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Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant round 11: –
PENNANT ONE:
– Fishers IGA 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, John Gray, Kevin Johns 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Mark Dorman, Nicholas Dorman 2)
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Joel Thomas 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Michael Hogarth 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Shannon Bowen, Andrew Cannard 2)
– Max Miller Carpets 7 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Ed Hung, Shane Carmichael 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Matt Ljubic, Kate Carmichael 1)
PENNANT TWO:
– Tankard Dental 6 (Josh Carmichael 3, Ross Humphreys 2, Matt Avers 1) d Spanline 5 (Geoff Peters 2, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Peter Midgley 3, Matthew Burns 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5(Ashley Morrison, Aidan Moore 2, Cole Keegan 1)
– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Sony Sefer, Arnold Jago, Tony Malycha 2) d Fishers IGA 5 (Leon Brown 3)
PENNANT THREE:
– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Rod Healy 3, Jai Green 2, Jol Peters 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Rachel Fitzpatrick 2, Peter Edwards 1)
– Bishop Builders 7 (Peter Kelly 3, Mick Bacon, Jeff Hards 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Karly Leach 2, Colin Moore, Sam Hensgen 1)
– Mallee Bearings 8 (Alan Erskine 3, Peter Mikhaeil, Brian Hosking 2) d Fishers IGA 3 (Jeremy Corrin 2)
PENNANT FOUR:
– Fishers IGA 6 (Cambell McKenzie 3, Ben Hosking, Soyel Zahidi 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Kumail Jaffry, Ajay Chowdrey 2)
– Sunny Daily 7 (Paul Reyes 3, Shirley Whitecross, Sue Green 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Kim Avers, Quentin Clark 2)
Jeff Hards celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday night. Many happy returns Jeff, and you thought you would get off lightly.
PENNANT ONE:
Two rounds ago Fishers IGA had suffered two defeats in succession and had dropped from top position on the Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant one ladder and were replaced by the “dream Team” Dunkley’s Scales who had won seven matches in succession. Two weeks later Fishers IGA have bounced back while Dunkley’s have lost two on the trot. Three other teams from third to fifth now sit on five wins apiece after eleven rounds. With four rounds to play the battle is on to shape the final four.
Amazingly thirteen of the eighteen pennant one players took part in the 63rd Victorian Country Championships at the weekend in Melbourne and had acquitted themselves well. After only returning less than 48 hours earlier they were fronting up again after two and a half solid days of table tennis not to mention the travel as well. A great effort by all the players involved.
– Fishers IGA 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, John Gray, Kevin Johns 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Mark Dorman, Nicholas Dorman 2)
In this, the eleventh round, Fishers IGA matched up against bottom team Tankard Dental on the stage court and had to work hard to record a 7-4 victory to move two games clear at the top of the ladder. Singles aggregate leader Wayne Carmichael enjoyed a good night out winning three singles as well as taking part in both doubles victories.
His team mates Kevin Johns and John Gray also chipped in with an important singles each to lock their team into the double chance with finals looming in the next month.
For Tankard Dental the Dorman father and son combination Mark and Nicholas were able to win two singles each.
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Joel Thomas 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Michael Hogarth 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Shannon Bowen, Andrew Cannard 2)
The big winners this round were Weightmans Packaging who, on the grand stand court, accounted for the more fancied Dunkley’s Scales 7-4 in a terrific team effort. This win moved Weightmans into the top four albeit by percentage. 
Skipper Joel Thomas led the way winning three singles and partnering Michael Hogarth and Bernadette Fitzpatrick to two doubles victories. Both Hogarth and Fitzpatrick each won a singles as well to reverse the result from when these two teams last met.
