Winter 2024 – Rnd 11 Wrap

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PENNANT ONE

The big winners in round eleven matches of the Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant were Cookes Pools & Spas who with a 6-5 victory over Tankard Dental jumped from fifth to second on the ladder pushing their opponents down to third. In a round where all results were 6-5 every position from second to fifth changed.

– Cookes Pools & Spas 6 (Kate Carmichael 3, Casper McCarthy, Russell Walder 1) d Tankard Dental 5 (Reece Kurrle 2, Thanh Nguyen, Paul Kealley 1)

Cooke’s jumped out of the blocks early to take a 3-1 lead and later led 5-2.  The first match of the night was important and it was Cooke’s Casper McCarthy who remained calm to defeat the inform Paul Kealley in a five set battle 11-3 11-6 6-11 9-11 11-5.

These teams are very even and in all there were six five set matches. The final five sets went to five with Tankards taking three from four of these. The one they badly needed almost went their way when skipper Reece Kurrle took a two sets to love lead over Cooke’s Kate Carmichael. The match then took a turn and Carmichael was able to work her way back into the match with a good mix of attack and defence. The match went to a fifth with some amazing long rallies, Kurrle in particular was pounding his forehand however Carmichael was able to defend and go on to win 11-13 9-11 11-7 11-4 11-5 what a match.

Carmichael won three singles with teammates Casper McCarthy and Russell Walder winning one each. Walder’s five set win over the talented Thanh Nguyen was a match winner.

– Mallee Bearings 6 (Joel Thomas 3, Liam Wood 2) d Choices Flooring Mildura 5 (Wayne Carmichael 2m, Leon Brown, Ed Hung 1)

Ladder leader Mallee Bearings recovered from a 2-4 deficit against Choices Flooring Mildura to score a narrow 6-5 victory and have now opened up a fourteen-point break at the head of the ladder. The highlight match was the singles between the associations best two players when Joel Thomas met Wayne Carmichael. Carmichael turned back the clock in the first playing excellent table tennis to win 11-3, the second was a beauty with both players trading excellent forehands, Carmichael led 10-9 late however the super cool Thomas took the game 12-10, he then controlled the third to win 11-4.

Again, in the fourth it was close and the standard lifted, Thomas was able to win this close one and won 13-11 in what had been an outstanding match for the spectators.

Thomas received excellent support from teammate Liam Wood who won two singles while Daniel Jansen teamed up with Thomas to win the vital second doubles when their team was under extreme pressure.

– Regional Taxation Services 6 (Andrew Cannard 2, Edi Re, Mark Ljubic 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Jackson Tung 3, Liam Wood 2)

Bottom of the ladder Regional Taxation Services enjoyed their second win of the season at the expense of fourth placed Weightmans Packaging who they defeated in round one.

Both teams required a fill in and the match was close all the way. The first doubles proved to be huge, the Weightman’s pair of Jackson Tung and Liam Wood started well taking the first two games narrowly and when they took a 7-2 lead in the third it looked all over however the RTS duo of Andrew Cannard and Mark Ljubic would not lay down and in an amazing fight back they grabbed the third and then proceeded to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat winning 9-11 9-11 11-9 11-8 11-6 outstanding.

Later in the match Weightman’s skipper Jackson Tung won his third singles to enable his team to go to a 5-4 lead, two excellent five set matches followed with Tung’s teammate Lee Leeson taking the first two games against Edi Re before Re steadied and for the second time RTS had recovered from a 0-2 deficit to win in five, an outstanding comeback from Re. The score now stood at five rubbers all.

RTS skipper Andrew Cannard then stepped up against fill-in Liam Wood and again another long five setter took place. Teammates were on the edge of their seats as many long rallies took place before Cannard proved too steady winning 5-11 11-7 11-2 6-11 11-6. This had been an excellent 6-5 victory by Regional Taxation Services.

PENNANT TWO

In the wash up of matches Choices Flooring Mildura have moved two games clear at the head of the ladder when they defeated the second placed Weightmans Packaging.

Bottom of the ladder Pinnacle Packers won their second match of the season defeating third placed Cookes Pools & Spas, Packers number three John Fitzpatrick was outstanding winning three singles. In the remaining match fifth placed Mallee Meats narrowly defeated Mallee Bearings 6-5 to move to third place on the ladder.

