With a pair of games running under Friday night sunset before Central Park hosted during the regular Saturday afternoon timeslot, there was already a lot unusual about the round.
There was no uncertainty about ladder leader Shepparton North’s meeting with Karramomus, though, as Clark Pettigrew steered his side towards a continued unbeaten streak to start the season.
Going three for three across the first half of Friday evening’s play on the outskirts of town, Pettigrew stamped his authority once more as one of the competition’s more fearsome match-ups.
To the credit of James and Tony O’Callaghan, the two Karramomus players did little wrong in their own pursuits, winning a doubles rubber together and each going two for three on the day.
The unbeaten North outfit simply had too much firepower on the day, claiming six of the match’s first seven sets and ultimately strolling home 6-45 to 3-39, moving to two wins and a draw from its opening three weeks.
Karramomus’ even ledger has been spoiled after a clean sweep a week prior to get on the board, now sitting fourth in the six-team division at 1-2.
Where things got a little out of order was in the other two fixtures, starting with the McEwen Reserve derby between Gold and Red.
With an advantage of two sets and four games heading into the evening’s final segment, only a complete capitulation would allow Gold any chance of nicking the points.
Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened — Murray Akers and Kylie Reither the heroes in a 6-0 rout that delivered Gold a most unlikely 4-42 to 5-40 triumph despite taking fewer sets on the day.
Likewise, Central Park escaped with the win despite claiming only four out of nine sets at home to Lemnos, where a bizarrely polarised series of back-and-forth thumpings allowed the host to scurry through for a 4-43 to 5-35 win.
With that Saturday result, all three home sides completed victories for the weekend, no matter how strange the circumstances some may have come in.
In the A2 grade, Karramomus was able to notch its second success on the trot by dispatching Central Park 6-46 to 3-36, while St Andrew’s also moved to two wins after easily overcoming Shepparton North 7-51 to 2-21.
