PRICE £2.50 KINGSTONE PRESS Championship LEIGH CENTURIONS v FEATHERSTONE ROVERS sATURDAY 1ST JUNE 2013 AT LEIGH SPORTS VILLAGE Kick Off 1:00pm Main Match Sponsor CLUB CONTACTS Telephone: Facebook: 01942 487887 www.facebook.com/leighcenturionsfanpage Email: Twitter: General Enquiries – twitter.com/LeighCenturions [email protected] or tweet us @LeighCenturions WHO’S WHO At Leigh Centurions NEXT UP AT LSV Hon. Life Presidents: Mr. Tommy Sale MBE, Hon. Vice President: Mr. Andy Burnham MP Hon. Life Members: Mr. Brian Bowman, Mr. Tommy Coleman SUNDAY 16th JUNE 2013 SUNDAY 23RD JUNE 2013 Mr. Frank Taylor Northern Rail Cup Kingstone Press Championship Quarter Final Board of Management: Round 17 Mr. Keith Freer (Chairman) CENTURIONS CENTURIONS Mr. John Roddy (Vice Chairman) v v Mr. Mike Norris WHITEHAVEN YORK CITY KNIGHTS Mr. Paul Wingfield Kick-Off T.B.A. Mr. Andrew Mazey Kick-Off 3:00 p.m. *** ALL TO PAY *** Mr. Steve Openshaw Season Tickets Apply Mr. Derek Beaumont Mr. Neil Wilcock Mr. Alan Platt HONOURS CLUB RECORDS Ms. Jackie Mottershead Championship Winners: Biggest Victory: Company Secretary: 1905-06 92-2 vs Keighley (1986) Mr. John Massey Division One Champions: Biggest Defeat: Head Coach: 1981-82 4-94 vs Workington Town (1995) Division Two Champions: Highest Home Attendance: Mr. Paul Rowley 1977-78, 1985-86, 1988-89 31,326 vs St Helens (1953) Club Ambassador: Challenge Cup Winners: Lowest Post War Home Attendance: Mr. Alex Murphy OBE. 1920-21, 1970-71 451 vs Hull (1975) Business Manager: Lancashire Cup Winners: Most Tries in a game: Jack Wood 6 v York (1947), Mr. Rob Parker. 1952-53, 1955-56, 1970-71, 1981-82 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy: Neil Turley 6 v Workington Town (2001) Lottery Manager: 1969-70, 1972-73 Most Goals in a game: Ms. Christine Brown. Promotion To Top Division achieved Mick Stacey 15 vs Doncaster (1976) Lottery Co-ordinator: (Not as Champions): Most Points in a game: Mr. Jonathan Simpkin. 1963-64, 1975-76, 1991-92 Neil Turley 42 vs Chorley (2004) Other Promotion season: Most Tries in a season: Finance Manager: 1997 (Division 3 to Division 2) Neil Turley 55 (2001) Ms. Jane Smith. Northern Ford Minor Premiership Most Goals in a season: Club Chaplain: Winners: 2001 Neil Turley 187 (2004) Mr. Sam Edwards Trans-Pennine Cup Winners: Most Points in a season: 2001 Neil Turley 468 (2004) Webmaster & Ticket Sales: Arriva Trains Cup Winners: Most Tries in a career: Mr. Andrew Parkinson. 2004 Mick Martyn 189 (1954-67) Honorary Programme Editor: LHF National League 1 Champions: Most Goals in a career: Mr. Alan Edge 2004 Jimmy Ledgard 1043 (1948-58) Club Accountants: LHF National League 1 Grand Final Most Points in a career: Winners: 2004 John Woods 2492 (1976-85, 1990-92) Styles & Co. Northern Rail Cup Winners: Most Appearances: 2006, 2011 Albert Worrall – 503 (1920-38) 2 THE CENTURION www.leighcenturions.com FROM THE EDITOR By ALAN EDGE Today’s Visitors This afternoon we bid a warm ‘Leyther’ welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Featherstone Rovers, for the eagerly North Leigh Park Group anticipated Kingstone Press Championship Round fifteen Centurions’ sponsors North Leigh Park Group game. Limited would like to welcome local charity Think Ahead Community Stroke Group to enjoy a special The fixture was scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday) but Match day Experience. the RFL had also scheduled the Swinton v Halifax game for the same date. Rovers were not keen to come to us Think Ahead is a local stroke awareness and support on Friday evening, so today was the compromise date charity delivering a range of vital services and initiatives decided on by the RFL. for its members and the wider community across Wigan and Leigh. The organisation also plays an important Featherstone have consistently been the stand-out team role in shaping stroke care and support available in the Championship, for the past three seasons, having through the NHS and social services. For more topped the table each year between 2010 and 2012. information, please visit www.think-ahead.org.uk or call Indeed, at the time of writing, they have just returned 01942 824 888. to pole position, although Sheffield may well have had something to say about that, in Wednesday’s televised At the Keighley game, another local charity, Embrace game. Wigan and Leigh , enjoyed a special Match day Experience. However, I’m sure that Rovers would be the first to acknowledge that it is getting harder to hang on to that Embrace Wigan and Leigh seek to help people with top spot, as the league table below proves – with only disability to lead a full life in the community and get two points separating the top five clubs. them involved in many