Winter 2026 Season – Rnd 15 Wrap

0 0

Scoresheets-Winter-2026-R15.pdf

The big winners in round fifteen action of the Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant were fourth placed Cookes Pools & Spas who ensured they would hold on to their position in the top four with one match remaining before the finals series commence. For the second round in succession Cookes teammates Kate Carmichael and Paul Kealley won three singles each in an impressive display against top team Regional Taxation Services who despite losing remain two games clear at the top of the ladder.

– Cookes Pools & Spas 7 (Kate Carmichael, Paul Kealley 3) d Regional Taxation Services 4 (Jackson Tung, Liam Wood, Lee Leeson 1)

Kealley is the Cookes number two and a lefty who possesses a hard hitting forehand and when his game is on, he is difficult to handle as opposing talented number one Jackson Tung discovered. Tung took the first game against Kealley however from there it was close however Kealley was able to hold the ascendancy in a hard-fought match winning 5-11 11-9 11-7 12-10.  Cookes were unstoppable early taking a 5-1 lead before Regional Taxation Services steadied however the early lead proved too great.

Carmichael with her three singles is now one clear from Shannon Bowen, an exciting finish is looming as they meet in the final round. In her singles this round against opposing number one Jackson Tung teammates witnessed an outstanding contest. Carmichael was on top early with Tung fighting back and in the fifth it was point for point as the rallies went on an on and finally it was Carmichael who prevailed in a thriller 11-9 11-7 9-11 9-11 11-9.    

– Mallee Bearings 8 (Arhuang (Wong) Lau 3, Gavin Carmichael Russell Walder 2) d Tankard Dental 3 (Shannon Bowen 2)

Fifth placed Mallee Bearings scored an excellent 8-3 win over second placed Tankard Dental. The Bearings team were endeavouring to keep their finals chances alive however their chances were dashed when fourth team Cookes Pools & Spas soundly defeated ladder leader Regional Taxation Services.

For Mallee Bearings, Arhuang Lau continued his excellent form winning three singles including a three-set victory over equal aggregate leader Shannon Bowen. Unluckily for Bowen he broke his bat in the previous match before meeting Lau and this did have an effect as he struggled to come to terms with the replacement.

Lau however has been in excellent form in the second part of the season and is always a difficult opponent. He has now not lost a singles match since way back in round nine.

In an even team performance fill-in Gavin Carmichael and Russell Walder also won two singles each for Mallee Bearings, in particular Walder’s defeat of Tankard number two Reece Kurrle was a highlight. Kurrle hits the ball hard on both sides and Walder countered this and played some impressive table tennis to win 11-6 3-11 11-7 3-11 11-8, an excellent win by the leading number three player in this pennant.  With the scores at three rubbers all at the halfway mark a close finished appeared to be on the cards however Mallee Bearings then managed to get on a roll and won the final six rubbers to record one of their best victories for the season. Disappointingly with one match remaining the Bearings team will just come up short in the race for the final four. This win put an end to Tankards outstanding six-week winning run.

– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Wayne Carmichael, Mark Dorman 3, Ed Hung 1) d Choices Flooring Mildura 3 (Jamie Kealley, Thanh Nguyen 1)

 With Tankard Dental being defeated Weightmans Packaging have moved to second on the ladder albeit by a narrow percentage courtesy of their strong 8-3 victory over bottom team Choices Flooring Mildura. For Weightmans both veteran lefties Wayne Carmichael and Mark Dorman were in top form winning three singles each. After Choices Thanh Nguyen won the first match of the night in a five set thriller over Ed Hung it was expected that Nguyen’s team mate Jamie Kealley would defeat Weightmans Dorman particularly after he won the first game comfortably, however Dorman then focused and fought back taking the next three games in an impressive fashion quelling young Kealley’s power game with his deft touch.    

Weightmans were never really challenged and if they can retain second place on the ladder and the valuable double chance they are a big chance to go way into the finals series.

PENNANT TWO:

Choices Flooring Mildura 7 Shane Carmichael (2), Josh Arnold (2), Shiva Rottela (2) defeated Mallee Meats 4 Michael Tan (3), Harry Gujral (0), Deegan Kerslake (0).

Ladder leaders Mallee Meats have continued their losing streak after going down to Choices Flooring in round 15. Now with only one round remaining before finals, Meats will have to work hard to make it into the grand final.

Arnold kicked off the night with a clean win over Kerslake, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5. Tan then took out Rottela in like manner, 11-3, 11-5, 11-6, while substitute captain Shane Carmichael got his first win for the night after a tough battle with Gujral, 13-11, 16-18, 12-10, 11-4. Choices Flooring then got ahead of their opponents in the first doubles match, winning the first two sets 11-6, 11-8, before Meats came out of nowhere and snatched up the third and fourth 11-4, 11-9. Despite this comeback, they failed to get any traction in the fifth as Choices Flooring got away from them and won 11-5.

