Leigh 'preparing as normal' for Wigan semi - owner

Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont says his club is still "preparing as normal" for their Super League play-off against Wigan Warriors on Friday (20:00 BST).

The semi-final was thrown into doubt when Wigan, in a statement on Wednesday, said Beaumont had informed them in writing that the Leopards did not intend to fulfil the fixture.

In response, Beaumont issued a 4,000-word statement, external of his own later that night clarifying his own club's position.

He said that a private WhatsApp message with Wigan chief executive Kris Radlinski was not a serving of a "formal notice" but a message in anger about tickets being cancelled.

Leigh received an allocation of 4,800 tickets for the fixture at the Brick Community Stadium, which quickly sold out with supporters then buying tickets in other areas of the ground, which have subsequently been cancelled.

"I sincerely hope my genuine concerns can be satisfied, so the game we are still preparing as normal for can proceed as planned," said Beaumont.

Both sides have named 21-man squads for the play-off game, with a Wigan spokesperson telling BBC Sport everything was proceeding as it would for any home game.

As of Thursday, more than 17,000 tickets have been sold for the game, with the winners facing either Hull KR or St Helens, who meet on Saturday (17:30 BST), in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on 11 October.