– Choices Flooring Mildura 7 (Jason Gifkins 3, Kevin Johns 2, Harry Gujral 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Quentin Clark 2, Mark Cleary 1)

This was the battle of first and second and with a 7-4 victory Choices Flooring Mildura have moved two games clear of their opponents Weightmans Packaging.

Weightmans after winning five of their first six matches have now lost three of their last four.

The Choices team performed well with Jason Gifkins, Kevin Johns and Harry Gujral winning three, two and one singles respectively. With this type of form they are firming as flag favourites. Gifkins won two singles in straight sets however he needed to dig deep against opposing number one Quentin Clark who took a two games to love lead early before Gifkins came back to win 7-11 7-11 11-8 11-8 11-8, a great battle.

Clark was involved in three five set singles and despite being down two sets to one against both Gujral and Johns he was able to fight back and take the points. Weightmans required a fill in and it was Mark Cleary who played as their number three, Mark played in the juniors around thirty years ago and has been showing good form on a Monday night when he brings his son Ted who also filled in in pennant 4. Ted played extremely well winning three singles. For the sports enthusiasts Mark played cricket for Australia, Victoria and South Australia.

WINNERS: Choices Flooring Mildura 7 d Weightmans Packaging 4 GAMES: 26 to 16

– Mallee Meats 6 (Ashley Morrison 3, Rasin Bhuiyan, David Sergi 1) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Jamie Kealley, Josh Arnold 2)

With a 6-5 victory over Mallee Bearings, Mallee Meats jumped from fifth to third on the ladder. Their performance in the doubles round where they were undefeated has helped their cause as amazingly all teams from third to sixth sit on four wins and six losses with five rounds to play.

After two quiet rounds by his standards Mallee Meats skipper Ash Morrison proved to be a match winner by winning three singles including a four-set victory over aggregate leader Jamie Kealley, despite this loss Jamie still sits two wins clear in the aggregate race, Quentin Clark hot on his heels two wins away.

 The second doubles was a highlight and it was Morrison and partner David Sergi who secured the points over Jamie Kealley and Therese Fitzpatrick 11-9 9-11 11-7 10-12 11-8.

Morrison’s teammates Rasin Bhuiyan and David Sergi won an important singles each for Mallee Meats while Kealley and fill in Josh Arnold won two each.

WINNERS: Mallee Meats 6 d Mallee Meats 5 GAMES: 19 to 21

– Pinnacle Packers 7 (John Fitzpatrick 3, Peter Midgley 2, Andrew Jones 1) d Cookes Pools & Spas 4 (Marcus Cimino 2, Tom Morrison 1)

After winning two games in the first nine rounds Pinnacle Packers have won their second match in succession this time defeating Cookes Pools & Spas 7-4. The highlight in this win was the form of Packers number three John Fitpatrick who won three singles for the second time this season. To win three John had to defeat both Tom Morrison and Marcus Cimino who both sit equal third on the singles aggregate. John defeated Marcus in four sets and earlier recovered from a one game to two deficit against Tom to win 11=9 10-12 9-11 11-3 11-6.

John had his hands full against fill in Ryan Petersen who was up from pennant three and acquitted himself well.  His match against John was a marathon and in another five setter John took the points 7-11 11-6 11-8 9-11 12-10.

In all there were five five set matches, but it was the Packers in a more even team performance who were able to prevail. Apart from Fitzpatrick winning three, skipper Peter Midgley won two singles while Andrew Jones won one.

For Cookes Marcus Cimino continued his consistent season by winning two singles including a five-set victory over Peter Midgley.

At one stage Cookes took a 4-2 lead only to see the Packers storm home winning the last five matches, a strong finish and a valuable four points.

WINNERS: Pinnacle Packers 7 d Cookes Pools & Spas 4 Rubbers: 2 to 20

PENNANT THREE

Weightmans Packaging had their second bye for the season this round but held on to first place on the ladder. The team of Ryan Peterson, Karly Leach and Koby Grace were all hard at work filling in, Karly and Koby in pennant three and Ryan in pennant two where he played well but losing a close five setter match against Pinnacle Packers’ John Fitzpatrick 7-11 11-6 11-8 9-11 12-10.

