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Sunraysia Table Tennis Summer Pennant results Round 6: –
PENNANT ONE:
– Max Miller Carpets 6 (Mark Dorman, Matt Ljubic, Kevin Johns 2) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (Joel Thomas 3)
– Fishers IGA 6 (Wayne Carmichael, Leslie Ncube 2, Graeme O’Neill 1) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Rick McMeekin 3, Shane Carmichael 1)
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Gavin Carmichael, Matt Avers 2, Kate Carmichael 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Shannon Bowen 3, Nicholas Dorman 1)
PENNANT TWO:
– Mallee Meats 6 (Ashley Morrison 2, Arnold Jago, Cambell McKenzie 1) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Andrew Jones 3, Reece Kurrle 2)
– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Lee Thomas 3, Connor Lavery 2, Andrew Alderton 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Peter Midgley 2, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
– Fishers IGA 7 (Seval Fuat, Brendan Alderton 2, John Gray 1) d MJM Automotive 4 (Geoff Wright 3, Cole Keegan 1)
– Tankard Dental 6 (Tony Malycha 2, Rod Healy, Arthur Paar 1) d Bishop Builders 5 (Peter Bishop 3, Josh Carmichael 2)
PENNANT THREE:
– MJM Automotive 8 (Mick Bacon 3, John Fitzpatrick 2, Anthony Sergi 1) d Fishers IGA 3 (Kerry Wallace 2, Stefan Ljubic 1)
– Dunkley Scales 6 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 3, Kim Avers 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Huseyin Ismail, Daniel Griffiths 2, Karly Leach 1)
– Mallee Meats 7 (Quentin Clark 3, Sam Hensgen, David Sergi 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Michael Hensgen, Claire Ljubic 2)
Leslie Ncube starred in Rnd 6 action helping to keep a Wayne Carmichael led Fishers IGA side to remain undefeated.
PENNANT ONE:
An interesting statistic in round six of Sunraysia Table Tennis was that three players recorded three singles wins however their teams could not gain an advantage from this.
Aggregate leader Joel Thomas undefeated this season, Rick McMeekin who scored an excellent five set win over Wayne Carmichael and fill in for Tankard Dental, Shannon Bowen who defeated Gavin Carmichael 13-11 in the fifth all played inspiring table tennis to win the maximum number of singles, however their respective teams all faltered at the final hurdle.
– Max Miller Carpets 6 (Mark Dorman, Matt Ljubic, Kevin Johns 2) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (Joel Thomas 3)
Max Miller Carpets recorded their second win of the season by defeating Exposed Signage / Apparel after recovering from a four rubbers to five deficit.
Led by Joel Thomas who won his three singles and featured in both doubles victories it looked like the Carpeters were in trouble however Matt Ljubic levelled the match at five rubbers all when he outlasted fill in Darren Robinson 13-11 11-7 8-11 11-13 11-7 in what was an entertaining match. Ljubic’s team mate veteran Kevin Johns then swept the Carpeters to victory by defeating Leon Brown in a close fought four setter.
For the victors Max Miller Carpets skipper Mark Dorman, Matt Ljubic and Kevin Johns all won two singles in an even team effort.
– Fishers IGA 6 (Wayne Carmichael, Leslie Ncube 2, Graeme O’Neill 1) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Rick McMeekin 3, Shane Carmichael 1)
Ladder leader Fishers IGA again found a way of retaining their undefeated record this time accounting for Mallee Bearings 6-5 in another come from behind victory. With Mallee Bearings going to a five rubbers to four lead courtesy of
Rick McMeekin scoring a fine five set win over Wayne Carmichael 7-11 11-9 8-11 11-8 11-7, it looked like defeat was on the cards for Fishers, however first year player in the STTA, Leslie Ncube stood up when it counted defeating Shane Carmichael in a high standard five set win 9-11 11-6 11-9 5-11 11-7. Ncube earlier combined in the first doubles with skipper Carmichael to win an important match and later accounted for Michael Hogarth in four sets to cap off a great night. 
Ncube a recent new “Aussie” has settled in well to pennant one and possesses a brick wall defence. At Monday night training he also shows he can play huge attacking shots and when he starts to use this weapon in match play he will be even more difficult to counter.
With the match at five rubbers all the consistent Graeme O’Neill outlasted Michael Hogarth in straight sets. This match was a real highlight with O’Neill bombarding big forehands only to see the ball come back as Hogarth managed to defend superbly however O’Neill wore him down to enable Fishers to steal the points
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Gavin Carmichael, Matt Avers 2, Kate Carmichael 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Shannon Bowen 3, Nicholas Dorman 1)
Despite fill in Shannon Bowen winning three singles for Tankard Dental including a tremendous five set win over Gavin Carmichael1-11 11-3 5-11 11-8 13-11 , Weightmans Packaging were able to score a 7-4 win and secured second position on the ladder. Weightmans were again consistent with Gavin Carmichael and Matt Avers winning two singles while Kate Carmichael won one. Victory in both doubles by Weightmans was also a big factor in the victory.
