Gannets in 9 try romp..and that ain't no Leigh (sorry)

With confidence high in the home camp after last weeks win over Medway,it was Leighs turn to be entertained by the Gees,this time on the less salubrious surroundings of the banana pitch.

The last game between these two sides resulted in a narrow last second win for Leigh and revenge was clearly on the Gannets minds.With Harry,Mayhem,Andy Hampshire,Steve Wootton and daddy Drobka all missing,the returning Mike Percival stepped in at 8 with Matt and Chippy forming a slightly makeshift second row.Sarge,Bob and Martin Taylor comprised the front row.A powerful looking centres combo of Dan Coates and Danny O took their place in the backfield.And so did Ian Shuttlewood (of course).

The now traditional botched opening kick off gave Leigh a downhill attacking scrum,but the Gees pack held their ground against the bigger pack,a theme that would continue throughout the game.It wasn't long before the home forwards gained possession and started going through the phases with excellent support and hands evident.Eventually the ball found its way to the backs and Dan Coates made no mistake,breaking tackles as he powered over from inside the 22.

With the Gannets taking an early lead under similar circumstances in the last meeting,they knew better than to be complacent a second time and kept the intensity level high throughout the first half,adding further tries through Dan Coates again,Ben Baker and Mike Percival with Ben adding 2 conversions for a 24-0 half time score.

Leigh came out for the second determined not to be blown away and had the home side pinned inside their own 22 for the opening 20 minutes with some aggressive running and strong rucking,only to be repelled time and again by excellent tackling.Finally the Gees got it together and broke the Leigh resistance with further tries from Dan (his hattrick) Mike Percival,Dan Beazer and Danny O.Full time 55-0.

Whilst it's hard to pick out individual performances from a win like that,special mentions must go to Dan Coates for his running which had Leigh cursing every time he bust through a tackle and of course his three tries.Ben Baker for a try and 5 conversions and the debuts of James Gardiner,Perri,Wes and Ryan.Excellent commitment,tackling and hard running..the future looks bright for the Gannets.

Edenbridge away next week as the the Gees continue their charge towards mid table obscurity!

Until next time...