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Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant results Semi Finals: –
PENNANT ONE:
– First Semi: Pinnacle Packers 6 (Shannon Bowen 3, Kevin Johns, Shane Carmichael 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Joel Dorman, Jackson Tung 2)
Second Semi: Weightmans Packaging 6 (Mark Dorman, Graeme O’Neill 2, Peter Midgley 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Wayne Carmichael 3)
PENNANT TWO:
First Semi: Mallee Bearings 6 (Trevor Gebert, Ashley Morrison 2) d Tankard Dental 5 (Andrew Jones 3, Karina Sullivan, Robert Chiswell 1)
Second Semi: Spanline 6 (Arthur Paar 2, Arnold Jago, Laurie Plummer 1) d Fishers IGA 4 (Sony Sefer 3, Seval Fuat 1)
PENNANT THREE:
First Semi: Fishers IGA 6 (Peter Kelly, Matt Johns 2, Garry Hughes 1) d Mallee Bearings 1 (Bernadette Fitzpatrick 1)
Second Semi: Max Miller Carpets 6 (Matt Ljubic, Emily Carmichael 2) d Weightmans Packaging 2 (Darren Greaves, Lachlan Kelly 1)
PENNANT FOUR:
First Semi: Mallee Bearings 6 (Claire Ljubic, Ellie Midgley 2, Shirley Whitecross 1) d Bishop Builders 5 (Sam Hensgen 3, Paul Fitzpatrick 1)
Second Semi: Max Miller Carpets 6 (Cole Keegan 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Fishers IGA 4 (Ryan Hensgen 2, Michael Hensgen 1)
PENNANT ONE
With a solid display in the second semi final Weightmans Packaging have advanced to the 2012 Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant one grand final with a 6-4 victory over second placed Mallee Bearings.
Second Semi: Weightmans Packaging 6 (Mark Dorman, Graeme O’Neill 2, Peter Midgley 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Wayne Carmichael 3)
The big news took place in the knockout first semi final when Pinnacle Packers continued their amazing late season run by defeating Max Miller Carpets 6-5 and will take on Weightmans in this weeks preliminary final. These sides only met three weeks ago with the Packers successful.
With their position booked in the grand final Weightmans deserve flag favouritism; they were always under control against Mallee Bearings despite 
Wayne Carmichael winning three singles for the opposition. Both Mark Dorman and Graeme O’Neill won two singles for the victors while Peter Midgley continued his solid season by winning the first match of the night. This was an important match first up for both teams and Midgley accounted for Ed Hung in four sets 4-11 11-9 11-7 11-7 which enabled Weightmans to be up and running and they were never headed. Hung later in the night tried valiantly to keep his team alive when trailing 4 rubbers to five he took Graeme O’Neill to five sets however O’Neill booked his team a spot in the grand final with a solid 11-4 8-11 11-8 8-11 11-7 win over the hardworking Hung.
– First Semi: Pinnacle Packers 6 (Shannon Bowen 3, Kevin Johns, Shane Carmichael 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Joel Dorman, Jackson Tung 2)
The first semi final featured the continuation of Pinnacle Packers amazing winning streak. The Packers were victorious 6-5 over Max Miller Carpets, the second time in two weeks they have defeated the Carpeters with the same score line. This was the Packers fourth win in as many weeks after winning only one match in the first eleven rounds of the home and away season. 
Skipper Shannon Bowen also continued his excellent singles run of late winning three for the fifth match in succession. He is now undefeated in his past fifteen matches.
The night started well for the Packers when fill in Kevin Johns accounted for John Gray 11-9 7-11 5-11 11-8 11-9 which was an important result. Carpeters skipper Joel Dorman then levelled the match by recovering from a two game to love deficit against Shane Carmichael to go on and win in another five setter. It was the first doubles that in the end played a big part in deciding the overall result when Packers pair Shannon Bowen and Shane Carmichael fought back from two games to love down against Joel Dorman and John Gray to win 7-11 7-11 11-6 11-6 11-7 a great comeback against a tough combination. This victory enabled the Packers to go to a three rubbers to one lead.
When Carpeters Jackson Tung later clawed his way back from two rubbers to love down to get up and defeat Shane Carmichael in five, Max Miller Carpets were fighting back. The second doubles also went the Carpeters way courtesy of Dorman and Tung defeating Bowen and Johns in four sets and as a result the score was four rubbers all and spectators had witnessed a great fight back in the tense knockout final.
Pinnacle Packers Shannon Bowen then steadied things for his team with an 11-9 13-11 11-6 tussle over Joel Dorman. The match was again levelled when Jackson Tung won his second singles defeating Kevin Johns in four sets.
