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ROUND 1
PENNANT ONE:
The Sunraysia Table Tennis summer pennant is underway and round one results featured a blowout and two close contests.
– Tankard Dental 11 (Thanh Nguyen, Rohan Reimers, Paul Kealley 3) d Max Miller Carpets 0
The Tankard Dental trio of Thanh Nguyen, Rohan Reimers and Paul Kealley were on fire defeating Max Miller Carpets 11-0 in a powerful display. In a graded competition this type of result is very unusual with players unable to recall a scoreline of this magnitude.
Nguyen and Reimers continued their very consistent form from the recently concluded winter pennant while teammate Paul Kealley put on a great display winning all his singles in hard fought three setters. The only real positive for the Carpeters was that of the eleven matches eight went to three sets. They will look to bounce back next round.
– Regional Taxation Services 6 (Jackson Tung, Leon Brown 2, Ashley Morrison 1) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Reece Kurrle 1)
The closest match of the night saw Regional Taxation Services just take the points over Mallee Bearings 6-5. The Bearings team of Jackson Tung, Leon Brown and Ash Morrison took the early initiative leading 5-2 before Mallee Bearings just fell short winning three of the last four matches.
The first doubles decided the four points with Tung and Brown outlasting Mallee Bearings pair Wayne Carmichael and Reece Kurrle 15-7 8-15 24-22 an amazing finish. The summer pennant is referred to as the Fast 15’s with this competition a best of three matches to 15.
Victory came for RTS despite Wayne Carmichael winning three singles for the Bearings combination,
Regional Taxation Services pair Jackson Tung and Leon Brown won two singles each while Ash Morrison played his role winning one.
– Cookes Pools & Spas 7 (Kate Carmichael 3, Jackson Murphy 2, Lee Leeson 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Mark Dorman 2, Gavin Carmichael 1)
In the remaining match Cookes Pools & Spas gathered momentum late in the match to defeat Weightmans Packaging 7-4. In an even team performance Kate Carmichael, Jackson Murphy and Lee Leeson won three, two and one singles respectively.
In an important win Cookes Jackson Murphy defeated opposing number one Gavin Carmichael 16-14 12-15 15-12.
For Weightmans it was only Mark Dorman who flew the flag winning two singles and taking part in a close three set victory in the first doubles.
PENNANT TWO:
Three close matches kicked off the 2023 summer competition.
– Cookes Pools & Spas 7 (Kevin Johns 3, Marcus Cimino 2, Marita Grace 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Josh Arnold 2, Andrew Jones 1)
Kevin Johns led Cookes Pools & Spas to a 7 rubbers to 4 win against Mallee Bearings.
Cookes Pools & Spas were without their number two, Luca Capizzoto, replaced in this game by Marcus Cimino.
Johns won his three singles rubbers, in two sets against Steve Pongrac and Josh Arnold, but survived a late match scare to defeat Andrew Jones in three sets in the final round of singles. Cimino had a solid night, recording two wins, defeating the Mallee Bearings number one Andrew Jones easily 4 and 11, and the Mallee Bearings number three Steve Pongrac, but then falling to his opposite number Josh Arnold.
Marita Grace, playing in the number three spot for Cookes Pools & Spas, made her pennant two debut, and performed well. Although defeated by pennant two regulars Josh Arnold and Andrew Jones, the scores were encouraging. Her first-time match against Arnold (always a difficult customer) resulted in Arnold winning 15-6, 15-10, but in the second round of singles she had a great tussle with Jones, losing in three sets 9-15, 15-12, 12-15.
Mallee Bearings won three singles, Jones that win against Marita Grace, and Josh Arnold picking up two (against Grace in two sets, and later defeating Cimino in two sets also).
The doubles rubbers were shared, Johns and Cimino defeating Jones and Arnold 15-4, 16-14, and the Mallee Bearings pair of Arnold and Pongrac taking the second rubber against Johns and Grace 15-13, 16-18, 15-10, in what was a very hard fought match.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 16 games to 9.
– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Shaun Gifford 3, Jeremy Corrin 2) d Mallee Meats 5 (Terry Martin 2, Tom Morrison, Leon Bailey 1)
Thanks to a sensational pennant two debut by Shaun Gifford, Weightmans Packaging won this first round clash with Mallee Meats.
Gifford finished the recent winter competition as runner up on the aggregate, and continued that great form into this match. Firstly, he
downed long-time pennant two player Terry Martin in three sets 9-15, 15-7, 15-10, then a two set win against newcomer Leon Bailey, and in the final round of singles needed just two sets to account for the free-swinging Tom Morrison 15-13, 15-12. Shaun also partnered his captain Jeremy Corrin to a win in the first doubles, emerging victorious 15-10, 5-15, 18-16 over Martin and Morrison.
Corrin picked up two wins to go with the four already mentioned, downing Bailey and Morrison.
Mallee Meats were certainly competitive, Martin took two singles wins, and Morrison and Bailey one each, Bailey accounting for pennant two regular Ryan Hensgen 15-6, 16-14 in the final rubber. Martin and Bailey combined well to defeat Corrin and Hensgen in the second doubles 14-16, 15-11, 15-11.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 14 games to 12.
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Daniel Jansen, Rasin Bhuiyan 2) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Jamie Kealley 3, David Sergi, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
Aided by wins in both doubles rubbers, Pinnacle Packers defeated Max Miller Carpets 6 rubbers to 5.
Captain Daniel Jansen and his number two, first time player Rasin Bhuiyan both recorded two wins (against David Sergi and Peter Fitzpatrick), Jansen and Bhuiyan took the first doubles comfortably, downing Jamie Kealley and Sergi 8 and 7, and in the second doubles rubber, Jansen and Levi Williams kept Kealley and Fitzpatrick at arm’s length winning 15-12, 15-10.
