The hosts made a rapid start with two tries in the first five minutes as East struggled to hold them in defence. Big Dominic Flanagan was a scourge throughout for Oulton and burst onto a crisp offload after two minutes before doubling the dose for Kieran Walpole to convert the first and help Raiders to a 10-0 advantage.

Things got worse for East when swift feet from Brad Cahill saw him skip away from the challenges and in trying to prevent him scoring the visitors lost fullback Chris Penn to a hand injury. It forced a reshuffle with Ben Parry switching to fullback and Jordan Hellam partnering skipper Adam Holland in the halves. Walpole stepped up to goal Cahill's score and it was 16-0.

East then began to force some play of their own. The likes of Adam Wilkes, Zac Nicholls and Tai Tupou got forward and received some good support from bench players Stephen Tooze and Craig Wingfield. Despite knocks Pat Rainford played on and it was Hellam who was provider for the visitors first try when a deft kick right was pouched and touched down by Jake Beaumont. That try went unconverted and East worked hard to stick with their hosts until conceding a try in the last moments of the first half when second row Josh Lancaster took the direct route to the line. Walpole goaled to open a 22-4 half-time lead for Oulton.

East needed to score first in the second half and they did when Josh Adudwumaa beat three players in a ninety metre dash from a scrum. Holland goaled and it was 22-10. Hopes of a comeback were shortlived as Flanagan blasted through for his hat-trick which Walpole converted before James Cruickshank was sinbinned for a lifting and dumping move in a challenge. That reduced the hosts to twelve men, yet they scrambled superbly to deny East a number of times before cutting loose.

Once more it was Flanagan that found his way to the line, claiming a fourth try after 61 minutes and the hosts went the length of the fiels from the kick-off with centre Harry Kendell getting in on the scoring.

Trailing 40-10, East frustrations boiled over and Wilkes was sinbinned. Despite plugging away manfully with big efforts from the likes of Phil Bickerstaff and debutant Andrew Raines, Oulton claimed one more try from Zak Schofield before the end, allowing Walpole to crown a good day with the boot and add his 7th goal.  

OULTON RAIDERS:

Kieran Walpole, Dominic Flanagan, Harry Kendell, Hal Day, Harry Grayson; Andy Williamson, Brad Cahill; Matt Stableford, Danny Mackintosh, Blake Broadbent, Josh Lancaster, Kieron Hainsworth, James Cruickshank. Subs: Clayton Stott, Zak Schofield, Matthew Todd, Scott Holder.

Tries: Flanagan 4, Cahill, Lancaster, Kendell, Schofield.

Goals: Walpole 7.

Sinbinned: Cruickshank.

LEIGH EAST:

Chris Penn, Kevin Murphy, Jake Beaumont, Sam Grainey, Josh Adudwumaa; Ben Parry, Adam Holland; Phil Bickerstaff, Pat Rainford, Adam Wilkes, Zac Nicholls, Tai Tupou, Jay Yarwood. Subs: Jordan Hellam, Craig Wingfield, Andrew Raines, Stephen Tooze.

Tries: Beaumont, Adudwumaa.

Goals: Holland 1.

Sinbinned: Wilkes.

Half-time: 22-4 to Oulton.

Full-time: 46-10 to Oulton.

By Dave Parkinson.