Winter 2024 – Rnd 16 Wrap

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PENNANT ONE:

The final round of Sunraysia Table Tennis featured some close matches and as a result teams finishing second to fifth have all achieved a seven-win eight loss ratio leading into the finals. Ladder leader Mallee Bearings have only lost two matches, way back in round four and five, and are hot favourites to take out the premiership

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

In one of the most exciting finishes in many seasons fourth placed Cookes Pools & Spas recovered from a 3-4 deficit to narrowly defeat second placed Tankard Dental. A loss to Cookes would have seen them drop out of the four and now they have grabbed second place and the double chance from Tankards who dropped to third.

Cookes Kate Carmichael was outstanding in the 6-5 victory over Tankards winning three singles and participating in both doubles victories. Her match against opposing number three Paul Kealley was a highlight. Carmichael took the first two games, the first in particular could have gone either way. Kealley bounced back to win the third and fourth in a powerful display, he has a tremendous forehand which is difficult to handle and given he is a leftie this can be even more difficult for his opponents to counter. With the match at two rubbers all Carmichael lifted a gear and proved far too strong running away to a 11-9 11-5 7-11 6-11 11-2 victory.

Another five-set match followed when Carmichael combined with Casper McCarthy to defeat fill in Rohan Reimers and Thanh Nguyen after trailing two games to one.

With the score at 5-4 in Cookes favour McCarthy took to the table against Nguyen, a loss to McCarthy would see his team drop out of the finals race, things looked grim when he dropped the first game, however to his credit and the delight of his teammates McCarthy proved too steady against the reliable Nguyen and took the match 8-11 11-8 11-2 13-11.

Cookes won four of five rubbers after a slow start to grab the all-important four points and a finals berth.

– Mallee Bearings 7 (Joel Thomas 3, Liam Wood 2, Daniel Jansen 1) d Choices Flooring Mildura 4 (Wayne Carmichael 2, Ed Hung 1)

Ladder leader Mallee Bearings won their tenth match on the trot defeating Choices Flooring Mildura 7-4 in a topsy turvy match. After the Bearings team took a 3-1 lead Choices fought back in fine style to level the match at four rubbers all with three singles to be played.

Bearings skipper Joel Thomas then played Wayne Carmichael and whilst Thomas won in three sets there were some outstanding rallies between the two best players in the competition. Thomas has been outstanding this season and has won 45 singles to remain undefeated in this format.

In an even team performance Thomas’s teammates Liam Wood and Daniel Jansen won two and one singles respectively.

As a result of this loss Choices Flooring Mildura slipped from third to fourth.

– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Jackson Tung 3, Dylan Wood, Lee Leeson 1) d Regional Taxation Services 5 (Edi Re 2, Andrew Cannard, Rohan Reimers 1)

Fifth placed Weightmans Packaging went in to this final match against Regional Taxation Services knowing victory could still get them a potential place in the four. In their two previous encounters this season Weightmans had not been able to grab the points against RTS however on this occasion they raced to a 4-2 lead and held on to win narrowly 6-5, with skipper Jackson Tung winning three singles. Tung has enjoyed a successful season and has finished third in the singles aggregate one behind second

The first doubles proved to be crucial when Tung and partner Lee Leeson recovered from 0-5 in the fifth to win against Andrew Cannard and Rohan Reimers, this was an amazing comeback in what was a very close contest victory coming in five sets 11-8 9-11 11-9 10-12 11-8.

Of the eleven rubbers in this contest 6 went to five sets indicating how closely these teams are matched. Another vital victory for Weightmans was the five set victory by number three Lee Leeson over opposing number one Andrew Cannard, a very good scalp for Leeson. For Regional Taxation Services Edi Re again won two singles and his improvement over the past month has been outstanding.

Despite the win Weightmans just came up short to finish fifth on the ladder.

PENNANT TWO:

Absenteeism played a big role in results in this the final round before the finals. With five players missing and a lack of fill ins one match was played as a 2 vs 2

With Weightmans missing Quentin Clark and Brendan Alderton their opponents top team Choices Flooring took the initiative to win 9-2.

Second place Cookes Pools & Spas enjoyed a good hit out going into the finals defeating Pinnacle Packers 8-3. The Packers were without skipper Peter Midgley. 

The remaining match saw Mallee Meats duo of Ashley Morrison and David Sergi defeat Mallee Bearings pair Jamie Kealley and Therese Fitzpatrick 5-4 in a two versus two contest.

