Surprise results in the penultimate round of Auckland premier club tennis have left three teams vying for the third and fourth semifinal places.
Several sides almost came unstuck to their less-fancied Caro Bowl opponents.
Parnell beat Mission Bay 4-2, but only after four matches went to three sets.
James Greenhalgh eventually triumphed
over Simon Rea 7-6, 6-1 in the top singles match. Mission Bay No 4 Utu Tuima upset Nick Turner in three sets, while Steven Downs stamped his authority for Parnell, beating Damien Mulhane in straight sets.
West End, who lost 2-4 to close rivals Belvedere and now face Parnell in the final round, are third with 29 points; Mission Bay, fourth and up against a resurgent Pakuranga, are on 26; and Belvedere are still in with a semifinal chance with 25 points, but face second-placed Waiata.
Belvedere No 2 Adam Thompson suffered his first defeat in singles for the season, going down to Justin McKenzie in a testy match in a third-set tiebreak. The No 1 match saw Mark Thompson defeat Antony Old in three sets.
Howick scored their best result of the season with a 3-3 draw against Waiata, again relying on their lower order for points. Ivar de Jong continued his good form with his fourth win out of five singles matches. De Jong beat Peter Blows in straight sets and was backed up by Greg Cooksen, who defeated Ryan Bell in the No 3 singles.
Pakuranga fielded their strongest side of the season and drew with Remuera, but not before Carl Limberger was able to clean up Adam McNeil in the top singles. Matt Dewar and Carl Jamieson were the singles winners for Pakuranga.
