clear and score another six pointer.

Already down to the bare bones Miners faced an additional challenge with Craig Ashall sin-binned for dissent but despite the man disadvantage the hosts were on the scoreboard as Joe Connor swatted off the tackles twenty metres out and then forced his way through the fullback to score a try goaled by Jonny Youds. Wests restored their advantage with two more tries around the half hour, first when a teasing grubber into the Miners’ in-goal was missed by all except Benn Arbon diving in to dot the ball down, then when Ryan Wilson made the break and offloaded for Steen to gallop up in support and score his second. The game still had life in it at half time though as Miners had the final word of the opening stanza, Jamie King impressing at fullback and twisting his way out of the tackle to drop over the line, Youds converting for 12-24.

Miners needed the first score of the second half but it came the way of Wests instead and from that moment the visitors never looked back as Jack Watts finished a slick break down the right to score at the corner. The visitors then had Ian Kerman sin-binned but just as Miners had won their ten minute spell with a man disadvantage so Wests did likewise to post 12 unanswered points during his absence. First big substitute Will Gardiner crashed through close to the posts and then the classy Scott Spaven jinked through and unselfishly found Steen to finish off for his hat-trick. Miners did have a fine score of their own as some consolation when Ethan Jones broke clear on half way and found King inside in support to step through the last man and dive over the line but Wests brought up the half century with two tries in the final five minutes, first as Luke Moss went over and then with the final play of the game as substitute Zeus Silk produced a divine pass for Lazenby to grab his second.

This Saturday Miners host Thatto Heath, 2.30pm

The Alliance team had a handsome 44-12 win over Westhoughton during the week whilst on Sunday the under-18s produced a commanding display in their National Cup quarter final derby at Leigh East to win 24-6 and move a step closer to a second successive final appearance. Shevington will be the semi-final hosts. The women’s team went to the top of the Championship with an outstanding 20-16 win over old foes Stanningley, gaining a measure of revenge for their own Grand Final defeat last season.