– Choices Flooring Mildura 9 (Jason Gifkins, Kevin Johns 3, Harry Gujral 2) d Weightmans Packaging 2 (Mark Cleary 1)

The ladder leaders flexed their muscles in this match against the undermanned Weightmans Packaging who were without Quentin Clark and Brendan Alderton.

Choices raced out to a three-nil lead in the first block of singles however Weightmans fill ins Sony Sefer and Mark Cleary arrested the situation momentarily by claiming a good scalp in the first doubles defeating Jason Gifkins and Kevin Johns 13-11 11-7 11-9 in an impressive display. 

The second block of three singles sorted the four points when the Choices trio again won all three. In fact they raced to a 9-1 lead before Weightmans Mark Cleary finished strongly to defeat Harry Gujral 11-8 9-11 11-6 9-11 11-7 a great fighting win.

In an excellent lead up to the finals, Jason Gifkins and Kevin Johns won three singles while number three Harry Gujral was impressive winning two singles.

Jason has finished second on the singles aggregate.

Bring on the finals

Winners: Choices Flooring Mildura 9 defeated Weightmans Packaging 2. Games 29 to 9  

– Cookes Pools & Spas 8 (Tom Morrison, Marcus Cimino, Josh Arnold 2) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (John Fitzpatrick 3)

Despite the great form by Packers number three John Fitzpatrick who won three singles it was Cookes Pools & Spas who cruised to an 8-3 victory, a good warm up before this week’s finals.

In an even team performance Tom Morrison, Marcus Cimino and Josh Arnold won two singles each. Tom forfeited his last singles as he had to leave early but he also had time to take part in both doubles’ victories. Tom has enjoyed a good season finishing three wins clear in the singles aggregate which has been a close battle all year.

The best table tennis in this contest were two five set matches with both featuring John Fitzpatrick, the first saw John up against Marcus Cimino and this proved to be a marathon win by John after trailing one game to two, the final score in John’s favour 10-12 11-9 9-11 11-7 14-12 what a match all games apart from one decided by the barest of margins.

John’s very next singles was another amazing match, this time his opponent was Josh Arnold and Josh was off to a flyer winning the first game 11-1, he took the second 15-13 placing John under extreme pressure. To his credit John then went to work and clawed his way back to win another five setter, he has finished seventh in the singles aggregate in what has been a great season by him.     

Winners: Cookes Pools & Spas 8 defeated Pinnacle Packers 5, Games 28 to 13.

– Mallee Meats 5 (Ashley Morrison 3, David Sergi 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Jamie Kealley, Therese Fitzpatrick 2)

 Due to a lack of fillins this was a 2 versus 2 match, both teams without their number two players. This contest was decided by two five set matches, The first was the one and only doubles with Mallee Meats pair Ash Morrison and David Sergi just getting over the line against Jamie Kealley and Therese Fitzpatrick 11-8 10-12 11-6 5-11112-10 a thriller.

In another exciting match Ash and Jamie played an outstanding singles and after trailing by one game to two Ash clawed his way back to win in five sets 7-11 11-9 8-12 11-7 11-5 another great contest. As a result of this match Jamie has finished fourth in the aggregate one ahead of Ash both having missed two matches throughout the season.

Mallee Meats have finished third on the ladder after a slow start to the season and could feature well in the finals if Ash Morrison continues his current singles form. In his last 15 matches he is undefeated.

Winners: Mallee Meats 5 defeated Mallee Bearings 4. Games 16 to 16 

PENNANT THREE:

It’s been a great Winter season as we come into the semi finals 2024. On the ladder we have Weightmans Packaging on top, Sammy’s Slammers second, Regional Taxation Services third, Exposed Signage/Apparel fourth, and Mallee Meats in fifth on the bottom of the ladder. 

Super 8’s is coming up on Monday the 22^nd of July, with James Jarvis on top with 34 wins this season. Those competing in the Super 8’s competition includes (in order), James Jarvis, Ryan Peterson, Karly Leach, Nick Kiapekos, Maria Grace, Nhat Dat, Sam Campbell, and Andrew Kremor. A great effort was shown by each individual above even if some made it into Super 8’s by default, due to Peter and Sabrina Fitzpatrick being unable to attend on the night, allowing teammate Sam Campbell and Mallee Meats player 1, Andrew Kremor to qualify for Super 8’s. 

This round Weightmans Packaging had the bye with Ryan Peterson once again filling in for Pennant 2 Pinnacle Packers player 1, Peter Midgley. Unfortunately he couldn’t triumph against his opposition, losing all singles and his doubles. Unlucky Ryan. Maybe next season. Weightmans’ Player 2, Karly Leach was also kept busy as she filled in for Mallee Meats Player 1 Andrew Kremor.

