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Sunraysia Table Tennis Summer Pennant results Round 9: –
PENNANT ONE:
– Fishers IGA 6 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Lee Thomas, Arthur Paar 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Rick McMeekin, Graeme O’Neill 2)
– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Peter Midgley 1) d Tankard Dental 5 (Nicholas Dorman, Kate Carmichael 2)
– Mallee Bearings 6 (Mark Ljubic 3, Leon Brown 1) d Dunkley Scales 5 (Matt Ljubic, Ed Hung 2, Ashley Morrison 1)
PENNANT TWO:
– Fishers IGA 8 (Arnold Jago 3, Geoff Peters 2, Jeremy Corrin 1) d Mallee Bearings 3 (Brendan Alderton 2, Karly Leach 1)
– Tankard Dental 9 (Matt Avers, Peter Fitzpatrick 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Max Miller Carpets 2 (Aidan Moore 1)
– Weightmans Packaging 9 (Reece Kurrle 3, Colin Moore, Seval Fuat 2) d Pinnacle Packers 2 (Tony Malycha 2)
PENNANT THREE:
– Pinnacle Packers 8 (Cambell McKenzie 3, Peter Mikhaeil 2, Stephan Ljubic 1) d Mallee Bearings 3 (Quentin Clark 2, Paul Fitzpatrick 1)
– Fishers IGA 7 (Kerry Wallace, Hamish Clark, Stephan Ljubic 2) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Ajay Chowdhry 3)
Arthur Paar deserved a freebie from Geoff Wright after coming back from 2 sets to love in an 11th game decider to steer Fishers IGA home 6-5.
PENNANT ONE:
With all matches in round nine of the Sunraysia Table Tennis summer pennant decided by a 6-5 result an exciting final round looms with all six teams still a chance to play finals table tennis.
– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Peter Midgley 1) d Tankard Dental 5 (Nicholas Dorman, Kate Carmichael 2)
Going into this round Weightmans Packaging sat at the foot of the ladder however in a nail biter on the grand stand court they took the points 6-5 over Tankard Dental pushing Tankards, by the barest margin of percentage, to fifth position on the ladder. This is the first time for the season that Tankards have been outside the four and this week they line up against second placed Mallee Bearings. Can the young guns return to their early season form, even a close loss could see them return to the top four given the closeness of the competition.
In this round Weightmans were able to draw away early to take a four rubbers to two lead. The first doubles was a classic and vital to both sides however in a cliff hanger Weightmans Bernadette Fitzpatrick and Gavin Carmichael were able to recover from a 7-10 deficit in the fifth to win against Nicholas Dorman and Kate Carmichael 11-2 9-11 10-12 14-12 12-10.
Tankards then recovered to level the match at five rubbers all, included in this revival was another doubles marathon this time the Tankard duo of Nicholas Dorman and Cole Keegan survived a match point and inflicted the first defeat of the season on Gavin Carmichael and Peter Midgley in another five setter 6-11 15-13 6-11 11-9 13-11. 
With the match at five rubbers all Peter Midgley defeated Cole Keegan in three sets to give Weightmans the points. Weightmans skipper Gavin Carmichael won three singles with team mates Fitzpatrick and Midgley chipping in with one each in their most important match of the season. Defeat would have meant curtains!!!!
– Fishers IGA 6 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Lee Thomas, Arthur Paar 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Rick McMeekin, Graeme O’Neill 2)
On centre court first placed Fishers IGA and second team Max Miller Carpets battled it out for top position on the ladder and again this match went right to the wire. The Carpeters were out of the blocks early to take a four rubbers to two lead. At this point Carpeters Geoff Wright took to the table against Lee Thomas and he took the first two games and was only one game away from giving the Carpeters a 5-2 advantage, however Thomas was able to steady and in a spirited comeback took the third narrowly before going on to win 7-11 9-11 11-9 11-7 11-8. This reduced Fishers deficit to three rubbers to four.
The second doubles was vital to both teams and it was the Fishers pair of Wayne Carmichael and Arthur Paar who prevailed 8-11 12-10 14-12 9-11 11-7 over Rick McMeekin and Graeme O’Neill. The two best players in the competition Wayne Carmichael and Rick McMeekin then met in what was a top class singles match with Carmichael playing well to win 11-9 11-4 13-11 and in doing so Fishers had hit the front leading 5-4. O’Neill then levelled the match when he defeated Lee Thomas in straight sets.
With top position up for grabs Fishers Arthur Paar then played Geoff Wright. Wright could do no wrong early and took two of the first three games before the oldest player in the competition steadied. 
