Leigh Centurions • Re: 85/86 to 86/7 seasons
CHEADLE LEYTHER wrote:
Yes Dessie did get hatrick at Widnes, and it might have been Henderson. All I remember was it was on our right wing and was either right centre Henderson or right wing McCulloch who incidentally scored our only try.
It was Cully who scored right in the right corner, and Chris Johnson landed the conversion to get us back in it. Saints should have been 30 ahead at half time, but we pummelled them second half and the half was scoreless.
I don't know why Henderson went for the line as Cully was amazingly up there to support John (Lets be honest, Hendo could shift) but that team played wonderfully well and could have made the final. Highlights can be found on you tube I believe. What made it worse is that he lost the ball s Cully would have just picked it up from the PTB and scoot under the posts.
The Championship was a great League that season and was the true beginning of Wigan being a FT phenomenon. They had a fantastic side. I remember finishing my game for Leigh Juniors to arrive on a very hot day an hour before kick off with Hilton Park already packed. We lost 35-0 I think, but was impressed with Ian Schubert and one of my favourite ever players, Mike Davis. Wigan was unstoppable.
The crowd announced as 12361 and I must say it was the biggest crowd I have ever seen at HP. There must have been at least 15000 on to watch Hanley, Edwards and Lydon run amoc.
We deserved to stay up, and won 5 or our last 6 with Henderson scoring the only 2 tries of our win at Wilderspool on what I think was Easter Monday ? I remember getting the bus as a 12 year old to Warrington with some friends from Wigan Rd. (You cant do that nowadays !!) Tony Cottrell was outstanding in that game.
We had some great battles with Saints that season who got pipped by Halifax in the the CC final after defeating us in the Semis ? The closest we will ever get to winning the CC in my lifetime I think !
Statistics: Posted by Snowy — Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:54 pm