PENNANT TWO: –
Aggregate ladder leader John Gray had an “off” night, winning just one singles rubber, and was outscored by both his team-mates in another winning contest, to put their team a game clear at the top of the ladder.
– Mallee Meats 6 (Ashley Morrison 2, Arnold Jago, Cambell McKenzie 1) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Andrew Jones 3, Reece Kurrle 2)
Mallee Meats joined their opponents in this match, Mallee Bearings, with four wins for the year in this contest.
Mallee Meats picked up the wins where they could in this game, captain Ashley Morrison took two wins, 
and Arnold Jago and Cambell McKenzie one each. Those scores are modest, but the importance of the doubles was again demonstrated, Mallee Meats making no mistake in those rubbers – Morrison and Jago defeating the well-credentialed Reece Kurrle and Andrew Jones in four sets, and Morrison and McKenzie in straight sets against Kurrle and Peter Edwards.
That was enough for a win.
Andrew Jones, since entering the competition in round two, has scored consistently and well. Although having missed that first round, he now sits only four games shy of ladder leader John Gray. In this game he added to his previous score by three, firstly with a gritty five setter with Ashley Morrison, and then another five set contest with Cambell McKenzie. His final singles against Arnold Jago was headed the same way, but Jago had to concede with the scores at 2-2.
Jones’ captain Reece Kurrle took two wins, but fell to Ashley Morrison 12-10 in the fifth set of their match.
So as good as their singles play was, their inability to take one of the doubles spoiled any chance of the win.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 25 games to 18.
– Tankard Dental 6 (Tony Malycha 2, Rod Healy, Arthur Paar 1) d Bishop Builders 5 (Peter Bishop 3, Josh Carmichael 2)
In an exciting game, Tankard Dental came from 4-5 down to snatch the win in this match in the final two rubbers.
Tankard Dental Arthur Paar had a night he would probably rather forget – he was cleaned up by opposing captain Peter Bishop in straight sets, after earlier falling victim to Josh Carmichael, who zoomed home in the final two sets of their five set match 11-2, 11-5.
But Arthur and his team redeemed themselves in doubles play: Paar and Tony Malycha won in a close five setter against Bishop and Carmichael, and later Paar and Rod Healy in another five set contest bettered Bishop and Jeremy Corrin.
Tony Malycha was the shining light for Tankard Dental though; he chimed in with two singles wins, the second, in five sets, against the giant-killing Josh Carmichael to level at 5 all with only the final rubber to play.
Healy made no mistake in the eleventh rubber, trouncing Jeremy Corrin 3, 8 and 7 after earlier being ambushed by Carmichael. Healy led 11-9, 11-7 in what was a close game, only for Carmichael to take the ascendency in the final three sets to steal the game.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 22 games each.
– Fishers IGA 7 (Seval Fuat, Brendan Alderton 2, John Gray 1) d MJM Automotive 4 (Geoff Wright 3, Cole Keegan 1)
Despite Fishers IGA captain John Gray winning a solitary singles game, the ladder leaders still took the win with a 7 rubbers to 4 score.
Seval Fuat and Brendan Alderton stepped into the breach, though, taking two each, and the team proved too strong in the doubles, winning them both. Alderton, in particular has had a great season so far, picking up two singles wins each week on all but one occasion, and sits eighth on the aggregate – not bad for a number three !!
Seval Fuat continued his good run of recent form in this game with his two game haul – in four sets against Ajay Chowdhry, and then denying Keegan a win in their five set contest.
MJM Automotive were glad to see their captain Geoff Wright back, but at the same time, Terry Martin was absent.
Wright took three singles wins, his first win demonstrating that constant match play by an opponent is a hazard for returning players. 
Wright met Brendan Alderton in the very first rubber, and quickly saw himself two rubbers to one down. Wright had to draw on experience to shake Alderton in the final two sets to secure the win.
Cole Keegan, who as recently as last summer played in Pennant One, filled-in for Terry Martin, but his lack of match play restricted him to one win, this in five sets against the out-of-sorts John Gray.
Both the doubles went to Fishers: Gray and Fuat dropped the second set in their match against Wright and Cole Keegan, but taking the other three 3, 5 and 0. The second doubles was a better contest, Gray and Alderton winning in five.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 26 games to 21.
– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Lee Thomas 3, Connor Lavery 2, Andrew Alderton 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Peter Midgley 2, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
Pinnacle Packers, after taking their first win last week, were hoping to make it two in this game, to draw level with Weightmans on two wins. Instead, they were outplayed by an ever improving combination.