Aggregate leader James Jarvis showed he is king, once again winning his three singles and a game of doubles with teammate Nhat Dat.

In a big night for Regional Taxation Services and the loss of teammates Peter Fitzpatrick and Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Sam Campbell was focussed and ready to play winning her three singles against Mallee Meats team of Karly Leach (subbing in for Andrew Kremor), Hamish Smyth, and Glenn Leeson.

– Sammy’s Slammers 8 (James Jarvis 3, Nhat Dat, Koby Grace 2) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 3 (Marita Grace 2)

Sammy’s Slammers captain James Jarvis continued to win a clean slate by again winning three singles and his first doubles with Nhat Dat opposing Exposed Signage/Apparel’ Marita Grace and Dave Tanner who filled in for Nick Kiapekos.

In the first match of the night, Wendy Simpson and Nhat Dat faced off in a tight five setter. Each playing great games, both players alternated scoring set points to take the match to a fifth after they had won two sets each with Nhat taking the win 9-11 11-4 8-11 11-8 6-11, a great contest.

In another close set full of great rallies, Dave Tanner played Koby Grace winning the first game, but Koby could not be fazed, and he won the next two games placing pressure on Dave. However, Dave kept his cool long enough to win the fourth set tying it up, but Koby came out on top winning 11-8 9-11 7-11 11-7 4-11.

In an even team performance James Jarvis won three singles while Nhat Dat and fill in Koby Grace won two each. Koby tried hard but could not defeat his mum, Marita.

For the Exposed team Marita tried hard as she always does and won two singles.

With this victory the Slammers retain third position on the ladder while the Exposed team are fourth.

WINNERS: Sammy’s Slammers 8 d Exposed Signage 3 Games: 26 to 17

– Mallee Meats 6 (Karly Leach, Hamish Smyth 2) d Regional Taxation Services 5 (Sam Campbell 3, Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)

Without knowing it, Regional Taxation Services had a big night in store for them. Mallee Meats number three Glenn Leeson played valiantly against Sabrina Fitzpatrick in a showdown 11-4 8-11 11-2 9-11 11-6.

Sadly, Sabrina had a bad fall when playing the first doubles with husband Peter. Sabrina has advised that she has a small fracture on her right wrist but is not in pain. She was very grateful for all those who came to her aid and in particular wanted to thank Tom Gilmour, Glenn Leeson, Karly Leach and Sam Campbell for their care and support.

With her team members gone, Samantha had to put her mind into gear and focus on the game at hand and she did just that winning all three of her singles against Karly Leach, Hamish Smyth and Glenn Leeson making her team proud. This was the first time Sam had won three singles in her short career with the STTA and her Monday night training is paying off.

In unfortunate events, Regional Taxation Services had to forfeit six of their sets giving Mallee Meats their second win of the season.

WINNERS: Mallee Meats 6 d Regional Taxation Services 5 Games: 21 to 17

PENNANT FOUR

Round 11 saw the two top teams, Dunkley Scales and Weightmans Packaging facing up and with the inclusion of Ted Cleary, filling in for Dunkley’s Selma Mayne, it was a overwhelming (11 to 0) win by Dunkley. This left the two at the other end of the Ladder to fight it out and although there were some close encounters, Mallee Meats found a way to bring home a win and move them up to equal second. With the omission of Tankard’s Idle Healy for several weeks, Derek Hung will be her fill in.

– Dunkley Scales 11 (Tom Gilmour, Deegan Kerslake, Ted Cleary 3) d Weightmans Packaging 0

The first set of singles saw the two number three’s playing out three sets, with the first going to (15 /13), and Ted grabbing the Rubber from Weightmans Raj Gujral (15/13, 11/8, 11/5). The next match between Deegan Kerslake and Curtis Crabtree, of which Crabtree grabbed one set (16/14) ended up going to four and falling Deegan way (11/5, 14/16, 11/8, 14/12). Tom Gilmour marked up Dunkley’s third win, but Gary Leach pushed him to a five set cracker (10/12, 11/3, 12/10, 7/11, 11/6).