For Max Miller Carpets, captain Kealley was unstoppable in singles play, defeating the tricky Bhuiyan 15-12, 16-14, Levi Williams 2 and 8, and against his opposite number Jansen a solid 15-10, 15-10 win. Sergi and Fitzpatrick picked up a win each, both downing the Pinnacle Packers number three Williams. Jordan Cole will take up his number two spot from the next round (Sergi subbing this time), and that will add a bit more strength to the side, but even now this team needs to work on doubles play.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 13 games to 10
PENNANT THREE:
Exposed Signage & Apparel blitzed Weightmans Packaging in this first round, and Regional Taxation Services won a nail-biter with Sammy’s Slammers.
– Exposed Signage/Apparel 10 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Riley Clemence 3, Wendy Simpson 2) d Weightmans Packaging 1 (Karly Leach 1)
Exposed Signage & Apparel brought their A game to round one, scoring four times and many sets as their opponents Weightmans Packaging.
Sabrina Fitzpatrick and her partners in crime, Riley Clemence and Wendy Simpson dropped just one rubber all night.
Three of the first four rubbers went to the maximum three sets, and at that stage it seemed that we were in for a close contest. Exposed Signage & Apparel won all those rubbers though, and it would not be until rubber number six that Weightmans Packaging got their first win, captain Karly Leach defeating Exposed Signage & Apparel number three Wendy Simpson 15-13, 15-10.
And apart from those early three setters, the rest of the night had matches determined in two sets.
So as a result of their win, Sabrina Fitzpatrick and her number two Riley Clemence are equal first on the aggregate, with the maximum three wins. Will have to wait a round or two to see if the form displayed here was a one-off.
Final scores: 10 rubbers to 1 and 20 games to 5.
– Regional Taxation Services 6 (Nhat Dat 3, Leo Parker 2) d Sammy’s Slammers 5 (Nick Kiapekos 2, Ryan Hensgen, Steve Parker 1)
This match was the complete opposite of the match just described, Regional Taxation Services getting home against Sammy’s Slammers in the very last rubber, captain Leo Parker downing his father Steve 8-15, 15-5, 15-11, a continuation of their recent winter tussles.
There were four three set contests and Regional Taxation Services won them all, Nhat Dat inflicting a first round defeat on Steve Parker 15-11, 10-15, 15-11, in the first doubles Leo Parker and Nhat Dat downing Nick Kiapekos and Steve Parker (again !!) 13-15, 15-11, 16-14. There were two three set contest in the final round of singles, the one already described between father and son, Steve and Leo Parker, and two games
before that Nhat Dat overcame the impressive junior Ryan Peterson 10-15, 15-10, 15-12.
Regional Taxation Services accumulated six rubbers as a result of all that, Dat winning his three singles rubbers, Leo Parker two, and the pairing of Dat and Leo Parker taking the first doubles.
Sammy’s Slammers just came up short in this match, captain Nick Kiapekos won two singles, and Steve Parker and Ryan Peterson one each. Steve Parker and Peterson won the second doubles, a tight two set affair, gainst Leo Parker and Brian White 17-15, 15-12.
Although they lost the match, Sammy’s Slammers, in winning 14 sets to Regional Taxation Services’ 12, showed just how close this match was.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 12 games to 14.
PENNANT FOUR:
Dominant performances in singles play earned wins for Tankard Dental and Dunkley Scales.
– Tankard Dental 8 (Derek Hung 3, Curtis Crabtree, Nathan Beard 2) d Mallee Meats 3 (Maria Starikov 2)
Tankard Dental won seven of the available nine singles rubbers enroute to winning this first round clash with Mallee Meats.
Tankard Dental captain Derek Hung was unstoppable, accounting for Selma Mayne in straight sets, winning an arm wrestle with Maria Starikov 12-15, 15-7, 16-14, and a close two set win over Jenny Leach 15-12, 16-14. His team-mates Curtis Crabtree and Nathan Beard picked up a pair of wins each (both downing Jenny Leach and Selma Mayne), and Hung and Crabtree paired in the first doubles to win in three sets against Starikov and Leach 15-17, 15-11, 15-11.
Mallee Meats won the second doubles rubber, Starikov and Mayne too good for Hung and Beard, coming back from losing the first set 3-15, to take the next two 15-11, 15-8.
The only other rubbers Mallee Meats secured were courtesy of Maria Starikov’s bat. Mary defeated Crabtree in three sets 13-15, 15-11, 17-15 in a good match, and later a two set win over Nathan Beard 15-11, 15-7.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 17 games to 10.
– Dunkley Scales 7 (Katrina Clifford 3, Brandt Dolic 2, Oliver Bremner 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Tom Gilmour 2, Gary Leach 1)
Solid performances by first-time players Brandt Dolic and Oliver Bremner helped Dunkley Scales to victory in this first round match.
Led by their captain Katrina Clifford, who won all her singles rubbers, number two Dolic won two of his three singles rubbers, and Bremner one.
Clifford’s wins were fairly straightforward, save for her match with Tom Gilmour, in which Katrina had to work for her 15-13, 17-15 win.
Dolic won his first match against Gary Leach in three sets 15-9, 12-15, 15-12, and followed up with a two set win over Louise Smith later in the match.
Bremner won his opening match too, that also against Smith, in straight sets.
Clifford and Dolic won the second doubles, in two sets against Gilmour and Smith.
For Weightmans Packaging, Gilmour defeated Dolic and Bremner, both in two sets, Gary Leach proved too good for Bremner, and Gilmour and Leach were a better doubles pairing than Clifford and Bremner, winning that contest 15-10, 15-13.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 14 games to 9.
