A familiar name is back on the fixture list tonight as Vasco da Gama return to the First Division in a match against Somerset Eagles at Goose Gosling Field (8pm).

Vasco’s return means that the First Division has not lost a team after the recent withdrawal of BAA.

Andrew Bascome’s team cited a lack of players as the reason for pulling out, losing 17 members of their squad after they narrowly missed out on promotion last season.

It is the second time in three seasons that BAA have pulled out of the league.

Newly promoted Paget Lions and Young Men’s Social Club will renew rivalries as the Premier Division also gets under way with two matches tonight.

Both sides sealed a return to the top flight with Lions clinching the First Division title in a thrilling final day of the season, narrowly overcoming Wolves, who missed out on promotion by a single point to Social Club.

Ahead of the encounter at PHC Field (9pm), Antwan Russell’s Paget, who have bolstered their ranks with mercurial forward Kamali Davis, will be hoping for a repeat of last weekend’s meeting, in which two goals from Omari Tucker and a strike from Aquino Grant sealed a comfortable 3-0 win in the Dudley Eve Trophy.

Social Club, who also suffered a 6-0 thumping by PHC, will hope to build on the momentum of a confidence-boosting 5-2 thrashing of X-Roads Warriors in their last outing.

The other game on opening night features Devonshire Cougars hosting Hamilton Parish at Devonshire Rec (9pm).

Cougars head into the new campaign hoping to go one better than last season after finishing runners-up, three points adrift of champions PHC.

It proved a busy summer for Kwame Steede’s side in the transfer window with the team losing eight players including the versatile Chris Caisey, who has departed for Wolves. In response, the club have bolstered their front line with the return of Che Brangman from X-Roads, one of eight new arrivals.

Cougars and Parish have also met already this season, with Samuel McKittrick making a telling contribution from the bench to help the latter snatch a last-gasp victory in their Dudley Eve Trophy group B opener.