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Sunraysia Table Tennis Summer Pennant results Round 13: –
PENNANT ONE:
– Fishers IGA 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick 2, Leslie Ncube 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Shane Carmichael 1)
– Mallee Bearings 10 (Rick McMeekin, Michael Hogarth 3, Jackson Tung 2) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 1 (Shannon Bowen 1)
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Gavin Carmichael, Kate Carmichael 2, Matt Avers 1) d Max Miller Carpets 4 (Mark Dorman, Matt Ljubic 2)
PENNANT TWO:
– Tankard Dental 7 (Arthur Paar, Rod Healy 2, Tony Malycha 1) d Bishop Builders 4 (Peter Bishop, Josh Carmichael 2)
– Fishers IGA 7 (John Gray 3, Seval Fuat, Brendan Alderton 1) d MJM Automotive 4 (Geoff Peters, Geoff Wright 2)
– Mallee Bearings 7 (Reece Kurrle 3, Andrew Jones 2, Peter Edwards 1) d Mallee Meats 4 (Ashley Morrison 2, Arnold Jago 1)
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Lee Thomas, Connor Lavery 3) d Pinnacle Packers 4 (Peter Midgley, Cole Keegan, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
PENNANT THREE:
– MJM Automotive 7 (Paul Fitzpatrick 3, Nicoleta Borlea 2, John Fitzpatrick 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Karly Leach 2, Daniel Griffiths 1)
– Mallee Meats 8 (Sam Hensgen, Quentin Clark 3, David Sergi 1) d Dunkley Scales 3 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Kim Avers 1)
– Fishers IGA 6 (Kerry Wallace 3, Ben Hosking 1 Stephan Ljubic 1) d Tankard Dental 5 (Michael Hensgen, Claire Ljubic 2)
Kate Carmichael would have brought a smile to Richies faces with her recent form. In rnd 13 she took out Mark ‘El Presidente’ Dorman and teamed up with Gav in a solid doubles effort. Weightmans remain one game clear on top with two rounds to play before finals. I bet the Carmichael household will be buzzing over the two week school holiday break with Richie able to enjoy a reflective moment on the season so far and perhaps bring out some of those motivational tapes to keep the fire burning … ala Country Week 1994!
PENNANT ONE:
The feature of round thirteen results was that the top three sides defeated the bottom three teams. Because both fourth placed Exposed Signage/Apparel and fifth team Max Miller Carpets were defeated the Carpeters remain two games out of the four with two rounds to play however mathematically their faint final chances are still alive.
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Gavin Carmichael, Kate Carmichael 2, Matt Avers 1) d Max Miller Carpets 4 (Mark Dorman, Matt Ljubic 2)
Ladder leader Weightmans Packaging remain one win clear of second place after defeating fifth placed Max Miller Carpets 7-4 on the stage court. In an even team performance the Weightmans trio of Kate and Gavin Carmichael won two singles each while Matt Avers scored a four set win over Kevin Johns.
Kate Carmichael has enjoyed a good month scoring two wins each week and she has also played a big role in her teams’ doubles success during this period. Her comeback from two games to love down against opposing number one Mark Dorman was an impressive performance with her taking the match 4-11 10-12 12-10 11-9 11-8 in a spirited recovery.
The doubles as usual were a key factor and when Weightmans were able to secure both the Carpeters were in trouble and trailed 2-6. They improved the score line when Mark Dorman defeated Gavin Carmichael and Matt Ljubic defeated Kate Carmichael in straight sets. These two teams have played three close matches through the season and if the Carpeters are able to get through to the finals they could cause a problem should they meet Weightmans at the pointy end of the season.
There were several “firsts for the season” in this match, they included Matt Ljubic defeating Matt Avers, Kate Carmichael defeating Mark Dorman and Gavin Carmichael defeating Matt Ljubic as these two teams continued their entertaining and topsy turvy matches through the season.
– Fishers IGA 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick 2, Leslie Ncube 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Shane Carmichael 1)
On centre court second placed Fishers IGA snuffed out any finals chances of their opponent by defeating Tankard Dental 7-4. With Wayne Carmichael winning three singles, Bernadette Fitzpatrick two and Leslie Ncube one Fishers were too consistent.