different activities. Today’s clash is given extra spice, if that is possible, by The charity has recently begun a ‘Never Watch Alone’ virtue of Paul’s team finally having overcome their scheme where a local fan is paired with a disabled Featherstone hoodoo a fortnight ago, in a tough person so both can share their passion and enjoyment. Northern Rail Cup tie at the Bigfellas Stadium. For more information, or to become a ‘buddy’, Nonetheless, it would take a brave person to forecast please visit www.embracewiganandleigh.org.uk the outcome of today’s game, although we can confidently predict that the game will be hard, tough Latest Championship Table and close – in other words, we should once again witness all that’s the very best of British Championship KINGSTONE PRESS CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE - rugby league! as at 29th May 2013 Featherstone’s Gates Team PWDLFor Against Points Bonus Points Points Diff Rovers certainly seem to be bucking the trend 1 Featherstone 13 11 02459 200 259 2 35 amongst other Championship clubs this season, as 2 Halifax 14 11 12444 243 201 0 35 their published gates are on the increase. 3 Sheffield 13 11 02402 246 156 1 34 4 Batley 14 10 13342 189 153 2 34 Although their overall average has fallen slightly, by less 5 Leigh 14 11 03456 262 194 0 33 than 3%, last season’s figures had included two 6 Dewsbury 14 608267 339 -72 3 21 lucrative 4,000 plus gates for the cup ties with 7 Whitehaven 14 608270 361 -91 3 21 Castleford and Wigan. Average Championship 8 Workington 12 507230 288 -58 3 18 attendances are up from 2,237, to 2,514 so far – an 9 Doncaster 13 409234 294 -60 5 17 10 Swinton 14 4010 258 391 -133 5 17 increase of 12%. 11 Hunslet 13 409274 324 -50 4 16 12 York 13 409229 376 -147 3 15 13 Barrow 14 3011 276 454 -178 6 15 14 Keighley 13 3010 210 384 -174 5 14 www.leighlife.com THE CENTURION 3 FROM THE TOP By Chairman KEITH FREER am pleased to give a warm welcome Review’. This review was instigated as a result of the failure of Ito Mark Campbell and his fellow Licensing, which was introduced six years ago, but which has directors, the players and the seen a number of Super League clubs fail to deliver the Featherstone spectators, to what promises of sound financial management, improved player will no doubt be an entertaining pathways, improved international development and in some game. cases new stadia or improved facilities. All the games between our respective clubs over the past few The controversial option for future competition structure is the years have been very competitive and have had significant one that proposes two divisions of 12 which, after 11 rounds impact on the players, fans and the team’s performance during then divides into three divisions of 8. In this process there will the season. I would anticipate that our recent successful visit to be inequality between the eight teams in the middle division Featherstone, in the NRC will only add to the occasion. Both (“the cocktail League”). In my opinion this option will reward clubs approach this game having maintained their good the failure of the Super League teams that failed to embrace the performance in the league and certainly we will be looking to licensing system and who will either be rewarded by being rectify our loss at Featherstone at the beginning of the year. allowed to stay in the top league despite their failure, or will A new Board has been formed at Leigh, and this is the first alternatively be demoted with a parachute payment, which will opportunity for me to welcome John Roddy, Mike Norris, Paul provide them with protection and the opportunity of depriving Wingfield, Andrew Mazey, Steve Openshaw, Derek Beaumont, Championship clubs, who have developed during this six year Neil Wilcock, Alan Platt and Jackie Mottershead. In addition period. The only club I have sympathy for is of course Widnes, there are still on-going discussions with other investors, who who had to endure the initial exclusion and developed under will be contributing to the clubs future but not necessarily the protection of the three year cycle. taking up an active role in the management of the club. My preferred option is the one that expands the elite game to The new Board of Management will be tasked with the day to twenty teams, in two leagues of ten. However, my preference day running of the Club, driving it forward and creating the would be that all clubs play twice home and away, to determine correct infrastructure to enable everyone to be part of this great the league position and status. By playing three times the true team. There will be considerable emphasis placed upon LISA, league positions will be destabilised by the fixture lists.