With the score now 3-1 Choices Flooring’s way, Tan defeated Arnold to gain a second rubber; 13-11, 11-1, 11-8. Carmichael then took out Kerslake after a sluggish start, 1-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, and then a disappointing match for Gujral as he tried and failed against the stubborn Rottela, losing 3-11, 2-11, 11-13, bringing the score to 5-2. The second doubles would be another hotly contested five-setter with the Choices Flooring duo taking out the first set 11-7, Meats then recovering and counterattacking to win the next two 11-5, 11-5, and then Choices just getting up in the fourth 11-9. The match was up for grabs as the two teams went into the decider, both fighting tooth and nail until Meats just got ahead, winning 12-10.

Meats continued to hang on at 3-5 as the two captains played off, with Carmichael coming down hard on Tan in the opening sets, winning 11-5, 11-7, only to back off and somehow lose the next three sets 9-11, 5-11, 8-11. The score was now 4-5 and starting to make Choices Flooring a bit nervous. But unfortunately for Meats, it would all be over in the next rubber as Arnold defeated Gujral with little trouble, 11-3, 11-9, 11-7. Finally, in the last rubber, Kerslake took a set off Rottela before ceding the win, 10-12, 11-8, 6-11, 4-11.

Final score 7 rubbers to 4 and 25 games to 17.

Sammys Slammers 11 Quentin Clark (3), James Jarvis (3), Ryan Hensgen (3) defeated Weightmans Packaging 0 Rasin Bhuiyan (0), Andrew Jones (0), David Sergi (0).

Weightmans Packaging came away from round 15 with a very disappointing 11-0 loss. Their opponents Sammys Slammers didn’t give an inch all night, somehow even preventing top player Bhuiyan from winning even one singles.

Sergi and Jarvis opened the night with a four-setter, with the latter taking the win, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 11-2. Then in what was probably the most perplexing game of the night,

No. 3 Hensgen defeated Bhuiyan in five sets. He won the first set 11-7, Bhuiyan took the second 11-8 and then Hensgen got up in the third 11-4. Bhuiyan fought on, winning the fourth 11-8, but came up short in the fifth, losing 6-11. It was matches such as these that Weightmans really couldn’t afford to lose, but alas. Clark then took down Jones without much of a fuss 11-7, 11-1, 11-1, and with the score now 3-0 it was time for Weightmans to get a move on. In the first doubles, the duo of Bhuiyan and Jones played well but failed to get even a set off the Sammys, losing 7-11, 9-11, 7-11.

Bhuiyan was in for another disappointing match in his game against Jarvis who took the win after four sets, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3. Clark then took another clean win, downing Sergi 11-5, 11-3, 11-5, and with this rubber claimed victory for the night at 6-0. Hensgen then got into in with Jones, also winning in three, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 and in the second doubles Bhuiyan and Sergi performed well, taking the third set but unable to topple the Sammys duo; 7-11, 13-15, 12-10, 11-13.

Bhuiyan and Clark then had it out, with Bhuiyan taking the second set but doing no more, 7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 7-11. Jarvis then defeated Jones 11-5, 11-8, 11-4, and in the last, Hensgen laid Sergi to rest, 11-7, 11-2, 11-6.

Final score 11 rubbers to 0 and 33 games to 6.

PENNANT THREE:

– Exposed Signage/Apparel 9 (Chris Cen, Hayden Wilson 3, Karly Leach 1) d Cookes Pools & Spas 2 (Koby Grace, Yen Hwak 1)

Second placed Exposed Signage/Apparel produced a commanding display in Round 15, defeating Cookes Pools & Spas 9 rubbers to 2 and winning the games count 29-13. Just prior to commencement of play Cooke’s skipper Peter Fitzpatrick dropped out of the team and was replaced by the the promising Lewis Hussey. 

Despite Peter dropping out the top team were still a strong combination with Koby Grace and Yen Hawk running second and fourth respectively in the singles aggregate race however it was not to be Cooke’s night.

The standout performers for the winners were Chris Cen and Hayden Wilson, who both enjoyed unbeaten nights. The pair each claimed three singles victories and combined brilliantly with Karly Leach  in each of the doubles to finish with perfect records and lead their side to a convincing victory. Chris was impressive in a five set win over Koby Grace recovering from 1-2 deficit to win 9-11 11-7 5-11 11-4 11-4. 

