KIRKBY Lonsdale managed their highest score of the season so far in a high octane victory over Leigh which saw ten tried from nine different players.

The first try was inside the first minute, as Kirkby hooker Dan Armistead caught a very difficult ball and cleverly flipped it up to skipper Ben Walker as he fell just inside his own half.

Walker fed it left to stand off Dave Barton who found flanker Stuart Storey outside him, a burst of pace and a strong hand off and he was over in the corner to make it 0 – 5, the conversion coming back off the post.

From their restart Leigh did threaten in the Kirkby half, where a successful penalty from a scrum offence put them on the board at 3 – 5.

Apart from occasional flashes the home side were under the cosh and it wasn’t long before Kirkby were in again, this time a try from Barton with a run down the left touchline with the pace to loop round and score by the posts for 3 – 12.

Prop Tyran Fagan had to leave the field with an eye injury and this brought Cameron Rowse off the bench but there was no disruption to Kirkby’s flow. Storey scored his second and Kirkby’s third try with a bullocking run to the left corner. Terry again hit the post off a Storey try but it was now 3 – 17.

Patched up Fagan returned to the fray and centre Jack Akrigg notched up the bonus point with the fourth try near the right corner flag, converted to extend the lead to 3 – 24.

Leigh then had their moment of the match as they ran a clever angle through the Kirkby line to score and convert to get to 10 – 24 and that’s how it was at half time.

Leigh made a fiery start to the second half with some good possession and attacking runs until they were smashed in a tackle from Barton which turned the tide back in Kirkby’s favour and, back in the ascendency, centre Tom Pickthall obliged with the fifth try converted by Terry from the touchline to extend the lead to 10 – 31.

Kirkby number eight Craig Galbraith was having an outstanding game and as Kirkby poured forward down the centre of the field with some terrific support play and clever offloads his was the decisive intervention with try number six, converted to make it, effectively, game over at 10 – 38.

Right wing Harry Ralston was next as Kirkby attacked from well inside their own half, Galbraith involved again with a dummy to get through the Leigh line, hands moving the ball at pace to the wing just on half way. Ralston hit the gas rounding a defender and then turning the full back inside out to fly in try seven by the posts, 10 – 45.

Kirkby second row Leandro Kwiczor took possession twenty five metres out near his right touchline, running through some tackles and handing others off he delivered try number eight, the conversion taking Kirkby to 10 – 52 and to 50 or more points for the eighth time this season.

It was a visibly wilting Leigh now and when Kirkby drove them back on their own scrum Walker got in amongst them as they tried to get hands on the ball, he prodded it forward into space then gathered the difficult ball cleanly at pace to score try nine, the conversion making it 10 – 59.

To cap another excellent performance full back Terry scored try 10 with a powerful run to the line, his conversion making the final score 10 – 66.

Kirkby haven’t dropped a point so far this season at sit seven points clear at the top. Vale Of Lune will be looking to take points from Kirkby when they visit Underley Park next Saturday for a much anticipated local derby: the last match of 2016.