LEIGH Leopards’ hopes of completing the double ended with 20-6 defeat by Wembley opponents Hull KR after at a raucous Craven Park.

The defeat signalled the end of a remarkable first season back among the elite for Adrian Lam's Leopards - with a first play-off appearance coming after the Challenge Cup Final win.

But they never managed to gain a foothold in east Hull.

Two uncharacteristic errors from Leigh full-back Gareth O'Brien did most of the damage.

That saw a ball steal from the outstanding Matt Parcell sending Ryan Hall over for Rovers' second try just before the break, and his spill from the re-start setting up the hosts to score what was effectively the clincher through Sam Luckley.

Heading into the game on a high having overturned a two-point league deficit and a considerable points deficit to wrest home advantage in the final series of regular series games last week, Rovers nevertheless took their time to grab the initiative in a gruelling half hour.

Ben Reynolds and Brad Schneider exchanged penalties before Parcell's tireless prompting finally paid off after 34 minutes, his slick hands contributing to a sweeping left-to-right move which resulted in Jack Walker arrowing in on the diagonal.

Schneider's extras increased Rovers' advantage, before O'Brien's nightmare shortly before the break led to Hall twisting over the line, the video referee adjudging he had got the ball beyond Reynolds' despairing arm.

Leigh's hopes of hauling back a 12-point half-time deficit were shattered within seconds of the restart when another O'Brien error allowed the ever-present Parcell to jostle close, before Schneider's flicked pass put Luckley in the clear.

Rovers were equally up for it at the other end, a stretching Mikey Lewis producing a try-saving tackle to prevent O'Brien the chance to make amends.

But Leigh were cranking up the pressure and were unfortunate again when Joe Mellor crashed through a sea of bodies only for his effort to be ruled out for a clumsy infringement by Edwin Ipape at the earlier play-the-ball.

Leigh finally got the reward their pressure deserved after 57 minutes when Josh Charnley darted over on the left to reduce the deficit to 12, but Rovers held firm, and Schneider's penalty with six minutes left on the clock put the home side in the clear and dreaming of a first appearance on the domestic game's biggest stage.