BEVERLEY  13  WEST PARK ST.HELENS  24

                What an dreadful afternoon.  For most of the time it was difficult to tell if this was National League rugby or Yorkshire One.  It was all pretty dire and Beverley were beaten by a very average team that deservedly won because they were the only side playing with any conviction and organisation. 

                For ten minutes Beverley had all the play and did everything but score.  They were then disrupted by the loss of newcomer Richard Bussey at full back, although this may have been a blessing in disguise as Matthew Tamali’i, who came on as substitute, was the sole Beverley player apart from David Worrall to make any significant impact all afternoon. 

                West Park got steadily back into the game and on their first foray into Beverley territory took the lead with a drop goal from fly half Robert Hitchmough.  Ian Archibald brought Beverley level with a penalty but things by then were not going well for the home side.  For just about the first time this season their forwards were struggling to get any domination up front and as for their backplay the least said the better.  The decision making, creativity, and passing, such as it was, were simply awful. 

                Despite their problems Archibald kept the sides level pegging with a second penalty after West Park had re-taken the lead with one by Andrew Souter.  Beverley then had the chance to go 9-6 up but inexplicably opted for a fruitless penalty kick to touch instead of taking the three points.  This was the first of three occasions that they declined to take the points when offered straightforward kicks at goal. 

                Within a minute of the start of the second half Hitchmoough dropped his second goal to restore the West Park lead and two minutes later they stretched further ahead with a try by number eight Craig Smithson after a lightning dash down the wing by scrum half Shaun Gibney.  Gibney was by some way the game’s outstanding player with his halfback partner Hitchmough not far behind. .

                For Beverley things were going from bad to worse despite getting plenty of good possession.  The relentless use of a crash ball through the centre was again all too predictable and achieved nothing, due partly to the slow presentation from half back.  Sadly, the sight of the ball going quickly through the hands along the back-line has now become a distant memory at Beaver Park.  The visitors’ backs in contrast were cleverly directed by Hitchmough and ran with plenty of spirit and always looked dangerous. 

                Not for the first time this season Beverley then proceeded to give away a simple interception try when centre David Cunliffe raced away from halfway and Souter added the conversion.  It was rough justice that the intercepted pass should have been given by the outstanding Worrall who had almost single-handedly taken the game to the opposition all afternoon. 

                Three scores behind and it was all up for Beverley.  They stuck at it but showed little penetration until the game went into added time when they suddenly started to throw the ball about.  For the first time it managed to get through more than two pairs of hands and ironically Anthony Spence and Umberto Cuozzo on the wings showed what might have been had they seen something of it earlier.  Deep into added time Richard Henderson went over for a try which Archibald converted to reduce the deficit but Beverley’s woe was completed when James McKay was red carded and Souter added a final penalty for West Park.