– Max Miller Carpets 7 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Ed Hung, Shane Carmichael 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Matt Ljubic, Kate Carmichael 1)
Max Miller Carpets in the third 7-4 result for the round, this one on centre court, proved too good for Mallee Bearings who slipped from third to fifth as a result of this defeat albeit again by percentage only in what is a real fight for third and fourth. Like the other winning teams the Carpeters were successful in both doubles, the second week in succession they have managed to do this. The Carpeters skipper Gavin Carmichael won three singles however had to fight off the hard hitting Matt Ljubic who hit some fine attacking fore hands in their singles match.
For the second round in succession Ed Hung played extremely well in the doubles, hitting some fine attacking shots to blunt the opposition.
PENNANT TWO:
Things are starting to get tight for second, third and fourth on the ladder after this round of competition. Three close wins from matches this week.
– Tankard Dental 6 (Josh Carmichael 3, Ross Humphreys 2, Matt Avers 1) d Spanline 5 (Geoff Peters 2, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)
Both Josh Carmichael of Tankard Dental and Geoff Wright of Spanline went to Melbourne on the Long Weekend for the Country Championships. This competition is seen as a way for players to fast-track their game, with constant playing over two days.
Well, it seems that Josh got the most out of the weekend, for despite his team being at the bottom of the ladder, he scored three impressive singles wins to help his side to a win here against Spanline who sit second.
Carmichael was impressive in his wins. 
It must be remembered that Carmichael is young enough to play in the junior competition, and his three opponents, whilst not necessarily better than him, were certainly older, and had a bit more experience than he. So his composure to defeat each of his opponents in five sets shows a new level of maturity in his game, and bodes well for him. Against both Peter Fitzpatrick and Geoff Wright he was two sets to love down, yet was able to reel off the last three sets to take those wins. His win over Rod Healy (subbing for Andrew Jones) was a little more orthodox, in that neither player had any real ascendency over their opponent. So his tenacity in taking that match 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7 clearly brightens Tankard Dental’s future !!
Captain Ross Humphreys took two wins, against Healy and Fitzpatrick and both in three sets. And Matt Avers took a valuable win too, and this against his former sparring partner in Pennant Three, Rod Healy. When Matt was promoted into Pennant Two after Round 4, he was in second spot and two games behind Healy on the Pennant Three aggregate. Matt’s game has improved to an extent that he despatched Healy in four sets in this game 6-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-4.
For Spanline, captain Geoff Wright took two singles wins; in four over Humphreys and three over Avers. Fitzpatrick took one; he struggled to a five set win over the much-improved Avers.
Spanline took both doubles to keep themselves in the contest – Wright and Fitzpatrick, looking comfortable after taking the first two sets against Humphreys and Carmichael 11-7, 11-5, promptly lost the next two 5-11, 7-11 to give Tankard Dental a chance. They held on to win in the fifth, though, 11-7. In the second doubles Wright and Healy, having never played together before, had to work hard to get any sort of combination going. Whilst they were doing that, they lost the first two sets 11-13, 8-11. But then it came together, and so did the last three sets, 6, 2 and 9 for a good win.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 25 games to 22.
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Peter Midgley 3, Matthew Burns 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5(Ashley Morrison, Aidan Moore 2, Cole Keegan 1)
Pinnacle Packers had to rely on wins in both doubles in this game to secure the win over Max Miller Carpets.
Despite winning three singles, and partnering his team-mates to wins in the doubles, Pinnacle Packers captain Peter Midgley needed another team member to take a win against the very evenly-matched Max Miller combination.
That win was already there, in the first rubber. In that game, Matt Burns (subbing for Glen Bell), got home against Cole Keegan in what proved to be a very valuable rubber for the Packers. Burns has played a trio of games now this season, and his game is again improving. It needed to be, because Keegan is becoming difficult to handle, but Matt had the answers in this game, taking it 11-7, 11-1, 8-11, 7-11, 11-4.
Midgley was then involved in the rest of the rubbers for his team; his own three singles wins coming in three sets over Aidan Moore, and four sets against Keegan and Ashley Morrison. The doubles matches were fairly short too; he and Terry Martin downing Keegan and Moore in four sets, and later with Matt Burns a straight sets win over Morrison and Keegan.
