Winter 2026 Season – Rnd 1 Wrap

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PENNANT ONE:

Round one of the new Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant featured three matches resulting in a 6-5 scorline. This will be an even competition over the next fifteen rounds and at this stage it would be difficult to select a flag favourite.
Three players , Rohan Reimers , Kate Carmichael and Shannon Bowen won their three singles playing a key role in their team’s victories.

– Regional Taxation Services 6 (Rohan Reimers Jackson Tung 2) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Arhuang (Wong) Lau 2, Leon Brown, Russell Walder 1)

Reimers was in outstanding form for Regional Taxation Services in their victory over Mallee Bearings. Reimers is the number two for RTS and his four set win over the talented Arhuang Lau was a top class affair. Apart from his three singles victories Reimers also combined with skipper Jackson Tung to defeat Lau and Leon Brown in a lengthy five setter which was crucial in capturing the four points.

– Tankard Dental 6 (Shannon Bowen 3, Reece Kurrle, Jason Gifkins 1) d Choices Flooring Mildura 5 (Thanh Nguyen, Jamie Kealley 2)

2025 Pemiership player Shannon Bowen led his team Tankard Dental to a 6-5 victory over Choices Flooring Mildura , included in his three singles was an entertaining five set win over talented young gun Jamie Kealley. Bowen won the first two games narrowly while Kealley fought back to level at two games all. Expectations were that the fifth , like the first four games, would be close however the experienced Bowen took command early attacking Kealley’s backhand and forcing several errors. Bowen went on to win 15-13 11-9 10-12 8-11 11-3.
Bowen’s team mates Reece Kurrle and

Jason Gifkins won a singles each while Bowen teamed with Kurrle to win the first doubles in straight sets over Kealley and Thanh Nguyen. For the Choices Flooring team both Kealley and Nguyen both won two singles , Nguyen’s five set victory over Reece Kurrle was impressive.

– Cookes Pools & Spas 6 (Kate Carmichael 3, Paul Kealley, Ashley Morrison 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Mark Dorman 2, Jackson Tung, Jamie Kealley 1)

The final match won 6-5 by Cooke’s Pools Spas over Weightmans Packaging was a thriller going right to the wire. With the scores locked at five rubbers all Cooke’s skipper Kate Carmichael took to the table against opposing number one Jackson Tung who was subbing for the injured Wayne Carmichael. What a match this proved to be , Carmichael was completely in control in the first with Tung then dominating the second, with Carmichael back at the winning end in the third she took a two games to one lead. The fourth was strange , Carmichael took a commanding and potentially a match winning ascendancy to lead 10-6 only for Tung to spring in to action and take the next six points with an excellent mix of defence and attacking play.
The match now stood at five rubbers all and two games all, an exciting climax about to take place, Carmichael took a 3-0 lead with Tung then drawing level, the rallies were long with both players showing signs of nerves. Carmichael was able to manufacture a small lead late and took a 9-7 lead before Tung again levelled. Carmichael was attacking while Tung defended bravely however it was Carmichael who eventually took the final two points to give her team the four points. The final score line revealed a great battle in Carmichael’s favour 11-5 2-11 11-8 10-12 11-9.

In an interesting twist each match resulted with both teams winning the same amount of games.

PENNANT TWO:

Mallee Meats 7 Michael Tan (2), Harry Gujral (3), Deegan Kerslake (0) defeated Weightmans Packaging 4 Rasin Bhuiyan (2), Andrew Jones (1), Ryan Hensgen (1).

The first round of the 2026 winter season kicked off in spectacular fashion with the trio of Tan, Gujral and Kerslake taking a decisive win over Weightmans Packaging. Captain Tan dropped his match against Bhuiyan, but his No. 2 Gujral picked up the slack, taking three singles wins. Young gun Kerslake failed to win any of his singles in round 1, but it will be interesting to watch his improvement throughout the coming season.

