One week before the main club season gets under way, the matter of the Greg Guy Shield and the Dargaville Shield has been resolved.
Kamo Reserves took on Whangarei Boys High School First XI in a tense encounter for the Greg Guy Shield.
Batting first, Kamo looked to take the initiative, but found themselves restricted by the bowling of their younger opponents.
Lucky Singh (32) and Logan Choat (22) made decent contributions, while Matt Kingi kept it tight, taking two wickets for 18 runs.
But the biggest contributors of the innings were Kamo's Shane Burton and WBHS' Ben Pepperell.
Burton batted with proficiency and patience to score 52, the sole half-century of the match, while Pepperell was a menace for Kamo, ending with figures of 4-41.
Kamo made their way to 197 all out, a total that kept both sides in the contest.
Unfortunately for WBHS, they couldn't quite overcome the more senior Kamo side.
Matt Kingi (46) and Atul Nautiyil (47) provided the backbone of WBHS' innings, but the bowling of Kamo and Singh (3-50) kept wickets coming at regular intervals.
The high school side ended on 190-9, just seven runs shy of a Greg Guy title.
In the other Greg Guy Shield match, Mid Western Reserves had a comfortable 48-run victory over City Reserves.
Mid Western set City a target of 236 on the back of 153 runs from their middle order.
City struggled from the outset, losing wickets consistently. Only wicket-keeper Vaughan Witten stuck around, scoring 54 before retiring hurt.
The reserve grade sides now turn their eye towards the opening round of the T20 competition at Kensington Park.
In Dargaville Shield action, Mid Western held their nerve for a tense five-run win over City.
Electing to bat, Mid Western got off to a pedestrian start with only 32 runs coming in the first 11 overs.
Both openers were gone after 16 overs but that brought Northland pair Kurtley Watson (66) and Tyler Lortan (65) to the crease.
The experienced pair paced their 106-run partnership superbly, but both fell within four overs of each other which put the skids on Mid Western's innings.
A 28-run cameo from Neal Parlane saw them through to 230-7, setting City a tough target.
City lost Chemod Paris early but consolidated through Bert Horner (25) and Ian Page (23).
However, both of them were dismissed before the 20th over - a familiar theme throughout City's innings.
While James Thompson batted well for his 65, City had five players score between 22 and 32.
Even so, they had a chance to win with 13 needed off the final over. But James Merry (1-24) held his nerve and only conceded seven.
Meanwhile, Rodney took out the final of the Dargaville Shield with a convincing win over Whangarei South.
All focus now switches to the club season, starting with the Lion Red Cup on Saturday.