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Scoresheets-Winter-2026-Grand-Final.pdf
PENNANT ONE: – RED CLIFFS CLUB SHIELD
Tankard Dental are the 2026 Sunraysia Table Tennis winter premiers claiming the Red Cliffs Club shield courtesy of their 6-4 victory over Cookes Pools & Spas in a top-class grand final played at the Irymple Leisure Centre.
| For | Agst | For | Agst | R | G | |||||
| RegionalTaxationServices | 11 | 4 | 4 | 48 | 88 | 77 | 320 | 302 | 114% | 106% |
| Cookes Pools & Spas | 9 | 6 | 4 | 40 | 83 | 82 | 314 | 300 | 101% | 105% |
| Weightmans Packaging | 9 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 92 | 73 | 321 | 295 | 126% | 109% |
| Tankard Dental | 9 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 87 | 78 | 319 | 301 | 112% | 106% |
| Mallee Bearings | 6 | 9 | 4 | 28 | 85 | 80 | 328 | 298 | 106% | 110% |
| Choices Flooring Mildura | 1 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 105 | 254 | 360 | 57% | 7 |
Both teams entered the finals series with a 9-6 win-loss ratio over the home and away season. Cookes won three matches on the trot leading into the finals while the premiers had been defeated in the last two matches including a loss to their grand final opponents in the final round of the year.
– Tankard Dental 6 (Shannon Bowen 3, Reece Kurrle 2) d Cookes Pools & Spas 4 (Kate Carmichael 2, Paul Kealley 1)
The grand final started with the first block of three singles decided as expected and Tankards took a two rubbers to one lead. In the third singles Cookes number two Paul Kealley did give opposing number one Shannon Bowen a scare when he took a 10-5 lead in the first game however Bowen showed his class to win seven points in succession to steal the first game. While Kealley continued to play good table tennis and win the second game Bowen was able to steady and take the points in four sets.
The first doubles was an outstanding match with Cookes pair Kate Carmichael and Paul Kealley taking a two games to one lead, they were desperate to win this match against opponents Bowen and Reece Kurrle to level the grand final, however the Tankard pair had other ideas and raced through the fourth to level at two games all. The fifth was exciting with many long rallies and in a nail biter Bowen and Kurrle won 7-11 11-6 6-11 11-3 11-9. Tankards now took a 3-1 lead and Cookes were under pressure at this early stage.
Cookes skipper Kate Carmichael took to the table against opposing number two Reece Kurrle and Carmichael needed a win desperately however Kurrle came out blazing as only he can do and before Carmichael could gather her thoughts Kurrle took a 9-2 lead, amazingly spectators then witnessed an outstanding comeback with Carmichael all of a sudden lifting her game and what followed were some outstanding rallies and slowly Carmichael would catch and then go past Kurrle to win the first game in an outstanding comeback. To his credit Kurrle put this behind him and then went on to win the second and third and once again Carmichael was under the pump. In a tense fourth Carmichael would grab the points by the narrowest of margins and she then raced away to a huge lead in the fifth going on to win an outstanding contest 11-9 6-11 10-12 14-12 11-5. Cookes now trailed 2-3.
As expected, the following two matches were won by Tankard’s Bowen over Cookes number three Ash Morrison while Paul Kealley for Cookes defeated opposing number three Jason Gifkins and Tankards still held a narrow 4-3 lead going into the second doubles.
For Cookes Carmichael and Morrison lined up in the second doubles against Shannon Bowen and Jason Gifkins, and three tight games followed with the Cookes pair able to level the grand final winning 13-11 11-6 11-9. The score now stood at four rubbers all and could go either way.
The final block of three singles commenced with the two skippers taking to the table, Carmichael for Cookes and Tankard’s Bowen. Head-to-head this season Carmichael had won all three however always very close contests. With the grand final on the line Bowen held a narrow lead in the first and would go on and win by the narrowest of margins, again the second was close and went on and on with Bowen again holding the ascendancy and again winning by a two-point margin. Carmichael was now under pressure, could she repeat their last meeting and recover from a two-game deficit? The third saw Bowen again play controlled table tennis and as hard as she tried
Carmichael could not grab the ascendancy; Bowen was able to win an excellent match 12-10 16-14 11-9 and bring his team to within one rubber of the premiership.
