Surprise surprise, we enter Grand Final week with the 2 captains featuring Wayne and Gavin Carmichael. Again this one promises to be a classic and should go late into the night. Expect Wayne’s quietly spoken demeanour to lead with his actions and of coarse Gavin will deliver a more robust style of in your face captaincy. Both teams have had good seasons and are deserving of their spots in the big one. Bring it on!

PENNANT ONE:

Fishers IGA although stretched to the limit in the preliminary final of the Sunraysia Table tennis winter pennant were able to prevail over Exposed Signage and Apparel winning six rubbers to five.

They have now earned the right to play Weightmans Packaging in this weeks pennant one grand final in what again will be a close contest.

 – Fishers IGA 6 (Wayne Carmichael, Leslie Ncube, Shane Carmichael 2) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (Joel Thomas 3)

Weightmans Packaging (Gavin Carmichael, Kate Carmichael, Matt Avers) play Fishers IGA (Wayne Carmichael, Leslie Ncube, Shane Carmichael) in the grand final

In the preliminary final Fishers grabbed an early ascendancy to lead two rubbers to love. The first match of the night was important for Fishers whenShane Carmichael was able to beat last weeks hero Ed Hung. Hung tried hard however Carmichael was able to grab the match 9-11 12-10 11-8 7-11 11-9 and give Fishers a great start.

Joel Thomas as he did in last weeks elimination final then was able to get his team on a roll, Thomas defeating a brave Leslie Ncube 11-6 12-10 13-11. He then partnered Hung in the first doubles to defeat Ncube and Wayne Carmichael 11-5 8-11 12-10 13-11 to level the match.With the scores at three rubbers all , Fishers Leslie Ncube matched up against Leon Brown in a match which was expected to be close but it was Ncube who dominated to win 11-3 11-3 11-3 to give Fishers a four rubbers to three lead.

Exposed Signage and Apparel then made a charge winning the second doubles in four sets courtesy of Joel Thomas and Leon Brown outlasting Wayne and Shane Carmichael. The next three singles would decide who would advance to the grand final. In the first of these Sunraysia’s two best players, Joel Thomas and Wayne Carmichael took to the table and spectators witnessed some excellent table tennis with this match going to five. In a match that contained many fine rallies Thomas was able to give his team a five four lead by shaking off Carmichael in the fifth winning 11-7 12-14 11-5 9-11 11-5.

Thomas’s team mate Ed Hung then played Leslie Ncube and the question was could he repeat the previous weeks heroics. He started well winning the first game, then narrowly lost the second and then took the third in a close one, the pressure was right on Ncube now to keep his team alive and this he did grabbing the fourth and fifth to win 10-12 11-9 9-11 11-4 11-7, this was a great victory by Ncube and levelled the match at five rubbers all.

In the decider Exposed Signage’sLeon Brown came out blazing in the first against Shane Carmichael and it was Brown who grabbed the first game with both his forehand and back hand working well for him. Carmichael right under the pump now was able to steady in the second and stem the flow winning narrowly. Carmichael’s experience stood up in the third and fourth and he grabbed victory in four 5-11 12-10 11-7 11-8 against a brave Brown.

In a tough encounter Fishers were successful 6-5 with each of their team Wayne Carmichael, Leslie Ncube and Shane Carmichael winning two singles each.Joel Thomas had done all he could winning three singles to remain undefeated throughout the season. He also featured in both doubles victories in a match where his team came up one rubber short.

This weeks grand final now awaits with Weightmans Packaging trio of Gavin Carmichael, Kate Carmichael and Matt Avers matching up against the Fishers IGA combination of Wayne Carmichael, Leslie Ncube and Shane Carmichael who came in to replace the injured Graeme O’Neill late in the season.

These two teams finished first and second on the ladder respectively. In the home and away season they met three times with Weightmans holding a two to one advantage win loss ratio.

PENNANT TWO: 

Weightmans Packaging advanced to the Pennant Two Grand Final with a surprisingly big win over Tankard Dental.

– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Lee Thomas, Connor Lavery 2, Andrew Alderton 1) d Tankard Dental 2 (Arthur Paar 1)

 Fishers IGA (John Gray, Seval Fuat, Brendan Alderton) play Weightmans Packaging (Lee Thomas, Connor Lavery, Andrew Alderton) in the grand final

Prior to this game Tankard Dental had garnered a bit of favouritism amongst some of the punters, but that was mainly due to the patchy form of Weightmans captain, Lee Thomas in the last couple of weeks.  Thomas had won just two of her last five singles rubbers in that time, whilst Tankard Dental’s Rod Healy (four wins) and Tony Malycha (three) had been playing consistently.

