Will Sharp's phenomenal kicking and a dogged defensive display helped Old Tiffinians start life at Level Six with an 18-12 victory over Medway.
Sharp, again appearing at inside centre, kicked Tiffs into an early 3-0 lead in Hampton Court before Medway hit back straight away, making use of an overlap to score in the corner and take the lead.
When Ben Sykes's pass was intercepted by the opposition second-row who sprinted under the posts Tiffs were 12-3 down at Grist's with barely ten minutes on the clock in their first Regional 2 South East encounter.
Undeterred, Andy Blackburn's side continued to plug away but they suffered another blow when hooker Tim Baker suffered an early broken elbow, leading to the introduction of experienced club legend Alex Turner and handing captain Ross Hobbs the lineout throwing responsibilities.
Tiffs struggled to gain and withhold possession but an inspired kick chase, resilient defence and surging scrum kept giving Sharp opportunities to add three points.
With the score at 12-9 to the visitors and barely a minute left on the clock before half-time, Tiffs won another penalty.
Centre Sharif Dougramaji opted to tap-and-go before getting turned over, denying Sharp an easy chance to level the scores at the interval.
After the break, Medway's ill-discipline proved costly as a flurry of yellow cards allowed Tiffs to gain the upper hand.
The ever-reliable Sharp did miss one long-range effort from the tee but can take plenty of confidence from a man-of-the-match display that included a successful strike from inside his own half.
Eventually, Tiffs prevailed 18-12 in front of a home crowd. Elsewhere on the nearby pitch, the 2nd XV salvaged a 24-24 draw against Teddington 2s in spectacular style thanks to a last-gasp Tomos Croxon conversion.
The 2s had Andrew "I'm due a blinder" Conder to thank after his hat-trick with Will Nichols returning from injury after 18 months out of action to score in the pre-season friendly as he works his way back to the first team.
Overall, it was a Super Saturday on the first weekend of the league season at Grist's. The 1st XV, who sit fourth in the table, travel to Thurrock on Saturday 14 September, looking to make it two wins from two.
Old Tiffinians 18-12 Medway
Penalties: Sharp x6
MOTM: Will Sharp
DOTD: Sharif Dougramaji