Teachers were the first to capture silverware this season when they won the President's Cup in the opening round of the Beck's League at Nationals on Saturday.

In a change with tradition, matches this year will see first XV teams play on Saturday and the second XVs on Sunday.

Teachers scored five tries to four by Renegades and dominated most of what proved to be an interesting match-up.

Scott Correia, playing in his 21st season with Teachers, was mercurial, setting up two tries and tackling with his usual exuberance.

The usual sleepy start by the Reds allowed Gades to slip in with two easy tries from Rod Stewart and Peter Hughes after Butch Robinson had touched down for Teachers within only two minutes of the opening whistle.

Renegades were struggling in their back line without the likes of Phil Heaney to direct play.

Bobby Hurdle enjoyed a huge game, scoring a try in the first half with five Gades on his back and taking a lot of possession in the lineout. Stewart, Danny Forsythe and skipper Shane Gill kept the Reds at bay for the rest of the first half but newcomer Jeff Sangster still crossed for a try near half-time following a driving run by Tim White.

And with the interval score 17-12 it was still anyone's game.

Gades started the second half with a bang by driving the Reds scrum back at a rate of knots after all three front row players of Teachers had to be replaced.

A well worked Gades back row move, started by Gill near the Reds line, was followed by a driving maul that resulted in a fine try that brought the score level at 17-17. But Gades' efforts soon fizzled out and Correia kicked a penalty following a high tackle and new boy Peter Fetuci crossed for another try a minute later after a storming run by skipper Pat Cooper, making the score 27-17.

Indiscretions by Gill and Hurdle should have triggered implementation of the new "sin bin'' ruling where a player spends 10 minutes behind his own goal posts. But both escaped unpunished.

Another great run by Hurdle allowed Cooper to increase his team's lead to 32-17 with a good try near the posts. Then a late Gades try against the run of play put the final score at 32-24.

Police 37 Mariners 0 A well-organised mix of old and new saw Police whitewash a hapless Mariners outfit by five tries to nil.

It was newcomer Shane Richmond playing in the centre that stole the show with two well taken tries while also setting up Warren Bundy for another.

But there was too much individual play in both teams with little focus on unit or team skills.

Mariners looked liked they could become the whipping boys again this year after experiencing a huge turnover in players last season.

They lacked skills in most facets of the game and could not win a decent lineout all day. Captain Gavin Cocorran led from full back but ran too far with the ball and died with it on most occasions with one of these resulting in the ball being robbed out of his hands for Richmond to score.

The old partnership of Gareth Davies and Alan Oliver as half backs controlled the game throughout, Davies himself getting an early second half try from 30 yards out after sneaking around the blind side of a ruck.

With a half-time score of 27-0, it was all but over for Mariners and with consistent poor lineout throwing and disintegrating scrum, they defended for the rest of the match, conceding two more tries from Davies and Richmond.

In Second XV play yesterday Teachers hammered Police 29-0 and Renegades defeated Mariners 23-7.