Hayden Wilson was impressive winning three singles for the second time this season. He has played many five setters this season and in this match he played two, one an impressive win over Yen in the first game of the night while in the final game of the night he downed Lewis 13-11 9-11 11-6 7-11 11-7 a great contest. Sandwiched between these two matches was one of Hayden’s best wins of the season when he defeated Koby in straight sets. Hayden has been training hard each Monday and this was a good reward for that work. He has now moved in to the top 8 and with one round to play he has a big chance of qualifying for the Super 8’s.

Skipper Karly Leach also made an important contribution for Cooke’s , she picked one singles win and played a big role in the doubles by partnering both her team mates to victory in each of the doubles.

For Cookes Pools & Spas, Koby Grace and Yen Hwak each secured a hard-fought singles victory to keep their team on the scoreboard, while Lewis Hussey competed strongly despite being unable to register a win on the night.

The doubles proved to be a key factor, with Exposed Signage/Apparel taking both pairings and building an early advantage that Cookes Pools & Spas could not overcome. The comprehensive 9-2 result keeps Exposed Signage/Apparel in excellent form heading towards the finals series. 🏓🏆

Winner: Exposed Signage / Apparel 9  defeated Cooke’s Pools and Spas 2

Games: 29 to 13

– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Michael Hensgen 3, Sabrina Fitzpatrick 2) d Regional Taxation Services 4 (Brenden Johnson 2, Andrew Kremor, Curtis Crabtree 1)

Weightmans Packaging recorded a strong 7-4 victory over Regional Taxation Services in this round despite having two fillins , Michael Hensgen and Brice Lock who came in to replace regulars Steve Pongrac and Matt Sires

The winners were led by Michael Hensgen who enjoyed an excellent night, remaining unbeaten in his three singles matches and playing a key role in the doubles success having played in both. Michael started the night impressively by defeating aggregate leader Andrew Kremor in four sets 13-11 2-11 11-7 11-7. His four set win over Brenden Johnson was also impressive as Brenden had won his first two singles and was in good form.

To cap off an excellent night Michael teamed up successfully with Sabrina Fitzpatrick and Brice Lock in each of the doubles to claim victory. 

Sabrina Fitzpatrick also had a solid performance, claiming two singles victories including an impressive four set win over Andrew Kremor. Her only hiccup was a four set loss to the in form Brenden Johnson.

For Regional Taxation Services, Brenden Johnson was the standout player, collecting two impressive singles victories while Curtis Crabtree fought gamely throughout the evening and in the final singles of the night he was able to account for Brice Lock 11-13 11-5 11-1 11-13 11-8 , an unusual score line revealed Curtis had scored 11 points in each of the five games.

The doubles proved crucial, with Weightmans Packaging taking both pairings to build an advantage that Regional Taxation Services could not overcome. Michael Hensgen proved to be the match winner for Weightmans , this is the third occasion he has filled in. He had not previously won a singles this season however he more than made up for it this round matching his brother Ryan who also won three singles in Pennat two. It was an excellent night for the Hensgen brothers.

The victory keeps third team Weightmans Packaging in good form as the competition heads towards the finals series. With one round to play the ladder will not change and these two teams will meet in the knockout semi final 

Winner : Weightmans Packaging 7 defeated Regional Taxation Services 4 

Games: 25 to 18

PENNANT FOUR:

With only one Round remaining before the Finals, Mallee Meats were sitting on top, with 40 points, Tankard Dental and Weightman’s Packaging were both on 32 points and Dunkley Scales were playing well, but trailing by quite a bit.

With Mallee versing Weightman’s and the expectation that Tankard would more than likely have a win over Dunkley, there was a likelihood second and third place would come down to percentage to split them once again.

– Tankard Dental 7 (Darren Bottams 3, Tom Gilmour 2, Jake Hines 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Rodney Galvin 2, Maria Starikov 1)

Tankard – Tom Gilmour, Darren Bottams and Jake Hines. Dunkley – Rodney Galvin, Maria Starikov and Cetty Bonaccorso.

Tankard took off quickly in the first bracket of Singles, with Maria struggling to make any ground in her game against Darren, with a super fast three sets landing the first Rubber for Tankard.

The next match was fought out with lengthy rallies over four sets, with Cetty and Jake using everything they had to get a win. Jake had win on 13 in the first set and Cetty on 13 in the third, but it would be Jake who stood up to the pressure and chalked up a second Rubber for his team.

The following battle was between the two Captains and ended up being pretty one sided with Rod stepping up to give Dunkley a fighting chance, and completed the skirmish in three sets.

Tom and Darren faced Rod and Cetty in the opening Doubles and both teams threw in some excellent serves and slick shot making. Tankard would take the and Rubber number three.

Jake was feeling confident in his clash with Maria, but a Starikov Brick Wall popped up frequently, which made it all too hard for Tankard number three. Maria made up some ground for Dunkley, sneaking in a much needed Rubber.