The night started off with Ryan Hensgen, subbing for his brother Michael, losing in straight sets to Gujral 8-11, 2-11, 7-11. Bhuiyan then stepped in and took the second rubber, easily defeating Kerslake 11-4, 11-6, 11-3, whilst teammate Jones went down to Tan, again in straight sets 7-11, 3-11, 5-11.The first doubles pitted Bhuiyan and Jones against Tan and Gujral, with the former taking the first set 11-6, Meats then levelling it and taking the second 11-6 and Weightmans inching ahead with a win in the third 11-9. But it was at this point that Meats found their strength and went on the attack, winning the last two sets in a tight contest 11-9, 13-11.

This win put Meats 3-1 ahead as they continued to dispatch their opponents. The unshakable Gujral took out captain Bhuiyan after a brief struggle in the first set, 12-10, 11-7, 11-7 and Tan cleaned up Hensgen in like fashion 11-7, 15-13, 6-11. With the score now 5 rubbers to 1, Jones made a desperate move against Kerslake to keep his team in the fight. He powered through the first two sets, winning 11-2, 11-6 but somehow let Kerslake slip through his fingers in the third and fourth, losing 9-11, 10-12. It was anyone’s game as they went into the fifth, with Jones recovering some of his lost resolve to take the set and win the match, 11-9. With Weightmans hanging on by the skin of their teeth at 5-2, the two sides went into the second doubles. Meats went down dismally in the first set 3-11 but picked themselves up and fired back hard at their opponents, taking the match in four sets 11-5, 11-4, 11-8, and winning the night 6-2.

In the remaining three singles, Bhuiyan defeated Tan in straight sets 11-3, 11-7, 11-9. Gujral sorted out Jones confidently 11-4, 11-6, 11-9, while Hensgen and Kerslake battled it out in the final rubber, with Hensgen just squeezing through to win 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10.

Final score 7 rubbers to 4 and 24 games to 15.

Pinnacle Packers 6 Duy Truong (3), Peter Midgley (1), Steve Parker (0) defeated Choices Flooring 5 Therese Fitzpatrick (1), Josh Arnold (2), Shiva Rottela (2).

Last year’s grand final champion Duy Truong has started his season off well with a close 6-5 win over Choices Flooring. Therese Fitzpatrick plays her first season as a No. 1 player in Pennant 2, but sadly the night didn’t go her way, as she won only one of her singles matches. Her No. 3 player however, newcomer Shiva Rottela, made a good impression in round 1, winning two tough five-setters.

The always reliable Arnold kicked off the evening with a clean win over Parker 11-2, 11-8, 11-7. Next, rookie Rottela went up against the indomitable Truong, grabbing the third set but ultimately losing 11-3, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9. Veteran Midgley then backed up his captain’s efforts by defeating Fitzpatrick in three sets 11-6, 11-6, 11-5. The two then teamed up for the first doubles, taking on Fitzpatrick and Arnold. It proved a somewhat one-sided affair with Packers staying firmly in control throughout, winning in three sets 11-8, 11-5, 11-7.

Truong kept the pressure on into the next three singles, downing Arnold in straight sets, although Arnold had him on the ropes in the second, 11-9, 20-18, 11-9. With the score now sitting at 4-1, Fitzpatrick made a stab at a comeback. She took on Parker, winning the first two sets 11-6, 11-8, Parker pushed hard and grabbed the fourth and fifth 12-10, 11-8 but Fitzpatrick came through in the fifth, winning 11-7. Another five-setter then ensued as Midgley went up against Rottela. The two battled it out and newcomer Rottela was somehow able to hold his ground against the experienced Midgely, taking the victory 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9. The two sides went up against each other in the second doubles wherein Packers fought hard Choices Flooring in another tense five setter, 11-5, 5-11, 4-11, 11-1, 11-3, granting Packers their fifth rubber at 5-3.

The pressure was now well and truly on for Choices Flooring if they were going to turn this night around. The two captains stepped up to the table and Fitzpatrick started the match well, taking the first set comfortably 11-6. Truong then dug in and won the second 12-10, but Fitzpatrick held firm and took the third 11-8. In the last two sets however, she couldn’t hold off against the assault from Truong and she went down 12-10, 11-7. And with that win, Packers secured the victory 6-5. Midgley and Arnold then played off, with Arnold gaining the upper hand 11-9, 11-7, 2-11, 11-6 and in the last, Rottela continued to show excellent form on his debut night as he took down Parker after a long five-set tussle, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12, 3-11, 11-5.