With both teams season on the line Shane Carmichael booked Pinnacle Packers a berth in the preliminary final with a solid straight set victory over John Gray in the final match of the night. This had been an enthralling match and Max Miller Carpets can consider themselves unlucky as they were only percentage away from playing in the second semi final after a strong finish to the season of their own and the feeling only a couple of rounds ago was that they could go all the way but it was not to be!!!
PENNANT TWO
Spanline proved that their late rise to Minor Premiership honours was no fluke when they accounted for Fishers IGA, the team they replaced, and Mallee Bearings got their first win since Round 12.
First Semi: Mallee Bearings 6 (Trevor Gebert, Ashley Morrison 2) d Tankard Dental 5 (Andrew Jones 3, Karina Sullivan, Robert Chiswell 1)
Mallee Bearings Trevor Gebert, Ashley Morrison and Peter Fitzpatrick won a thrilling elimination semi-final over their opponents Tankard Dental’s Robert Chiswell, Andrew Jones and fill-in Karina Sullivan. Andrew Jones did all he could to get his side home, winning three singles, but it was Trevor Gebert and Ashley Morrison who kept Mallee Bearings in the hunt, winning two singles each. The Bearings side needed both doubles to get them over the line, and the circumstances of the second doubles added to the drama. The night went like this. Robert Chiswell lost the first match against Trevor Gebert in three 8, 10 and 6. Andrew Jones bounced back for Tankard Dental with a three set win over an uncharacteristically wayward Ashley Morrison 11, 3 and 6. Peter Fitzpatrick had his chances against Karina Sullivan in the third match – down two sets to one and leading 8-2 in the fourth he blew it, Sullivan took the set and match 11-9. Fitzpatrick did redeem himself however in the next match, the first doubles, by combining with Morrison to defeat Chiswell and Sullivan 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5. Two rubbers all. Tankards then got the upper hand, Andrew Jones continued his impressive form with a three set win over Trevor Gebert 11, 11 and 9, Chiswell had little trouble with Fitzpatrick 7, 10 and 5. Mallee Bearings needed to get back into the match now, because it was four rubbers to two. To do so was not going to be easy – the next match was Karina Sullivan and Ashley Morrison.
Sullivan defeated Morrison only three weeks earlier in round 13, and a loss here would spell the end. Morrison won in three sets, but it was by no means easy. He took the win 8, 12 and 13. Score Tankards four to Mallee Bearings three. The next rubber took on an increased importance when one cast their eye down the Score Sheet. Immediately following this match was Andrew Jones and Peter Fitzpatrick in the first of the last round of singles. So, if Tankards won the doubles, then the contest would in all probability be decided in favour of Tankards in the Jones/Fitzpatrick game. And on the other side of things, Mallee Bearings needed to win the doubles so that even accounting for Jones winning that singles, Mallee Bearings still had a chance to take the match in the final two singles courtesy of Gebert and Morrison. The first set of the doubles went to the Bearings side of Gebert and Morrison 12-10, and sets alternated to the fifth, Tankards Chiswell and Jones took the second 11-8, lost the third 6-11, and won the fourth 11-3. The fifth set was really the set that was possibly going to decide the night. Tankards knew that victory was within reach, and Mallee Bearings wanting the chance to fight another day. The score crept to 10 all, both side rueing lost chances as points were lost through wide and long returns. There were plenty of good shots, but the tension was almost visible. Eleven all, twelve all, both sides had held a match point and saw it disappear. Mallee Bearings went to a 13-12 lead, and the final point saw a ball go wide from Robert Chiswell’s bat. Four rubbers all. Tankards had lost their chance, and now had to do it all again. As expected, Jones put Fitzpatrick out of his misery 5, 8 and 6 to give his side a sniff of victory again at five rubbers to four. Trevor Gebert then had to do battle with the increasingly difficult Karina Sullivan. Only a win would do for Mallee Bearings and Gebert played as well as he has all year. Sullivan took the first and third sets 13-11, 11-8, Gebert the second and fourth 14-12, 11-8. It was Sullivan’s game which went off first, and Gebert took the fifth set 11-6. So, with the scores locked at five rubbers all, Ashley Morrison faced off against Robert Chiswell in the decider. Chiswell took the first 13-11, and Morrison the second 11-7. Both players put everything into the third set; there were a few lucky/unlucky edges (depending which end of the table you were on !) but it was Morrison who took it 16-14. Chiswell could not summon up the intensity again, and Morrison took the fourth as well 11-6 to put Mallee Bearings into the second semi-final next week.
Second Semi: Spanline 6 (Arthur Paar 2, Arnold Jago, Laurie Plummer 1) d Fishers IGA 4 (Sony Sefer 3, Seval Fuat 1)
Spanline once again stamped their authority on this Pennant, defeating Fishers IGA six rubbers to four in this second semi-final. Fishers have failed to defeat Spanline in any of their four encounters this year, and “The Double Centurions” took this win with one rubber to play. 