Young Fitzpatrick started well for her team defeating experienced fill in Shane Carmichael in four sets and late in the match she showed great determination against Jackson Murphy to come back from a two-one deficit to win 14-12 9-11 4-11 11-8 11-8.
Fitzpatrick has been showing good form and hopefully she will be back as a permanent player in the summer comp.
The doubles were shared however in the first Tankards took control early with Mark Ljubic and Shane Carmichael grabbing the advantage to lead two love however Wayne Carmichael, a doubles specialist, and team mate Leslie Ncube steadied winning in five 6-11 10-12 11-6 13-11 11-5 to allow Fishers the early ascendancy and from this point Tankards were playing catch up and could not recover.
– Mallee Bearings 10 (Rick McMeekin, Michael Hogarth 3, Jackson Tung 2) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 1 (Shannon Bowen 1)
In the remaining match on the grand stand court third placed Mallee Bearings were up against fourth placed Exposed Signage/ Apparel who were without Sunraysia’s leading player Joel Thomas however with Shannon Bowen taking his place this match was still expected to be close however Mallee Bearings had other ideas and enjoyed a thumping 10-1 victory. Both Rick McMeekin and Michael Hogarth won three singles while Jackson Tung continues his good form winning two matches.
In particular
Hogarth had a productive night winning two matches 12-10 in the fifth against the talented Shannon Bowen and earlier Ed Hung. In the last match of the night Hogarth defeated fill in Sony Sefer in four to cap off a great night for his team.
With the finals approaching “Cool Breeze” McMeekin has his team Mallee Bearings well-oiled and playing well and this team will be a real threat as on their night they can match any team.
PENNANT TWO:
The results of this week’s games has pretty much settled the final four for this season. The teams first to fourth on the ladder played the teams fifth to eighth, and the top four all won, extending their lead over the bottom half of the competition by one further game.
– Mallee Bearings 7 (Reece Kurrle 3, Andrew Jones 2, Peter Edwards 1) d Mallee Meats 4 (Ashley Morrison 2, Arnold Jago 1)
The most important game so far as finals contenders go was this one. These two teams were separated by one game going into this match; a win by Mallee Meats would have seen them join Mallee Bearings on seven wins, and tied on points for fourth, although still fifth on percentage.
As it turned out, Mallee Bearings were never in trouble. They shot off to a four rubbers to nil lead thanks to wins by Peter Edwards over Cambell McKenzie in five entertaining sets, captain Reece Kurrle downing opposing captain Ashley Morrison in four, and Andrew Jones in straight sets over Arnold Jago. Those games preceded the first doubles which was won by Kurrle and Jones 11-6, 9-11, 17-15, 11-5 over Morrison and Jago.
Ashley Morrison took the first rubber for Mallee Meats in the next game, against Peter Edwards, but the Mallee Bearings pair of Kurrle and Jones secured the win in the next two rubbers; Kurrle defeating McKenzie in straight sets, and Jones doing to same to Jago.
Mallee Meats took three of the remaining four rubbers, but it was all too little, too late.
Kurrle took three wins, Jones two and Peter Edwards one. With the first doubles added to that tally, it was a solid 7-4 victory.
This win now puts fourth placed Mallee Bearings two games clear of fifth placed Mallee Meats. This is Mallee Meats’ fourth loss in a row, and they are looking less and less like a finals outfit each week.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 23 games to 16.
– Fishers IGA 7 (John Gray 3, Seval Fuat, Brendan Alderton 1) d MJM Automotive 4 (Geoff Peters, Geoff Wright 2)
Fishers IGA recorded win number eleven for the season with this win over MJM Automotive.
Fishers have benefitted from having a settled side throughout the season, something which MJM Automotive have not. This week, Terry Martin and Ajay Chowdhry were again absent, and subbing for them were Emily Carmichael and Geoff Peters.
Having said that, the match was close for the first half. Straight sets wins by MJM Automotive captain Geoff Wright over Seval Fuat and his number two Peters over Brendan Alderton gave the early lead to the underdogs. However, Fishers captain John Gray soon levelled things up with a win over Carmichael, then pairing with Fuat downed Wright and Peters in a fairly close three set doubles 11-5, 12-10, 12-10.
Peters gave MJM Automotive the lead again with a tough match against Fuat, winning 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10. The captains met next, a rubber which Wright had to win to give his side any chance of taking this match. It was not to be, however, Gray not really in trouble, winning in four 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4.