Final score 6 rubbers to 5 and 25 games to 20.

PENNANT THREE:

Round 1 of the Winter Pennant Three competition in the Sunraysia Table Tennis Association produced two strong team performances as Cookes Pools & Spas and Exposed Signage/Apparel opened their seasons with impressive victories.

– Cookes Pools & Spas 8 (Koby Grace 3, Peter Fitzpatrick, Yen Hwak 2) d Weightmans Packaging 3 (Nhat Dat, Steve Pongrac 1)

Cookes Pools & Spas defeated Weightmans Packaging 8 rubbers to 3, finishing with a convincing 30 games to 17 advantage. The team of Peter Fitzpatrick, Koby Grace and Yen Hwak worked well together throughout the night, combining consistently in both singles and doubles to take control of the match.

The standout performer for Cookes Pools & Spas was Koby Grace, who was outstanding in the number two position. Grace produced a perfect night, winning all three of his singles matches as well as the doubles, playing a crucial role in securing the team’s strong opening round victory.

Weightmans Packaging, represented by Nhat Dat, Steve Pongrac and Matt Sires, fought hard and managed to claim three rubbers, with several matches proving competitive despite the final margin.

– Exposed Signage/Apparel 7 (Anthony Fox 3, Karly Leach, Hayden Wilson 1) d Regional Taxation Services 4 (Andrew Kremor 2, Brenden Johnson, Curtis Crabtree 1)

In the other match of the round, Exposed Signage/Apparel recorded a 7 rubbers to 4 win over Regional Taxation Services, finishing 23 games to 18 ahead.

Exposed Signage/Apparel’s lineup of Karly Leach, Anthony Fox and Hayden Wilson proved difficult to overcome, with strong contributions across the team helping them secure the victory.

Fill in Anthony Fox was the standout performer on the night, producing an excellent display to win all three of his singles matches, setting the tone for the team’s success.

Regional Taxation Services, featuring Andrew Kremor, Brenden Johnson and Curtis Crabtree, battled strongly throughout the contest and managed to take four rubbers, but were unable to close the gap as the match progressed.

With Round 1 now complete, both Cookes Pools & Spas and Exposed Signage/Apparel have started the season in winning form and will look to build on their momentum in the coming weeks.

PENNANT FOUR:

The Tables are set, the Barriers are up and we are off and running for the start of our 2026 Winter Season. This season, Pennant four once again has four Teams, with three of them welcoming back some new faces, who have had a break away from Table Tennis for several year.

– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Glenn Leeson 2, Jakob Grzan, Conner Burnett 1) d Dunkley Scales 5 (Rodney Galvin 3, Maria Starikov 2)

Dunkley : Rodney Galvin, Maria Starikov and Andrew Jeffries. Weightman’s : Glenn Leeson, Jakob Grzan and Connor Burnett.

The first bracket of Singles saw Weightman’s take a 2 to 1 lead, with Andrew pushing Jakob to four sets, getting away to a good start, before Weightman’s number two turned up the Gas and stopped Andrew in his tracks.

Unfortunately, during this encounter, Andrew injured his Write and couldn’t continue playing. Bill, Ildi’s Brother, stood up and filled in for the remaining games.

Rodney may not have played much over the recent years, but he hadn’t lost his touch. Connor made a valiant attempt to halt him, but experience won over youth, with Dunkley taking the Rubber.

The third match saw Glenn pocket a win, in a tight four setter, against Maria, with some lengthy Rallies giving them both a good warm up, for the following Doubles.

It was Weightman’s who got away to a good start in the first Doubles, when Glenn and Jakob took the first set from Rod and Maria. Dunkley fought back in the second set, to bring the game back to even, but couldn’t hold on, with Weightman’s marking up a mini break, leading by two Rubbers.

