Square had gone into the round nine match with just one win, while Bendigo sat in second position on the ladder.

However, it was Square which proved too strong at Bendigo, recording an 89-85 victory.

After losing its first seven games of the season, Square has now won two in a row, having also defeated Castlemaine in the last game before the Christmas-New Year break, while Bendigo – playing without skipper Ian Ross following hand surgery – has now dropped two in a row.

Both teams won two rinks apiece, but it was Daryl Cheeseman’s 30-15 victory over Barry Anset that pushed the overall result in favour of Golden Square.

• Castlemaine closed to within two points of the top four after defeating South Bendigo in the closest match of the season so far by one shot.

In a thriller on its home green, Castlemaine snuck over the line 83-82, ending South Bendigo’s winning streak at five.

The Maine, which is now 7-1 against South Bendigo since South returned to the top division in 2013-14, had winning skippers in Peter Brain (+8) and Rod Phillips (+9), with those victories helping offset what had been a comfortable 31-18 win by South’s Ryan Tainton against Ray McCumber.

• The clash between two of the BBD’s biggest rivals proved a one-sided affair as Bendigo East comfortably accounted for Eaglehawk by 25 shots at Lansell Street.

The Beasties won 106-81 to move 14 points clear at the top of the ladder, while the Hawks slipped from third to fifth with the loss.

The Beasties had winning skippers in Marc Smith (+1), David Keenan (+17) and Aaron Tomkins (+11).

The only points the Hawks – who had won their previous four games – took from the clash was a rink win to Ken Rusbridge (+4).

• Inglewood recorded its biggest win for more than a decade and is back in the top four after inflicting a 46-shot hiding of bottom side Kangaroo Flat at home.

The Woods ended their four-game losing streak and climbed from third to fifth with the commanding 117-71 result at home.

The rinks of Rob Day (+19) and Mal McLean (+11) both had double-figure wins for the Woods, who also had Daryl Rowley (+8) win his rink.

………………………………...

LADDER:

Bendigo East – 120, +165

Bendigo – 106, 131

Inglewood – 94, 16

South Bendigo – 86, -12

Eaglehawk – 85, 20

Castlemaine – 84, 31

Golden Square – 48, -120

Kangaroo Flat – 25, -231