– Sammy’s Slammers 6 (James Jarvis 3, Hayden Wilson 1) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (Gayle Cottrell, Nick Kiapekos 2, Wendy Simpson 1)

It was a close match between these two teams. Starting off the night, Hayden Wilson and Nick Kiapekos demonstrated how the night was going to go and boy were they correct. 10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 6-11. Many close sets throughout the night with one going all the way to 20-18 in their second set between Nhat Dat and Nick Kiapekos. Rallies were intense compellingthe audience in their match. 

Shortly after Hayden’s game against Nick, Nhat Dat got to take a swing at fill in Gayle Cottrell, being the test subject for his teammates as he learns her gameplay while his teammates watch and do the same. Nhat made sure his teammates got a good idea of Gayle’s play as they both went to five sets. In their first set however, there was a tough struggle they went back and forth in short rallies until Nhat finally got two points in a row taking the first set point of the match 15-13. 

In a shocking round, Nhat faced off against Wendy Simpson with Wendy playing brilliantly, placing the ball in just the right places, winning the match in only three sets 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 showing great skill growth once again. Despite being close, both players showed great persistence and determination to win. Well done to the both of you. 

To end the night, Wendy continued this persistence in her final singles match against Hayden Wilson going to five sets but couldn’t keep up with Hayden’s quick services and losing the final two sets after being two up in the third set 5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 8-11. 

As new comer fill in for Pennant three, Gayle Cottrell, plays Aggregate leader James Jarvis, some friendly but competitive words of “encouragement” were shared before their match. Not letting each other get into their heads, they played their match, with several extremely close rallies with Gayle missing consistently by only two points each set, losing to James in very close sets, 11-13, 14-16, 9-11. James got scared but held himself together taking the win for his team and once again winning all of his singles, still undefeated by everyone except Ryan Peterson. 

However, having won multiple singles by each team, it all came down to the doubles. Sammy’s Slammers takes the winfor both doubles matches bringing the final score to a 6-5 against Exposed Signage/Apparel.

WINNER: Sammy’s Slammers 6 d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 Games: 21 to 18

– Regional Taxation Services 8 (Peter Fitzpatrick 3, Ted Cleary, Sam Campbell 2) d Mallee Meats 3 (Karly Leach 2)

With the return of their number 1 player, Peter Fitzpatrick, Regional Taxation Services brought a storm, winning 8-3 against Mallee Meats. 

As Sam Campbell did the same as Nhat Dat, she too tested new comer fill in Steve Pongrac’s skill. After winning the first two sets, Sam fell short as Steve changed up his game play creating longer rallies and taking the next two sets. The pressure was on for both players. Each player played strategically, but of course Sam couldn’t help the odd smash from time to time. No top spin but she gets them on the table … sometimes. Practice that top spin Sam! Sam Campbell won after five sets 11-9, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9, 12-14.

Hamish Smyth and Ted Cleary also had a match to five sets. The two had various long rallies with some great shots made by each opponent. Just like each individual points, going back and forth, Hamish and Ted each scored set points alternating winner. Ted was happy to know he could finally have a rest after winning his long match 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8, but unlucky for Hamish though as he had to umpire the final game of the night. 

That final game of the night featured Karly Leach and Sam Campbell. Now these two are interesting. I hear these two have a “little” friendly competition to see who could beat the other the most. Without a doubt Karly increases her lead on Sam as she takes the win once again. 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6.

Sam Campbell did not go down without a fight … well for the most part, creating rallies that were both short but either very effective or not effective at all. Many faults were served in their match giving each other multiple free points causing a couple of close finishes after having some juice together.

In their final set however, everyone was waiting for Karly and Sam to finish their game so they could pack up, that when the points got to 10-6 (Karly’s lead), Sam gave up on herself and threw her finial point to get the game over and done with despite being perfectly capable of continuing on and knowing that everyone had already been waiting for two sets so it shouldn’t have mattered. Karly, we need to tell Sam not to throw points anymore. It’s becoming a common thing when she plays you or your team and it disappoints her so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a little reminder every now and then. 

WINNER: Regional Taxation Services 8 d Mallee Meats 3 Games: 25 to 17

PENNANT FOUR:

The last Round of the Winter Season, before the Finals begin, saw some Red Hot matches, but it also saw two very convincing Wins. These wins will naturally be added to the Ladder, but won’t alter the standing of each Team. With Selma Mayne unable to play, Andrew Jefferies took her place in Dunkley Scales Team. Tankard Dental were missing Nathan Beard, which saw Derek Hung fill in for him.

