Lemnos and McEwen Reserve Gold’s bout went to the last bell in the round seven contest on Friday evening, with a last-ditch dash in the final rubber almost clinching a comeback victory for a determined Gold outfit.
Nicholas Santosa and Kylie Reither came into the ninth set with McEwen Reserve trailing by five games, but despite a 6-2 win, Lemnos pair Scott and Wendy McHugh did enough to secure a one-game win for the visitors.
The last stanza at McEwen Reserve proved a reflection of a roller-coaster nine ties.
Lemnos’ Thomas Jeffery combined with Peter Jeffery (6-2) and Scott McHugh (6-4) to get their team out to a strong start, although a Charlie Thomson-Nicholas Santosa and Emily Briggs-Christine Wright inspired comeback through the middle sets tied the scores at 18 games apiece.
Lemnos responded in force, sweeping the next three sets in what appeared to be a match-winning stretch.
That was until Thomson and Wright’s 6-3 triumph in the penultimate rubber saw Gold close within striking distance, but it was Lemnos who held its nerve for a third win of the season, keeping a grip on second spot.
In the other game at Murchison, the clash bore no similarities to the Lemnos-Gold showdown.
McEwen Reserve Red put the disappointment of last round’s defeat to Shepparton North behind them by clinching a resounding 9-54 to 0-20 win over Murchison, opening up a two-game buffer between fourth and fifth.
It’s a healthy boost for Red at this time of the season, especially heading into the bye.
Meanwhile, ladder leader Shepparton North, undefeated through its five games, will return from the bye and journey to McEwen Reserve to face Gold, while Murchison’s quest for its first win of the season will continue against Lemnos at home.
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