The first round for the Northern conference is being played this Sunday.

Manilla heads to Bingara while Inverell is  drawn to play Glen Innes  in Glen Innes.

Both started their representative campaigns with big wins in their respective Country Plate fixtures on Sunday.

Inverell routed Moree for just 56 and then chased the runs for the loss of just two wickets, while Manilla accounted for newcomers Peel Valley by 118 runs.

It was Manilla’s first representative game for a couple of years and was set up by a typically swashbuckling batting performance.

Openers Abel Carney (59) and Chris Dobson (68) set the tone, smashing 54 in pretty quick time.

“They got us off to a good start, the perfect start,” Manilla skipper Paul Abra said.

Their early-season form was pleasing to see. They are a couple of important players for them.

“We fell away a bit there at the end. We would have liked to bat our overs out,” Abra said.

They only lasted 38 of their 50 overs but compiled 240 in that time, with Abra also chipping in with 34 and extras adding 34 to the total.

Peel Valley then got to 1-57 at lunch but collapsed after to be bundled out for 122.

“They (Peel) got off to a good start,” Abra said.

But once they got those first couple of wickets the rest fell pretty quickly.

“Ed Lockrey cleaned up with five wickets,” Abra said.

“He hadn’t bowled for a couple of years.”

He said it was good to be playing rep cricket again.

There is still no local competition in Manilla.

“It’ll be good to get some interest back out there,” he said.

Peel was making its  rep debut and learnt a lot from the experience.

“The fellas realised that they have to bowl a bit straighter than in Bush Cricket,” skipper Brett Douglas said.

“We bowled too many wides.”

That was one of the big differences.

“They (Manilla) bowled a lot straighter,” he said.

“We had three blokes clean- bowled for golden ducks.”

He said they were a bit rusty early with their bowling but he thought Matt Hughes did a good job when he came on.

“Matt bowled well with his spin,” he said.

Hughes finished with 0-28 from his seven and, with Douglas (4-35), really pulled Manilla back.

James McLelland (3-17) then came on and cleaned up the tail.

It was a good comeback.

“It looked like it would really be a blow-out at one stage.

“To bowl them out was pleasing,” Douglas said.

Things were then looking promising early in the run chase but, when Douglas went for nine,  they lost momentum pretty quickly.

Still, it was good fun.

“Most of the blokes enjoyed playing on No.1,” Douglas said.

For him too, it was a bit of a different feeling walking out there.

Usually it’s wearing the blue and white of the Tamworth Kangaroos in Aussie rules.

“I hadn’t played cricket on No.1 Oval for 20 years,” he said.

 Peel Valley president John Trickett said  the Loomberah and Kootingal side was still looking for a couple of players. 

Anyone  interested in a game of Bush Cricket – be it man, woman or child – can contact him on 0409813695 (m) or 67642329.