Bowen’s teammate Reece Kurrle then started well against Paul Kealley and these two had been in good form of late. This started very similar to the previous match with Kurrle able to maintain a narrow lead taking the first and then despite Kealley attempting to stay in the match Kurrle was able to break away in the second and then take control in the third going on to win 12-11 11-8 11-5 and as a result Tankard Dental with a 6-4 win were the 2026 winter premiers.
Skipper Bowen had led the way winning three singles while teammate Reece Kurrle won two important matches. Their doubles victory in five sets in the first doubles was also instrumental in the win.
For Bowen and Kurrle this was back-to-back premierships, Bowen now having won the Red Cliffs Club shield on five occasions, the first dating back to 2011. For Reece Kurrle this was his second winter premiership in a long career while for Jason Gifkins this was his first grand final success.
Cookes Pools & Spas had enjoyed a solid pennant however head-to-head their matches against Tankard Dental finished at 1-3 over the season. In the final Kate Carmichael won two singles while Paul Kealley won one.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total | % | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Kate Carmichael | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 40 | 89% | 45 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | |
| Shannon Bowen | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | D | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 38 | 84% | 45 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Arhuang(Wong)Lau | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | O | 2 | dp | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 34 | 81% | 42 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| Wayne Carmichael | dp | dp | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | U | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | dp | 32 | 89% | 36 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Jackson Tung | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | dp | 2 | 2 | B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 69% | 42 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
| Jamie Kealley | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 62% | 45 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Mark Dorman | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | dp | 2 | 2 | E | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 64% | 42 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| Reece Kurrle | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | S | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 51% | 45 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Super 8’s | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paul Kealley | 1 | dp | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 52% | 42 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | |
| Rohan Reimers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | R | 1 | 2 | dp | dp | dp | dp | dp | 2 | 19 | 63% | 30 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Thanh Nguyen | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | O | 1 | 1 | 1 | dp | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 43% | 42 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Russell Walder | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | U | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 36% | 45 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Lee Leeson | dp | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 33% | 42 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Leon Brown | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | dp | 1 | 1 | D | 1 | dp | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | dp | 0 | 11 | 31% | 36 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Jason Gifkins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 22% | 45 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ashley Morrison | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | dp | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12% | 42 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ed Hung | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11% | 45 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Marcus Cimino | dp | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | dp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10% | 39 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
PENNANT TWO
| Win | Loss | Bye | Dbls | Pts | Rubbers | Games | % | % | |||
| For | Agst | For | Agst | R | G | ||||||
| Choices Flooring Mildura | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 74 | 58 | 274 | 230 | 128% | 119% |
| Sammy’s Slammers | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 70 | 62 | 254 | 235 | 113% | 108% |
| Mallee Meats | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 72 | 60 | 264 | 234 | 120% | 113% |
| Pinnacle Packers | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 70 | 62 | 261 | 236 | 113% | 111% |
| Weightmans Packaging | 2 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 44 | 88 | 185 | 303 | 50% | 61% |
Sammy’s Slammers 6 Quentin Clark (2), James Jarvis (2), Ryan Hensgen (1) defeated Mallee Meats 5 Michael Tan (3), Harry Gujral (1), Deegan Kerslake (0).
After hanging around the middle to bottom of the ladder for most of the season, late bloomers Sammy’s Slammers have gotten themselves through the crucible of the semi and preliminary finals and into the grand final where they took a hotly contested 6-5 win over the formidable Mallee Meats.
In the opening match, Gujral wasted no time putting Hensgen down, winning in three, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4, while Clark dealt with young Kerslake in four, 11-3, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9. Jarvis then came away shaking his head after a disappointing loss to Tan, 11-6, 11-1, 11-3, as the two teams then went into the first doubles match. The Sammys took the first set 11-9, Meats then pushed hard and won the next two 11-9, 11-5, but the Sammys held them off in the last two sets, clenching the win from the jaws of defeat, 11-9, 11-5.
Clark then took down Gujral in a short but fierce three-setter, 15-13, 11-7, 14-12. Captain Tan marked down his second win for the evening, besting Hensgen with little trouble, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, as teammate Kerslake took on Jarvis, with the youth managing to nab one set but ultimately losing, 4-11, 11-9, 2-11, 7-11. Meats then tightened up the score to 4 apiece as they shut down the Sammys in the second doubles, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10.
