Birkenhead United, Melville United and Onehunga Sports are making the early running in the Lotto Northern Women's Championship after all three maintained their winning starts in contrasting fashion on April 6. "The Green Machine" came from behind to edge Cambridge 2-1 at Waikaraka Park, where Bella Stark gave the visitors a fifteenth minute lead. Annie Byrne tied things up by the half-hour mark, while Amy Wells made it back-to-back goals, this week's one the winner scored just before the hour. Birkenhead were comfortable 3-0 winners over Onehunga-Mangere United at Shepherds Park, where Grace Chitty went bang bang for the second week running after Veronica Ortiz-Rojas had opened the scoring, all the goals coming in a fifteen-minute burst during the second spell. Melville, meanwhile, were afforded a fourth minute lead by the free-scoring Laura Bennett on their visit to McFetridge Park, where Northern Rovers' Saskia Cate put through her own net soon after to double the visitors' advantage. Paige Gaughan halved the deficit from the penalty spot soon after the interval, but Hayley Bennett restored Melville's two-goal lead five minutes before the final whistle to propel the Hamilton club to the top of the table by virtue of having scored more goals than Birkenhead and Onehunga - the goal difference for all three teams is identical, five. Franklin United scored their first win of the season, comfortably accounting for Central United 4-0 at the Drury Sports Complex, Britney Cunningham-Lee leading the way with a double strike, the second coming three minutes after the start of a second half in which Maureen Fitzpatrick and Georgia Irvine also found the target for the South Aucklanders. Next Sunday's fare sees two of the top three clashing, with Birkenhead and "The Green Machine" squaring off at Shepherds Park. Melville, meanwhile, welcome the OMU "Scarlets" to Gower Park on a day Central and Northern will be seeking their first win of the campaign in their clash at Kiwitea Street, and Cambridge entertain Franklin at John Kerkhof Park. Details: Birkenhead United 3 (V. Ortiz-Rojas (55), G. Chitty (64, 70)), Onehunga-Mangere United 0  HT 0-0 Franklin United 4 (B. Cunningham-Lee (16, 48), M. Fitzpatrick (59), G. Irvine (85)), Central United 0  HT 1-0 Northern Rovers 1 (P. Gaughan (52 pen)), Melville United 3 (L. Bennett (4), "oggie" (17), H. Bennett (85))  HT 0-2 Onehunga Sports 2 (A. Byrne (29), A. Wells (57)), Cambridge 1 (B. Stark (15))  HT 1-1