In the next four rubbers Fishers put the result beyond doubt; firstly, Brendan Alderton winning in three against Carmichael, who should probably get a bravery medal for playing her first match so late in the year; Gray and Alderton in straight sets against Wright and Carmichael in the second doubles, then Gray again securing the win with a straight sets win over Peters. 
Fuat picked up his first win of the night next, against Carmichael, and to put a little bit of respectability in to their score, MJM captain Geoff Wright defeated the much improved Brendan Alderton. Although losing this rubber, the number three Alderton was not shamed, as he made Wright work for the win, which Wright took 11-9, 13-11, 5-11, 11-7.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 23 games to 14.
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Lee Thomas, Connor Lavery 3) d Pinnacle Packers 4 (Peter Midgley, Cole Keegan, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
Weightmans Packaging held on to third spot on the ladder with this win against Pinnacle Packers.
Coming into this game Weightmans were equal on points with Mallee Bearings, so could ill afford a loss. With both sides winning in this round, that situation has not changed, although the Weightmans side has improved its percentage gap over the Mallee Bearings trio.
Pinnacle Packers made a game of it for the first half of competition. After six rubbers it was three all courtesy of wins by Peters Fitzpatrick and Midgley over Andrew Alderton and the Peters winning in five sets an against the odds first doubles, against Weightmans Packaging captain Lee Thomas and rapidly improving Connor Lavery.
Those three wins were matched by Weightmans; with Lee Thomas defeating Cole Keegan in a five setter which could have gone either way, a second win by Lee over Peter Fitzpatrick, and in the stand-out game of the night, Connor Lavery simply outplayed Peter Midgley, defeating Midgley in three sets 9, 7 and 8.
Weightmans took the next three rubbers to win the night;
Connor Lavery took his second rubber in a tougher match – this time it took him five sets to get the better of Cole Keegan. Next, Thomas and Andrew Alderton defeated the stronger looking pairing of Midgley and Keegan in four sets, and in the battle of the captains, Lee Thomas easily accounted for Midgley 7, 5 and 9.
The remaining rubbers were shared, Pinnacle Packers getting the first: Keegan defeating Alderton in three, and Weightmans taking the last: Lavery over Fitzpatrick also in three.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 24 games to 15.
– Tankard Dental 7 (Arthur Paar, Rod Healy 2, Tony Malycha 1) d Bishop Builders 4 (Peter Bishop, Josh Carmichael 2)
Tankard Dental won in style and remain one game away from top spot after this round.
Tankard Dental were expected to win in this clash with bottom-of-the-ladder side Bishop Builders, and they did so in a solid team effort.
Arthur Paar took two singles, his failure to win three singles, lay in being beaten for the second time this season by Bishop Builders number two Josh Carmichael, however, he did do better than when these sides last met, in that he defeated his opposite number Peter Bishop on this occasion.
Paar was backed up nicely by his number three Rod Healy. Healy took the scalp of Carmichael in the first rubber, and that of Jeremy Corrin in the last. For the second week running, number Tony Malycha has contributed only one singles win, on this occasion against Corrin.
Tankard Dental got a free hit though, by taking both doubles; Paar and the in-form Healy were in control in their four set win over Bishop and Carmichael 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6. Later Paar and the temporarily out-of-form Malycha struggled to get home against Carmichael and Corrin. Starting well, they took the first two sets, but dropped the next two, and had to make sure of the win at 11-7 in the fifth.
For Bishop Builders, Peter Bishop took two rubbers – in straight sets against Tony Malycha 11-8, 11-7, 15-13, similarly against Rod Healy 11-5, 14-12, 11-4. Josh Carmichael against picked up two, after losing to Healy in the opening rubber, Carmichael made amends in his next singles against Arthur Paar, winning 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-9. And in the second last rubber, he in playing another five setter had to come from two sets to one down to better Tony Malycha, winning 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 25 games to 17.
PENNANT THREE:
The three teams occupying first, second and third on the ladder had wins this week, making their positions more secure for the finals. However, MJM Automotive still have a bit of work to do; with two rounds remaining, they are in third, only one game ahead of fourth placed Dunkley Scales.
– Mallee Meats 8 (Sam Hensgen, Quentin Clark 3, David Sergi 1) d Dunkley Scales 3 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Kim Avers 1)
Ladder leaders Mallee Meats had an easy win over fourth placed Dunkley Scales in this round.
