Element IMF Cadets have gone top of the standings for the first time this season with just two Baywide Cup rounds left before the top two teams meet in the title decider.
Last Saturday produced another epic contest between Cadets and defending Baywide Cup champions Mount Maunganui.
In what proved a battle of attrition, Cadets prevailed in a match in which the bowlers from both sides grabbed the ascendancy.
This weekend Cadets will face another stern challenge when they play Eves Realty Greerton at Pemberton Park.
Greerton lurk just off the pace, third, and a victory at the weekend will give them a royal chance to fight out the Baywide Cup final on December 14.