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GRAND FINAL
PENNANT ONE:
In a stunning result Tankard Dental are the Sunraysia Table Tennis 2022 winter pennant premiers. In a strong display at the Irymple Leisure centre on Wednesday night Tankard’s accounted for the Grand Final favourites Max Miller Carpets 6-2 in a strong display. The Carpeters had advanced to the grand final as a result of a 15 match winning streak, their only loss in round one way back in March against their grand final opponents.
Tankards number one Kate Carmichael was the standout player of the final winning both her singles matches and taking part in both doubles. These doubles victories were crucial in her team taking out the grand final.
– Tankard Dental 6 (Kate Carmichael 2 ,Mark Dorman 1, Dylan Wood 1) d Max Miller Carpets 2 ( Shannon Bowen 1, Leon Brown 1)
Carpeters Shannon Bowen as expected downed the fast improving Dylan Wood in the first match of the night to get his team underway. From this point Tankards took complete control winning the next five rubbers which stunned their opponents. The first of the five featured Kate Carmichael avenging her defeat at the hands of Leon Brown in the second semi final two weeks ago by downing Brown 15-13 11-5 11-5 the night.
Mark Dorman then accounted for Ed Hung, the following match was the first doubles and Carmichael and Dorman combined to defeat the talented duo of Shannon Bowen and Leon Brown in straight sets. Tankards now took a 3-1 lead.
The two number one players Tankard’s Carmichael and Shannon Bowen took to the table for possibly the best match of the final. Carmichael was out of the blocks early to take the first two games and Bowen knowing the grand final was slipping away raced through the third. The fourth was an outstanding game with Carmichael racing out to an early lead, Bowen was playing a tactical game standing back from the table and lobbing the ball high to force Carmichael to change her game, spectators witnessed a brilliant comeback from Bowen who recovered from a 5-10 deficit to win the fourth 12-10 scoring seven points in succession. Carmichael was out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth and needed to stay composed after Bowen had saved five match points in the fourth. The fifth was another lengthy affair with many long rallies. In an exciting climax Carmichael grabbed the match 11-9 11-7 3-11 10-12 11-9, Bowen had fought hard but just fell short. Tankards now led 4-1.
The two number three players clashed in the next match 16 year old Dylan Wood for Tankards and the experienced Ed Hung for Max Miller Carpets , it was now or never for Hung and he was off to a flyer in the first winning 11-3 , however from here Wood showed a maturity beyond his years recovering from a deficit in the second before cruising through the third and fourth to win 3-11 11-6 11-3 11-5 his forehand featuring well.
The Carpeters Leon Brown now was under extreme pressure to keep his team alive when he took to the table against Mark Dorman, Dorman was way too steady early taking the first 11-8 , Brown now had no option but to lift his game and that’s what the most improved player in this pennant did. Despite Dorman sustaining pressure Brown managed to get his strong forehand on target to go on and win 8-11 11-6 11-3 11-5 , this victory arresting Tankards streak of five rubbers in succession.
Tankards could smell victory now as the second doubles commenced featuring Kate Carmichael and Dylan Wood against the Carpeters pair of Bowen and Hung. The Tankards pair would not allow their opponents an easy point and controlled the match winning 11-7 11-6 11-8 to win the grand final 6-2 an amazing victory against a team who had enjoyed an outstanding season however in this match it wasn’t to be.
Tankard Dental also had played well throughout the season narrowly retaining second place on the ladder by the barest of margins leading in to the finals, they lost the
second semi final to the Carpeters 5-6 and came out in the grand final winning the big matches in an excellent team performance.
For Mark Dorman this was his seventh premiership in a long and successful career, while Kate Carmichael claimed her third grand final, these coming in the past five seasons, this was her first victory as the number one player. With an important singles victory and a doubles win Dylan Wood has been outstanding in his first season of pennant one table tennis.
PENNANT TWO:
Pinnacle Packers took out hot favourites MJM Automotive to win the 2022 Pennant Two Winter Grand Final.
Pinnacle Packers 6 (Rohan Reimers 2, Jeremy Corrin 2 , Ryan Hensgen 1) d MJM Automotive 2 ( Casper McCarthy 1)
The Pinnacle Packers trio of Jeremy Corrin, Rohan Reimers and Ryan Hensgen staged the biggest upset of this winter pennant season. Raging pre-finals favourite MJM Automotive were made to look second-rate in a well disciplined match, in which all three played significant roles.