Fishers captain Sony Sefer had a welcome return to form, winning three singles, but he was unable to help either of his team-mates win a doubles. The Spanline trio of Arthur Paar, Arnold Jago and Laurie Plummer had most bases covered, except for their singles encounters with Sefer and in one singles with Seval Fuat. Paar chalked up two wins: against Fuat (five sets), and Colin Moore (three sets), Arnold Jago one win (against Moore), and Plummer one also against Moore. Fuat played much better than the previous week when he failed to win a singles, this week he lost a hard-fought match to Paar in five sets, after leading two sets to one. Later, he met Arnold Jago, and this time he prevailed winning 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4. On this occasion Spanline used their combined two hundred odd years of guile to combine to win both doubles, Paar and Jago 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 14-12 against Sefer and Fuat, and Paar and Plummer 11-8, 11-1, 6-11, 11-8 over Sefer and Moore. Spanline then, go straight into the Grand Final in a fortnight’s time, and Fishers will do battle with Mallee Bearings next week to determine the other contestant for the flag.
PENNANT THREE
The winners of the first round of Semi-Finals did so without too much fuss. Fishers IGA won the elimination First Semi Final against Mallee Bearings six rubbers to one, and Max Miller Carpets only needed a further rubber to wrap up their spot in the Grand Final when they defeated Weightmans Packaging six rubbers to two.
First Semi: Fishers IGA 6 (Peter Kelly, Matt Johns 2, Garry Hughes 1) d Mallee Bearings 1 (Bernadette Fitzpatrick 1)
Fishers IGA ran away with this match, leading four rubbers to nil before their opponents Mallee Bearings got a score on the board. And that turned out to be the only win for Mallee Bearings, Fishers taking the next two rubbers to earn themselves another game next week. Fishers were without regular players Vaughan Waters and Harrison Cottrell for this elimination match, and they were replaced by Gary Hughes and Matt Johns. Johns turned out to be an inspired choice for Fishers, winning both singles he played, plus having a hand in winning the only doubles match. Fishers overall, were much too good on this occasion. Gary Hughes started the night with a win over Mick Bacon in three sets, 7, 4 and 10. Next Johns came up against hard-hitting Bernadette Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick put up resistance for sure, but Johns was too good, taking the rubber in four sets 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8. 
Next up Peter Kelly easily accounted for Sabrina Fitzpatrick in three 3, 8 and 5. The first doubles failed to produce a win for Mallee Bearings – Bacon and Fitzpatrick going down in a hard fought match 16-14, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8. That made the score four rubbers to nil, and the Bearings side were all but done. The next match proved to be the only source of joy for Mallee Bearings – Bernadette whipped Gary Hughes 8, 6 and 9. But that was it, Peter Kelly took only three sets against Mick Bacon 0, 9 and 8, and Matt Johns had to fight the usual stubbornness of Sabrina Fitzpatrick to take his match in four 11-5, 13-11, 7-11, 11-4. Certainly a good win, and Fishers, if they produce this form in the next semi, could well cause an upset against their opponents Weightmans Packaging.
Second Semi: Max Miller Carpets 6 (Matt Ljubic, Emily Carmichael 2) d Weightmans Packaging 2 (Darren Greaves, Lachlan Kelly 1)
Teams One (Weightmans Packing) and Two (Max Miller Carpets) on the ladder played each other in this Second Semi Final. The two teams are very closely matched – Weightmans lost only one match during the season, and the Carpeters two. Significantly, Max Miller Carpets have been improving as the season progressed, Matt Ljubic being the reason, for he grabbed the aggregate lead from Weightmans Darren Greaves in the second last round, and kept it. And the loss Weightmans incurred during the season? Well, that was against Max Millers in round 13 !! Not to be outdone, Weightmans it was who inflicted Max Millers two losses during the year, in rounds three and eight. So it is apparent that the pendulum has swung in favour of Max Miller Carpets since roughly the midway point of the season. And the result of this match only showed that the pendulum has not stopped going in their favour yet. The Carpeters easily outclassed their opponents, wrapping the match up after the completion of the eighth rubber.
Both Matt Ljubic and Emily Carmichael won their two singles rubbers – Emily in three sets against Jeremy Corrin and in five against Darren Greaves, and Ljubic now in his “customary” three sets against both his opponents Lachlan Kelly and Jeremy Corrin. The Carpeters won both doubles – Ljubic and Carmichael in four against Greaves and Kelly, and later Ljubic and Karly Leach in three against Greaves and Corrin to finish the match. The only rubbers Weightmans could get were at the expense of Karly Leach. Greaves won easily in three sets 4, 3 and 10, but Lachlan Kelly, who finished fourth on the aggregate had to pull out all stops to get home against Leach. Leach took the first two sets 8 and 3 before Kelly got going, and he had to keep his mind on the job to take the last three 5, 3 and 9. This result is a great confidence boost to the Max Miller trio, and at the same time Weightmans must really be wondering if they will stand a chance against them in the Grand Final, assuming of course they get there.
