AN encouraging first half display left Basingstoke Women with so much to be positive about, despite falling to a tough loss against Dorking II yesterday afternoon.

An Erica van den Ordel screamer from half way was the highlight in a tenacious display, and the 22-woman squad came off the pitch with big smiles and full hearts, which is all anyone can ask for.

Basingstoke started the better of the two sides, with much of the early play taking place deep in Dorking territory. Debutant fly half Gilly Dunning - one of four on the day - pinned the home side back with an intelligent kicking display, while customary heavy carries from the likes of van den Ordel, Rose Shelton and Rebecca Hope kept pushing the side forward.

Dorking withstood the pressure, and were the first side on the score sheet. With an open back field, a kick over the top gave their winger the opportunity to display her pace and footballing skills to see the ball sit up into her hands and earn the first points of the game.

Two quick tries followed, with pace very much the theme of the day for the home side, before Basingstoke built some pressure of their own.

More strong kicking from Dunning had Dorking deep in their own 22, before defensive pressure from the women in blue enforced a knock on from Dorking. Some slick backline play had returnee Rachel Appleby over the try line, before the ball was knocked out of her grasp.

Basingstoke were soon rewarded with the score their efforts deserved, after van den Ordel picked up a loose ball from a knock on just inside her own half. She broke one tackle before swatting away another defender with a trademark hand off before showing serious pace to go the distance and earn the side a five pointer.

Dorking sought their bonus point try before the half time whistle, but a strong defensive display kept the home side at bay. Crunching hits from Lizzie Ball, Carmen Rhodes and Tam Izzett in particular kept the home side out, and the score remained 19-5 at the half.

The second half brought about changes for both sides, and saw Dorking really go up another level. The home side scored four tries in quick succession, with the players exhibiting some skills that wouldn’t look out of place two or three divisions above. The pick of their scores contained five offloads at pace, displaying supreme levels of speed and fitness.

Despite the dominance, the attitude of the visitors was absolutely fantastic. Powerhouse forward Emma Crawford-Falekaono and debutants Shai Davey and Rosie Traylen brought real impact off the bench with their relentless carrying, while Alice Carnduff - also playing her first game of rugby - belied her diminutive stature with some huge defensive plays. The performances of the three novices in particular will hugely please the coaching set up, and leaves the side in good stead approaching the rest of the season.

The match finished 65-5, which was harsh on the visitors given the effort levels they put in, but to put in that level of performance against a genuinely quality side was a really positive outcome. Next up for the side is a home match against Andover on Sunday, and the side are hoping for a bumper crowd to earn their first win!