MJM Automotive had dominated Pinnacle Packers in the four previous meetings this season; in the three home-and-away rounds they won seven rubbers to four each time, in the semi-final the score was six rubbers to three. What they did not know was that Pinnacle Packers had a plan for the Grand Final …
The first rubber pitted the two number three’s against each other, Ryan Hensgen for Pinnacle Packers and Therese Fitzpatrick for MJM Automotive. Fitzpatrick had won on the two occasions they had met during the season, in round nine in four sets, and in round fourteen in five sets. It was a match MJM Automotive believed they should win, however, as soon as the match was underway it was clear that Hensgen had a clear tactic of playing to Therese’s backhand, and thus nullifying her greatest strength, her cracking top-spin forehand. The first set was the closest, Hensgen winning it 11-8, due also to the fact that both players were a bit nervous, but as the match went on, Ryan drew more and more errors from Therese, her backhands became more tentative, and when Ryan did put one on her forehand, it was often overhit, going long or wide. Pinnacle Packers drew first blood, 11-8, 11-5, 11-2.
Pinnacle Packers captain Jeremy Corrin faced MJM Automotive number two Andrew Jones in the next rubber. These two had a win apiece against each other during the season, both five setters, so the match was really up for grabs. Once again, it was Pinnacle Packers who made the running, Corrin playing a careful blend of aggression and percentage table tennis. His game was not particularly spectacular, he simply kept the ball in play, and let Jones make mistakes, which came. With Corrin content to let rallies go long, it was Jones who, like Fitzpatrick before him, started putting balls wide and long, and apart from the third set of this match-up, Corrin was most comfortable in letting the game flow. He won 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 11-3.
Two rubbers to nil down, MJM Automotive badly needed a score on the board to settle their nerves. With captain, aggregate winner, Super 8 winner Casper McCarthy coming to the table, hopes were high.
At the other end of that table was Rohan Reimers, a player who had enjoyed a good finals series, losing just one of five singles rubbers, that being to McCarthy in the first week of the semi-finals. As in the other two rubbers, it was the Pinnacle Packers player who took the first set, Reimers winning 11-5, putting McCarthy on the back foot. McCarthy responded, but was less than convincing in taking the second set 14-12. Reimers controlled the third 11-8, McCarthy scrambled to take the fourth 11-7, and it was clear that it was more Reimers match than McCarthy’s, and so it proved, Reimers winning the fifth set 11-8 to give his side the best start possible, and leaving their opponents shattered.
Corrin and Reimers paired up to play McCarthy and Jones in the first doubles. The pressure was really on the MJM Automotive pair, and the pressure almost went through the roof when they lost the first set 11-3. All of a sudden it looked like this whole match would be over in the minimum six rubbers. To their credit, Casper and Andrew got back to business, they were after all the most successful pairing this season. They took the next three sets 9, 8 and 5 to finally get their side a rubber, and just a slight belief they could pull this match out of the fire.
That slight belief was immediately doused somewhat when Corrin took the next rubber against Therese Fitzpatrick. In their meeting a fortnight earlier, Fitzpatrick had stunned the Pinnacle Packers captain downing him in five sets. Unfortunately, it was not to happen again here, Corrin running out the winner in a straightforward 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 win.
MJM Automotive captain McCarthy met Pinnacle Packers number three Hensgen in the next rubber, and whilst McCarthy registered the second win for himself, and the team, his performance was once again far from convincing, the winning score line being 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3.
Rohan Reimers’ confidence has grown with each match he has played in this finals series, and he exuded plenty of that in his matchup with his opposite number Andrew Jones in rubber number seven. With the score line reading Pinnacle Packers 4, MJM Automotive 2, Jones’ team would have to take four of the next five rubbers to win the flag. Reimers, however, simply went out and enjoyed himself, and along the way played some great table tennis. Rohan routinely retrieved balls which most others would not, hit some great smashes, and sometimes hit balls so they landed metres off the table, but it did not matter, he had the confidence
that he could control the match, and win when necessary, which is what he did, the winning score 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6.
Five rubbers to two, MJM Automotive were on the ropes.
Corrin and Hensgen teamed up in the second doubles against McCarthy and Fitzpatrick in a last gasp match for the side which has ridden imperiously over every other side this season. They started well, really well, racing through the first set 11-2, but Corrin and Hensgen steadied to take the second 11-6. The third set went to McCarthy and Fitzpatrick, and in the knowledge that should Pinnacle Packers lose this match, Jeremy Corrin knew he would have to face McCarthy, a prospect he did not relish, Jeremy took some time out at the end of the set, and refocussed, and came back more determined than ever that this rubber would be the last. Whatever he told himself worked, because he and Hensgen took the fourth 11-6 to take the match to the decider, putting the pressure right back on the MJM Automotive pair. An early break by the Pinnacle Packers pair of three points in the fifth, only increased that pressure, at the change of ends they led 5-2, a lead that was not challenged, and they ran out winners in the fifth 11-6 to take game, set, match and grand final.
