Week 1: Manning defeat Osborne Park 69-67 on the aggregate

Week 2: Manning defeat Bassendean 69-67 on the aggregate

Two completely different afternoons as well – We were well on top at Osborne Park until the sun went down and they came back and got within a shot with 1 end to play, and against Bassendean we were never looking like winning until we actually did on the 84th end, having trailed pretty much from the beginning, and still being down by 4 shots after 80 ends…

But the one constant in both games was that Warren Holt’s rink was the last rink off, and both times they got the job done.

84th End against Osborne Park: Manning was 1 up on the aggregate, Peter Ker drew the shot with his last bowl and stayed through the last 7 bowls (Warren didn’t have to play his last bowl), narrowly edging out Dale Marsland for shot, which also won Manning the point for the rink win.

84th End against Bassendean: Down 1 on the aggregate, Jono Davidson drew shot to tie the aggregate on the live board, both skips (Holty & Ruairi Kenyon) missed on their first bowls, but Holty corrected and played a forehand bomb, getting through a two foot-wide gap and sitting out second shot to make 3, and Ruairi couldn’t change the head with the last bowl of the day, giving Manning the aggregate.

So yes, two heart-stoppers in which we had 3 rink wins and a draw out of 8, but instead we pulled a 2022-23 Collingwood and picked up two aggregate wins to sit 2nd on the way too early ladder.