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We have completed 13 rounds and there is still so much up for grabs for a handful of teams. The top of the table clash last week looked to be a ripper with the Pioneers picking up the majority of the points and are now a full aggregate on top of the ladder. Cambridge jumped back into 2nd place sending the Doggies back with a donut and leaves them in 8th just outside the bottom 2 and will at the very least have to defend a challenge to stay in Blue now. Quinns knocked off Wanneroo at the Craypot and remain in 6th place, but bundled the Roos out of the top 3 as they drop down to 4th. The Mighty Mounters reminded everyone they’re still a threat with a dominant 7-1 win at the Mounting Yard and although they are in 7th spot, they are just an aggregate out of finals. Doubleview recorded a 5-3 win over Warwick. The View are 12 points behind 8th so the bookies are saying they’ll go down, however a late charge might see them playing off for their survival and Warick with the 3 away points drop out of the 4, however are still in the hunt for a finals spot. Let’s look at the week ahead.
Wanneroo v North Perth
Wanneroo
Brian Bucowski, Gareth Hughes, Derek Griffin, David Anderson
Ian Collins, Gregory Sarich, Leslie Bryson, Martin Nievelstein
Stuart Binnie, Robert Burns, Echo Widermanski, Pieter Geus
Neil Williams, Glen Jack, Harold Whitman, Kingsley Toster INS: Binnie OUTS: Jefferies
North Perth
John Hobbs, Michael Lake, Todd Hampshire, Markus Merz
Leeanne Gray, Jeremy Matthews, Sally Wilke, Chris McKenna
Michelangelo Italiano, Daniel Butler, Anthony Kay, Brett Havercroft
Mathew McEwen, Brett Sipthorpe, Ruby Leggett, Benjamin Horwood INS: Butler, Sipthorpe OUTS: Newstead, Dixon
Good game to start off with here as the Roos host top of the table Pioneers. The Roos just went down last week with a tough away trip to Quinns after a few good weeks getting themselves back in the mix for finals. North Perth have been the benchmark this season and sit on to of the table and are clear favourites to gain automatic promotion. The Toster rink, who are 2nd on the rink table will be vital here and if they can get hold of someone and record a big win, it will go a long way to winning the aggregate. Both grass clubs and in the top 4 so should be a good game here with some quality players on display and I’m going to pick the home side to rally and record a win in their charge for finals and because they have more to lose than the travelling side.
Wanneroo 6-2
North Beach v Quinns Rocks
North Beach
Warren Lee, Peter Merritt, Alan Howe, Paul Butler
Raymond Wright, Tyrell Stanley Brown, Terry Jones, John Bartorillo
Matthew Buttel, John Carlsen, Graeme Mackenzie, Jeffery Post
David Vinicombe, Sandy Stevenson, Gary Gregson, Garry Barr INS: Carlsen OUTS: Mitten
Quinns Rocks
Trevor Hines, Paul Dean, Rohan Cantrill, Steve O'Neill
Lawrence Johnson, Glenn Mountford, Neville Costello, Shane Smith
Peter Wilson, David Eadie, Christopher Parr, Derek Richmond
Paul Papadoloulos, Antony Burrows, Christopher Bartle, Hugh Ward INS: Wilson OUTS: Martin
The Beach Boys host Quinns and these are the games North Beach need to win if they want to get out of the beef. Quinns have been up and down this year and have relied heavily on the Shane Smith rink who have been immense this season in recording big aggregate winning wins. North Beach is the kind of surface where it’s harder for a travelling rink to dominate, so although the Smith rink will be hard to beat, I don’t see an aggregate winning rink score and will go for the home side to grab the W and provide themselves with some hope of staying up.
North Beach 7-1
Sorrento v Cambridge
Sorrento
Steve Mortimer, Brian Lucas, Peter Crow, Lance Martin
Gerald Hanna, Pauline Bourne, Alan Walton, Timothy Murray
Philip Potts, Lily Leach, Richard Bone, David Dunstan
Trish Cunningham, Ian Munro, Stanley Lindsay Baker, Ronald Rogers INS: Murray, Potts OUTS: Morgan, Bayne
Cambridge
Andrew Ness, Steven Draper, Stuart Lofthouse, Nicholas Lewis
Eric Henning, Phillip McShane, Geoffrey Jones, Neil Bolton
Mark James, Edward Leahy, Clifford Wooldridge, Scott Palmer
Bruce Mason, Wallace Manning, Colin Fleay, Garry Hawkes INS: Bolton OUTS: Easom
3rd vs 2nd here in what should be Match of the Round. The Swans have rallied from a slow start to the season to sit in the top 3 and they welcome a Cambridge side who have been in the mix all season. It seems Cambridge’s slip ups have been when Lewis went up to Premier League and now he’s back and Lord Bolton comes back into the team as well – how much stronger do they look with those boys in the side!!! Sorrento have always been a solid club in every division they play and with the experience they have, will be very hard to beat. Not sure with this one, I’ll go for the home side as I feel they are a stronger team across the 16 players, however with some very good players on show, could go wither way – just depends who shows up more on the day
Sorrento 6-2
Yokine v Warwick
Yokine
Garry Robertson, Debra Rhine, Jeffrey West, Shane Shaw
Geoffrey Turner, George Vassilou, Ian Cooper, Paul Kelly
Fred Faigenbaum, Paul Hunter, Martin Sharp, Richard D'Souza
Clifford Wemm, Julie Cooper, Paul Loveland, Wayne Coffey INS: No changes OUTS:
Warwick
Kevin Humfrey, William Shand, Clive Boyle, Geoffrey Hinge
Bernie McNamara, Andrew Dixon, Glenn Yabuka, Sean Wright
Adam Pretty, Declan Wilson, Ivan Sparrowhawk, Raymond Loran
Gary Chappell, Colin Shier, Graeme Smith, Brian Ledingham INS: Pretty OUTS: Hornby
The Magpies head to the Kennel in a very important game for both sides. The Doggies need to win to try bridge the gap to the teams above them and keep themselves as far ahead of 9th as they can and Warwick is amongst a handful of teams vying for finals, so every point is vital in the race for the top 3. No major changes to either team and with Warwick being much more impressive than Yokine this season and because both are grass clubs I am going to back the visitors to carry on their run of good form and chase that finals spot
Warwick 6-2
Doubleview v Mount Lawley
Doubleview
Nigel Feletti, Brent Penberthy, David Leed, James Barry
Taylor Pervan, David O'Nions, Ben Conway, David Cosgrove
Timothy Yates, Gary Papadopoulos, Winton Langdon, Cameron Bell
Fred Williamson, Jarrod Steele, Mark Fredericks, Lindsay Thorn INS: Conway, Thorn, Steele OUTS: Bloxham, Curham, Edwards
Mount Lawley
Keith Scott, Carmelo Lenzo, John Cottier, Phillip Park
Mick Palumbo, John Fielding, Stephen Connell, Michael Erceg
Denham Delmore, Mark Glasson, Enda Munnelly, Guy Herriot
Janice Miles, Ian Watt, Laurence Kelly, Andrew Jones INS: No changes OUTS:
The changes Mount Lawley made last week seemed to work as three new skippers were named in a revamp to make a charge towards the top 3. Doubleview recorded a one rink aggregate win last week, but I think they’re going to be up against it to stay up this year and this game will be a tough one for them to win. Thorn comes back in to skip a rink along with Conway and Steele and the Mounters look to be unchanged and at full strength. Mount Lawley will be looking to record a big win here and close the gap on the top 3 and looking at the lineups, I think it’s going to be a rough day for the View and I’d be surprised if they get a point of the Mounters this week.
