A classic between the two top sides saw a one-shot win to Horsham City 1 66-65 on the last shot of the day, Nhill 1 skip Alan King brought Hux Mitchell's winning streak to an end, there is finally a bit of a gap between the fourth and fifth side, and bowlers battled a mixture of wind and squalls right across the Association.

City 1 took on Nhill 1 on the far western rinks of the City carpet with the wind whipping across the Racecourse.

Play was halted for about 25 minutes after the fifth end due to rain, the greens dried and it was decided to then play straight through without a break.

By about what would have been the half way mark, City had skipped out to a 25-shot lead, Hux Mitchell and his rink were up 17-6 up,

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However, the King, Cramer, Bywaters and Heselite Nhill combo grabbed a 5, a 6 and a 4 to get a lead and after a see-sawing battle got up by one shot after 25 ends.

The rink that set the game up for City was skipped by Kevin Clyne, as usual they were first to finish, after 24 ends it was 23 all against the Graeme Lynch Nhill rink, Warrick Lang, Marcus Gregg, Ron Goudie and Clyne picked up a 3 to give that one to City, 26-23, the only rink that City won.

So on the final rink it went down to the wire, 18-16 to Nhill after 24 ends between Nhill's Fox Jones and City's Daniel Gloury, with the overall score 65 all.

The Nhill rink was holding two shots about 12-18 inches from the jack, with Gloury to bowl the last bowl of the day.

The energetic redhead coolly drew the shot to give City the overall win by that single shot even though Nhill took that rink by 18-17.

It would surprise if their next meeting is not in the second semi-final on neutral ground.

In the other matches Sunnyside 1 kept their slim finals chances alive with a 12-shot win over Dimboola 1.

It was the re-cast rink of Bruce Hayes, Neil Magor, Jason Heard and Skipper Brendan Lloyd who got eight of the shots in the Sunnyside 77-65 win.

Coughlin Park 1 got the job done up at Kaniva, Tim Nihill enjoying success in his promotion to the top side with Anthony Woodhead and the VB brothers Charlie and Craig to be best winners 33-15 in Coughlin Park's 86-53 win.

That win gives the the fourth placed Parkers a 16 point break on fifth side City 2.

Horsham Golf 1 have consolidated third spot with an 18-shot win over Horsham City 2.

The three rinks were split a win each way with one drawn, but once again it was Adam Galpin, Dennis Pye, Geoff Bald and Ash Batchelor (s) who had the biggest win for Golf, this week against what had been City 2s best performer in recent weeks the Doug Mitchell combination.

This weekend in Round 9 it's 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 in Div 1, Horsham City 1 will play Coughlin Park 1 as a Coughlin Park home game at City, Nhill 1 host Horsham Golf 1, Sunnyside 1 welcome City 2 in another must win for both teams, and Kaniva will head down to play a Dimboola side that has not won since round 3.

I've spent a bit of time on Div 1 this week, but there are some really good battles going on in Division 2 with five even sides battling for the top four, but the next three sides all capable of causing an upset and capable of getting on a run and challenging.

Horsham Golf 2 have taken second spot on the ladder by defeating City 3 by three shots.

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Another match with a win to each side and draw on one rink, but it was Trevor Ough, Steve Harris, Craig Bennett and Ken Walters who got a seven shot win to top score against Duncan Bottoms rink.

Natimuk lost a close one again, down by five shots against Sunnyside 2 on the Siders Baillie Street deck. On one green John Brown defeated Graeme Brown by having 7 shots closer to the yellow jack for Sunnyside.

The metronomic Bob Pritchett got 7 shots back for Natimuk, but Sunnyside's Robert Hetherington got up by 5 and that was the margin.

In the other matches Goroke, Sunnyside 2 and Nhill 2 all had comfortable wins.

Just two matches played in Division 3, top team Horsham City 4 and Golf 3 having a good battle, Mike John skipped his rink home by 8 to give the golfers one rink.

But John Lehman and Ian Fisher had 5 and 9 shot wins for the City on the rinks they skipped, with the bigger margin to Allen Wollerman, Eric Miatke 'Stumpy Kearns and Fisher.

Third side Kaniva 2 didn't handle the trip to the Sunnyside, going by 22 shots to the Sunnyside 4 side.

It would have been a tough day on the green for the Kaniva crew, and even less fun heading home into that head wind.

Coughlin Park 4 forfeited to Nhill 3.

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