The two new teams in the Lotto Northern Women's Championship this season enjoyed mixed fortunes in the opening round of action on March 30, with Onehunga-Mangere United earning a 1-1 draw at Northern Rovers to crown a whirlwind couple of weeks for "The Scarlets". Having been edged in the promotion play-off final by Cambridge, another season in the Northern Conference was on the cards for OMU, but Hamilton Wanderers' eleventh hour withdrawal from the Championship in early March opened the door for the club which plays at the most picturesque ground in Auckland to return to a level of football they last played in over forty years ago! They made a good fist of things on their return, too, Sena Ogawa-Bracey firing them in front just after the hour mark at McFetridge Park before Lauren Smyth levelled the scores seven minutes from time for Northern, who lost the services of former Football Fern Bridgette Armstrong after just thirteen minutes due to injury. Cambridge weren't afforded the same luxury by Birkenhead United at John Kerkhof Park, where a two-goal salvo from a certain player brought back memories of a decades-old musical fantasy film starring the legendary Dick Van Dyke, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Grace Chitty went bang bang twice in the first half to clinch the points for United, her second goal coming from the penalty spot on a day the North Harbour club were joined in the winners' circle by Onehunga Sports and Melville United. "The Green Machine" proved too strong for Central United at Kiwitea Street, two goals in as many minutes from Sophie Stevenson inspiring their 4-0 win, which also featured strikes from Amy Wells and midfield general Hayley Bilk. At Gower Park, a second half hat-trick from Laura Bennett inspired Melville United's 5-2 win over ten-woman Franklin United, whose numbers were reduced just fifteen minutes into the match by the dismissal of captain Nikita Lieshout, who told the match official what she thought of his efforts in terms which saw the red card wielded in fairly short order. Rebecca Brown struck for Melville soon after, but team-mate Chantal Dinan put through her own net to level the scores, with parity being maintained until ten minutes into the second half, at which point Bennett struck from the penalty spot. Britney Cunningham-Lee wasted little time in dragging Franklin back on level terms, but when the Young Fern struck again halfway through the second half, the ten women couldn't muster a third equaliser, with Bennett and Brown both netting again in the last ten minutes to give Tarena Ranui's charges a winning start to the season. Next Sunday's action sees two matches on the Shore, with Northern welcoming Melville to McFetridge Park while Birkenhead and "The Scarlets" lock horns at Shepherds Park. Across the Harbour Bridge, "The Green Machine" entertain Cambridge at Waikaraka Park, while Central head to the Drury Sports Complex, where Franklin lie in wait. Details: Cambridge 0, Birkenhead United 2 (G. Chitty (17, 35 pen))  HT 0-2 Central United 0, Onehunga Sports 4 (A. Wells (19), S. Stevenson (26, 27), H. Bilk (52))  HT 0-3 Melville United 5 (R. Brown (20, 83), L. Bennett (55 pen, 67, 80)), Franklin United 2 ("oggie" (24), B. Cunningham-Lee (61))  HT 1-1 Northern Rovers 1 (L. Smyth (83)), Onehunga-Mangere United 1 (S. Ogawa-Bracey (64))  HT 0-0