A truly remarkable result, one which no one saw coming. Pinnacle Packers captain Jeremy Corrin was particularly delighted as this is his second premiership in a row. For Casper McCarthy, he also played in the last grand final, but like that match, he was once again on the losing side.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 2 and 20 games to 12.
PENNANT THREE:
With a generous crowd in attendance, Mallee Meats have triumphed in a close fought contest to defeat a tenacious Tankard Dental in a pulsating contest.
– Mallee Meats 6 ( Steve Pongrac 3, Nhat Dat 2) d Tankard Dental 4 (Shaun Gifford 2 , Nick Kiapekos 1)
Mallee Meats Captain Steve Pongrac led from the front as he defeated Phuong Hung Nguyen in the first match of the evening in straight sets to get his team off to a flying start.
With the pressure on early Tankard Dental Captain Nick Kiapekos rose to the challenge in the next match as he also enjoyed a straight sets victory over Wendy Simpson to square the ledger. The third match of the evening saw inform players Tankard’s Shawn Gifford take on Mallee Meats Nhat Dat. The first set of this match saw Dat out of the blocks early to hold a commanding lead before Gifford reeled him in to pinch the set 13 -11. From there it was one-way traffic as Gifford claimed the next two sets comfortably to have his team now two rubbers to one up. The next match was vital in the context of the evening proceedings with Kiapekos and Gifford forming a formidable combination during this season against the newly revamped combination of Pongrac and Simpson.
The first two sets could have gone either way with Pongrac and Simpson finding the answers at the right time to claim these two sets 12-10, 12-10. With the match slipping away Kiapekos and Gifford ramped up their offensive to breeze through the next set 11-6 to gain some much-needed momentum. This momentum was short lived as Pongrac and Simpson were too steady for their opponents and ran out winners 11-8 in the fourth set to square the overall standings at two rubbers each. The next match was the ‘Battle Of The Captain’s’ as Pongrac took on Kiapekos in a classic battle. The first three sets were tight with Pongrac taking the first 12-10 and Kiapekos the second 11-9. At one set all and 13 all in the third set things couldn’t be any tighter. Pongrac found a way to break clear in this gripping third set winning it 15-13 and this clearly broke the shackles as he took the fourth 11-6 to claim an important win for Mallee Meats who with this victory now lead 3 rubbers to 2. Inspired by his Captain’s efforts Dat also claimed victory in four sets against Nguyen in a very entertaining match. With their backs to the wall Tankard Dental needed some urgent wins on the board and Gifford was the man to deliver the goods.
Gifford was too strong for Simpson in winning this game in straight sets. The next game was the second doubles match that featured Gifford and Nguyen up against Pongrac and Dat. In a close fought three set match Gifford and Nguyen prevailed to now see the evening scoreboard have the two teams deadlocked at 4 rubbers all with only the last round of singles to come. In the game of the night Kiapekos took on Dat in a classic match that went right down to the wire. This game saw huge momentum swings with Kiapekos looking on track to claim victory as he claimed the first two sets 14-12, 11-3. The third and fourth set belonged to Dat as he claimed these 11-5, 11-9. The fifth set saw Kiapekos out of the blocks early and seemed to hold a match winning lead before Dat go on a roll to close to 10-9 down but still starred a match point down the barrel. The next rally was long with both players eager to keep the ball in play – with Dat eventually hitting a long ball that initially looked long only to clip the edge of the table to deny Kiapekos victory. With this ounce of fortune Dat won the remaining two points to claim the set 12-10 and the match. With this win Mallee Meats were on the verge of victory and only one question remained – could their Captain Steve Pongrac bring home the bacon? This indeed would be a great match with Pongrac taking on the all-conquering Gifford.
Pongrac used all his guile and experience in the first set to keep the ball short so that Gifford couldn’t punish him with his trademark forehand bomb. This tactic worked well in the first set as Pongrac took this 11-8. The second set saw Gifford play a more conservative style to claim the set 11-9 to square the match. The third set saw Pongrac keep the ball in play more often than his opponent to claim the set 11-4. The fourth set saw a repeat of the third with Pongrac inching his way to victory. Despite a late wobble from Pongrac he went on to seal the match 11-8 in the fourth set to the delirious cheers of the crowd.
Mallee Meats triumphed to claim the 2022 Winter Premiership Shield. Sue Dorman presented the K.J. Dorman trophy to the winning team of Steve Pongrac, Wendy Simpson and Nhat Dat. Thankyou to all umpires who officiated on the night (special mention to Lee and Russell) and also the crowd support during this fantastic final. Don’t forget presentation night will be on the 24th of August and that next Wednesday 17th August is the first grading night for the Fast Fifteens Summer Competition. Further Details can be found on the Facebook page.
