Round 8 - Dallas Dominate Down in Arizona
Los Angeles (1770) defeat Springfield (1520)
No coach no worries as LA manage to win without a coach for a second time this season, brushing off the travelling Springfield emphatically and shaking off their recent poor form, all without the added VC bonus too. Captain Brayshaw (134) shouldered the load brilliantly and Curnow (138) dominated coming in for Matt Crouch with Docherty (114) backing them up. For Springfield it was a less exuberant affair with Laird (122) trying to match Brayshaw and old man Hurn (115) chipping in. But scores from Maynard (47), Saad (50), Daniel and Greenwood (52) dragged the total down. LA keep in touch with the top 2 while Springfield suffer a misstep in the battle for finals.
Hawaii (1497) defeated by Washington (1577)
Another win for Washington as they beat Hawaii away from home! Hawaii was led by veteran Zorko (132) with support from Newcombe and Heppell (105) but still has no playing ruck and named Dangerfield as a forward. though luckily this was not necessarily the cause of defeat. Washington's captain Gawn (67) was disappointing as was King (29), but monster scores from Cripps (130), Blicavs (133) and McCluggage (141) got the Senators over the line. Washington have the potential to string some wins together and maybe even give finals a shake if things go their way as they jump Hawaii and have Springfield in their sights. For Hawaii, it's not looking good and their season might boil down to avoiding the spoon.
El Paso (1422) defeated by Guadalajara (1485)
The Pirates ease pass El Paso here to keep up with the finals battle. With a combined total of three 100's in this game there isn't much to talk about with Crouch (115) and Graham (117) saluting for Guadalajara and Rich (107) playing a lone hand for the Pioneers. Both sides also copped a howler or too with Dan Butler (27) for El Paso and Josh Daicos (33) for Guadalajara. In a low scoring scrap these slight advantages are crucial, and it's what got Guadalajara over the line this week. El Paso are now mired in last place while Guadalajara hang onto 6th.
Bermuda (1698) defeated by Calgary (1761)
This is more like the Calgary of last year as they drag Bermuda back to the pack on 4-4! A very impressive showing as they brush off Bermuda who were no slouches themselves this week. Captain Darcy Parish (131) blazed the way with lots of support from Brayshaw (123), Petracca and Fiorini (118) and a several other strong scores to go with. Copping 3 scores from the bench didn't slow them down in the slightest. Bermuda actually had more scores over 100 (8) to Calgary (6), but a far lower floor meant they could eek out a win. In large part due to the injury of Dan McStay (9) who missed out on stat-padding against the Eagles. Dawson (128) was impressive as was Mitch Duncan (124) alongside captains Neale (113) and Boak (110). If McStay didn't get injured it is very probable the result would be reversed, but what can you do.
Arizona (1608) defeated by Dallas (1788)
Dallas 8-0 baby, watch us fly. This is a massive win in the context of the season, Dallas having now knocked off both LA and Arizona away from home, the only teams that have looked to pose a threat so far. One would think Dallas is locked in the top 2 (pending mass injuries) as the machine is well tuned and humming along. Ed Langdon (140), after getting tagged last week, posted up a monster score to bounce back and had support from fellow Demon Oliver (119), and Nankervis (118) with a swathe of good scores on top. For Arizona they lowered their colours this week with a plethora of poor scores, especially in the forward line. Ziebell (37) is suffering playing a forward role, while McKay and Darling (48) couldn't get enough of the ball. Darcy (125) battled admirably with support from Crisp (111) and Macrae (110) but it wasn't enough. Arizona are now locked in battle with LA for second spot while Dallas go two games clear as they have finals in their sights.