Paar tactically adjusted his game and used his forehand to great advantage going on to win 6-11 11-7 6-11 11-6 11-5. With this win Fishers remain one win clear at the top of the ladder and have moved to slight flag favouritism given Wayne Carmichael is in excellent form and again won three singles to remain undefeated in this competition.
– Mallee Bearings 6 (Matt Ljubic 3, Leon Brown 1) d Dunkley Scales 5 (Matt Ljubic, Ed Hung 2, Ashley Morrison 1)
In the remaining match played on the stage court, Mallee Bearings secured second place on the ladder by a narrow percentage when they defeated Dunkley Scales 6-5. Amazingly there were seven five set matches in this contest with the final five matches going the long distance. As usual the doubles are crucial and both were won in five sets by Mallee Bearings. There were some tremendous singles matches as well with the father and son match Mark Ljubic versus young gun Matt Ljubic. Young Ljubic needed to grab a win to keep his team alive however it was the experience that shone through with Mallee Bearings skipper Mark Ljubic winning 11-6 6-11 12-10 14-16 11-8 a great contest. 
That win was Ljubic senior’s third win for the night and in the last six rounds he has lost only one singles match. He is also receiving good support from his team mates and this combination could go all the way. This round Ljubic’s team mate Leon Brown won an important singles defeating Ash Morrison in the first game of the night. Brown also placed Ed Hung under extreme pressure and he actually took a 9-8 lead over Ed in the fifth. Brown at this stage was powering strong forehands’ at Ed and had him pinned to the back net. In a masterly move Ed then lobbed one right on to the net and rolled it over to level at nine all. From this point Leon could not recover and what left wondering what could have been when Ed took the next two points and the match 11-8 11-8 9-11 8-11 11-9.
Whilst Dunkley’s are at the bottom of the ladder they can still make the four which indicates that an exciting final round looms. This round team one on the ladder plays fourth, second plays fifth and third plays sixth.
PENNANT TWO: –
Three big wins this week to the teams which sit first, second and third on the ladder.
– Tankard Dental 9 (Matt Avers, Peter Fitzpatrick 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Max Miller Carpets 2 (Aidan Moore 1)
Tankard Dental proved to be much too good for Max Miller Carpets in this game.
Tankard Dental captain Matt Avers took, what is now usual for him, three wins; on this occasion Peter Fitzpatrick also took three, courtesy of a surprise win over Max Miller Carpets captain Aidan Moore. And playing his best table tennis of the season, Brian Hosking took two wins, both in five sets – the first against Andrew Alderton 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, and in the final rubber, although the match was well and truly decided, he downed Peter Edwards 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10.
Tankard Dental took the first doubles: Avers and Fitzpatrick, after a close first set, motored away to defeat Moore and Alderton 13-11, 11-5, 11-6.
For Max Miller Carpets, only Aidan Moore could ferret out a singles win, and that was against Tankard’s number three, Brian Hosking. The only other rubber they took was the second doubles: Moore and Edwards took the win in a scrappy match against Avers and Hosking 11-8, 11-6, 11-13, 11-8.
Max Miller Carpets were disappointed with this result, for not only are they capable of better, but it will not do their finals aspirations any favours either, because next week they play against the team to decide who gets fourth spot on the ladder, Mallee Bearings. Although Max Miller’s are a game ahead, their percentage is much worse than their opponents, so they must win next week; a loss would see Mallee Bearings draw level on points, and with their superior percentage they would then displace them for the final spot in the finals.
Final scores: 9 rubbers to 2 and 28 games to 14.
– Weightmans Packaging 9 (Reece Kurrle 3, Colin Moore, Seval Fuat 2) d Pinnacle Packers 2 (Tony Malycha 2)
In another one-sided match, Weightmans Packaging outplayed Pinnacle Packers at every turn.
Weightmans Packaging’s captain Reece Kurrle, for the fifth time this season, took three singles wins, and his team-mates Seval Fuat and Colin Moore two. The rubbers taken there were good enough for a solid win, but the team went better, taking both doubles as well.
Only Pinnacle Packers captain Tony Malycha could stop the slide of games going to their opponents, but he could only take two singles. The first singles win was against Seval Fuat, who has probably forgotten more about table tennis than a lot of us know. Fuat led two sets to one11-9, 3-11, 11-5, and Malycha had to play a careful game to take the next two 11-8, 11-8.
Still, Weightmans Packaging did not simply walk away with this game. The first doubles was a five set contest between Kurrle and Moore at one end and Malycha and Rachel Fitzpatrick at the other. The Pinnacle Packers pair led two sets to one 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, but faded in the final two sets losing them 11-5, 11-3. The very next match was similar. Pinnacle Packers number three Fitzpatrick led her opposite number Moore two sets to one 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, only for Moore to up his work rate and take the final two sets 11-7, 11-8.
