Hong Kong Football Club A received a wake-up call before opening their league campaign on a winning note against newly promoted Bullets A, 3-1, at Sports Road yesterday. Bullets, last season's Second Division champions, took a shock 1-0 lead in the 14th minute through Harinder Singh. But that was all Bullets could muster as Club's experience won the day. Lyle Williams blasted two goals inside five minutes, including one from the penalty spot, and Club captain Eric Morris buried Bullet's hopes of making a dream start to the campaign with a third goal four minutes from time. Even without regular captain Derek Field and new signing Alfonso Cordeiro, a late season acquisition from former champions Shaheen, Club proved that they would take some beating for this season's league crown. But while Club were celebrating their victory against a young side, who could be challenging for a top three place this season, Club's B team suffered a surprise 3-1 reversal by Kowloon Cricket Club B on the same ground. Defending champions Kowloon Cricket Club A, meanwhile, earned a two-point cushion at the top of the standings after thrashing lightweights Elite 8-1 at Happy Valley. KCC, who won the treble last season after snatching the League, the Holland Cup and the Guru Nanak titles, won their second straight game without encountering too many difficulties. Former Shaheen player Deric Leung scored a hat-trick, two goals from Farooq Saeed and Ken Wong and one goal from Arif Ali contributed to KCC's impressive victory. Shaheen also got off to a flying start when they defeated Pakistan Association A 4-2. Asghar Ali struck twice, while newcomer Yip Chun-chau and Jaime Collaco scored the others for the former champions. Valley A continued their surprise run, snatching second spot on the table following a 2-2 draw with Nav Bharat A.
