A dogged defensive effort earned Central Brown the points against Madhatters with a 2-1 win at William Fraser Park.
A first half goal by CB's Jake Mabbitt was cancelled out by a great solo effort by Cody Lacour which saw the scores level at the break.
Jordan Rudman pounced ona Madhatters defensive error to retake the lead and while Madhatters dominated possession and territory for the rest of the spell they couldn't find the back of the net again.
Meanwhile in Kerikeri, the home side clenched one hand around the Northland Premier championship trophy with a 2-1 win over second-placed Kamo.
Kamo needed a win at Kerikeri and had the better of the first spell until disaster struck in the final minute of the spell with the home side scoring from set-piece.
The visitors were further rocked by an early second half goal and despite a great Calvin Erick strike midway though the second spell to halve the deficit, they couldn't find an equaliser.
Kamo coach Nick Smith conceded it was unlikely Kerikeri would allow their title dominance to slip away and said while the title was still a numerical possibility Kamo would naturally shift their attention to cup competitions.
"There's the Federation One competition and also the Stafford Choat knockout cup, which up until last season Kamo had held for seven years ... so that gives us plenty of motivation," he said.
In the final match of the round Tikipunga accounted for Bream Bay 6-1. The young Bream Bay side continue to find their legs in the competition and were unlucky to strike the Tikipunga strikers in a clinical mood. Veteran Gary Langely celebrated his elevation into the attacking half of the field with a double, with Steve Crowley also scoring a double.
