GLEN Innes and Manilla set up a final-round showdown for Connolly Cup Northern Conference top billing with wins on Sunday.
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The two are set to play each other, and will head into the final round equal with Inverell.
Inverell had led the conference but was upset by Manilla.
Manilla batted first and posted 8-279 from its 50 overs, with Clark Geary belting 84 and Chris Dobson 85.
They also put on a 155-run partnership.
That was what set it up for them, skipper Paul Abra said.
“Really happy. Everyone pitched in and did their bit,” Abra said.
They then bowled Inverell out for 191.
“We knew Inverell was a good side, we knew we had to be on our game,” Abra said.
Brett Fisher took 2-34 while Brian Watson chimed in with three.
Glen chased for its win and got the 166 it required with 19 overs to spare.
“Robbie Williams and Jake Every opened and got us off to a good start,” Glen skipper Shawn Mepham said.
They put on 40 for the first wicket, with Every making 25 and Williams 21.
“Robbie was looking a lot better than he has other rep games,” Mepham said.
He was out just four balls before lunch, leaving them about 3-60 at the break.
They lost Nathan Purvis not long after the resumption but Mepham (49) and Nick Lehman (24) put on 71 to get them within sight of victory.
“When we got out (within two balls of each other) we only needed another 24 runs,” Mepham said.
“The young fellas got us over the line with a couple of big bombs.”
The “young fellas” were Brandon Levy and Blake Steel.
Levy finished unbeaten on 11 and Steel 7.
Earlier, Levy was the bowling star for the home side, taking 5-26.
He picked up the first two wickets to have Armidale in early trouble.
From there it was a steady flow of wickets, with Cody Graham (27) and Sam Uphill (38) the only two to get over 20.
Uphill was the last man out and struck a couple of big blows to get them to a defendable total.
Mepham said they were a bit wayward with their bowling at times.
“When we managed to get two balls in the spot we were okay,” he said.
Levy was the standout.
“Brandon did bowl well,” Mepham said.
“He has got a bit of zip about him. He does bowl a good bumper.”
He created a couple of wickets off the back of those, with the batsmen getting caught back in their crease.
The fielding effort was also pleasing. It was a lot tidier than in their previous game against Bingara.
Before the start of play they had presented their new royal blue and white “baggies” to the players.
“This year we’ve done things a bit different,” Mepham said.
“We’ve got the rep shirts and now the baggies.”
