Canaries maintained their perfect start to the season in the A League with a close 3-2 win over Bluebirds on Saturday at Nationals, while the young Swifts team climbed to their highest ever A League position, third.

A Canaries victory was expected after Helen Farrington opened the scoring off a penalty corner, her shot from the top of the circle going in off a defender's foot. The second goal also came from a corner when Rhonda Rawlins stopped the hit, then passed to Lisa DeSilva who tucked the ball neatly in.

Bluebirds came out firing in the second half and were rewarded with two well deserved goals to tie it up.

However, Canaries were up to the challenge and DeSilva scored her second goal of the match, again off a short corner penalty, to seal the points and make it six wins out of six for the defending champions.

Canaries B followed in the footsteps oftheir A team counterparts with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bluebirds.

Swifts had a 1-0 win over Orioles, starting brightly as Fiona Lee opened up the game by driving down the right wing. Orioles began to apply pressure, forcing goalie Jennah Robinson to make three successive saves in the seventh minute to deny them.

The win was secured by an Emily Leitch deflection from a Melissa Durrant free hit just outside the circle in the 27th minute. Swifts are third behind Canaries and Cardinals.

In the B League, Swifts' youngsters keep showing improvement, despite their 2-1 los to Orioles. Orioles opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a marvelous shot from Betty McLean. Swifts equalised in the last minute of the first half.

Orioles caught the Swifts defence napping in the 56th minute when forward Zina Jones touched the ball into the goal on the blind side for the winner. At the end Erica Frith had a chance to even the score but her shot was stopped by Orioles' 'keeper Tish Parfitt as they hung on for their first B win of the season.

Swallows fielded a primarily B team against Cardinals A on Sunday and the Reds capitalised on it with a 3-1 win. By halftime the Cardinals were ahead 2-0 on goals from Maria Pichery from a Kirsten Butterworth cross and Laura Bardgett off a Pichery pass.

Cath Griffiths pulled one back for Swallows in the second half, scoring a fabulous goal from a penalty corner. But the duo of Pichery and Bardgett were not finished and once again Pichery passed to Bardgett to score.

Cardinals came from behind to beat Swallows 4-1 in another B match. Sarah Davis made an excellent cross into the circle which then hit Annaka Rubidge's well placed stick and deflected into goal.

Swallows held a 1-0 lead at the half but the second half was an entirely different story as Cardinals capitalised on a seemingly confused Swallows defence by taking a 2-1 lead on two own goals.

The game was put out of Swallows' reach when Vicky Johnston scored from close range after Michelle clarke picked the ball up from the 50-yard line and drove it into the D. Heidi Lynam also had an assist as Clarke sent the pass she received from Lynam into the back of the net.