Rod and Darrens tussle was a beauty, lasting the distance with amazing reflexes from both players. Darren has pushed hard with his skills in 2026 and it has paid off big time. Darren took the first set, but Rod was solid in the following two sets, which put the pressure back on Darren and he was now the fighter and he stood tall and worked his way back to a victory.

Tom used his tricky play to bring an end to Cetty’s match in three. Cetty has a great game and loves her Table Tennis, but she also has two beautiful little ones who demanded her presence, so this would be her last match for the evening.

With Tankard now holding five Rubbers to two, it would need every once of effort from Dunkley, as they needed to win all remaining four matches.

The first conflict was the Double, with Tom and Jake ready to wrangle it out against Rod and Maria. The Dunkley pair put the pressure on Tankard right from the word go, scooping up the first two sets and although Tom and Jake grabbed the third, the gravity of Rod and Maria’s shots would see Dunkley keep themselves in the running, with a four set win.

It was a long shot for Jake to pull in a win over Rod, but by gee he gave it a good crack, forcing the final set of a three set match out to 18. The Rubber did fall in Rods favor, but a tip of the cap to Jake, for his focus.

Things were a little closer now, with a five to four score line and a match between Tom and Maria is always very close. This was no different with some never ending rallies. Tom notched up the first two, with the third and fourth landing with Maria, with Tankards number one making sure of the win and his teams sixth Rubber.

The final match of the night saw Tankard accepting the points, after a forfeit from Cetty, giving Darren three Singles points for the night.

WINNER : Tankard Dental  7  to  Dunkley Scales  4.

GAMES : Tankard  22  to Dunkley 17.

– Mallee Meats 6 (Kym Sykes 3, Jenny Leach 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Glenn Leeson, Conner Burnett 2, Jakob Grzan 1)

Weightman’s – Glenn Leeson, Jakob Grzan and Conner Burnett. Mallee – Kym Sykes, Nathan Beard and Jen Leach.

It was Conner and Jen to come to the Table in the opener and this was likely to be a 50/50 match, with each having a win when playing each other in the last two meetings. The first and last sets of a interesting five setter were won comfortably, with one going to each player. Conner snuck in to grab the second set, after some Jen forced it out to 12, with Weightman’s number three retaliating to snatch the next. But it was Conners sly slams and determination that enabled hm to take the first Rubber.

Nathan kept Glenn on his toes in their match, with some long rallies in every set. Nathan’s game can be very hard to read, but Glenn seemed to work him out and close it out in three.

Jakob was unable to fathom Kyms precise serves, making it difficult to gain any ground. Kym made it a quick finish, to give Mallee their first Rubber.

The first Doubles saw Glenn and Jakob in a contest against Kym and Nathan, which could have been a tough fight, with Glenn and Kym creating some amazing serves. As the match progressed the advantage fell to Mallee in a three setter.

There were a couple of close sets when Glenn and Jen got the bats out, but this game was really never going to worry Glenn, with his skill level far better. This win moved Weightman’s one ahead.

As much as Conner tried, Kym had the upper hand in this contest, with very few chances coming to the number three player.

Each set of the four played by Jakob and Nathan were over flowing with Rallies and the first was pushed out to 15, going to Jakob. The scores in the following three sets all finished on 11/9, with Jakob capturing three, to put another Rubber in the Bank for Weightman’s.

Mallee were down one and the final Doubles were going to hold a lot of weight. The pairing of Glenn and Conner, were now facing Kym and Jen, which in hindsight, should be a close encounter, but surprisingly it ending relatively fast, but did hold some terrific highlight from both.

Score were now level and it was game on, with the two Captains to Battle it out. Both had pocketed two singles matches and were running hot. Glenn came out with some exceptional serves and had Kym thinking at times, but Weightman’s number one, wasn’t able to deal with Kym’s angles and Mallee took the Rubber in three sets.

Who would handle the pressure better, with Mallee only needing one Rubber for Victory, Weightmans had to come away with the next to matches.

The much improved Jakob had to weave his magic against Jen, so the pressure was on, for both of them. It was a great match, which went all the way, with the young gun Jakob, producing some exceptional shots. But you can’t take the Mallee out of the girl, with Jen finding a little extra, to complete the win for her team.  

The final match for the evening was between Conner and Nathan, which also turned out to be a mighty battle. Nathan took off like a bullet, only allowing Conner one point in the first, before the real fight began. Conner fired back collecting the second and third sets, with a come back from Nathan to level it at two each. It was Conner who sealed the match, to mark up a fifth Rubber for Weightman’s, in an exciting finish.

WINNER : Mallee Meats  6  to Weightman’s Packaging  5.

GAMES :  Mallee  23  to Weightman’s  17.

About Post Author

stta

stta57@gmail.com

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %