The club records Leigh Leopards demolished in huge victory over St Helens
Leigh Leopards celebrate a try in 2024
Leigh Leopards’ 46-4 victory against St Helens was by far and away the club’s biggest-ever winning margin in a match against the Red V, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg where a handful of records are concerned.
Dating all the way back to November 1895, the two sides had met 208 times prior to Friday night’s clash, with that tally including a game in August 1939 which was abandoned with the scoreline at 23-3 in Saints’ favour.
Whether you include that abandoned clash or not, before Friday night’s demolition job, the Leythers had never scored more than 30 points in a single game against Saints in any competition.
They had twice hit that 30-point mark – winning 30-26 in April 1985 and 30-18 in January 1990, with both of those successes coming at Hilton Park.
Lachlan Lam’s 66th minute try took the Leopards beyond that 30-point mark, so he will hold a piece of club history forever.
The club records Leigh Leopards demolished in huge victory over St Helens
Papua New Guinea international Lam’s try was far from the end of an evening to remember for all connected to Leigh.
Once Darnell McIntosh had converted, there were further tries from Matt Moylan and Josh Charnley, with the latter also converted after the final hooter to leave the result at 46-4.
A victory by 42 points is by far and away the Leopards’ biggest-ever winning margin against Saints, with a 25-0 triumph at Mather Lane back in January 1924 their previous highest margin of success.
Friday night’s victory also slots in at second in the record books for Leigh’s biggest-ever winning margin in a Super League game, and first where home games are concerned, behind only the 54-4 triump away against Hull FC earlier this year.
It’s also the third-highest amount of points Leigh have ever scored in a Super League game. The 54 they got at Hull remains the most to date, with the second-most being the 50 they scored in an unforgettable 50-34 win against neighbours Wigan Warriors back in June 2017.
And only in that Hull victory earlier this year (9) have Leigh ever scored more tries in a single Super League game than the eight they got in Friday night’s big win against Saints.
Leigh’s individual Super League records, and how close their stars came to breaking them during rout of Saints
The full breakdown of the 46 points scored by the Leopards on Friday night was as follows:
Tries (8): Josh Charnley (2), Matt Moylan, Lachlan Lam, Kai O’Donnell, Darnell McIntosh, Tom Amone, Umyla Hanley
Goals (7): Darnell McIntosh (7)
In just his fifth appearance for the club, McIntosh has put his name into two of the club’s leaderboards – outright fourth now for most goals in a single Super League game and joint-fourth for most points scored for Leigh in a single Super League game.
His seven goals on the night are only bettered by Craig Mullen’s eight v Salford Red Devils in August 2021, team-mate Moylan’s nine against Hull earlier this year and Ben Reynolds’ nine in that 2017 triumph against Wigan.
As for his 18 points scored overall, Reynolds grabbed 20 in July 2017 in Perpignan in a 40-36 defeat to Catalans Dragons, Moylan scored 22 against Hull and Phil Jones scored 24 in a 40-18 victory against Wakefield Trinity in April 2005.
Friday night was also the ninth time that winger Charnley has scored a brace of tries in a Super League game for Leigh.
Only five times has anyone scored three in a Super League game for the club, and he has one of those hat-tricks – scored against Hull FC in March 2023.
The other four trebles belong to Umyla Hanley (v Salford in March 2024), Ryan Brierley (v Wakefield in September 2021), Danny Halliwell (v Saints in July 2005) and Phil Jones (v Wakefield in April 2005).
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