The top teams in the national women's league did not fail on their first outing last weekend. Champions Depiro Still and Hibs Go Mobile obtained clear victories against Qormi Seiko and Luxol Vodafone respectively but Naxxar had to struggle to overcome Kerygma.

Though playing without their tall players Josephine Grima and Joselle Cardona, Depiro were still strong enough to trounce Qormi 66-30 after racing away to a handsome 23-4 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Hibs made up for their poor showing in the MBA Shield with a reassuring 83-50 win over Luxol. Hibs had Player of the Year Lucienne Bezzina in top form, potting 29 points for her team as Mario Tabone's girls pulled away at half-time 38-16.

Luxol had a better showing after the break but, still, they could do nothing against a determined Hibs who showed their true qualities in the last five minutes of the match for a confident start.

Kerygma relied mostly on Josette Calleja to trouble MBA Shield finalists Naxxar. The veteran forward notched 22 points of her team's tally but despite their all-round endeavour Lawrence Deguara's team finished on the wrong end of a close 63-52 scoreline.

Kerygma served notice of their bold intentions after racing to a 9-0 lead early on. Naxxar upped their game but still trailed 35-28 at half-time.

Kerygma were still enjoying the lead near the end of the third session but then Calleja was fouled out and Naxxar profited from the situation to beat their resilient opponents 63-52.

Top-scorers: L. Bezzina (Hibs) 29, S. Schembri Wismayer (Naxxar) 26, D. Galea (Depiro), J. Calleja (Kerygma) 22.

Next fixtures: (Thursday) Louis Borg Cup preliminary round (first legs) 6.15 p.m. Qormi vs Kerygma; 7.45 p.m. Naxxar vs Hibs. (Friday, second legs) 6.15 p.m. Kerygma vs Qormi, 7.45 p.m. Hibs vs Naxxar.