Both Division one semi finals were played at Deniliquin, the Rich River result one of two upsets as Tongala beat Echuca for the second time this year to move straight through to the grand final in a fortnight.
Rich River had only fallen into the finals, on percentage, but will live to fight another day.
They will do battle for the remaining place in to the grand final against Echuca, on its home rink, this Saturday.
This season’s Campaspe weekend grand finals will be played at Rochester.
Nesbitt’s rink of Colin Hayes, Bruce O’Neale and Graeme Moffatt were 37-11 winners as Rich River took a 71-53 win.
Deniliquin won both remaining rinks, but the damage had been done by Nesbitt as his rink took successive five-shot hauls on ends seven and eight, then in a seven-end run not long after put another 15 shots on the board.
After 16 ends it was a 34-7 lead for the Rich River skipper, his Deniliquin opponent Simon Chisholm saving face with wins on four of the final five ends.
Jason McCloy led by three shots with only three ends of his match with Jason Shields remaining.
With the result beyond doubt he may have taken the foot off the pedal as Shields won the final three ends and turned the deficit into a four-shot win.
Keith Hewitt led Shane Laing on the last rink by one shot after 17 ends, before an extraordinary end saw the Rich River rink surrender six shots on the 19th end.
They never recovered and were beaten 21-17.
∎ Tongala’s extraordinary second half of the season continued on Saturday, at Deniliquin, when an inspirational display from Greg Lyon’s rink guaranteed it at least a shot at premiership glory.
Echuca, before Saturday, had only lost one game for the season — against Tongala in round 11 — and was beaten 68-53 in the final, only leading skip Dennis Compton winning his rink.
Lyon dominated James Ferrier 27-10, six of the Echuca skips eight end wins producing only one shot.
Lyon twice picked up four-shot ends and on three occasions pocketed a triple as he won the remaining 13 ends.
Brad Tinning, skipping a rink including his grand father Geoff (lead), father Barry and brother Jarryd, was tied on 17 apiece with two ends remaining of his match with Ian Page.
The pair were level after 12 ends, but wins on four of the next five ends gave the Tongala skip a five-shot lead.
Page responded and it was 17-all with two ends remaining.
Tinning picked up a shot on each and gave Tongala its second rink win of the final.
Jack Hammond, with father Steve as third, battled it out with Compton on the final end.
Compton led 12-5 after seven ends before a four-end run ended with a five-shot haul for the young Tongala skip on end 11 and he led by two shots.
Compton responded by taking nine shots on the next three ends to lead by seven, only to watch the see-saw tilt to the other end as Hammond won four ends for a one-shot lead with three ends remaining.
Compton won all of those for a 26-22 win, but his team will have to win through a preliminary final against Rich River to have another crack at Tongala.