For Max Millers, captain Ashley Morrison and number three Aidan Moore took two wins apiece, both against Martin and Burns. And Cole Keegan took one, also against Martin, to keep him winless for the night.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 25 games to 20.
– Weightmans Packaging 6 (Sony Sefer, Arnold Jago, Tony Malycha 2) d Fishers IGA 5 (Leon Brown 3)
With a solid team performance here, Weightmans moved a game clear of second placed Spanline at the head of the ladder after eleven rounds of competition.
Weightmans played well for the win, each player scoring two singles wins, but a sobering thought is that none of them could defeat opposing captain Leon Brown.
Brown was once again in sparkling form, defeating Arnold Jago in four sets, and both Sony Sefer and Tony Malycha in three. In the doubles, when partnering Geoff Peters, they defeated Sefer and Malycha 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7. At the time, that made the scores 2 rubbers each. Then in the second doubles he and experienced Seval Fuat outplayed Sefer and Jago, demolishing them in straight sets, 9, 8 and 5 to keep his team in the game, and making the score 4 rubbers all.
With the final round of singles to come, and both sides needing two of the three games on offer, Fishers started well, Seval Fuat taking the first two sets in his game against Sony Sefer 12-10, 11-8, and looking good to get the required rubber. However, Sefer rallied, and in a telling third set, got his team on the board with a 17-15 win in that set. From there on it was all downhill for Seval, as Sony rattled off the last two sets 11-3, 11-5. 
Arnold Jago sealed the win for Weightmans with a four set win over Geoff Peters. Brown took the eleventh rubber, to limit the damage for his side.
Final scores: 6 rubbers to 5 and 21 games to 23.
PENNANT THREE:
Three one-sided games this week in this grade, and the biggest winner was Bishop Builders, who, added to their win last round, have jumped from fifth on the ladder two weeks ago, to be now second.
– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Rod Healy 3, Jai Green 2, Jol Peters 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Rachel Fitzpatrick 2, Peter Edwards 1)
Weightmans Packaging continued their domination of this grade with an effortless win over Pinnacle Packers.
All three players, Rod Healy, Jai Green and Jol Peters contributed to the result – all won singles rubbers, and the side took both doubles easily.
Healy once again took three singles rubbers, although both Rachel Fitzpatrick and Paul Fitzpatrick managed to get one set out of him. Unfortunately for both Rod and his third opponent, Peter Edwards, that match was won by Rod on forfeit, because of the lateness of the hour at which it would have been played. This came about due to Rod filling-in in Pennant Two.
Jai Green took two singles – a good five set contest with Peter Edwards, but an easier, three setter against Paul Fitzpatrick.
Jol Peters contributed with a single win, also against Paul Fitzpatrick in a game that could have gone to his opponent. Jol won 5-11, 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 15-13.
Healy’s domination of this grade can be gauged by the ease with which his side won the doubles rubbers. Pairing with Green in the first, and Peters in the second, both contests were decided after only three sets.
For Pinnacle Packers, Rachel Fitzpatrick came away with two wins – against both Green and Peters in four sets.
Birthday boy, Peter Edwards, also defeated Jol Peters comfortably 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 and with that retains seventh spot and moves to 16 games on the aggregate.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 26 games to 15.
– Bishop Builders 7 (Peter Kelly 3, Mick Bacon, Jeff Hards 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Karly Leach 2, Colin Moore, Sam Hensgen 1)
Bishop Builders second win in as many weeks has seen them skyrocket from fifth to second on the ladder.
After enduring a drought of six winless weeks, the last fortnight for the Builders has seen two strong wins to lift them from almost the bottom of the ladder to second.
Captain Peter Kelly has led the way, securing three singles wins in both weeks – this week his wins against Karly Leach, Colin Moore and Sam Hensgen requiring only three sets each.
