With manager Charlie Blakemore celebrating his birthday, his team provided the perfect present as they tore apart the Hertfordshire side and gifted the boss three opening day points and a place at the top of the Division One Midland Division writes Russell Brown.

The score line would have been more emphatic but for a man of the match performance from home goalkeeper Lee Clarke, who at times, seemed to be conducting a personal duel between himself and new Chasetown striker Dean Perrow, but in the end two goals from the former AFC Telford forward and one from up and coming new striker Dan Smith saw the trip back home to the Scholars continue in the party mood.

Chasetown looked composed and very lively from the off as they tore straight into the team that finished in the relegation zone last season, Berkhamsted being saved from the drop to step five by team mergers and resignations.

After dominating the majority of the first half, Chasetown finally found a way through thanks to some very quick thinking by Nick Hawkins. He spotted the Lilywhites defence reacting slowly to the award of a free kick just inside the Berkhamsted half and his quickly taken set piece allowed Dean Perrow to cut past a static home defence to slot in past the exposed Clarke in the 37th minute.

Perrow could have helped himself to a second goal moments later as Berks left the striker unmarked in the area, but he failed to get a full connection to the ball and Clarke collected.

Just before the break, Clarke distinguished himself with a fine save to deny Perrow and only some desperate defending from the home side managed to clear the loose ball to safety.

With the heavens opening at Broadwater, Chasetown shrugged off the conditions and continued to take the game to a sluggish Berkhamsted defence. An error from Bartlett almost allowed Paul Spacey to double the Blues lead when a misdirected header fell for the defender to hit a fierce volley inches wide of the target.

Perrow was proving to be a real danger to the home side and his fluid spin in the box saw the striker get in a shot that saw Clarke parry. With the loose ball spinning towards Mark Branch at the far post, Fields somehow extended his leg enough to clip the ball from the path of the Chasetown player.

Once again, striker and keeper were head to head in the next attack and Clarke this time came out on top turning aside another on target effort from Perrow. Moments later and an even better stop from the Berkhamsted number one again deny the animated Perrow.

There was more frustration when Clarke was beaten by Spacey’s drilled shot from the edge of the box as the ball cannoned off the base of the post.

After all the clear cut chances from the visitors, it was somewhat ironic that Chasetown doubled their lead in the 68th minute with a close range effort that was scuffed home at the far post by a relieved Perrow after some fine work from Ben Steane down the left. His cross in had seen Dan Smith get a touch to the ball only for it to spin off a defender and land right in the path of the earlier goal scorer who gratefully bundled in his second of the day.

The score line was finally given a more realistic look when another quicksilver move from the visitors brought a third with nine minutes remaining. Perrow and Branch swapped passes to bypass the defenders on the left flank and when the cross came in Smith collected a well-deserved goal, firing past Clarke from ten yards out.

Chasetown: Evans, Spacey, Branch, Slater, Thomas, Williams, Steane (S Smith), Parsons, D Smith, Perrow (McMahon), Hawkins (Holland)

Other Subs: Peel, Thompson (not used)