Surrey held their nerve in a thrilling finale to beat Berkshire by two runs as they started their Royal London Women's One-Day Cup Division One campaign with two wins over the bank holiday weekend.
Berkshire went into the final over at North Maidenhead on Monday needing three runs to win with one wicket left but Imogen Brown was ousted for 15 by Rachel Candy, giving Surrey victory with five balls to spare.
After winning the toss, Surrey chose to bat but were reduced to 21 for two when Brown accounted for Holly Knight and Natalie Sciver with successive deliveries.
Last year's runners-up recovered to post 217 for seven, thanks largely to Candy's terrific unbeaten 81, which came from 71 balls and included 11 fours.
In Berkshire's response, Alex Rogers and Linsey Smith both fell without scoring but Heather Knight and Corinne Hall combined for a 95-run partnership to seemingly put the hosts in charge.
But Sciver stepped up to oust England team-mate Knight, before Hall hit her own stumps soon after.
Emily Gerke struck 57 before being run out by Candy and Surrey held their nerve at the death to secure victory.
Sciver was thrilled to have overcome the side who finished third last season.
She told ecb.co.uk: "We've had a quite a few close games in the last few years and it was good to be on the winning end of it.
"We kept the pressure on at the end when it was going back and forth between who would win but thankfully we came out on top.
"They did have a big partnership so it was up to us to stay patient and take some wickets, which we managed to do. (Knight) was a big wicket for us."
Sciver had shone with the bat on Sunday in Surrey's opener, scoring 67 - as did Kirstie White - in a seven-wicket victory over Sussex, for whom Sarah Taylor struck 77.
Kirstie White bringing up her half century https://t.co/FyzS2ATEfO
— Surrey Women Cricket (@SurreyLadies) May 3, 2015
Reigning champions Kent got off to the perfect start on Sunday with a crushing nine-wicket victory over Yorkshire, with England captain Charlotte Edwards scoring an unbeaten 88 as her side needed just over 30 overs to pass their opponents' 157 for nine.
Lancashire started with a five-wicket defeat to Nottinghamshire after suffering four run-outs in their innings. Their total of 141 all out proved little trouble for their opponents as Nottinghamshire got home with 19 balls to spare.
Essex began life in Division Two with back-to-back defeats.
Hannah Courtnell's side were bowled out for 98 in a four-wicket defeat to Devon on Sunday before Beth Langston's unbeaten 65 proved fruitless in an 84-run loss to Wales, who were led by Lauren Parfitt's 109 not out.
Devon won again on the Monday, as Jodie Dibble took 3-19 in a 166-run victory over Durham.
Somerset were also big winners, with Lauren and Anya Shrubsole each taking 2-9 in their 158-run success against Ireland, who were skittled for 65. 
It was a far cry from Ireland's performance the day before, Isobel Joyce hitting 127 not out in a total of 315 for five as they beat Worcestershire by 126 runs.
Staffordshire opened with a five-wicket win over Scotland, whose opening game against Wales was abandoned due to rain.
In Division Three, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire both opened with two victories.
Northants defended a total of 67 against Netherlands as Patricia Hankins took 5-9 to help bowl out their opponents for 44, before they edged Suffolk by one wicket the next day. Leicestershire had things much easier, with wins over Hertfordshire (six wickets) and Cheshire (eight wickets).
Netherlands bounced back from their collapse by beating Oxfordshire by 35 runs, but Hertfordshire suffered another defeat as they lost to Hampshire by 192 runs.
Elsewhere, Derbyshire beat Suffolk by six wickets in a game shortened to 30 overs per side.
In Division Four North & South, Norfolk bowled out Northumberland for 21 to win by 91 runs and Lincolnshire beat Cambridgeshire by five wickets, but there was no play in Division 4 South & West.
The results from the weekend's remaining matches will be added in due course.