The men had too much power for Lancaster, winning 22-10. Typical of their play was a sweeping, length-of-the-pool move involving half a dozen quick passes and a smart finish from Jordan Elliot. Dan Paddon led the Manchester scoring, with five, Elliot helping himself to four. John Pratt battled superbly for Lancaster, contributing five goals.
Manchester's girls took a while to take control against Otter, but seven goals in the second period - Annie Clapperton (3), Izzy Howe (2), Rosie Huck and Steph Whittaker - set them on the way to a 16-8 win.
Sheffield men marked their debut in the Super 5s in impressive style, outplaying Solihull 16-6. Conor Carpenter was top scorer with six.
There was more success for Sheffield in the women's competition as the Sharks edged through 6-5 against Coventry. From 3-3 at the start of the last period, Sheffield went ahead through Nicole Reynolds and Amelia Peters. Claire Walmsley cut the lead to 5-4 before Peters scored again. Amy Berry's fifth goal for Coventry came too late to salvage a point. Later, Sheffield were involved in another cliffhanger - they led Liverpool Lizards 7-6 in the final quarter only for Liverpool to snatch the points with goals in the last 70 seconds by Molly Boniface-Ashton and Katie Hesketh.
At Matlock, Sarah Rogers' fifth goal 17 seconds from the end earned Birmingham a 14-14 draw with Mid Sussex Marlins in women's Championship 1.
Photos (Trevor Hyde): Action from day one at Aldershot. Top: Invicta defend as Jake Vincent shoots for Solihull. Below: Manchester's Millie Boucher (white cap) and goalkeeper Jade Smith shield the ball from Katy Cutler, of Otter.