Dunkley Scales have had a horror run since round six, winning just one match since then.
Mallee Meats were not in the mood to give them a chance in this game, jumping away to a 4-1 lead after five rubbers. They kept the pressure on, and in taking four of the last six rubbers, took an impressive 8-3 win.
Once again Quentin Clark and Sam Hensgen did the damage, both taking three wins.
Clark, in particular, was in dominant form, not dropping a set. Hensgen had to work somewhat harder, as both Sabrina Fitzpatrick and Kim Avers took their matches to five sets.
Mallee Meats number three David Sergi defeated his opposite number Shirley Whitecross in four sets, and in the match’s first rubber gave Kim Avers a run for her money, going down in a five set encounter.
With a straightforward three set win in the first doubles, Mallee Meats ran away with the game.
This win sees Mallee Meats maintain their three game break at the head of the ladder over Fishers IGA, who won again this week. Dunkley Scales are now a real chance to miss the finals as they are only one game ahead of fifth placed Weightmans Packaging, and Weightmans have a better percentage. Dunkley Scales play Fishers IGA in round 14 and Tankard Dental in the final game. Dunkley Scales have defeated Fishers (round 4) and lost to them (round 9). They have defeated Tankard Dental on both occasions they have met, however, that was before Claire Ljubic joined the side, and so Tankard’s are a much stronger side now.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 26 games to 14.
– Fishers IGA 6 (Kerry Wallace 3, Ben Hosking 1 Stephan Ljubic 1) d Tankard Dental 5 (Michael Hensgen, Claire Ljubic 2)
Fishers IGA kept their wins coming this week, with a close win over bottom side Tankard Dental.
This was a very close match, and had they lost, Fishers would have slipped back to third on the ladder behind MJM Automotive who also won this round.
Neither side could break away as this match progressed, for each win by one side was matched by a win to the other. Predictably then, the contest was decided in rubber number eleven.
Fishers captain Kerry Wallace was once again undefeated in singles play, conceding just one set in her three matches.
Whilst Kerry was busy with these three wins, Tankard Dental’s Michael Hensgen and Claire Ljubic were quietly accumulating two wins apiece to keep their side in the contest. 
Hensgen defeated both Stefan Ljubic and Ben Hosking in four sets, whilst Claire defeated Hosking in three, but took four to defeat brother Stefan.
Hosking defeated Tankard Dental number three Joel Hogarth in straight sets in the first rubber, and with the doubles shared, the scores were locked at five rubbers all with one to go.
And the two players to play in that rubber made it a great contest. Joel Hogarth took the first set 12-10, Stefan Ljubic responded with wins in the second and third, Hogarth levelled 11-9 in the fourth, and a tense fifth set saw Ljubic win at 14-12.
A very close match, and with the scores being so close between the teams in this grade, had Fishers lost, they would have slipped to third behind MJM Automotive. Even though they are still a game behind, MJM have a better percentage than Fishers, so Fishers will be looking for wins (and big ones) in the final rounds. The teams they have to play, Dunkley Scales and Weightmans Packaging are teams they have beaten once, and have been beaten by once.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 21 games to 19.
– MJM Automotive 7 (Paul Fitzpatrick 3, Nicoleta Borlea 2, John Fitzpatrick 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Karly Leach 2, Daniel Griffiths 1)
Third placed MJM Automotive all but cemented their place in the finals with this win against Weightmans Packaging. With a two game break between them and fifth placed Weightmans, MJM Automotive seem to have done enough to secure a spot in the finals.
Led by Paul Fitzpatrick, subbing for Mick Bacon, they secured this win in the final round of singles, after the scores were four all at the conclusion of the second doubles. Wins by one side were matched by wins for the other.
Fitzpatrick put on a great display, taking all his singles matches in three sets. Team mate for the night, Nicoleta Barka assisted the cause with two wins; she defeated Weightmans Packaging number two Huseyin Ismail in four sets, and later Daniel Griffiths in three. On top of that she took Karly Leach to five sets in their clash, losing the fifth 11-5.
With a win by John Fitzpatrick against Ismail added to victory in the second doubles, the MJM Automotive team took a convincing seven rubbers to four victory.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 24 games to 13.
