(Garry Hawkes 19 - Enda Munnelly 22) (Neil Bolton 19 - Andrew Jones 18) (Peter Easom 27 - Michael Erceg 17) (Stephen Buckley 15 - Laurence Kelly 12)
Mount Lawley are the Pokémon pack of the comp — sometimes you rip open a shiny Charizard, sometimes it’s three Weedles and a Trainer card. Today? Very, very Weedle. Cambridge, on the other hand, after seasons of ruin, look to be quietly rebuilding the fortress like Winterfell rising from the ashes.
Easom’s mob earned themselves a free pint with a 10-shot demolition of Erceg that proved the match-winner. Bolton and his men snuck home by one over AJ, and Buckley got the job done over Kelly — who, fun fact… was once upon a time a 1 handicap in golf.
The Irish Stallion continues his fine season, grabbing the lone point for the visitors. Mount Lawley have now been the only wins for Cambridge and Ellenbrook this season — if they don’t figure out how to win away, finals will stay nothing more than a daydream. A confidence booster for Cambridge, yes, but let’s not start carving statues — they’re still rooted to the bottom.
Sorrento 76 (6) vs Quinns Rocks 73 (2)
(David Dunstan 24 - Steve ONeill 9) (Lance Martin 28 - Shane Smith 13) (Richard Bone 16 - Hugh Ward 28) (Timothy Murray 8 - Erron Martin 23)
The Swans scrap their way to another gritty win — and a good one at that — against a solid Quinns outfit. Dunstan checked in with a 15-shot thumping over O’Neill, and Big Lance matched the margin on Smith. Erron Martin returned serve with a 15-shot belting of Murray, and the Mullet from the North chimed in with a 12-shot win over Bone.
But the Swans still flew higher overall, banking the six points while the Quinns boys cart two handy away points back to the cray pot. Both sides stay tightly jammed in mid-table where every point feels like gold dust.
Wanneroo 92 (7) vs Ellenbrook 67 (1)
(David Anderson 26 - Aaron Cole 19) (David Triffitt 27 - Robert Ball 8) (Kingsley Toster 22 - Michael L Ryan 20) (Pieter Geus 17 - Josef Rollnik 20)
The Roos continue to perch proudly on top of the ladder and the engine is purring. Anderson and Toster banked tidy single-digit wins over Cole and Ryan, but the big damage came from Triffitt, who outmuscled Robbie Ball for a monstrous 19-shot victory.
Ellenbrook’s only joy came from Joe Rollnik’s 3-shot win over Geus. The Roos now look every bit the team to beat — and the question now is simple: who’s catching them?
Warwick 85 (7) vs Bassendean 75 (1)
(Geoffrey Hinge 12 - Butch Dinnison 22) (Glenn Yabuka 24 - Neil Strachan 15) (Ivan Sparrowhawk 24 - John Holman 16) (Sean Wright 25 - Jovan Krstic 22)
Bassendean’s mini-revival hit the brakes as Warwick flexed and held firm in second spot. Butch Dinnison did Butch things with a 10-shot masterclass on Hinge, but the other three Basso rinks all fell short. Sparrowhawk pecked away at Holman all day to win by 8, Yabbie outplayed Strachan by 9, and Wright — now sitting pretty as the third-best skip in the league — got the job done over Kristina’s dad by 3.
Warwick look every inch a finals lock, and right now their nest looks impenetrable.
Yanchep 94 (7) vs Morley 70 (1)
(Brody Dix 22 - Phillip Leyland 21) (Callum Arnold 23 - Les Spinks 16) (Chris Street 19 - Andrew Elmer 20) (Daniel Hartzer 30 - Christopher Bell 13)
The Rose Brigade keep delivering at home, taking care of the Mavericks clinically. New recruit Dix — after a quick stopover as a Swan — just fell over the line in his debut win against Leyland. Arnold beat the Ferret, and the fancied Hartzer rink got back on the winners list with a comfortable win over Bell.
Elmer avoided the Morley donut with a sharp away point against Street. A big percentage booster for Yanchep as they keep themselves in the hunt, but like Mount Lawley, they must learn to win on the road if they want to stay in the top three.
Morley, meanwhile, now find themselves 16 points adrift of 7th and fading fast.