This is thanks mainly to Shepparton Lawn The Valley (4-1-7), which produced an upset to prevent Numurkah Warriors (7-1-4) from potentially clinching top seed.
While by no means a comfortable triumph, with seven of the 12 sets decided by three games or less, The Valley powered through off the efforts of Will Rohde.
Rohde went three-for-three across the afternoon, the only player on either side of the court to do so, as The Valley rallied late.
Trailing five sets to four The Valley rattled off the final three straight — albeit by a series of tight margins — eventually prevailing 7-75 to 5-71 in a hard-fought boilover.
There would be no such joy for the other Shepparton Lawn outfit, though.
Shepparton Lawn Average Joes (4-8) started well enough in their clash with Velvet Tigers (8-4) at home, with Nick Gattuso taking the opening set emphatically.
Things steamed downhill rapidly as the Tigers swept all five remaining singles ties, effectively killing the contest off from there.
The two sides would split the six doubles fixtures to seal a relatively straightforward 8-78 to 4-67 win for the Nathalia-based side.
This means Saturday’s clash between Velvet Tigers and Numurkah Warriors is for all the marbles as the two Shepparton sides languish well behind the pace.
One side that could successfully clinch a minor premiership was GM2’s Cobram Crocs, who overcame second-placed Tatura Quakes in a 5-62 to 5-56 thriller and went two games clear.
Bottom side Tatura Hurricanes (0-1-11) fell agonisingly short of a first win this season, denied by the barest of margins in a 5-61 to 5-60 defeat at the hands of Shepparton Lawn Blues.
Kyabram Redbacks also mathematically secured their place at the summit in GM3 competition, overcoming an early two-set deficit to pummel bottom-ranked Kialla Park Old Students Captains 9-84 to 4-52.
In GM4, Tatura Monsoons reinforced their status as the division’s dominant outfit by going three games clear with a 6-68 to 3-55 win over Nathalia.
