Leigh have made a flying start to life in the top-flight after winning promotion last year, with Lindsay Anfield’s side made to work hard for a vital two points in their pursuit of early-season pacesetters Wigan and St Helens after a below-par start to their title defence.
York had run out 52-0 winners in the sides’ Women’s Challenge Cup quarter-final back in April but found things much tougher going at Golborne Parkside, with proceedings closer than the scoreline suggests.
It took half an hour for them to break the deadlock through Izzy Bibby, with stand-in full-back Eboni Partington then adding her name to the scoresheet as the Valkyrie took in an 8-0 lead at half time.
Second-half tries followed in a similar burst, with Sinead Peach, Savannah Andrade and Player of the Match Agnes Wood wrapping up the scoring in the 10 minutes before the hour to seal victory.
With a number of players rested, Anfield named a much-changed line-up from York’s defeat to St Helens a fortnight ago.
New signing Sarah Menaa started at prop following her midweek move from Catalans Goddesses, whilst both Charlotte McDaid and T’Leesha Frederick-Maynard stepped up from the club’s Under 19s and Wood made her first appearance since her off-season switch from dual-registration partners Sheffield Eagles. Youngster Evie Sexton returned to the bench following injury.
That saw a reshuffle, with Partington switching from the wing to full-back, Georgie Dagger partnering Ellie Williamson in the halves and Izzy Bibby moving from interchange hooker to start on the wing.
The Valkyrie saw the better of the early action but frequently shot themselves in the foot with ball handling errors, passing up a gilt-edged chance just after the 10-minute mark after knocking-on amid a neat move on the right edge.
Leigh’s defence held out from a bursting Williamson run and they then came close to taking the lead through Becky Greenfield after back-to-back penalties, but York did just enough to stop the full-back.
Hattie Dogus was then held up before a knock-on stopped a promising move after Tory Blackwood had weaved through the York defence.
York finally turned field position into points on the half-hour, Partington putting Bibby through after having been two-on-one from a scrum 35 metres out.
Williamson could not land the conversion, and failed to do so again five minutes later
It would be the last action of the half, with York holding a slender lead at Goldborne Parkside.
But that advantage would be extended ten minutes into the half, as Peach powered beyond the Leigh defence to reward some pressure from the Valkyrie.
The conversion was successful by Williamson, with that lead then being added to when a kick on the last was taken well by Partington, who made 30 meters.
She shifted the ball wide to Andrade, who touched down on the inside. Williamson again converted, making it 20-0.
York couldn’t be contained by Leigh, when retrieving the ball from the ruck and cacthing the Leopards defence off guard, finished by Wood. Williamson added the extras, seeing the score finish 26-0.
YORK VALKYRIE: Partington, Bibby, Parker, Moxon, Kershaw, Dagger, Williamson, Menaa, Peach, Hornby, Andrade, McDaid, Bell.
INTERCHANGES: A. Wood, Sexton, Brennan, Frederick-Maynard
Tries: Bibby (31), Partington (36), Peach (50), Andrade (55), Wood (59)
Conversions: Williamons (3/5)
LEIGH LEOPARDS: Greenfield, Blackwood, Taylor, Cobain, Dogus, Burke, L. Morris, Johnson, Howard, Fisher, K. Morris, Melvin, Baggaley
INTERCHANGES: Gordon, Brazier, McDermott, Collins
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(471x244:473x246)/CNN-New-Years-Eve-with-Anderson-Cooper-123124-9952e5f00fc1425f87113ba2bfb97b29.jpg "Anderson Cooper Says He Once ‘Hated’ New Year’s Eve While Co-Hosting CNN Broadcast")
