CROSSHILLS, champions of the East Lancashire Football League, kicked off the new season in fine style.

They followed up their comfortable Charity Shield 5-2 win over Worsthorne with a comprehensive 8-3 victory over promoted Rolls Royce.

The Barnoldswick side had only lost the President's Cup Final on penalties to Crosshills at the end of last season, but found their debut match in Division One a baptism of fire. Crosshills controlled the game from start to finish with both Wayne Lee and Stephen Fenton scoring hat tricks.

Last year's Division Two champions had better luck, getting off to a flying start with a 2-1 win at Hurst Green. Chatburn went behind early in the game but goals from Danny Cliff and Geoff Young saw them home.

Newcomers Goodshaw Utd started off in fine style with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Sabden with goals from Paul Stephenson and Simon Bradshaw complemented by a bizarre Sabden own goal.

Results - Division One: Crosshills 8, Rolls Royce 3; Hurst Green 1, Chatburn 2; Kelbrook 2, Oswaldtwistle 0; Stacksteads SJ 2, Colne Utd 4; Worsthorne 1, Whinney Hill 0.

Division Two: Calderstones 1, Rock Rovers 1; Earby Town 4, Colne Blue Stars 1; Goodshaw Utd 3, Sabden 0; Mill Hill St Peter's 3, Read Utd 0; Ribchester Rovers 4, Barnoldswick PR 1.

Reserve Division: Barnoldswick PR 2, Hurst Green 2; Read Utd 1, Rock Rovers 0; Rolls Royce 3, Mill Hill St Peter's 4; Sabden 3, Colne Utd 4. Fixtures for Saturday - Division One: Colne Utd v Kelbrook; Crosshills v Chatburn; Oswaldtiwstle v Worsthorne; Rolls Royce v Stacksteads SJ; Settle Utd v Whinney Hill; Trawden Celtic v Hurt Green.

Division Two: Colne Blue Stars v Calderstones; Mill Hill St Peter's v Earby Town; Read Utd v Ribchester Rovers; Rock Rovers v Burnley Belvedere; Sabden v Barnoldswick PR.

Reserve Division: Barnoldswick PR v Earby Town; Colne Utd v Rock Rovers; Hurst Green v Read Utd Kelbrook v Mil Hill St Peter's; Worsthorne v Burnley Belvedere.

Fixtures for Tuesday, September 7 (kick off 6.15pm) - Division One: Chatburn v Colne Utd; Rolls Royce v Whinney Hill.

Wednesday, Sept 8 (kick off 6.15pm) - Reserve Division: Barnoldswick PR v Worsthorne; Colne Utd v Rolls Royce; Read Utd v Kelbrook.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.