Weightmans Packaging captain 
Lee Thomas led the way with three wins, the first being the battle of the captains in the first round. She and Peter Midgley slugged it out, with Thomas just edging her opponent 12-10 in the fifth set.
Connor Lavery took two, both in three sets, against Peter Fitzpatrick and Geoff Peters. Although his match with Peters was over in three sets, the first proved vital, Lavery outlasting Peters to win it 20-18. The next two sets came more easily, 6 and 5.
Finally, Andrew Alderton, picked up on for Weightmans to give his team a win with the singles tally alone – this win against Peters also.
Added to these six rubbers, Weightmans snared the doubles. Thomas and Lavery in a close five setter with Midgley and Fitzpatrick 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 15-13 to at that stage take a 4-0 lead to set themselves up for victory.
Later on Thomas and Alderton took little time to account for Midgley and Peters 7, 2 and 6.
After losing to Lee Thomas, Peter Midgley won his two other singles rubbers and Peter Fitzpatrick took the final rubber on offer, in five sets over Alderton.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 26 games to 15.
PENNANT THREE:
After six rounds of competition, first and second spots on the ladder look pretty secure, and three teams are fighting for the third and fourth spots. Going into this round, three teams sat on two wins, but only one of them was able to progress, MJM Automotive taking their third win.
– Dunkley Scales 6 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 3, Kim Avers 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Huseyin Ismail, Daniel Griffiths 2, Karly Leach 1)
In the closest game of the round, Dunkley Scales defeated Weightmans Packaging 6-5, although the win came after the ninth rubber.
Sabrina Fitzpatrick’s good form continued, she again took three wins, and remains two games behind Quentin Clark on the aggregate ladder, 16 games to Quentin’s 18.
Dunkley Scales had to rely heavily on winning both the doubles rubbers in this game, because Kim Avers in taking one singles, was the only other contributor in singles play. And with those doubles, both won in four sets, Dunkley Scales led 5-3 at the conclusion of the second doubles tie.
Weightmans were unable to keep any pressure on the ladies team, and two of their five rubbers came in the last two games, when the match was already decided. With the score at 1-4 against them after five rubbers, Weightmans had given their opponents too big a start.
Daniel Griffiths and Huseyin Ismail both took two wins for Weightmans – Griffiths in particular being noteworthy. The first of his wins was a five setter against Kim Avers. Avers and he are adjacent on the aggregate, although now two games apart, but despite their respective rankings, Avers 2 and Griffiths 3, they are evenly matched. In this game, Griffiths was looking at a straight sets defeat, but clawed back to win 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 13-11.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 21 games to 20.
– Mallee Meats 7 (Quentin Clark 3, Sam Hensgen, David Sergi 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Michael Hensgen, Claire Ljubic 2)
Tankard Dental kept the pressure on Mallee Meats for nine rubbers, in this contest, but could not finish off the job on the ladder leaders.
The Tankard Dental squad has been bolstered by the inclusion of the hard hitting Claire Ljubic. In only her second game for the season, having filled-in last week, Claire, after having earlier defeated Mallee Meats captain Sam Hensgen in straight sets, took the first set from aggregate pacesetter Quentin Clark in her final round singles match. So, although Tankard Dental are winless at the moment, that may well change.
At Mallee Meats, it was business as usual, Quentin Clark taking three wins and keeping his win record perfect for the year. 
Quentin reckons he is not a number two any more, having now assumed the number one spot in his team … a bloodless coup !!
Captain Sam Hensgen and David Sergi took a win each, and added with both doubles, gave the ladder leaders a comfortable 7-4 win.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 22 games to 15.
– MJM Automotive 8 (Mick Bacon 3, John Fitzpatrick 2, Anthony Sergi 1) d Fishers IGA 3 (Kerry Wallace 2, Stefan Ljubic 1)
MJM Automotive captain Mick Bacon celebrated his best form of the season, leading his team to an 8-3 win over Fishers IGA.
Bacon really only had to concentrate hard in his match against Fishers Kerry Wallace in the final round of singles. At that point his team led 5-3, and Wallace was desperately trying to keep her side in the match, 
but Mick’s form was such that he held Kerry out, winning 14-12, 8-11, 16-14, 11-8 to seal the result.
MJM Automotive number two John Fitzpatrick also had a good night with two four set wins, plus a convincing three set win in the first doubles with his captain.
The winners took the second doubles too, Bacon and Anthony Sergi downing Wallace and Ross Douglas in straight sets.
Sergi took one singles win, and almost made it two. He led Stefan Ljubic two sets to one, but could not hold the youngster out.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 26 games to 12.
