Greg Eden inspires Castleford Tigers rout of Leigh Centurions
By Press Association
Last Updated: 31/05/17 12:08pm
Greg Eden scored four tries - including a five-minute hat-trick - as Castleford crushed Leigh to stay two points clear at the top of Super League.
The winger crossed three times between the 33rd and 38th minutes, making it a likely contender for the fastest ever hat-trick in the history of the sport and almost certainly a Super League record.
Official timings will need to be consulted but whatever the outcome, it represents an astonishing scoring feat. It was his fourth hat-trick in as many games.
Second-rower Jesse Sene-Lefao also scored twice as Daryl Powell's men raced into a 28-0 half-time lead at Leigh Sports Village.
On Friday, Leigh won their first ever away game in Super League with a victory at Hull and they started the game with plenty of confidence.
Second-rower Atelea Vea almost scored in the seventh minute but he lost the ball over the try line.
But Castleford, who have not lost to Leigh since 1987, took the lead in the 15th minute with a superb effort - created and finished by Jesse Sene-Lefao.
The second-rower kicked infield and the ball was collected by Luke Gale, who gave it back to Sene-Lefao and he raced to the try line. Gale added the conversion.
Sene-Lefao scored his second try just seven minutes later, this time going over from close range after taking Paul McShane's pass. Gale's conversion made it 12-0 to the visitors.
Leigh, on the way to their heaviest defeat of the season, looked to have stemmed the tide 11 minutes before half-time when Eloi Pelissier lunged for the line but the score was ruled out by the video ref.
Then it was time for in-form winger Eden to take centre stage with a five-minute hat-trick which ended the game as a contest.
In the 33rd minute, Gale was stripped of the ball in the tackle and Sene-Lefao got a pass away to Eden, who scored in the corner.
Moments later, Gale's looping pass got Eden in at the corner for his second try, Gale again kicking the conversion.
His historic hat-trick was complete two minutes before half-time when centre Michael Shenton broke clear before sending Eden racing for the try line. Gale's conversion made it 28-0.
Castleford's domination continued after the restart, though they were helped by the 48th-minute sin-binning of Leigh centre Ben Crooks for a dangerous tackle.
Eden was set up by Shenton for his fourth try in the 49th minute though Gale saw his conversion attempt hit a post.
Centre Jake Webster scored Castleford's seventh try in the 58th minute, coming infield off a short ball from Ben Roberts and Gale's conversion bounced over off the upright to make it 38-0.
That proved to be the final scoring action of the game as both sides looked to be feeling the effects of two games in four days in an error-ridden final quarter.