This loss extinguishes any hope Pinnacle Packers may have had of being included in the finals.
Final scores: 9 rubbers to 2 and 27 games to 16.
– Fishers IGA 8 (Arnold Jago 3, Geoff Peters 2, Jeremy Corrin 1) d Mallee Bearings 3 (Brendan Alderton 2, Karly Leach 1)
After their narrow loss to Tankard Dental last week, Fishers IGA were in a mood for revenge in this round.
Fishers captain Arnold Jago was in no mood for nonsense, and as a result conceded only one set in singles play. As well as that, he made sure his team took both doubles, both in four sets, and both with a measure of ease. He and Jeremy Corrin downed Brendan Alderton and Jessica Dorman 11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5 and then later with Geoff Peters, Alderton and Karly Leach were on the receiving end. After dropping the first set 11-6, the Fishers pair were not really troubled in the final three taking them 6, 4 and 7.
For Mallee Bearings, Brendan Alderton assumed the captain’s role, and played like one, too. He refused to concede a set to Jeremy Corrin, winning 15-13, 11-8, 12-10 in a tight first round encounter. In the next round, he played one of his best games of the season against the dangerous Geoff Peters. Alderton took the first two sets 11-6, 11-9 only for Peters to get back on even terms with wins in the third and fourth sets 11-7, 11-6. Brendan held his nerve, though, and saw Peters off in the final set 11-7 to record just the second rubber for his team at that stage.
Only Karly Leach could add to the Mallee Bearings score, with a four set win over Corrin.
Fishers, however, had the game under control throughout, and this win puts a stop to the recent slide of losses for them, and also steadies them at third spot on the ladder.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 27 games to 14.
PENNANT THREE:
The final four for the finals are now decided in this grade. With a bye coming up this week, and a two game deficit to the team ahead of them, Mallee Bearings will not play in the finals. Pinnacle Packers and Dunkley Scales are first and second, Weightmans Packaging and Fishers IGA third and fourth.
– Fishers IGA 7 (Kerry Wallace, Hamish Clark, Stephan Ljubic 2) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Ajay Chowdhry 3)
Fourth placed Fishers IGA pulled off the surprise win in this round, defeating Dunkley Scales, who were ladder leaders.
Fishers had captain Mick Bacon and number three Shirley Whitecross absent, but were bolstered by their replacements, Kerry Wallace and Stephan Ljubic. And with the steady Hamish Clark at number two, this was a strong combination.
And so it proved. The three Fishers IGA players all took two singles wins – none of them being able to get the better of opposing captain Ajay Chowdhry, and Wallace and Clark defeated Chowdhry and John Fitzpatrick for the second doubles.
The stand out game in this match was the battle of the number two’s, Hamish Clark v. John Fitzpatrick. With the score at 5-4, Clark was looking to secure the win for his side, and Fitzpatrick was wanting to win so his side could take the game to the eleventh rubber.
Fitzpatrick started well, taking the first two sets 12-10, 11-7, but then the experience of his older opponent started to tell. Clark reeled off the next three sets 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 to dash the hopes of the Dunkley Scales side.
A disappointing result for Dunkley Scales, but there is better to come in the upcoming weeks. For Fishers IGA, Kerry Wallace is a stand-out performer, and Mick Bacon will have to lift his game when he returns to his spot next week to match Kerry’s standard.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 23 games to 16.
– Pinnacle Packers 8 (Cambell McKenzie 3, Peter Mikhaeil 2, Stephan Ljubic 1) d Mallee Bearings 3 (Quentin Clark 2, Paul Fitzpatrick 1)
Mallee Bearings ended their season with a disappointing 8-3 loss to new ladder leaders Pinnacle Packers.
After six rubbers the score was 3-3, but that was good as it got for the Bearings side, as Pinnacle Packers took the next 5 rubbers to run away with the game.
Pinnacle Packers number two Cambell McKenzie once again scored three singles wins, his captain Peter Mikhaeil took two, and Stephan Ljubic subbing for Grant Stone, one.
Added to this haul were both doubles: Mikhaeil and McKenzie were kept honest by Paul Fitzpatrick and Quentin Clark on their way to an 11-5, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6 victory, and later Mikhaeil and Ljubic took a straight sets win over Fitzpatrick and Ben Hosking.
For the Mallee Bearings side, Quentin Clark was the pick of the players – Clark was in sparkling form in taking two singles wins, and very nearly a third.
After downing Stephan Ljubic in straight sets,
Clark bounced back from a one set deficit to defeat his taller opponent Peter Mikhaeil 8-11, 13-11, 11-6, 15-13. In the final round of singles, Clark matched it with Cambell McKenzie, but McKenzie had the final say, winning 5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 26 games to 13.
