THE upstairs alley at the Victoria Arms produced a number of strong performances in Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League’s Harry Dowson Pairs, with several laying down serious markers ahead of the quarter-finals.

John Barker and Craig Newstead of Scuppas continued their impressive run with a solid 101–90 victory over the King Pins pairing of Dave Houston and Albert Hughes. Once again, the Scuppas duo showed their class, maintaining the form that has made them one of the standout pairings in the competition so far.

Paul Summers and Sam Vile edged through a much tighter encounter against fellow Cottage Pies Lewis May and Dan Thorne, winning 94–89 in a closely fought match where neither pair could afford mistakes.

Meanwhile, Shooters duo Adrian and Anthony Maidment delivered one of the most dominant displays of the round, posting a superb 103 to comfortably defeat Rugby Club's Cliff Trott and Dave Pow (70).

The highest score on the upstairs alley , however, belonged to the King Pins duo of Les Marke and Jordan Bryant, who fired an excellent 106 in overcoming All Stars' Callum Richardson and Alfie Hill (87). They will certainly fancy their chances going into the last eight.

Downstairs at the Vic saw another entertaining set of ties, with a couple of eye-catching scores. Hot Shots' pair Alex Govier and Edd Chivers produced a strong display to knock out Reservists' Glen Escott and Jacob Sparks 98–85, ending the hopes of one of the early fancied pairings after their impressive first-round score. Govier and Chivers combined well throughout and deserved the win.

The performance of the night downstairs came from defending champions Darren Sparks and Kevin Sedgebeer of Reservists, who posted a superb 109 to beat Rugby Club's Andy Pearce and four-time singles champion John Lane (93). Their total was the highest score across both alleys and underlined their credentials as genuine contenders for the title.

King Pins pair Shane Powell and Ryan Marke also advanced with a controlled 93–85 victory over Cottage Pies' Paul Robinson and Lee Ellis, while All Stars' Liam Desborough and Andy Chappell completed the quarter-final line-up with a 96–82 win against Rugby Club's Dave Harper and Nick Fenn.

The quarter-final draw has set up several intriguing contests at the R G Institute. It will be a battle of the King Pins as Shane Powell and Ryan Marke face the in-form Les Marke and Jordan Bryant in what could be one of the ties of the round, while champions Darren Sparks and Kevin Sedgebeer take on the ever-dangerous John Barker and Crag Newstead, with both sides impressing in Round 2.

Alex Govier and Edd Chivers meet the Maidments in another evenly matched contest, while Liam Desborough and Andy Chappell face Paul Summers and Sam Vile to complete a strong-looking last eight line-up. With scores now regularly moving beyond the 100 mark, the competition is heating up nicely.

Quarter final draw: Shane Powell/Ryan Marke v Les Marke/Jordan Bryant at the R G Institute 8PM; Darren Sparks/Kevin Sedgebeer v John Barker/Craig Newstead at the R G Institute 8.30PM; Alex Govier/Edd Chivers v Adrian Maidment/Anthony Maidment at the R G Institute 9PM; Liam Desborough/Andy Chappell v Paul Summers/Sam Vile at the R G Institute 9.30PM.