Winter 2025 Season – Rnd 10 Wrap

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Scoresheets-Winter-2025-R10.pdf

PENNANT ONE:

Close matches were the feature of round ten results of the Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant with all matches decided by a narrow margin of six rubbers to five.

The top three teams were successful resulting in no change at the head of the ladder.

– Regional Taxation Services 6 (Matt Ljubic 3, Jamie Kealley 2, Thanh Nguyen 1) d Cookes Pools & Spas 5(Paul Kealley 2, Jackson Tung 1)

Ladder leader Regional Taxation Services continued on their winning way defeating Cookes Pools & Spas in an entertaining clash despite Cookes winning both doubles. The highlight for RTS was the straight sets win by number three Jamie Kealley over Cookes number one Jackson Tung which proved to be a match winner for his team.

 Kealley is having a very consistent season and now has won two singles a round for the past eight rounds which is outstanding for a number three player. His form is playing a huge factor in his team’s success. Young Kealley was on track to win three singles for the first time however his father Paul had different ideas and the Cookes number two outlasted his hard-hitting son 11-6 7-11 11-5 11-9.

 In addition to Jamie winning two singles his teammates Matt Ljubic and Thanh Nguyen won three and one singles respectively in an even team effort. Ljubic has now won three singles in each of the past three rounds and is third on the singles aggregate.

 – Mallee Bearings 6 (Arhuang (Wong) Lau 3, Mark Dorman 1) d Tankard Dental 5 (Kate Carmichael, Rohan Reimers 2, Ed Hung 1)

After losing two matches in succession Mallee Bearings recovered to win 6-5 over fifth placed Tankard Dental in a thriller. Despite the Tankard team winning five singles, Kate Carmichael two, Rohan Reimers two and Ed Hung one it was the lack of success in the doubles which was costly. The first doubles was a highlight when Mallee Bearings pair Arhuang Lau and Mark Dorman raced away to a two-love lead only for opponents Kate Carmichael and Rohan Reimers to fight back and level. The Mallee Bearings pair regained control in the fifth going on to win 11-8 11-7 6-11 9-11 11-6 a vital win.

With Tankard Dental down 3-5 skipper Kate Carmichael stepped up to the table against aggregate leader Lau and what a match this was. Lau had remained undefeated in the first six rounds however he had stumbled twice in the past two, in the first game Lau started well only for Carmichael to fight back and hold a game point before Lau grabbed the first 13-11, despite many excellent rallies Lau controlled the second to win 11-5. Now under pressure to keep her team in the match Carmichael lifted to take the third and fourth 11-5 in each as the pace had lifted from both players. Carmichael held the edge in the fifth and took a 9-6 lead. At this point she served a rare fault and that was enough for Lau to pounce and in an excellent finish Lau snatched the fifth 12-10 in what had been a top-class contest.

This match was followed by Tankards Rohan Reimers recording a three-set win over the consistent Mark Dorman while Reimers teammate Ed Hung defeated Tom Morrison also in straight sets. Mallee Bearings took the points 6-5 however Tankards will be encouraged they can match it with the best.

Arhuang Lau for Mallee Bearings enjoyed a good night winning three singles as well as taking part in both doubles’ victories.

– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Shannon Bowen, Reece Kurrle 2, Lee Leeson 1) d Choices Flooring Mildura 5 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Liam Wood 1)

Third placed Weightmans Packaging proved too consistent for Choices Flooring Mildura winning 6-5 in another close tussle. Early in the match Weightmans raced to a 3-1 lead on the back of an excellent comeback in the first doubles by Shannon Bowen and Reece Kurrle who recovered from a two to nil deficit against Wayne Carmichael and Liam Wood. Bowen and Kurrle are an exciting combination who like to hit the ball hard when they get the opportunity and in an excellent fightback, they took the match 9-11 8-11 11-9 11-8 11-8.

From this point Choices took the contest by the throat winning four of the next five rubbers to take a 5-4 lead and an upset was brewing. Included in this streak was an outstanding five set marathon with Choices number two Liam Wood outlasting Weightmans number three 8-11 11-9 11-13 12-10 11-6, an entertaining match.

