After three gripping rounds, just one game separates tournament leaders in the men’s and women’s division one National Interclub finals in Wellington.

Held at the magnificent Naenae complex, Waikato’s Hinuera are out in front after nine games, with defending champions Eastbourne trailing hot on their heels with two rounds left to play heading in to day two.

Hinuera skipper Dwayne Cameron is in commanding form at the National Interclub 7s, though a narrow loss against Eastbourne's Gary Lawson and Justin Goodwin blemished his unbeaten streak at Naenae.

Spearheaded by former New Zealand representative Dwayne Cameron, the Hinuera side secured five of their six opening fixtures, with Brody Dix falling to Fairfield’s Murray Wilson 21-16, while an equally impressive start from the Eastbourne crew saw them take on five wins from six - with a narrow loss in the fours also costing them an opening clean sweep.

The final round of the day split the difference after nine games, with the Hinuera side picking up two from three, whereas Jamie Hill was pipped in the singles, 21-20 by Wilson, and the fours line-up were humbled by the powerhouse Belfast quartet 21-7. National fours champions Gary Lawson and Justin Goodwin continued their strong form, collecting a three against Cameron to snag the solitary afternoon victory 18-15 and keep their title hopes alive.

In other standings, Belfast and Mangere trail on 15 points each, while Fairfield sit on 9, and Featherston all but out, on one solitary victory.

With everything to play for, expect a strong charge from both Hinuera and Eastbourne, with a looming
singles fixture between Dix and Hill potentially proving crucial in the final round on Sunday.

Meanwhile, pre-tournament favourites Burnside are setting the pace early on in the women’s division one section, locking up six wins from 9 in the opening three rounds. Hot on the trail is 2016 victors Paritutu, representing zone 2, who sit with five wins and one game behind the leaders.

A strong showing from Commonwealth Games skipper Mandy Boyd in the singles has seen her collect three commanding wins, while sister Angela has added to the tally with two and the fours chipping in with one.

Other standings see Ngongotaha on 13pts, Mangawhai and Havelock North both on 12pts and Southlanders Te Rangi on 10pts after day one.

In other results, the men’s division two action has seen the small West Coast club, Blaketown dominate
proceedings at the Silverstream Bowling Club, racking up eight wins from nine in their opening fixtures - and looking tough to catch.

In fact, Auckland hopefuls Royal Oak may be the only realistic chasers, sitting second on the table with six wins from nine, while the next best performing club is Wairarapa’s Eketahuna placed third with four wins and a draw.

Across greens at the Wainuiomata Club, the women’s Division 2 action remains a three-horse race, with
Auckland’s Carlton Cornwall out on front with 21pts, while both Burnside and West End sit a game behind on 18pts.

Other standings see Bulls and Papukura sharing 9pts a-piece, while the South Otago hopefuls are all but boarding the plane with two wins from nine.