A couple of close encounters got the ball rolling on the new Armidale cricket first grade season.
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Easts played Ex-Services and got the points in a low-scoring affair.
Servies sent Easts in to bat and claimed an early wicket, Will Green departing on two.
Justin Green was the next to depart with 12 runs before Ankur Jain left as quickly as he arrived with a duck.
Mike Moran stuck around to put 18 runs on the board.
Alex Brown's return to the crease was short-lived, making one run.
The top-scorer for the Easts side was Ian Ranger with 26.
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Toby Miller also finished with a duck, as did Callan Green while skipper Clarrie Moran made 13, Robert Kelly made two and Maurice Kelly two not out in Easts total of 81.
With the ball, Servies' Kieran Davies was damaging.
He finished with 6-20 while Sreejan Tarafder managed 2-14, captain John Elliot claimed 1-23 and Dan Hogan took 1-4.
In the run chase, Bilal Mohammed was first to go with Maurice Kelly taking the scalp.
Returnee to Armidale cricket Brad Smith didn't last long with six runs before he was caught off Moran's bowling.
Gareth Swardt made 16 runs until Jain took his wicket.
Then Moran dismissed Jake Davies for five before Jain chimed in again to bowl Benji Marshall for two.
Dhruv Patel's stand of 13 came to an end at the hands of the Easts skipper.
Then Moran took his counterpart in Elliot for a duck.
Muhammad Nawaz was trapped leg-before-wicket off Moran's bowling and then Mike Moran added his name to the wicket-takers' list after sending Tarafder back to the sheds with five.
Hogan was the final wicket to fall, off Brown's bowling as Servies were all out for 76.
At Lambert Park, Armidale City UNE batted out their innings to finish with 6-151 against Hillgrove.
Kyle Taylor and Chris Brennan settled things early at the crease and had 63 runs on the board before Taylor was caught off Hamish Biddle's bowling.
Biddle struck again quickly, dismissing Matt Bryant for a duck before fellow teenager Sam Johnson took the wicket of Brennan.
Garry Yeomans went next, off Zachary Clarke's bowling and then Johnson claimed the scalp of Simon Stubbs for a duck.
Andrew Kirk made 27 until Clarke dismissed him while City skipper Karl Triebe finished on 24 not out and Hayden Clancy on 19 not out.
It took until the final two overs for Hillgrove to secure the win.
Dave Schmude and Johnson opened and started with a strong partnership of 56 before departing in quick succession, Johnson off Simon Butler's bowling for eight and Schmude's top-scoring stand of the 39 finishing off Kirk's bowling.
Stubbs snagged Ryan Simpson for six and then Kirk snared Clarke for three.
Matt Schaefer made 36 before succumbing to Stubbs' bowling.
Micah Lay notched up 15 before Clancy took his wicket.
Then Hillgrove skipper Brad King was the last wicket for the day with his opposing captain, Karl Triebe, claiming the scalp.
Andrew Brownlie remained at the crease with 12 not out alongside Max Laurie on four not out.