Abby Brammell

By Richard Bott

Leading the way: Lee Briers lifts the Challenge Cup after a hat-trick of tries from Chris Hicks


Warrington wizard Lee Briers turned Super League champions and Carnegie Challenge Cup favourites Leeds to stone yesterday.

Briers, who dreamed the dream a year ago when Warrington lifted the cup for the first time for 35 years, made sure they kept their hands on it.

He produced enough sorcery to win a dozen cup finals and was such a dominant force, with his tactical kicking and astute passing, that he was a runaway winner of the Lance Todd Trophy as the man of the match.

He collected more votes than his team scored points and the next best, full-back Richie Mathers, polled two. For shell-shocked Leeds, it was a fourth consecutive defeat in the final.

But they could have no complaints and their fans were streaming for the exits from the moment Warrington winger Chris Hicks went over for his hat-trick try in the 72nd minute.

Hicks said: ‘Not a lot of teams get to win back-to-back titles. We felt like we were on top for the whole game. We held them out superbly and fully deserved the win. We held them out and Richie Mathers held up three blokes.’

Leeds missed the drive and leadership of their injured England captain Jamie Peacock, whose season was ended by a knee injury a few weeks ago. Tony Smith had been bold enough to name his Warrington team at the traditional Wembley Walkabout on the eve of the game and to leave out his club’s record signing, 20-year-old England half-back Richard Myler.

In opting for experience rather than raw pace and potential, the former Leeds coach knew he was taking a gamble. It paid off, but Myler’s time will come.

Leeds coach Brian McClennan kept his line-up under wraps until an hour before kick-off, leaving out the experienced Kiwi forward Ali Lauitiiti and giving rising star Chris Clarkson, an apprentice bricklayer, a dream start in the second row.


Delight: Warrington's Ryan Atkins is congratulated after scoring his first try at Wembley


Leeds prop Ryan Bailey has not scored a try for three years but it took a last-ditch tackle by Ryan Atkins and Louis Anderson to deny him one after three minutes.

It was as close as the Rhinos came to breaching Warrington’s excellent defence in the first 40 minutes. Warrington hit them with two Briers-inspired tries in a three-minute spell.


Heading for the line: Ryan Atkins runs to score his second try


The brilliant playmaker fashioned the first for winger Ryan Atkins with a sweet lofted kick, Atkins jumping in front of a statue-like Brett Delaney to catch and score. Then Briers pegged Leeds back with a 40-20 kick and within a minute his long, looping pass to Matt King was helped on to Hicks, who cut inside to touch down.

Leeds seemed to have no answer to either Briers or Warrington’s overall energy and they conceded a third try after 35 minutes, Chris Riley breaking from defence and Atkins ‘dummying’ his way past Ian Kirke to run under the posts. Ben Westwood, having failed with his first two conversion attempts, was not going to miss that one.


Crunching: Warrington's Mick Higham charges with the ball


There was no respite for Leeds in the second period when centre Brett Delaney was twice held up over the Warrington line by the sheer quality of their defence.

Leeds lost forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan after 55 minutes and Hicks gathered a huge kick from their main tormentor Briers to score his second try. Lee Smith eventually barged over to spare Leeds a whitewash but Hicks completed his hat-trick and Louis Anderson rubbed salt into the wound four minutes from time.


source :dailymail