I'm normally a fan of stability inside clubs and not making too many changes, but sometimes changes can be refreshing to a club. Sharp with Yokine is one such example of a guy that is skipping and securing some massive wins. Horwood, a late replacement as skipper also made it hard for the selectors to move him back to third. Is Linford the new skipper to ride this wave of good form?
North Beach 88 (7) vs Wanneroo 78 (1)
(Alan Howe 24 - Martin Nievelstein 13) (Garry Barr 23 - David Anderson 20) (John Bartorillo 23 - Kingsley Toster 20) (Richard Hunter 18 - Michael Golding 25)
My prediction was incorrect, but it still comes down to North Beach and their home ground advantage. They're very hard to bet against at home, but I thought they may have lost some depth this year that would struggle to cover. Howe with a big win helping to secure the aggregate and vital points to help maintain top position.
Sorrento 80 (6) vs Morley 68 (2)
(David Dunstan 17 - Victor Orchard 19) (Ian Linford 28 - Wayne Mitchell 15) (Lance Martin 23 - Phillip Leyland 13) (Leith Oldham 12 - Les Spinks 21)
The problem with Morley is a lack of depth and one or two rinks just cannot hold back their opposition. This week it was Leyland and Mitchell and who knows the following week. It will be a fight all year to maintain their position in One Blue. Orchard with a good close win against Dunstan. Linford with his first skipping job for the year got a nice win.
Yokine 121 (8) vs Swan 53 (0)
(Erron Martin 29 - Tony Natalotto 15) (Martin Sharp 45 - Kotuku Engelen 14) (Paul Kelly 22 - Brian Davis 11) (Shane Shaw 25 - Peter Hilsz 13)
Yokine moved up to the top of the ladder with the win and a loss for Wanneroo. Sharp is on fire at the moment, after being promoted. Urqhart was supporting his team after his operation and he would have wished he could have helped his team after almost a 70 shot loss. Sally Wilke was the first female that I knew about in One Blue for a long time, if not ever, but there are a few more clubs playing with females in their teams and this in my personal opinion is a great move for the future. I would like to see it open up for all clubs, but I know that is a little controversial at times. Kelly with a win against his old club as well. Yokine have three skippers in the top 10 ranked, very solid teams across the board.
North Perth 74 (7) vs Osborne Park 70 (1)
(Anthony Kay 24 - Neville Stevens 12) (Benjamin Horwood 20 - Mark Pasalich 15) (Don Dixon 23 - Mark Rollings 17) (Markus Merz 7 - Robert Lawrence 26)
In my preview, I stated "This is a close match that could go either way" and I was not wrong. This came down to the final end with the number 1 ranked skipper attempting to carry his crew over the line against Merz. Lawerence in the end, could not win by enough to have a massive aggregate winning rink and they walked away upset, wishing another rink could have helped them out. News also coming out of North Perth is that there is something else you can do on Saturdays other than bowling. Some people say it takes 30 years to see what the world can offer other than bowls, I certainly wish Nick all the best and hopefully he is not lost to the world of bowls. Enjoy your weekends and I am sure everyone at North Perth wishes you all the best. It is a very close season and the top 3 will come down to the wire, the difference between 6th and 3rd will be very close.
Quinns Rocks 84 (7) vs Joondalup 61 (1)
(Christopher Parr 20 - Martin Hinchcliffe 12) (Hugh Ward 27 - Glen Oakley 9) (John Berecz 17 - Mark Ryan 27) (Steve Oneill 20 - David Urquhart 13)
Quinns with a workman like win against Joondalup and Ward continues with his fine form teaching the new buck a thing or two about skipping. Ryan would have been happy with his win against a strong rink but Quinns are just too strong across the board. Quinns is another team with 3 rinks in the top 10 and one of them is not Berecz which is scary for the other teams if they have that much depth.