Andrew Alderton, in meeting Rod Healy, struck the first blow for Weightmans in rubber number one.  Healy had defeated Alderton on the two occasions they met this year, both in five sets.  Alderton however, has been playing very well lately – on one particularly memorable night he claimed the scalps of both Arthur Paar and Seval Fuat.  In this game he started tentatively, pushing at the ball and before he knew it, Healy led 11-6, 11-7.  Changing tactics, Alderton attacked everything and soon levelled at two rubbers all. The final set was close, but Alderton had the momentum, and Healy had no answers to the barrage of balls coming at him.  Alderton took those last three sets 7, 7 and 9 to give his side a great start.

Inspired by her number three, Lee Thomas made it 2-0 after a great struggle with Tony Malycha, winning 12-10, 4-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6.

Connor Lavery, probably the most improved player in this pennant, was next up against Tankard Dental captain Arthur Paar.  Lavery had control of the game, allowing Paar just one set on his way to an 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7 win.

Those three wins took the wind out of the Tankard Dental side, and already they knew they were up against it, and a three set 14-12, 12-10, 11-6 win in the first doubles was nothing to get too excited about.

Lee Thomas hit straight back for Weightmans in the next rubber, downing Healy in three sets 11-4, 16-14, 11-6.  Arthur Paar took the next rubber against Alderton, to avenge his defeat from three weeks ago.

Connor Lavery put his side a touch away from the win with a dominant display against Tony Malycha.  After winning the close first set 12-10, Malycha did not get a look in, Lavery hitting winners at will on his way to taking the next two sets 11-4, 11-4.

That made the score 5-2 and Lavery and Thomas brought the win up in style, defeating Healy and Malycha 11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5 in the second doubles.

Weightmans are again looking dangerous, and if Thomas plays in the Grand Final as she did here, her team is a big chance for the flag.

PENNANT THREE: 

Mallee Meats earned the right to play Fishers IGA in this year’s Grand Final, and brought Weightmans Packaging’s late season run to an end.

– Mallee Meats 6 (Quentin Clark, Sam Hensgen 2) d Weightmans Packaging 3 (Daniel Griffiths 2, Huseyin Ismail 1)

Fishers IGA (Kerry Wallace, Ben Hosking, Stefan Ljubic) play Mallee Meats (Quentin Clark, Sam Hensgen, David Sergi) in the grand final

Mallee Meats defeated Weightmans Packaging in this Preliminary Final 6-3 and now advance to the Grand Final next week.

Weightmans Packaging started confidently with wins to Daniel Griffiths and Huseyin Ismail.

Playing at number three, Griffiths took the scalp of aggregate winner Quentin Clark in four decisive sets.  Clark appeared to be suffering a case of nerves, and his shots reflected that; Griffiths on the other hand simply got down to business and was playing a better game than his better credentialed opponent.  Although not playing his best, Clark was far from out of the game, but after two sets, Griffiths led 12-10, 11-8 and an upset was evidently on the way.  Clark managed to snare the third set 11-6, but Griffiths hit back in the fourth 11-5 to take the match.

That win was in the second rubber; Sam Hensgen having not too much trouble defeating opposing captain Karly Leach in straight sets 11-5, 11-9, 12-10 in the opening game.

Huseyin made in 2-1 to Weightmans when he downed the improved David Sergi in straight sets , 6 9 and 6.

That early lead put a bit of a spring in the step of the Weightmans players, and when Ismail and Leach took the first set 12-10 in the doubles against Clark and Hensgen, it looked like the underdogs might be a chance to pull off an upset.

Not so.

Clark and Hensgen steadied, took the next three sets 6, 9 and 8 and levelled at 2 rubbers all.

Mallee Meats then got into their stride, and there was little the valiant Weightmans Packaging side could do to stop the constant of flow of games going to their opponents.

First up, Clark overcame his earlier singles disappointment with a four set win over Leach. Once again Clark started slowly, losing the first set 11-9, but thereafter started to find his range as his nerves had finally settled.  The second set was close, Clark winning it 13-11, and he then took the last two 9 and 7 to give his side the lead again, 3-2.

Hensgen took his second win with a straightforward three set victory over Ismail, 8, 9 and 5 to stretch the score to 4-2.

After playing in the second rubber, Griffiths finally got to have another hit in rubber number seven.  He and David Sergi had a terrific contest, with Sergi leading two sets to one after three 8-11, 11-9, 15-13.  From that point on Griffiths dominated, the fourth was close, Griffiths taking it 11-8, and he ran away with the last 11-4 to give his side their third rubber to trail 3-4.

With only four rubbers left, the pressure was on Weightmans, but Mallee Meats took the game right away from them in the next two contests.

In the second doubles Hensgen and Sergi easily defeated Leach and Griffiths 7, 5 and 6 in a disappointing performance by the Weightmans pair, and in what was the final rubber Clark downed Ismail in three close sets 11-8, 12-10, 11-9.

After a close start in which Weightmans Packaging took the early lead, Mallee Meats won 6 rubbers to 3.  Weightmans Daniel Griffiths was the stand out player in the game, simply because, playing at number three he managed two wins, and the most important of them being against Clark.  Mallee Meats’ Sam Hensgen also took two, but that expected.  Clark recovered after that early defeat, to also finish with two wins.