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Scarborough travelled to Beverley’s Beaver Park ground knowing only a win would keep them in the race for a play-off place in Yorkshire One.
However they were beaten and slipped out of promotion contention despite participating in a game that would have pleased the neutrals in the crowd.
The visitors opened the scoring with a long-distance Tom Harrison penalty with only three minutes played and a further exchange of kicks between Beverley full-back Jamie Gill and Harrison saw Scarborough lead 6-3 after 15 minutes.
Not for the first time this season, Scarborough looked sluggish in the first half and their defensive line speed and apparent lack of energy at the breakdown was in stark contrast to the slick handling and movement of a buzzing Beverley outfit.
It was therefore no surprise when the home side scored the first try of the game in the 20th minute, wing Luke Hazell powering over to round off a move involving quick hands on the Beverley left flank.
Full-back Gill added the extras for a 10-6 lead.
And things got worse for the lacklustre Seasiders two minutes later when centre Jacob Holmes burst through the centre on the visitor’s 22 to cross and stretch the lead to 15-6. Gill missed the conversion.
Struggling at the set-pieces and unable to match the pace of the home side in the loose, Scarborough were frankly a bit of a rabble in the second quarter and were fortunate to reach the break without conceding another score.
Having never looked like scoring a first-half try and then being reduced to 14 men after the sin-binning of back row replacement Devin Ibanez on the stroke of half-time, things got worse for Scarborough just after the break.
They were penalised just inside their own 10-metre line and Gill hoofed over the longdistance kick for 18-6.
Having run in tries for fun during most of their preceding four games, the Seasiders were up to their elbows in defensive work, no more so than young back-row Drew Govier, who grafted with real purpose.
However, even he couldn’t stem the tide and following extended pressure on the visitors’ line, Beverley number eight Isaac Keighley touched down from close-range in the 55th minute. Gill converted to stretch the lead to 25-6.
It looked as if it was going to be a long afternoon for the men from Silver Royd, but they came back with a flourish when they got the bit between their teeth in the fourth quarter, at last getting their running game going.
Incisive running through centre Graham Hogg and Harrison started to stretch the home defence and a deft pass from Hogg released Loni Loni to scamper over near the right corner flag in the 61st minute.
Harrison, who is in fine form kicking off the ground, stroked the touchline conver-
sion over to reduce the arrears at 25-13.
With their tails up, Scarborough combined forwards and backs through the middle to send Faamau crashing over two minutes later.
Harrison kicked another difficult conversion and it was game-on at 25-20.
The Beavers were rattled and lost their composure as they realised that from a comfortable lead they were now less than a score in front of the visitors.
Scarborough continued to turn the screw, but let their opponents off the hook conceding a number of needless penalties, one of which Gill slotted from long-range to provide a cushion at 28-20 in the 70th minute.
Scarborough drove deep into the home 22 and Loni Loni, who was in punishing second-half form, was stopped just short when his second try was on the cards.
However, the Seasiders conceded another penalty and Gill hoisted a huge up-and-under which alighted just inside the visitor’s half.
As two defenders casualty contemplated what they were going to do, Luke Hazell strolled between them, fielded the ball and galloped over.
Full-back Gill added the extras for 35-20 on 74 minutes.
To their credit, Scarborough never gave up the ghost and good work between forwards and backs sent Nino Cutino in between the uprights in the 79th minute.
Harrison converted for 3527, but it was much too little and certainly too late.
There were notable individual performances and again young Govier was exceptional.
Elsewhere, up-front number eight Faamau and Cutino passed muster.
Behind them, the pick of the bunch were substitute Hogg, Harrison and Loni Loni.
So this season of inconsistent performance continues with coach Lee Douglas’ charges unable to stretch a winning run past four games.
This plus the inability to perform for most of the 80 minutes of any single game is not a recipe for promotion.