Mick Bacon and
Jeff Hards came up with a win each – Bacon against Hensgen in three sets and Hards against Colin Moore in four.
The doubles rubbers were closer: the first, between Kelly and Bacon for the Builders against Leach and Moore was a close four set contest, with the Bishop Builders pair taking the win 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10. The Dunkley Scales pair of Leach and Hensgen had their chances to take the second doubles against Bacon and Hards, but again the Builders pair were up to task with an 11-7, 15-17, 11-7, 2-11, 11-8 win.
For Dunkley Scales, Karly Leach took two rubbers. The first two sets of her match with Jeff Hards were close, 14-12, 11-9, but Hards’ game fell away in the third and Karly took it easily 11-2. Her second win was over Mick Bacon in a match where there was only one close set, the first, with the others being won easily. Karly took the match 11-13, 11-2, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6.
Both Colin Moore and Sam Hensgen came up with a singles win each: Moore came from two sets to love down against Mick Bacon to win 4-11, 4-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-3, after looking out of the game after the first two sets, and Hensgen took a three set win over Hards in the final rubber to put some respectability into the score for his team.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4 and 25 games to 17.
– Mallee Bearings 8 (Alan Erskine 3, Peter Mikhaeil, Brian Hosking 2) d Fishers IGA 3 (Jeremy Corrin 2)
Mallee Bearings secured their fourth win of the season with a big win over Fishers IGA, and although they remain on the bottom of the ladder they join Dunkley Scales on 16 points, and are only a game away from the three teams above them. It’s all very close !!
The Mallee Bearings side were without Sabrina Fitzpatrick and Helen Frania this week: Alan Erskine and Brian Hosking subbed for them, respectively.
They both did a superb job, Erskine particularly, winning three singles and helping captain Peter Mikhaeil to take the first doubles.
Erskine has not played for some time, and his wins here were all hard-fought. In his first rubber against Michael Hensgen, Erskine had the measure of his opponent, but still the match went to four sets before Alan took an 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 11-4 win. His next match against number three Tom Douglas was much more difficult – Erskine was down two sets to one 11-7, 10-12, 8-11, and had to come up with some fine play to overcome his younger opponent. He took the last two sets 11-7, 11-9. After that fright, Erskine found his match with Jeremy Corrin somewhat easier. Corrin, who sits second on the aggregate ladder took the first set from the Mallee Bearings number two 11-8, but Erskine had his measure in the final three sets taking them 9, 8 and 6.
Together with those three rubbers, Peter Mikhaeil and Brian Hosking came good with two each – Mikhaeil in three sets over Michael Hensgen, and once again another player who needed a full five sets against the Fishers IGA number three Tom Douglas. Mikhaeil was probably lucky to get away with the win too, as he was two sets to love down, and scrambled home in the fifth 14-12. Hosking too, defeated Hensgen and Douglas – against Hensgen he took the win in four sets, after earlier replicating Mikhaeil’s performance against Douglas. Yes, Hosking was two sets to love down, too 9-11, 5-11, but some solid play in the third set saw a 12-10 win to put him back into the match. The final two sets came more easily, 8 and 7.
With a five set win in the first doubles, Mallee Bearings scored a big win. That win was no foregone result, however. Another five setter, Mikhaeil and Erskine against Corrin and Hensgen – the Fishers pair were looking good after winning the first two sets 11-8, 12-10. But they could not continue their good work, and Mikhaeil and Erskine took the last three 8, 9 and 6.
For Fishers IGA, Jeremy Corrin continued his good form. Corrin took two singles – easily defeating opposing captain Mikhaeil in three sets. Corrin ran through Mikhaeil 3, 2 and 7. Later on he played Brian Hosking for and 11-5, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 win. The only other rubber to come Fishers’ way, was the second doubles: Corrin and Douglas (Douglas at last getting some reward for effort), downed Mikhaeil and Hosking 4-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5.