Clark and Tan then faced off, with the former unable to get even one set off his opponent, losing 5-11, 4-11, 6-11. The score now 5-4 and favouring Meats, Jarvis and Gujral engaged in a tight five-setter, with Jarvis taking the first set 11-8, Gujral the second 11-3, Jarvis getting up again in the third 11-9, Gujral then nabbing the fourth by the skin of his teeth at 13-11 but then failing to get ahead of his opponent in the fifth, going down 9-11. With that win, Jarvis had staved off defeat and brought the game score to 5-5, with the decider to be Hensgen versus Kerslake. Hensgen had won no games as of yet, but he came through now when his team needed it the most, at the climax of this grand final. He went head-to-head against Kerslake and took the win in straight sets 11-8, 11-3, 12-10.
Commiserations to Mallee Meats who were the top team in Pennant 2 for most of the season but unfortunately, they faltered in the last few rounds as the competition grew fierce. And Congratulations to Sammy’s Slammers who after sitting at fourth on the ladder for what seemed like forever have fought their way to the top to a hard-earned victory.
Final score 6 rubbers to 5 and 21 games to 18.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total | % | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Duy Truong | 3 | 3 | 3 | b | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | b | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | b | 3 | 36 | 100% | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Michael Tan | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | b | 2 | 1 | D | 3 | 3 | b | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | b | 27 | 75% | 36 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Rasin Bhuiyan | 2 | b | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | b | O | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | b | 2 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 67% | 36 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| Quentin Clark | b | 1 | dp | 3 | 2 | b | 1 | U | 2 | 3 | 2 | b | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 70% | 33 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Josh Arnold | 2 | 2 | b | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | B | b | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | b | 2 | dp | 22 | 67% | 33 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| James Jarvis | b | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | b | 1 | L | 2 | 2 | 1 | b | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 58% | 36 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| ThereseFitzpatrick | 1 | 3 | b | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | E | b | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | b | dp | 2 | 20 | 61% | 33 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Harry Gujral | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | b | dp | dp | S | 1 | 3 | b | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | b | 19 | 63% | 30 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Super 8’s | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shiva Rottela | 2 | 3 | b | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | b | dp | 3 | dp | dp | b | 2 | 2 | 18 | 67% | 27 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| Peter Midgley | 1 | 1 | 2 | b | 1 | 0 | 2 | R | 1 | b | 1 | 1 | dp | 2 | b | 1 | 13 | 39% | 33 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Ryan Hensgen | b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | b | 0 | O | 0 | 1 | dp | b | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 21% | 33 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Andrew Jones | 1 | b | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | b | U | 2 | 0 | dp | 1 | b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 18% | 33 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Deegan Kerslake | 0 | 1 | 1 | dp | b | 1 | 1 | N | 1 | 0 | b | 1 | dp | 0 | 0 | b | 6 | 20% | 30 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Parker | 0 | 0 | 2 | b | 1 | 0 | 0 | D | 0 | b | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | b | 0 | 5 | 14% | 36 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
PENNANT THREE
Cookes Pools & Spas are the K J Dorman Perpetual Shield recipients after being crowned the 2026 Winter Pennant Three Premiers in an exciting finale to the season.
| Win | Loss | Dbls | Pts | Rubbers | Games | % | % | |||
| For | Agst | For | Agst | R | G | |||||
| Cookes Pools & Spas | 12 | 2 | 4 | 52 | 97 | 57 | 351 | 247 | 170% | 142% |
| Exposed Signage/Apparel | 9 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 82 | 72 | 319 | 294 | 114% | 109% |
| Weightmans Packaging | 4 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 56 | 98 | 241 | 349 | 57% | 69% |
| Regional Taxation Services | 3 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 73 | 81 | 290 | 311 | 90% | 93% |
Cookes Pools & Spas have claimed the Winter Pennant Three premiership with a hard-fought 6–5 victory over Exposed Signage/Apparel in an entertaining Grand Final which was not decided until the final match of the night when Yen Hwak was able to account for the determined Hayden Wilson 11-7 11-9 14-12 a win in straight sets however Hayden maintained the pressure throughout.
– Cookes Pools & Spas 6 (Peter Fitzpatrick, Yen Hwak 2, Koby Grace 1) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (Chris Cen 3, Karly Leach 1)
Cookes skipper Peter Fitzpatrick made a valuable contribution to the victory, winning two of his three singles matches as well as the crucial doubles alongside Yen Hwak. Yen proved to be a matchwinner as he battled strongly throughout the night, also picking up two important singles victories to help his side reach the winning total.
Apart from winning the final singles of the grand final he also won a vital five set contest against the stubborn Karly Leach in the second match of the night which proved to be crucial. Karly battled hard and when she took a 2-1 lead it looked like victory would come however with patience and also landing his trusty backhand Yen fought back to win 2-11 11-5 6-11 11-9 11-8 an entertaining match.