 The battle of the number ones featured Choices Wayne Carmichael up against the dangerous Shannon Bowen and this was close in each game however Carmichael was able to maintain control and win in three tight games. Carmichael won three singles this round and remains level with Arhuang Lau in the singles aggregate race. They play each other next round.

With Weighman’s under pressure trailing 4-5 Reece Kurrle then outplayed Liam Wood to win in straight sets and now the scoreline stood at five rubbers all.

When Choices Daniel Jansen took a two games to love lead over Lee Leeson things looked encouraging for his team however Leeson was able to grab the third 12-10 to stay alive and from here she was able to steady and play her consistent style and out rally Jansen to go on and win in five sets in an excellent comeback. In doing so she banked the four points for her team.   

PENNANT TWO:

Mallee Meats 6 Jason Gifkins (2), Harry Gujral (3), James Jarvis (0) defeated Choices Flooring Mildura 5 Ashley Morrison (2), Terry Martin (1), Andrew Jones (1).

Choices Flooring came as close as they ever have to toppling Mallee Meats in round 10. Despite Choices Flooring’s captain Morrison defeating opposing No. 1 Jason Gifkins, Meats’s No. 2 Harry Gujral backed his team up well, winning three singles and preventing Choices Flooring from stealing the win.

In the opening match, Jones and Jarvis took it to the mat in a lengthy five-setter. Jones got ahead early, taking the first two sets 15-13, 11-5, Jarvis reloaded and snatched the next two 11-5, 11-5 but he fell apart in the fifth, going down 4-11. In what was the upset game of the evening,

Gujral became a real thorn in Choices Flooring’s side by defeating Morrison in four sets 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 13-11. Gifkins then sorted out Martin confidently in three sets 11-4, 11-8, 11-4, and Meats continued to dominate in the first doubles match, knocking Choices Flooring down in four sets 11-7, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6.

Morrison fought to regain some ground and took a win over Jarvis, losing the first set 9-11, and then taking the next three 11-4, 11-5, 11-5. Gifkins responded with a swift takedown of Jones, winning in three 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 and teammate Gujral kept the momentum going, besting Martin in four sets 11-13, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5. With the score sitting at 5-2, Choices Flooring began their counterattack, with Morrison and Jones taking down Gifkins and

Jarvis in the second doubles. They dropped the first set 8-11, but recovered well and won the next three 11-6, 11-7, 11-5.

Morrison continued to deny Meats their sixth rubber by defeating Gifkins in four sets,11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9. Meanwhile, Jarvis had his hands full with Martin, the two going back and forth in another tight five-setter. Jarvis won the first set 11-5, Martin fought him back and took the next two 11-8, 11-7, a climax in the fourth set with Jarvis just nabbing it 13-11, and then he sealed the deal in the fifth with an 11-5 win, tying up the score 5-5. A tiebreaker it would be with Gujral squaring off against Jones, sorting him out confidently in three sets 11-5, 11-6, 11-1.

Final score 6 rubbers to 5 and 25 games to 6.

Weightmans Packaging 7 John Fitzpatrick (3), Josh Arnold (3), Therese Fitzpatrick (1) defeated Cookes Pools & Spas 4 Quentin Clark (2), Duy Truong (1), Michael Tan (0).

A confident win for Weightmans Packaging over Cookes Pools & Spas with Weightmans obtaining a secret weapon in Josh Arnold who subbed in for No. 2 Sony Sefer. He took three singles wins including a ripping five-set battle to defeat opposing No. 1 Quentin Clark.

Arnold had some trouble against Tan in the night’s opening match, but he got himself back on track to take the win 11-8, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6. Clark then got his first rubber on the board with a win over Therese Fitzpatrick in straight sets 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 and opposing captain John Fitzpatrick took his side’s second rubber by besting Truong also in three sets 11-3, 12-10, 11-9. In the first doubles, the pairing of Clark and Truong proved too strong for Weightmans, who went down again in straight sets 3-11, 7-11, 7-11.