The role was reversed in the next Singles, with Jakob sneaking the second set against Rod. With some great shots being played by both, Dunkley wound back the deficit to one, with Rod collecting another win.

Bill had a bit of fun, hitting against Glenn, but didn’t have the fire power to grab a win.

It was a good effort from Conner in his match against Maria, able to mark up the first set with some tricky serving, before Dunkley’s number two got into the swing and finished the match in four.

The last Doubles was a see sawing affair, with Glenn and Connor collecting  the first, in front of a very exciting come back from Rod and Bill, who gathered the next two. But with determination, Glenn and Connor put the foot down and took the last two, which once again put them two up on Dunkley.

With Weightman’s only needing one more win to come away with the Round 1 points, this was set to be a Red Hot Game.    

Rod and Glenn, the two number ones had an excellent match, with Glenn neither having played one another before, it was all about trying to work out the others weaknesses. Weightman’s Captain did get one set, but Rod’s perseverance landed him the Rubber, which gave Dunkley some breathing space.

It was a five set thriller between Maria and Jakob, with both not wanting to give an inch. Jakob got out of the blocks early, capturing the first two sets and very nearly taking the game in three. But the third set gave Maria a 12/10 win, which built her confidence enough to keep it going and save the day again for Dunkley.

Bill, who had not rolled up intending on being called as a fill-in, put up a tremendous fight against Connor’s slippery shots, but it was Weightman’s number three, Connor, who made the deciding call, giving Weightman’s the Rubber they needed to pinch their first win for 2026.

WINNER : Weightman’s Packaging  6  to Dunkley Scales  5.

GAMES : 23 to 20.

– Tankard Dental 7 (Jakob Grzan, Tom Gilmour 3) d Mallee Meats 4 (Ildi Healy, Gary Leach, Nathan Beard 1)

Mallee : Kym Sykes (Fill-in – Ildi ), Nathan Beard, Gary Leach. Tankard : Tom Gilmour, Darren Bottoms (Fill-in – Jakob Grzan), Jake Hines.

Unfortunately both teams in this encounter had to call on Fill-in’s for the first round of the year. Hopefully they will get their Teams together next week.

Nathan and Tom were first to face up and these two have had numerous battles over the years, so know their games well. Nathan came out firing, with a convincing win in the first set and took Tom to the edge in the next couple, but it was Tankards number one who came away with the Chocolates this time.

Ildi had a win over Jake in the second match, but it wasn’t easy going, Jake put in some very nice shots and hopefully is going to make some big improvements this year.

Jakob’s game in the 2025 season improved in leaps and bounds and when Gary came up against him, he found those improvements just a little too much to deal with, as Jakob snuck home in four sets.

The first Doubles was a lengthy skirmish, lasting the five sets. After countless rallies, Mallee picking up the win, bringing the Rubbers to two each.

It was do or die in the match between Ildi and Tom, with another blockbuster five setter. With both players focused on notching up a win, Tom finally got the better of Mallee’s fill-in.

Nathan may have had a good chance over Jakob in 2025, but together with Jakob’s progress, he also has total focus, which make him extremely hard to break through. This win put Tankard two Rubbers in front.

Jake played very well in his first set against Gary, forcing it out to 12, but as the match went on Gary found a way to take the win, in three.

The second Doubles was as full on as the first, with five sets seeing the advantage shifting over and over. The outcome saw Tankard marking up their fifth Rubber and putting the pressure on Mallee to stay in the game.

As mentioned previously, Jakob is going to be a force to be reckoned with this season. As much as Ildi tried, she couldn’t break through his defense, as he notched his third win for Tankard, which was enough to put them on top of the Pennant four Ladder after the first round.

It was also three wins for Tom, when he hit the Table against Gary. The first set was tight, but Gary’s luck ran out in the next two.

Nathan recorded his first win for the night, after a few smooth moves against Jake, in a three set match.

WINNER : Tankard Dental  7  to Mallee Meats  4.

GAMES : 24  to 18.

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