With Yen’s win over Karly, Cookes had taken a 2-0 lead as Koby Grace had defeated Hayden in four sets in the first match of the grand final. From this point the Exposed team jumped into action and in particular it was number two Chris Cen who turned the match. Exposed Signage/Apparel gained the ascendancy winning the next three matches and four of the next five.
Firstly, Chris outpointed opposing number one Peter Fitzpatrick in straight sets. Chris then combined with Karly in the first doubles against the strong combination of Peter and Koby and after dropping the first game they proved too consistent for the most successful pair in pennant three winning in four sets, 6-11 11-5 11-5 11-5.
When Chris outlasted Yen in four hard fought sets Exposed Signage/Apparel had taken a 4-3 lead. This was a tense match with scores close all the way, in fact all four were decided by the barest of margins. Chris relies on a strong looping forehand while Yen likes to play a powerful back hand. Chris in the end took the points 11-9 11-9 10-12 11-9 a great match from both players.
With the ladder leaders under pressure Cookes Peter Fitzpatrick and Yen Hwak took to the table against Karly and Hayden and it was the Cookes pair who would take control winning in straight sets and levelling the grand final at four rubbers all.
The first of the final block of singles was played between the two skippers Cookes Peter versus Exposed’s Karly. This match contained many long rallies as you would expect when Karly plays, Peter was able to grab the ascendancy in each game and control proceedings going on to a very good win 11-8 11-4 11-6, an important win by the skipper.
The next singles was probably the best of the night when Exposed number two Chris Cen knew that the only alternative was to win however he was up against Koby Grace who finished second on the singles aggregate. Chris himself had finished one win back in third position and had been undefeated in the final three rounds of the season. Koby took the first game and it was Chris who then took control, team mates on both sides were now very nervous. Koby fought back to win the fourth narrowly and now the grand final was on the line. In a thriller it was Chris who maintained his composure going on to win 7-11 11-6 11-6 9-11 11-9, what a match and the grand final now stood at five rubbers all.
As mentioned earlier it was then the battle of the number threes who had to play with the result on the line, always a difficult position for the number three players.
In the end it was Yen who prevailed over the persistent Hayden taking Cookes Pools & Spas to a 6-5 win and the 2026 pennant three winter premiership.
For Cookes both Peter Fitpatrick and Yen Hwak won two singles each and it proved crucial when they combined to win the second doubles. Koby Grace offered good support winning one singles. Koby enjoyed a great season finishing second on the singles aggregate while Yen was fourth a great effort after being promoted from pennant four while teammate Peter Fitzpatrick finished sixth an excellent effort from the trio. As doubles combinations they also performed very well.
For Peter Fitzpatrick this was his third premiership in this pennant his last in 2011. This was the second for Koby Grace previously winning in 2024 while this was the first premiership for Yen Hwak.
Exposed Signage/Apparel fought right to the finish, with Chris Cen producing a standout performance by winning all three of his singles matches. Chris has been an excellent recruit to the STTA and enjoyed a very good season finishing third in the singles race.
Teammate Karly Leach added a singles victory to the result and combined well with Chris to claim the first doubles however they came up one rubber short in an excellent grand final.
Thank you to the players from other teams who came along to umpire, this was most appreciated by the players taking part in the grand final.
Final Score:
Cookes Pools & Spas 6 (24 games) defeated Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (16 games).
Congratulations to Cookes Pools & Spas who occupied first position on the ladder for the majority of the season and this was a well-earned Winter Pennant Three premiership.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total | % | |
| Andrew Kremor | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 79% | ||
| Koby Grace | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | D | 3 | dp | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 72% | |
| Chris Cen | dp | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | O | dp | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 75% | |
| Yen Hwak | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | U | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 57% | |
| Karly Leach | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | B | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 55% | |
| Peter Fitzpatrick | 2 | dp | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | dp | 22 | 61% | |
| SabrinaFitzpatrick | 2 | 3 | E | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | dp | 2 | 2 | 17 | 71% | ||||||
| Hayden Wilson | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | S | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 33% | |
| Super 8’s | ||||||||||||||||||
| Curtis Crabtree | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 31% | ||
| Brenden Johnson | 1 | 2 | 1 | dp | 1 | 0 | 3 | R | dp | dp | dp | dp | 2 | dp | 2 | 12 | 50% | |
| Matt Sires | 0 | dp | 0 | 0 | 0 | dp | 0 | O | 2 | 2 | 1 | dp | 2 | 0 | dp | 7 | 23% | |
| Steve Pongrac | 1 | 0 | dp | 0 | dp | dp | dp | U | 2 | 0 | dp | 0 | 1 | 0 | dp | 4 | 17% | |
PENNANT FOUR
As Grand Finals go, where the Teams sat throughout the season, doesn’t always determine the outcome on the big stage.