– Weightmans Packaging 9 (Curtis Crabtree 3, Gary Leach, Raj Gujral 2) d Tankard Dental 2 (Derek Hung 2)

The first to face up were Weightman number 1 player, Curtis Crabtree and Tankards number 3, Conner Burnett. It’s been very pleasing to see the improvement in Connors game during the season, but it wasn’t enough to get over the line with Curtis winning in three (11/6, 11/8, 11/5). Gary came up against Derek next, with Gary Leach taking the second set for Weightmans, but not the win, after some terrific shots from both (11/5, 5/11, 11/6, 11/8). Weightmans Raj Gujral has made the most progress of the number three’s, in Pennant 4, over the past months and this was evident when he came up against Tankards Ildi Healy, completing a very confident match in four (11/5, 10/12, 11/5, 11/8).

Weightman’s also had a resounding win in the first Doubles, with Curtis and Gary, facing Ildi and Conner (11/8, 11/9, 11/2).

Gary had a great match against Connor, with some tricky shots coming from both and Gary marking up Weightman’s fourth Rubber (11/6, 11/6, 12/10). Ildi put up a good fight against Curtis, but he was on fire and only let one set fall (11/8, 5/11, 11/7, 11/9). With Weightman’s only needing one more Rubber to leave with the nights win, Derek pulled out a win for Tankard, after a see sawing five setter with Raj (7/11, 11/7, 0/11, 11/4, 11/9).

In the last Doubles Weightman’s made it a sixth Rubber to grab the overall win. Ildi and Derek put in a good battle to take the second set, but struggled to keep up with the ability of Curtis and Raj (11/2, 12/14, 11/6, 11/5).

The last three matches went to way of Weightman’s as well, with Gary winning in a four setter over Ildi, with some amazing rallies (12/10, 11/9, 8/11, 11/3). Raj was far too strong for Connor (11/6, 11/1, 11/8) and Curtis made it three individual wins for the night, when he came up against Derek (13/11, 13/11, 11/6).

WINNER : Weightman’s Packaging 9 to Tankard Dental 2. GAMES : 30 to 10.

– Dunkley Scales 8 (Deegan Kerslake 3, Tom Gilmour 2, Andrew Jeffries 1) d Mallee Meats 3 (Maria Starikov 2, Jenny Leach 1)

The two number three’s fronted up in the first Singles, with Mallee’s, Jake Hines and Tankards Andrew Jefferies sledging their way through the match, with Andrew nabbing the Rubber in four (7/11, 11/9, 15/13, 11/0). Maria Starikov put together a very strong contest against Tankards Deegan Kerslake, but was his slick game was too much for her to manage this time (11/7, 11/8, 8/11, 11/9).  

Tom Gilmore always challenges Jen Leach with his tricky slicing game and this time was not different, once again the match went to four sets, with Dunkley taking the points (12/10, 6/11, 11/8, 11/6).

Maria and Jen had been having quite a bit of success with the Doubles of late, but when they struck Tom and Deegan, it seemed like all that luck had disappeared. It was a hard fought last set by Maria and Jen, but to big a hurdle to jump in the end (11/4, 11/7, 14/12).

Maria picked herself up and made sure the next match was a winner, when she stood tall against Andrew (11/5, 11/4, 11/1). Tom turned the heat back up, with his match against Jake, making it another easy win for Dunkley (11/4, 11/5, 11/6). It was a four set battle when Jen and Deegan tested out their skills. Deegan has a game which is hard to get around, so Jen was pleased to push him a little, but unfortunately, not enough, with this being Dunkley’s sixth Rubber and enough to mark up their 12^th win of the season (14/12, 9/11, 11/8, 13/11).

The last few matches weren’t going to change the outcome on the Ladder, but their were still those who were trying to push themselves up the placings in aggregate.

The Doubles marked up another win for Dunkley, with Maria and Jake, not having the fire power to defeat Tom and Andrew (11/9, 11/8, 11/7).

Maria put her famous Brick Wall up and completed her clash with Tom, in four sets, with rally after rally, to finish her season, as outright Aggregate winner (8/11, 11/8, 11/7, 12/10). Jen and Andrew were next up and Andrew being a fill in, did a good job, but Jen ended up with the win (11/8, 11/4, 11/4). The final match was between Jake and Deegan, with some terrific shots coming from number three, Jake, who has tweaked his game over the season. But it was the strength of Deegan’s play that enabled him to come away with his third win for the night (11/1, 17/15, 10/12, 11/4).

With all looking forward to the Finals, may the best team win and may everyone enjoy the experience.     

WINNER : Dunkley Scales 8 to Mallee Meats 3. GAMES : 23 to 16 

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