PENNANT FOUR
Second Semi:
Max Miller Carpets 6 (Cole Keegan 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Fishers IGA 4 (Ryan Hensgen 2, Michael Hensgen 1)
Max Miller Carpets after a consistent season and finishing on top of the ladder at the end of the home and away season have advanced to the grand final with a solid 6-4 victory over Fishers IGA who live to fight another day. The Carpeters have earned a week off to freshen up and rid themselves of any niggles.
Carpeters Cole Keegan fresh from victory in the Super 8s on Monday night backed up again with three singles victories and along with skipper Ben Hosking proved too strong for the Hensgen brothers Ryan and Michael in the first doubles winning 11-2 11-7 6-11 11-7. Keegan struck a vital blow in the third match of the night, his first singles, when he downed joint aggregate winner Ryan Hensgen in a tight four setter 11-6 7-11 11-9 11-9.
The Carpeters grabbed an early ascendancy at one stage leading 4-1 and later 5-2 before Fishers fought back winning the second doubles when Ryan Hensgen and Helen Frania proved too good for Ben Hosking and Georgia Tilley winning 11-9 6-11 11-3 12-10. In the next match the two skippers met with Hensgen defeating Hosking in a tense five setter 7-11 11-5 9-11 11-6 12-10. Fishers had fought back, to a 4-5 deficit, with Cole Keegan then up against the improving Michael Hensgen.
Hensgen tried hard however Keegan has struck a purple patch of form and by taking victory in three sets he won his third singles and more importantly his team have advanced to a berth in the 2012 grand final. Keegan had received good support from Ben Hosking who won two singles as did Ryan Hensgen for Fishers.
First Semi:
Mallee Bearings 6 (Claire Ljubic, Ellie Midgley 2, Shirley Whitecross 1) d Bishop Builders 5 (Sam Hensgen 3, Paul Fitzpatrick 1)
This knockout semi went right down to the wire with Mallee Bearings hanging on to win 6-5 over the hard working Bishop Builders. This was a tough match with six matches going to five sets with the overall decider being possibly the second doubles when Claire Ljubic and Ellie Midgley in a lengthy five setter defeated Sam Hensgen and Geoff Keegan 11-9 5-11 11-5 5-11 12-10. 
Earlier in the first doubles Sam Hensgen and Paul Fitzpatrick had won a five setter 8-11 11-2 15-13 9-11 11-3 over Claire Ljubic and Shirley Whitecross. Of his three singles and two doubles for the night Sam played in four five setters and one four setter………..a busy night. Sam won three singles defeating both Ellie Midgley and Claire Ljubic in five sets.
The girls played well with Claire and Ellie winning two singles each as well as their doubles while Shirley won an important singles in their narrow win. Mallee Bearings have kept their season alive and will now play Fishers IGA in the preliminary final although the unavailability of skipper Ljubic could play a part in the outcome of who goes on to meet Max Miller Carpets in the grand final
Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant results Semi Finals: –
PENNANT ONE:
– First Semi: – Pinnacle Packers 6 (Shannon Bowen 3, Kevin Johns, Shane Carmichael 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Joel Dorman, Jackson Tung 2)
Second Semi: – Weightmans Packaging 6 (Mark Dorman, Graeme O’Neill 2, Peter Midgley 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Wayne Carmichael 3)
PENNANT TWO:
First Semi: Mallee Bearings 6 (Trevor Gebert, Ashley Morrison 2) d Tankard Dental 5 (Andrew Jones 3, Karina Sullivan, Robert Chiswell 1)
Second Semi: Spanline 6 (Arthur Paar 2, Arnold Jago, Laurie Plummer 1) d Fishers IGA 4 (Sony Sefer 3, Seval Fuat 1)
PENNANT THREE:
First Semi: Fishers IGA 6 (Peter Kelly, Matt Johns 2, Garry Hughes 1) d Mallee Bearings 1 (Bernadette Fitzpatrick 1)
Second Semi: Max Miller Carpets 6 (Matt Ljubic, Emily Carmichael 2) d Weightmans Packaging 2 (Darren Greaves, Lachlan Kelly 1);
PENNANT FOUR:
First Semi: Mallee Bearings 6 (Claire Ljubic, Ellie Midgley 2, Shirley Whitecross 1) d Bishop Builders 5 (Sam Hensgen 3, Paul Fitzpatrick 1)
Second Semi: Max Miller Carpets 6 (Cole Keegan 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Fishers IGA 4 (Ryan Hensgen 2, Michael Hensgen 1)
For further information on Table Tennis contact Gavin Carmichael 0408 237 907 or 5023 7907.
