A MUCH changed Kendal looked to have put their recent travails behind them as they led visitors Scarborough going into the closing minutes of a hard fought North One East clash at Mint Bridge.

But their dogged defensive display proved to no avail and the visitors broke through to bag the winning try with just three minutes remaining.

Kendal handed a debut to former Broughton Park man Rory Blakeney-Edwards for this first encounter between the two sides for more than three decades.

And with the wind at their backs, they had the better of the opening exchanges and took the lead after five minutes when Dini Noyo made a break down the left and exchanged passes with John Dervey before powering to the line. Glen Weightman's conversion extended the lead but they suffered a blow when Liam Hayton left the field through injury and flanker Ewan Govier's converted try levelled matters.

But back came Kendal and they retook the lead when Weightman knocked over a penalty awarded for a high tackle.

Weightman was kicking well in difficult conditions and a further penalty made the half time score 13-7.

The home side kept up the good work after the break and Noyo's converted try made it 20-7.

A first win of the campaign looked in sight but Scarborough had other ideas and penned their opponents back.

A yellow card for Dervey did not help the Kendal cause and the visitors eventually got back into the game via a penalty try.

Scrum half Jordan Wakeham then crossed to make it 20-19, but the conversion was missed and Kendal retained a now slender lead.

But the relief of the home crowd was short lived and with two minutes remaining, Tom Radcliffe went over for what proved to be the winning try.

However, after three heavy defeats, this was a much improved performance and Kendal will take heart from it as they prepare for the long trip to Driffield next weekend.