IN a rather inauspicious start to the season, the OD Ladies were defeated by 39 points by rivals Beckenham Ladies.

ODs did not get the best of starts when they lost captain Helen Dempsey to a knee injury in the first five minutes.

This was followed soon after by a head injury to scrum-half Helen Thomas, which meant a period of reshuffling.

Retiring second row Trudi Salter filled in the front row for the majority of the match, and Lou Dennis slotted back in to her old position at scrum half.

A well-drilled Beckenham side made the most of the confusion and scored after breaking through the defensive line.

Despite the early setbacks, ODs made a spirited comeback.

The trademark physicality of the side showed with some telling tackles by Jenni Dempsey, Louise Freds, Amy Ruocco and Alex Tyson.

This allowed ODs’ defensive line to reorganise and at the halfway mark, the visiting side were only down 5-0.

The second half highlighted the lack of match fitness from the ODs as Beckenham scored seven tries at regular intervals.

One major positive for the away side was the runaway try by debutante and back of the match Bianca Modeste, whose mazy run from the ODs’ 22 early in the second half put welcome smiles on the supporters’ faces.

But Beckenham’s pressure was great and the match ended 46-7 to the home side.

Although the score doesn’t reflect the hard defensive work put in by the ODs, the coaching team were quick to point out many positives from the game.

Debutantes Maria Lawrence, Bianca Modeste, Gwen Wingrove and Muriel Horan all made tremendous contributions to the match, with some big tackles and decisive runs.

The forward pack maintained its shape and strength even after major personnel changes early on in the match and the team showed a diehard spirit right to the final whistle.