The Knight’s fortress was breached early, as the Roos hopped away with 7.5 points in their pouches. Triffitt and Anderson snuck away with tight wins, while last year’s main man, Toster, turned up the heat again—beating Lofthouse in a 12-shot demolition job. Eason salvaged half a point to ensure the Knights didn’t leave the green empty-handed. Worrying signs though—no full points at home and a fortress looking more like a gazebo.

This one was closer than I expected, but the Mounters still ground out a hard-fought aggregate win. Enda “the Irish Stallion” trotted home 7 shots clear of Leyland, while Erceg and Bell shared the spoils in a draw. Then came the blowouts: A. Jones casually won by 16 over Orchard, and word on the ditch is he rang Bowls WA after the game just to make sure the state selectors had his number saved correctly.
Meanwhile, Andy Elmer returned to his old stomping ground and showed no mercy, winning by 22. But it was Last Bowl Lenzo who delivered the goods — his final bowl nudging a Mounters bowl into shot and sealing the aggregate. The Mounters march on, while the Mavericks can at least claim a moral victory with 1.5 points at one of the comp’s toughest venues.

The Maggies made the short flight down Warwick Road for a derby dust-up, and it was the visitors who flew home with the chocolates. Dunstan edged Sparrowhawk in a close one, and from there it was all one-way traffic. Loran clipped Martin by a single, Wright was on the money with a 12-shot win over Murray, and the evergreen Hinge got the cans with a 14-shot triumph over Bone. A statement win for Warwick on the road, while Sorrento will look to tighten the screws before their next home fixture.

The boys from the Brook faced a tall task on the coast, and the result went pretty much to script. Lovett grabbed a handy half-point in his draw with Ferris, while Robbie Ball fell just short against O’Neill. Shane “The Steamroller” Smith rumbled to a 5-shot win over Ryan, and it was The Mullet from the North who sealed the day with a big win over Cole. Quinns will be happy banking the home win, while the Brook boys will be keen to get back on familiar turf next round.

What a debut home showing from the new kids on the block — Yanchep put the Lions to the sword with a commanding 22-shot aggregate victory. Arnold led the charge with a 10-shot win over Stokes, while Hartzer and Street both hit 9-shot margins in dominant displays. Butch salvaged an away point for the Lions against Daley, but it was still a long drive back to the Den, likely filled with quiet reflection and bad playlists. A first aggregate win for Yanchep — and a statement that they won’t be easy prey this season.