The first match of round eight was a bottom pub derby with the Amigos and Badass going toe-to-toe in a heavyweight match.
Badass got the jump early to lead 3-2, but the Amigos worked their way back into the match, winning the next four games straight to put the result to bed.
Badass continued to fight before eventually going down 6-5 as the Amigos solidified their spot on the top of the ladder.
The highlights for the Amigos included three tons and a 140 for Darren Withoos, Torin Helmore snagged four tons, a 117, 121 and 140, Mark Robinson scored six tons and two 140s and Shantelle Collins nailed four tons, a 120 and a 140.
Anthony Wallis was a standout for the Badass side, finishing the night with six tons, a 111, 125, two 140s and a 180. Peter Myles slapped in four tons, a 135 and two 140s, Wayne Cartner fired in a 121 and Gary Power chipped in with a singleton.
The Pirates hosted the Golf Club Aces at the Commercial Hotel in Broadford in the second A-grade game of the night.
While the final scoreline shows the Pirates dominating the night to win 9-2, the actual story was very different. Seven out of the eight singles matches went to a tiebreaker third leg, which with a bit of luck the Pirates just happened to be on the right side of.
Pirates star Zane Kilroy was back to his best, finishing the night with five pegs, six tons, three 121s, a 125 and five 140s.
Steve Kilroy also smacked in five pegs to go with three tons, a 116 and two 140s, Seth Kilroy scored four tons and two 140s and Dan Kilroy sneaked in a ton, two 140s and a match-high peg of 105.
Mark Jones was the top-scorer for the Aces, closing his account with five tons and a 140.
Dave McGrath settled into his new digs with a ton, a 121 and a 123.
Steve Raynor made a welcome return from holiday with four tons and Alan Sharp chimed in with a high score of 133 and a team-high peg of 75.
The Kings hosted the Kilmore Cobras in the final A-grade game of the round. The Cobras drew first blood in the team game to open the night, but it was all one-way traffic from then on, with the Kings putting the Kilmore team to the sword with a 10-1 domination.
The Kings’ Adam Lynch smacked in two tons, a 111, 116, 121, 139 and 140.
Rob Welsh pounded in five pegs, three tons and a 135.
Anthony Bohlmann also slipped in five pegs and three tons and Terran Crispin shot a ton, 138 and two 140s.
The highlights for the Cobras included two tons and a 140 for Rohan Clancy, Josh Read threw a 122 and Gerard Brady sneaked in a 119.
B-grade opened the round with another derby, with the Jacarandas squaring off against their co-tenant, the Royal Rascals, at the Royal Hotel.
Both sides traded blows to be neck-and-neck the whole night and with the scores all square at 5-5 with only the team game to play, it was anyone’s game for the taking.
It was the Rascals’ Brendan Rogers who sealed the deal with a peg of 27 to get his side across the line 6-5.
The Jacarandas’ Aaron Ballantyne hammered in five pegs and four tons for the home side, Jose Mason nailed a ton and a 125 and Shelley Jensen snagged a high score of 105.
The Rascals had the only two triple-figure scores for the night, with Noel Whittling sneaking in a 101 and Rogers slipping in a ton.
The Convicts crossed sabres with the Marauders in the second B-grade match-up for round eight, with these two producing another nail-biter. The Convicts fell over the line in the final game to snatch the win 6-5.
Convicts captain Peter Browne was a driving force for the home side, hitting five pegs, two tons and a 139. Perri Clancy blasted in a 140 and Eoin Flynn chipped in with a ton.
The Marauders’ top scorer was Marg Francis with a ton and a 105, with Simon Collie also bagging a pair of tons.
The final game was between a 26ers side and the Tiger-neers at the Pyalong Rec Reserve in a top-of-the-table clash.
The two sides went blow for blow, with the first four singles matches having to be decided in a tiebreaker and with the scores sitting 4-3 in the Tiger-neers’ favour.
This was shaping up to be another closely fought match.
But the Tiger-neers found another gear, dropping the hammer off the 26ers to win three of the final four games to post a handy 7-4 victory that locks them into the top spot.
The 26ers new captain Brian Ward battled hard for his side, finishing with two tons, a 125 and a 140 to his name.
Scott Swanson was the only other 26er to hit a triple-figure score, banging in a 112.
The Tiger-neers’ highlights included a massive round-high peg of 124 to Jamie Biagioni.
Mark Ruddick cracked in two tons, Jack Stephens slotted a ton and a 140 and Mitch Wittig slammed in a 140 of his own.