It was, as the conductor for the Last Night of the Proms joked, the first day of the English summer on Saturday and Danny Care, a maestro at scrum half for Harlequins, made hay in the sunshine.

That Harlequins lead the Guinness Premiership after two matches is due in large part to the way that Care, 21, ran the game at the Twickenham Stoop. He created two tries and scored one, and any time that he ran at Bristol, with or without the ball, they looked concerned.

Harlequins took the lead when Care took a tap-penalty, kicked the ball upfield, gave chase and flung himself on Luke Arscott, the Bristol full back, to win a turnover. The ball came right and Jordan Turner-Hall made a fine one-handed catch before scoring. Twelve minutes later, Mike Brown kicked long from inside his own 22, almost to Bristol's line, and took advantage of the shambolic defence for a second try.

The home side should have led by more than six at half-time, but Waisea Luveniyali, the Fiji fly half, is no replacement kicker for Nick Evans, who will be out for a month with knee ligament damage, and missed several chances. After the break, Care burrowed over the line from a lineout before kicking ahead and slipping the ball inside to Tom Guest to score.

Andy Gomarsall replaced Care for the final eight minutes was just as effective, breaking the tired Bristol defence for Gonzalo Tiesi to score a fifth try. David Lemi's reply was far too late.

Scorers: Harlequins: Tries: Turner-Hall (12min), Brown (24), Care (59), Guest (65), Tiesi (75). Conversions: Luveniyali 3. Bristol: Try: Lemi (80). Conversion: Jarvis. Penalty goals: Jarvis 2 (35, 39).

Scoring sequence (Harlequins first): 5-0, 12-0, 12-3, 12-6 (half-time), 19-6, 24-6, 31-6, 31-13<WC>.

Harlequins: M Brown; D Strettle, G Tiesi, J Turner-Hall (rep: E Taione, 72), U Monye (sin-bin, 39-49); W Luveniyali, D Care (rep: A Gomarsall, 72); C Jones (rep: J Brooks 72), T Fuga (rep: G Botha, 60), M Ross, O Kohn (rep: J Evans, 60), G Robson,C Robshaw, W Skinner, N Easter (rep: T Guest, 60).

Bristol: L Arscott; T Arscott, N Brew (rep: G Barden, 70), K Maggs (rep: E Barnes, 60), D Lemi; A Jarvis, H Thomas (rep: G Beveridge, 65); M Irish (rep: P Bracken, 62), S Linklater (rep: D Blaney, 65), J Hobson, M Sambucetti (rep: A To’oala Vaeluaga, 60), R Sidoli (sin-bin 58-68), N Budgett, J El-Abd, A Blowers (rep: D Ward-Smith, 52).

Referee: D Pearson.

Attendance: 9,497.