It went goal crazy on the opening morning of the Hitchin Sunday Football League season with 74 goals being scored in the 13 matches that were played. Reigning Premier Division champions Red Star ICL opened the defence of their title against The Park with

It went goal crazy on the opening morning of the Hitchin Sunday Football League season with 74 goals being scored in the 13 matches that were played.

Reigning Premier Division champions Red Star ICL opened the defence of their title against The Park with a resounding 7-3 win.

Last season's Division One champions Baldock Engine started life in the Premier Division with a home game against Kcinsatop but found the going tough and fell to a 3-1 defeat.

Crown Stotfold just edged out HTS Barleycorn 5-4 in a nine-goal thriller.

The final match to be played in the Premier Division saw Cannon narrowly beat Whitwell 1-0 in a tight game.

The game between PJ Hitchin and AEK Letchworth was not played as AEK could not field a team.

In Division One, AC Malone, who struggled last season, got off to a flying start with a 5-1 win against HTS Barleycorn Res.

The honour of the highest scorers of the day went to Chequers Stotfold who smashed SMU 11-0.

The other two games in the division were not played because both Jackmans Jackdaws and Kcinsatop Res could not field teams against Wanderers and Shillington respectively.

Promoted Operation Swordfish started their campaign in Division Two where they left off last season by winning 2-0 against Ocean's Eleven.

North Herts Hatters scored five without reply against Dynamo Letchworth.

Despite a promising first half by Red Hart which saw them spurn several good chances, they eventually went down to a 5-0 defeat to Shillington Sunday.

Broadmead opened the scoring against Clifton Sunday but a neat free kick by Adam Millard meant that both teams picked up their first point of the season.

Of the three games played in Division Three, two of them were very one-sided affairs.

Athletico Hitchin thrashed Paynes Park 9-0 with goals from Ian Hutchinson (four) and Dean Taylor, Greg Smith, Steven Oakman, Paul Regan and Dave Osmond all netting one each.

Green Man Ickleford had an emphatic win by demolishing AC Malone Res 8-1.

The final game of the day saw Walsworth earn a narrow victory against Wilbury 1-0.

Results

Sunday, September 7

Premier Division: Baldock Engine 1 Kcinsatop 3, HTS Barleycorn 4 Crown Stotfold 5, PJ Hitchin v AEK Letchworth (off), Red Star ICL 7 The Park 3, Cannon 1 Whitwell 0.

Division One: AC Malone 5 HTS Barleycorn Res 1, Jackmans Jackdaws v Wanderers (off), Shillington v Kcinsatop Res (off), SMU 0 Chequers Stotfold 11.

Division Two: Broadmead 1 Clifton Sunday 1, North Herts Hatters 5 Dynamo Letchworth 0, Operation Swordfish 2 Ocean's Eleven 0, The Red Hart 0 Shillington Sunday 5.

Division Three: Green Man Ickleford 8 AC Malone Res 1, Paynes Park 0 Athletico Hitchin 9, Walsworth 1 Wilbury 0.

Fixtures

Sunday, September 14

Premier Division: AEK Letchworth v Baldock Engine, Cannon v HTS Barleycorn, Crown Stotfold v Whitwell, Kcinsatop v Red Star ICL, The Park v PJ Hitchin.

Division One: Chequers Stotfold v Jackmans Jackdaws, HTS Barleycorn Res v SMU, Wanderers v Shillington, Whitwell Res v AC Malone.

Division Two: Clifton Sunday v Broadmead, Dynamo Letchworth v The Red Hart, Operation Swordfish v Cannon Res, Shillington Sunday v Ocean's Eleven.

Division Three. Green Man Ickleford v Clifton Sunday Res, AC Malone Res v Wanderers Res.

Herts Sunday Junior Cup, first round: Wilbury v Potters Bar, LGC Spartans v Sandridge and Harvesters Sports, Paynes Park v Red Lion (Bushey), Athletico Hitchin v Palace.