NARRABRI continued its renaissance at Collins Park yesterday, thrashing Tamworth by 173 runs to secure top spot in the Connolly Cup Western Conference and earn a home semi-final.
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Everything came together for the home side against an understrength Tamworth.
After piling on 5-291, they then routed Tamworth for just 118.
Manilla and Glen Innes meanwhile enhanced their semi-final prospects with wins in their Northern Conference clashes.
Glen Innes rolled Armidale while Manilla accounted for competition leaders Inverell to, along with Glen, join them at the top with a round to play.
At Glen Innes, the home side bowled Armidale out for 165.
Cody Graham and Sam Uphill were the only two batsmen to make any real impression, with Graham hitting 27 and Uphill 38.
Brandon Levy was the destroyer, his five-over spurt snaring 5-26.
Perry Stapleton also chimed in with 2-24 and Nick Lehman 2-30.
Skipper Shawn Mepham again led the way as Glen chased down the runs with three wickets in hand.
He top-scored with 49 and had good support from Lehman in the middle.
They put on 71 for the fourth wicket after Jake Every (25) and Robbie Williams (21) had opened with a 40-run partnership.
John Elliott (3-43) and Andrew Skinner (2-47) best served the Armidale bowling effort.
At Manilla, the home side amassed 8-279 from its 50 overs on the back of a 155-run partnership between Clark Geary (84) and Chris Dobson (85).
They then rolled Inverell for 191, with Brett Fisher and Brian Watson the main destroyers.
In the other Western Conference game, Gunnedah picked up its first win for the season with a 55-run win over Moree at Gunnedah.
Things weren’t looking too bright for the home side at 7-87 but Troy Sands and Zac Wheatland revived the innings with a 69-run stand.
They ended up with 157, with Sands dismissed off the final ball of the innings for 49.
Wheatland hit 21 along with skipper Ryan Cooper.
Wides also helped them out, with Moree bowling 23.
The Moree bowlers shared the spoils, with Dom Pilon taking 2-14, James Martinuzzi 2-23, S. Scarlett 2-19 and Jason Walker 2-17.
Moree could only muster 102 in reply, of which Paddy Montgomery contributed 26, Will Robinson 24 and wides 15.
Izaak Merlehan’s off-spin claimed 3-19 while Sands, Bryce Johnston and Brad Swain each took two.
“It was good to get a win on the board,” Cooper said.
At Narrabri, the home side’s batsmen fired, with Nick Smart cracking 128, Shane Murphy 55 and skipper Lachlan Cameron 41.
Michael Miskle then came in and bombed a quick 30 to push them to almost 300.
Skipper Simon Toyer fared the best of the Tamworth bowlers with 3-36.
Dan Lawrence (30), Harrison Kelly (16) and Campbell Baker (29no) were then the only batsmen to reach double figures as Dylan Segundo (4-29) and Chris Sargent (3-10) ripped through them.