Weightman’s Packaging had, for most of the season, sat in third position, but to their credit, in a well fought match in the Preliminary, took out Tankard Dental, who had settled themselves in second place for the last half of the season.
Tankard Dental had led the charge, on the top rung of the Ladder, until round 7, with Mallee Meats only one game in arrears. The Doubles followed the week after, which saw Mallee and Weightman’s come away with four points each, moving them both a little closer to Tankard.
Round 9 saw Mallee without their Captain and Weightman’s young gun, Jakob having a ripper night, winning three and helping his team to an important victory. It was also a three win for Darren Bottams, in his Singles, assisting Tankard to a win.
It wouldn’t be until round 11, that Mallee would sneak into level pegging with Tankard, both on 28 point and 120%. With Tankard having a 7/4 win over Dunkley and Mallee a 9/2 win over Weightman’s.
Mallee comfortably held their top spot from then on, until the Finals, with Tankard in second place. Kym Sykes had been the glue in the Mallee team, not having lost a Singles all season. But Dunkley’s, Rod Galvin, came very close to knocking him off in a super five set match in the last round. Then came the Super 8’s, where the ever improving Darren, had a sensational night and in a blockbuster, stopped Kym’s run, in a mighty battle, taking the win.
The Semi’s showed the difference the Doubles can make, with Mallee being rewarded the win over Tankard, after they snared both Doubles and Weightman’s notching up the win against Dunkley also using their two Doubles to get over the line.
| Win | Loss | Dbls | Pts | Rubbers | Games | % | % | |||
| For | Agst | For | Agst | R | G | |||||
| Mallee Meats | 10 | 4 | 4 | 44 | 89 | 65 | 325 | 231 | 137% | 141% |
| Tankard Dental | 9 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 83 | 71 | 274 | 264 | 117% | 104% |
| Weightmans Packaging | 7 | 7 | 4 | 32 | 73 | 81 | 269 | 295 | 90% | 91% |
| Dunkley Scales | 2 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 63 | 91 | 228 | 306 | 69% | 75% |
The Prelim played out similar to the previous week with Weightman’s Doubles wins, giving them the upper hand and an entry into the Grand Final, with a 6 to 3 win over Tankard.
GRAND FINAL :
– Mallee Meats 6 (Darren Bottams 3, Nathan Beard 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Glenn Leeson, Jakob Grzan 2, Conner Burnett 1)
Mallee – Kym Sykes (Darren Bottams – Fill in), Nathan Beard, Jenny Leach. Weightman’s – Glenn Leeson, Jakob Grzan and Conner Burnett.
It was unfortunate for Mallee, with their main Man, Kym Sykes, unable to be a part of the big night, having a previous engagement planned way ahead, with a Scuba Dive. The Grading committee came to the decision of inserting Darren Bottams as their fill in. Weightmans had their full Team, which was going to set up an exciting night.
The first set of Singles all proved to be three set matches, with Nathan up against Jakob in the opener. Each of the sets were thrillers, with the first two going past eleven. Neither really had the advantage, with rallies in nearly every game, Jakob playing some terrific forehands and Nathan bringing in his unorthodox, but very affective trick shots. The first Rubber went to Weightman’s. (12/10, 13/11, 11/9).
Conner did his best against Darren, but didn’t have the consistency to keep up with his placement game. The slams which did come off from Conner were lightening fast, but it would be Darren who picked up this match to even the ledger. (11/6, 11/7, 11/3).
Jen had just as much luck in her game, when Glenn took to the Table. Not for the want of trying, but I think the nerves may have taken control, which allowed Weightman’s Captain to pretty quickly eliminate Jen. Glenn played extremely well. (11/7, 11/5, 11/4).