Arnold gave his team a significant boost by defeating Clark in a hotly contested five-setter; Arnold winning the first two sets 12-10, 11-7, Clark clawed his way back to make it two sets all, 11-6, 11-8 but couldn’t quite hack it in the fifth, going down 6-11. John Fitzpatrick cleaned up Tan efficiently 11-6, 11-7, 11-7, while Truong took out little sister Therese in straight sets 16-14, 11-7, 11-6. The game score now sitting at 4-3, Weightmans put on a better show in the second doubles, defeating Cookes in four sets after dropping the first set, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3, 15-13.

Clark was able to slow Weightmans from gaining their winning sixth rubber by downing John Fitzpatrick after a long five-set scrap. Clark looked good early on, winning the first two sets 11-9, 11-5 but Fitzpatrick wasn’t going down that easy and snatched the next two 12-10, 11-4. Clark looked beaten after the fourth set, but he fought his way back in the fifth and won 11-9. Unfortunately for Cookes, their hopes of coming back to win from 5-3 down did not materialise with Arnold besting Truong in four sets 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, granting Weightmans the winning rubber. In the last, Therese Fitzpatrick defeated Tan in straight sets 11-7, 11-8, 11-2.

Final score 7 rubbers to 4 and 23 games to 17.

PENNANT THREE:

Last week the match report said “Their time is coming”

Well, their time arrived in a big way this round, bottom team Sammy’s Slammers have finally done it. Yes, what a win against third placed Regional Taxation Services who were without skipper Sabrina Fitzpatrick. Despite the late withdrawal of Sabrina, the final score line of 8-3 was outstanding by the Slammers.

Ryan Hensgen who has been in good form of late won three singles, but the form of the number two and three players was outstanding with Koby Grace winning three singles and Yen Hwak winning two in a dominant display.

Whilst the scoreline appeared one sided there were an amazing eight five setters of the eleven matches played. The Slammers won six of the eight!

For the second round in succession top team Weightmans Packaging have been defeated 6-5, this time second placed Exposed Signage/Apparel recovered from a 4-5 deficit to take the points, Exposed number two Deegan Kerslake enjoyed a big night winning his three singles including a four-set victory over aggregate leader Nhat Dat. Deegan also teamed up with skipper Karly Leach to win the important first doubles against the tough pair of Nhat Dat and Steve Parker.

– Sammy’s Slammers 8 (Ryan Hensgen, Koby Grace 3, Yen Hwak 2) d Regional Taxation Services 3 (Sam Campbell 1)

This match commenced as expected with RTS number two Samantha Campbell starting with a win coming off three singles last round however she did not have it all her way, Sam raced to a two-game lead before opponent Yen levelled the match at two games all. Sam steadied to take the fifth winning 11-5 11-5 5-11 6-11 11-5.

The next two games went the way of the Slammers with Ryan Hensgen defeating Hayden Wilson in three close sets. The next game was a ripper with Koby Grace winning the first two games comfortably before fill in Dave Tanner struck back with a flurry of forehands to level the match, Koby then regrouped to win 11-1 11-7 6-11 7-11 11-5.

The first doubles was another lengthy five setter with Regional Taxation Services levelling the match at two rubbers all with Sam and Dave taking out a thriller over Ryan and Koby 7-11 11-7 14-12 7-11 11-9.

The next block of singles featured three five set matches in succession with the Slammers making their move and winning the three, two 11-9 in the fifth and the other 11-7 in the fifth…wow. Ryan defeated the in-form Sam,

Yen playing his second five setter won this one over Dave while Koby won his second singles at the expense of Hayden who took a two game to one lead early in the contest before Koby showing his best form of the season bounced back.

Sammy’s Slammers were now in unfamiliar territory leading five rubbers to two.

As expected RTS bounced back in the second doubles with Sam and Hayden combining to defeat Ryan and Sam in four sets. The score now 5-3 to the Slammers.

On paper the remaining three singles could go either way and when Dave Tanner took a two games to one lead over Slammers skipper Ryan Hensgen the thought was Regional Taxation Services may be able to make a big recovery however Ryan sensing his team were in sight of their first victory, steadied to take the fourth and fifth in a good comeback. The final score line 8-11 11-6 8-11 11-7 11-5 and how appropriate it was for Ryan to win and get his team through to their first victory.