The Doubles was also fought out in five, with Curtis and Gary giving it their best, against the Spin of Tom and Deegan. There were some fantastic rallies, with Dunkley getting the better of Weightmans (8/11, 15/13, 11/5, 5/11, 13/11). Ted seemed to make short work of Weightmans Curtis, with a quick three sets giving Dunkley its fifth Rubber and things not looking good for Weightmans (12/10, 11/6, 11/8). Raj had a terrific battle against Tom, giving him a run for his money, which continued for five sets. It was the last chance for Weightmans to make a late run, but luck was not with them on this night, with Tom collecting the sixth Rubber (8/11, 10/12, 11/9, 11/3, 11/5).

Deegan is usually very strong in his games and this was no different with Gary finding it too tough (11/8, 11/6, 11/4).

The last Doubles was between the pairing of Curtis and Raj up against Tom and Ted and you would have thought with Curtis’s experience and Raj’s improvement in his game, the score would have been more even, but as young as he is, Ted is a red hot Junior and I think this went a long way to Dunkley’s win (11/6, 11/3, 11/9).

Curtis won the first set against Tom, but then Tom put the foot on the accelerator and grabbed his third win for the night, which will keep him safely in the top two in the aggregate (8/11, 11/8, 11/2, 11/9). Once again Ted collected the win, this time against Gary, in three (11/8, 11/4, 11/9). Raj had a good tussle with Deegan and forced the match to four sets, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough and for Weightmans it was the end of the road, as they were unable to stem the bleeding and went down without a win (6/11, 11/5, 11/6, 11/9).

This helped all players in Dunkley with their Aggregate, all picking up three, but on the other hand, Weightman’s players had a definite set back.

WINNER : Dunkley’s Scales 11 to Weightman’s Packaging 0. GAMES : 33 to 9.

– Mallee Meats 7 (Maria Starikov 3, Jenny Leach 2) d Tankard Dental 4 (Derek Hung 2, Nathan Beard, Conner Burnett 1)

Tankard’s Nathan Beard has a very hard game to read and was up against Jen Leach who put on her game face and after four sets came away with a winning Rubber for Mallee (11/6, 11/9, 5/11, 12/10). A five set contest between Tankard’s Derek Hung and Maria Starikov saw  Mallee take hold of a second Rubber (11/4, 9/11, 11/8, 6/11, 13/11). After a good start from Jake Hines, Connor Burnett made the match his, in four sets with smooth play (10/12, 11/3, 11/8, 11/4).

The Doubles have been a battle for Mallee Meats of late, but not this time. The five setter was an exciting match, with Maria and Jen coming away with smiles, over the tough combination of Derek and Nathan.

Jen started with a win against Derek, but he pretty soon took control of the four sets to give Tankard the Rubber (6/11, 11/8, 11/3, 11/7) As hard as Jake fought, he wasn’t willy enough to beat Nathan, putting the matches at three each (11/7, 12/10, 11/2). Maria’s wall of defence was too much for Connor, with Mallee taking the win (11/5, 11/4, 11/6).

Maria and Jake added another Doubles win for the Mallee team, when they came up against Derek and Connor (8/11, 11/8, 11/9, 12/10). This put Mallee on 5 Rubber and hungry for their 6^th.

With Derek to face Jake, things took a sudden change, as Derek wasn’t ready to lose another and made it a three set win (15/13, 11/3, 11/6). Connor had an excellent match against Jen and went very close to sneaking the win, with a five set beauty giving Mallee their much needed sixth Rubber (11/7, 8/11, 4/11, 11/7, 11/8).

The final match also went the way of Mallee, when Maria marked up her 3^rd win for the night against Nathan (11/6, 11/8, 11/5).

WINNERS : Mallee Meats 7 to Tankard Dental 4. GAMES : 23 to 20.

In the Aggregate, Maria’s three wins left her on top, equal first with Tom, both on 24, with Deegan four behind on 20 and fourth spot in Curtis’s hands on 17.     

The Pennant four Ladder after Round 11 will sit as : Dunkley Scales will sit on 7, followed by Weightman’s Packaging and Mallee Meats both on 5 and Tankard Dental in 4th position on 3.

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