The newly-formed Dicko's Disciples set their stall out with an eye-catching 9-0 victory over Barbarians.

The team, named in recognition of coach Alan Dickinson, boasts several players who trained together under Dicko's watch.

They did him proud too as they produced an impressive whitewash against a Barbarians side that boasted one of the league's lead performers in Ian Marshall. This was the first time Marshall had lost all three sets in a Halifax League match since joining in 2016, emphasising the magnitude of the result.

But Lewis Palmer, who played for Barbarians last year, Alex Shaw and Jake Clarke all bagged trebles to get off to a strong start. It was Clarke's first game back in Halifax after several years away at university. He captained the University of York side, reached the York Closed semi-finals last season and comes back a much better player.

Jonathan Taylor pushed Clarke and Palmer close, losing to both in the fifth.

Equally impressive was Central's 7-2 victory over Hermits.

Djordje Cupac was the star as he picked up a magnificent treble, beating Phil Mann, Paul McKrieth and James Foster in tight five-end contests.

He was ably supported by Francis Cioffi and Gary Crossley, a new recruit from the Huddersfield and Oldham leagues, with the pair both impressively defeating Mann and McKrieth. Foster came away with a double.

Acapulco also started the season with victory as they defeated Woodfield Park 6-3.

Matthew Shaw bagged a treble while weeks of training paid off for Ross McFadyen as he picked up two wins, bagging a superb win over Russell Senior before overcoming Keith Skarz in five.

Gareth Hey, playing competitively again for the first time in five years, also defeated Skarz in five and narrowly missed out to Senior. Woodfield, who were without star performer Shaun Ellis, had Ian Tweedale to thank for two wins.

The final game of the round was a battle of the newbies as Oldham-based side Lancs Raiders overcame newly-promoted Off Centre 5-4.

Off Centre have strengthened with the signing of Paul Bryant, Keighley's outstanding performer last season with a remarkable 50 wins from a possible 51. He won all three of his sets to demonstrate his ability.

As for Lancs Raiders, David Holme and Dave Jefferson both got two wins while Chris Whitehead added a single for the win, with Bob Underwood claiming a victory after dominating Division 2 for the past two seasons.

Anyone who would like to do round-ups of the other divisions are more than welcome to do so. Get in touch if you're interested!