In a stunning finish and buoyed by their skipper, Koby and Yen then won their singles, an impressive four set win by Koby over Sam while Yen played his third five set singles for the night on the way to defeating Hayden 7-11 11-8 11-6 7-11 11-8.

In an outstanding team performance Ryan and Koby won three singles while Yen had his best night winning two. His training on a Monday night is paying off. With a win under their belt the Slammers may now worry more teams on the way to the finals.

– Exposed Signage/Apparel 6 (Deegan Kerslake 3, Karly Leach, Brenden Johnson 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Nhat Dat, Steve Parker 2)

This was a topsy turvy match with each team taking control at different times, top team Weightmans Packaging were looking to bounce back after their first defeat last round. Opponents Exposed Signage/Apparel had won three of their last four coming into this round and they started this match well winning three in succession after Weightmans Steve Parker had defeated Brenden Johnson in four sets in the first game of the night.

The Exposed team then rattled off three wins to worry the top team, firstly Karly Leach had her hands full with Leo Parker but after a lengthy match Karly prevailed 11-7 11-7 7-11 10-12 11-7, Leo had played well to get back into the match. Then Deegan Kerslake inched within one win of the aggregate lead by defeating Nhat Dat in four sets.

Exposed Signage/Apparel then took a 3-1 lead when Karly and Deegan combined in the first doubles to defeat the tough combination of Nhat Dat and Steve Parker 16-14 10-12 11-5 11-8. The next singles was important for Weightmans to recover and “Consistent” Steve Parker stepped up for his team by defeating opposing number one Karly Leach in a four-set struggle, both players showing great determination. When Nhat Dat defeated Brenden Johnson in straight sets the top team had fought back to level the match.

Deegan then accounted for Leo in the battle of the youngsters and the Exposed team took a 4-3 lead going into the second doubles. The second doubles would be important to both teams and what a struggle this was early with Weightmans pair Nhat Dat and Leo Parker taking the first two games against Karly and Brenden 12-10 12-10, Karly and Brenden jumped into action to take the third comfortably however in the fourth Nhat and Leo took control to level the match at four rubbers all.

The next singles featured the two captains and when Karly took the first game her teammates were becoming nervous knowing they were not far away from inflicting another defeat on the top team however Nhat steadied and was able to control the next three games which consisted of many long rallies and all of a sudden the top team took a 5-4 lead after trailing 1-3 earlier in the contest.

Fifteen-year-old Deegan now matched up against the “Consistent” Steve Parker, this was to be a close tussle over four sets and it was the young gun Deegan who was able to prevail over Steve, 11-7 9-11 11-7 12-10 a brave effort from Steve against the inform Deegan who is now only one win behind Nhat in the aggregate race.

Now the scores stood at five rubbers all and this is where the pressure is always on the two number three players. Going in to this match, Weightmans Leo Parker was three clear of opponent Brenden Johnson in the singles aggregate however it was Brenden who narrowly took the first game and from here he gained confidence to go on and win 11-9 11-6 11-8 and in doing so he had banked the all important four points much to the delight of his teammates.

With this 6-5 victory Exposed Signage/Apparel now move to one win from top of the ladder as Weightmans now have lost their past two indicating the competition is evening up.

PENNANT FOUR:

Round 10, that seems like a nice round number. Well not for some. Weightman’s Packaging number two player unfortunately didn’t get to finish the night, with a Groin Injury stopping him in his tracks in the first Doubles. A very disappointed husband.

The Final results were probably as would have been expected, but not before a decent effort from both the losing teams.

The two top Teams fought it out with three five setters and two four setters making the encounter a very close and we wont know what the final outcome might have been, if Gary Leach had been able to complete the night.

– Tankard Dental 6 (Leanne Wilson 3, Ildi Healy, Jakob Grzan 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Glenn Leeson, Eddy Parker 2)

Weightmans : Glenn Leeson, Gary Leach (Andrew Jefferies, fill in), Eddie Parker. Tankard : Leanne Wilson, Ildi Healy and Jakob Grzan.