An interesting fact here: every rubber Tom Douglas played went to five sets. He won the doubles rubber, but lost his singles encounters. Surely, the time cannot be too far away when Douglas will convert those five set losses into five set wins.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and 27 games to 20.
PENNANT FOUR:
– Fishers IGA 6 (Cambell McKenzie 3, Ben Hosking, Soyel Zahidi 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Kumail Jaffry, Ajay Chowdrey 2)
Eleven matches eleven wins. Fishers IGA were right under the pump in this contest however were able to win 6-5 against the hardworking Max Miller Carpets. Fishers maintained their undefeated record, the only team in any grade to achieve this result.
In this match they did not have it all their own way and had to wait until the final match when 
Soyel Zahidi defeated Sonya Shalliker to secure victory. For the victors Cambell McKenzie again won three singles to maintain his lead in the singles aggregate. His match against opposing number one Kumail Jaffry was a beauty, it went to five, and was a great battle between two of the best players in this pennant. Cambell won the hard fought match 11-6 10-12 9-11 12-10 11-9. A loss in this singles would have seen the first defeat for the ladder leader, oh so close!
The doubles were shared while for The Carpeters Kumail and fill in Ajay Chowdrey won two singles each.
– Sunny Daily 7 (Paul Reyes 3, Shirley Whitecross, Sue Green 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Kim Avers, Quentin Clark 2)
Second placed Sunny Daily proved too steady for their opponents Weightmans Packaging winning 7-4. Skipper Paulo Reyes showed the way winning three singles and to cap off a good night he also participated in both doubles victories. In his singles match against Weightmans skipper, Kim Avers. Paulo was right under pressure trailing one game to two before he was able to steady and take the points 13-11 10-12 3-11 11-7 11-7. This was a great match by the respective number one players.
Kim and team mate Quentin Clark both won two singles each for Weightmans. Quentin is currently fourth in the singles aggregate in what has been a consistent season by him. One of his goals was to qualify for the Super 8’s and this is now well in his reach with four rounds to play.
Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant round 11: –
PENNANT ONE: – Fishers IGA 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, John Gray, Kevin Johns 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Mark Dorman, Nicholas Dorman 2); Weightmans Packaging 7 (Joel Thomas 3, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Michael Hogarth 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Shannon Bowen, Andrew Cannard 2); Max Miller Carpets 7 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Ed Hung, Shane Carmichael 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Matt Ljubic, Kate Carmichael 1)
PENNANT TWO: – Tankard Dental 6 (Josh Carmichael 3, Ross Humphreys 2, Matt Avers 1) d Spanline 5 (Geoff Wright 2, Peter Fitzpatrick 1); Pinnacle Packers 6 (Peter Midgley 3, Matthew Burns 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5(Ashley Morrison, Aidan Moore 2, Cole Keegan 1); Weightmans Packaging 6 (Sony Sefer, Arnold Jago, Tony Malycha 2) d Fishers IGA 5 (Leon Brown 3);
PENNANT THREE: – Weightmans Packaging 8 (Rod Healy 3, Jai Green 2, Jol Peters 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Rachel Fitzpatrick 2, Peter Edwards 1); Bishop Builders 7 (Peter Kelly 3, Mick Bacon, Jeff Hards 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Karly Leach 2, Colin Moore, Sam Hensgen 1); Mallee Bearings 8 (Alan Erskine 3, Peter Mikhaeil, Brian Hosking 2) d Fishers IGA 3 (Jeremy Corrin 2)
PENNANT FOUR: – Fishers IGA 6 (Cambell McKenzie 3, Ben Hosking, Soyel Zahidi 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Kumail Jaffry, Ajay Chowdrey 2); Sunny Daily 7 (Paul Reyes 3, Shirley Whitecross, Sue Green 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Kim Avers, Quentin Clark 2)