Both pairings, of Darren and Jen and Glenn and Jakob, were feeling the pressure, knowing the weight the Doubles held. Weightman’s got off to a clean start, breaking away in the first few points, before Mallee got their arms swinging, grabbing the first set. It was a repeat in the second, with Darren’s freakish reaction time, allowing him to throw down some great placement shots. Mallee’s momentum waned badly in the third, with both Glenn and Jakob serving up multiple winners in a row, leaving Mallee in a quandary. The fourth was a more even affair, tight right from the opening serve, with all four pumping out some mighty winners, before Mallee got their memory back in the fifth and Jen tossed in her chop and forehand, to bring their game together and notch up a Rubber for Mallee, in a thriller. (11/7, 11/6, 3/11, 9/11, 11/7).
Darren had been a little concerned about Jakob and had to change up a few areas of his game, with Weightman’s number two being a very patient player. There were plenty of rallies and Jakob did his very best, but didn’t have quite enough to get on top of Darren’s game. (11/3, 11/4,11/6).
Glenn took total control of his first set against Nathan, keeping him to only 2 points, letting loose with his curly shots. Mallee’s number two got into a rhythm in the following two sets, putting a bit more pressure on Glenn, but it was Weightman’s who would bring the Rubbers back to even. (11/2, 11/8, 11/6).
Jen went through a total mind block in her first game with Conner, as he slipped through for a fast win and only allowed two points from Jen. The second and third sets were a tough fight, with the scores flicking back and forth and each pocketing one set. Conners electric slams flew straight past Jen, in the fourth, before she could get her bat out, which led to another Rubber landing with Weightman’s. (11/2, 11/9, 10/12, 11/5).
Weightman’s were now one Rubber up, leading into the last Doubles, where Darren and Nathan would be up against Glenn and Conner. Although there were some way ward slams, both teams were determined to come away with the win. Darren’s serves gave him a solid advantge in the first game, saving many points. With the tension high Mallee couldn’t convert in the second, with Glenn on the attack producing some fantastic shots. The last two sets swayed Darren and Nathan’s way, with too many long shots from their opponents and Nathan finding the edge in some crucial moments, handing Mallee the much needed Rubber. (11/8, 4/11, 11/4, 11/6).
What a close tussle this was becoming, with both on four Rubbers now.
It was hoped the encounter between Darren and Glenn would be a tight one and maybe go the distance. Glenn pulled out some sensational shots and many great rallies were played out, but he was tricked by too often by Darren’s game, with his reach, opening the door to a three set win. (11/5, 11/8, 11/7).
With Mallee only requiring one more Rubber, would this be the final match ?
The Jen V Jakob battles were on an even keel, but who could hold their nerve at the pointy end. It was full on from the start, in a hard fought contest, with Jen holding her own in the first. But it was cool hand Jakob, who dominated in the next two sets, with patience and good timing, he wound it up in three and brought it back to five Rubbers each. (11/8, 11/5, 11/4).
OMG you could cut the air with a knife. Nathan and Conner now had to carry the weight. The first set was a block buster, with never ending rallies building the pressure with every shot and falling to Nathan after 12. There was just as much effort from both players as the Match continued, with outstanding play from both. It was definitely a nail biter. Conner snuck in one set, but it was Nathan who had his mind set on leaving with the win for his Team and that is exactly what he did. (12/10, 11/8, 6/11, 11/7).
Credit must be given to both teams in such a tight contest over the whole night.
Every player in Pennant four has made excellent improvements in their game, which will be a definite advantage for the coming seasons.
Thanks to all who took the time to score on the night.
WINNER : Mallee Meats 6 to Weightman’s 5.
GAMES : Mallee 19 to Weightman’s 19.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total | % | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Kym Sykes | dp | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | dp | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 39 | 100% | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Darren Bottams | dp | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | D | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | dp | 2 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 79% | 39 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Tom Gilmour | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | O | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 69% | 45 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| Rodney Galvin | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | dp | 2 | 3 | U | 2 | 2 | 2 | dp | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 77% | 39 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| Glenn Leeson | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | dp | 3 | 2 | B | 2 | dp | dp | dp | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 70% | 33 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Jakob Grzan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | dp | L | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 55% | 42 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| Maria Starikov | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | E | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 49% | 45 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| Jenny Leach | dp | dp | dp | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | S | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 36% | 36 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Super 8’s | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nathan Beard | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | dp | 1 | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 24% | 42 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Conner Burnett | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | dp | 0 | 1 | O | 1 | dp | 1 | 0 | dp | 1 | 2 | dp | 8 | 24% | 33 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Jake Hines | 0 | 1 | 0 | dp | 1 | dp | dp | U | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17% | 36 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
