A dramatic penultimate round of the men’s Thursday comp saw frontrunner Lachlan Date suddenly struck by a mysterious illness in the third set, leaving him barely able to stand.

Sweating, wobbling and dribbling, he courageously finished his matches for an over par 19, but bolted after his final game and vomited his way to Griffith Base Hospital for emergency treatment.

Some suggested a food poisoning scam a la The All Blacks on the eve of the 1995 Rugby world cup final, but Date dismissed the conspiracies as he's now recovered and declared himself fit for the final round, when South African runner up Brendan Augustus will need either a miraculous performance or a Date illness relapse to take the crown.

All eyes are now focused on an intriguing four-way battle for bronze – after an extraordinary effort by Nathan Crowley saw him jump from sixth to third spot on the ladder. Blake, Tommy and Bernie are all within three points though, so it’ll go right down the wire next week.

TOP SIX going into last round:

LACHLAN - 200
BRENDAN - 175
NATHAN - 163
TOMMY - 161
BERNIE - 161
BLAKE - 160

Rob Irvine would’ve been in the podium mix too, but a spectacular fall this week had him equalling his own record for lowest ever score in a single night. Rob has also got two of the highest scores this season, sparking calls from him to be subjected to RDT next comp to work out what’s happening.

The end of season dinner at Bull and Bell the following night saw players rack up Bruce Lehrmann-like expenses on fancy steaks (sans the Thai massages), as we farewelled Tommy Caragilo, who is about to bike from Italy to Japan via Afghanistan and Russia.

The president vetoed the use of the club credit card to pay the bill, but at this Thursday's finale, reserves and future players are invited to share beers and pizza with us as we present prizes and toast Date’s successful revival of the Cunial legacy. 

Oliver Jacques