The two number Three players players faced up with Jakob’s finding new strengths in his game with every week, but Eddie’s game was just a little to consistent, taking the win in three sets. Glenn and Leanne both have very solid games and are difficult to break through, so this was a fantastic battle. Glenn snuck in with a win in the third set, but it was Leanne who walked away with the win. Ildi and Gary put together a mighty match, which saw rally after rally. Ildi is about to take off for some much deserved R & R, so it was probably deserving to see the five set clash, fall her way.

As mentioned, Gary incurred an injury during this match, but he forged on with his Team Mate, Glenn, giving it their all, up against the top team pairing of Leanne and Ildi. There were some excellent shots played and each Set could have gone either way, with Tankard making it a their third Rubber in a row.

Glenn’s game against Jakob was pretty one sided, with Weightman’s getting a much needed Rubber,  but I’ll give it to Jakob, he gives it his all. The surprize match, saw Ildi going down to Eddie, after four sets. The first two sets were tight, before Eddie put the Pedal down, to give bring his Team closer to even. Andrew filled in for Gary, and actually did a great job in his first set against Leanne, before she sparked up and put an end to Eddies game, over the next two sets.

Glenn and Eddie put on their focus caps and grabbed the win in the last Doubles match, when they came up against Leanne and Jacob, collecting Weightman’s fourth Rubber to bring the contest to four each.

Glenn’s front spin, back spin, chop and so much more, is challenging for anyone who he plays against and this was certainly felt by Ildi, when he cut short their match in three.

What a match this was, Andrew and Jakob, a full on  skirmish, against two players at the same level. They were both very determined, but it was Weightman’s who had the edge and snuck in for another Rubber.

At this stage, all was even, with both teams sitting on 5 Rubber. Next to hit the Table was, Weightman’s number three, Eddie facing Tankard’s number one, with only one way this was presumable going to end. This turned out to be correct, which saw Tankard pocketing the Win and cementing their top Spot.  

WINNER : Tankard Dental  6  to Weightman’s Packaging 5.

GAMES : Tankard 22 to Weightman’s 19.

– Mallee Meats 7 (Curtis Crabtree 3, Nathan Beard, Conner Burnett 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Maria Starikov 2, Jenny Leach, Jake Hines 1)

Mallee : Curtis Crabtree, Nathan Beard, Connor Grzan. Dunkley : Maria Starikov, Jen Leach, Jake Hines.

The Opening match was between Connor and Jen, which was set for set, with each one very even. Just as it looked like Connor was getting the upper hand, Jen burst out of the barrier and took the win. Jake gave Curtis a scare in the first set and continued to push him in the next two, before Curtis focussed and pulled ahead, to take the Rubber. Nathan and Maria play very similar defensive game, which leads to many rallies. Maria completed the match in three sets for a win to Dunkley.

The first Doubles went the way of Mallee, with a match of edges and nets. Mallee’s Curtis and Nathan, made a valiant attempt to win the Match, but this attempt didn’t fall in Dunkley’s favour, which left both on two Rubbers.

Jen came very close to winning a set when she battled out the match with Curtis, but he still got the better of her, in three sets. Maria was a bit nervous about facing Connor, with his amazing spin, but as it turned out, the contest only went to three and was a quick affair. Jake had an excellent match against Nathan, finding a way to win and put his team one up.

The last Doubles set the ball rolling for Mallee, with a confident win from Curtis and Connor, over Maria and Jake, with a good fight back in the third set from Dunkley.

Maria was only able to pinch one set from Curtis, with his game at a high on Wednesday. They fought it out to a 14 /12 in the first set and 14/16 in the fourth, with Mallee taking the Rubber. Dunkley needed to win this match, or it was all over rover. Jen pressured Nathan to four sets, with long rallies in most, but unfortunately she couldn’t hold up the ship for her team. With Jake winning the Match against Nathan, it was thought he may have a good chance against Connor, but Connor dug in and didn’t give Jake any chance of taking the match.

WINNER : Mallee Meats 7  to Dunkley Scales  4.

GAMES : Mallee  24  to Dunkley  17.

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