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Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant results round 13: –
PENNANT ONE: –
Fishers IGA 7 (Darren Robinson 3, Gavin Carmichael, Matt Ljubic 2) d Bishop Builders 4 (Shannon Bowen 2)
Weightmans Packaging 6 (Mark Ljubic 3, Andrew Cannard 2) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Mark Dorman 2, Ali Taheri, Graeme O’Neill 1)
Pinnacle Packers 5 (Wayne Carmichael 3, John Gray 2) d Max Miller Carpets 4 (Rick McMeekin 2, Shane Carmichael 1)
PENNANT TWO: –
Pinnacle Packers 5 (Matt Ljubic, Seval Fuat 2) d Fishers IGA 0)
Tankard Dental 6 (Nicholas Dorman 2, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)d Spanline 5 (Geoff Wright, George Papanicolaou 2, Arnold Jago 1)
PENNANT THREE: –
Mallee Bearings 6 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Michael Hensgen, Peter Edwards 2) d Fishers IGA 5 (Cole Keegan 3)
Dunkley Scales 6, (Jessica Dorman, Leonie Dunkley 2) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Peter Kelly 3, Sam Hensgen, Ben Hosking 1)
Bishop Builders 8 (Tony Malycha 3, Claire Ljubic 3, Jeff Hards 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Karly Leach 2, Mick Bacon 1)
The eyes may indicate one of a man with dangerous intent. Darren ‘Hurricane’ Robinson showed in Rnd 13 that perhaps the season wasnt all but over for the Monday Night specialist. Hurricane’s form would also bring a sigh of relief to his captain Richie Carmichael who has tried all Winter to find the secret motivation tool for his star No. 2.
PENNANT ONE:
Round thirteen of Sunraysia Table Tennis featured the clash of the top two teams Pinnacle Packers and Max Miller Carpets. Going into this round both teams sat at the head of the ladder with nine wins apiece with the Carpeters enjoying a small percentage advantage.
Pinnacle Packers 5 (Wayne Carmichael 3, John Gray 2) d Max Miller Carpets 4 (Rick McMeekin 2, Shane Carmichael 1)
Both teams were a player short and this match was a shortened two a side version held on the stage court. The crowd started to build early in the evening sensing a top match later in the night between the skippers Wayne Carmichael and Rick McMeekin.
The one and only doubles was expected to be crucial and this was a top class match with Carpeters pair Rick McMeekin and Shane Carmichael recovering from a deficit to outlast Wayne Carmichael and John Gray 8-11 14-12 10-12 11-7 11-7. It was thought the Carpeters would gain the edge with this doubles win however John Gray then kept his team in the contest when he was able to narrowly take the points against Shane Carmichael 11-9 9-11 11-6 9-11 11-9 in a match going right to the wire.
With the match at two rubbers all skippers Wayne Carmichael and Rick McMeekin took to the table and it was Carmichael who was out of the blocks early from which McMeekin could not recover and Carmichael prevailed in four sets to give his team the four points. Carmichael now has the edge by one victory in the singles aggregate race with two rounds to play and his team has edged one game clear in first position on the ladder.
This was the Carpeters second loss on the trot and it is no coincidence that for the second week in succession they were without number three player Sony Sefer. The Carpeter’s selectors will be frantically tracking him down over the school holiday break. Mysteriously he disappeared with out communicating with his skipper that he would be away not for one round but two. Opposition teams are now beginning to wonder, does this team talk amongst themselves????
Three questions: Will Sefer return? If yes can Sefer turn the fortunes of this once mighty team around? Will there be a crisis meeting?
Weightmans Packaging 6 (Mark Ljubic 3, Andrew Cannard 2) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Mark Dorman 2, Ali Taheri, Graeme O’Neill 1)
Despite being on the bottom of the ladder Weightmans Packaging have kept their season alive when they defeated fourth placed Mallee Bearings 6-5 on centre court. 
Weightmans skipper Mark Ljubic sensing the season was slipping away played outstanding table tennis to win three singles. With the match at four rubbers all Ljubic took on opposing skipper Mark Dorman. After losing the first game Ljubic then hit his straps as only he can and he was able to control the next three games to win handsomely in four and give his team a 5-4 lead. Andrew Cannard for Weightmans then accounted for the fast improving Ali Taheri in three sets to give Weightmans a much needed victory.Cannard won two singles on the night and teamed with Ljubic to win the first doubles. With two rounds to play three teams sit within one victory from fourth to sixth and an exciting race to the finals is shaping up.
Fishers IGA 7 (Darren Robinson 3, Gavin Carmichael, Matt Ljubic 2) d Bishop Builders 4 (Shannon Bowen 2)
The loss by Mallee Bearings has kept fifth placed Bishop Builders in the race as well despite their 4-7 loss to third placed Fishers IGA.
Fishers number two Darren Robinson bounced back after two quiet weeks by his standards to win three singles and his five set victory 10-12 11-13 11-7 11-8 11-9 over Shannon Bowen was a real highlight. The other highlight in this match was the performance of Fishers fill in Matt Ljubic who won two singles to play a key role in Fishers victory. Fifteen year old Ljubic defeated more experienced opponents Arthur Paar in five and Jackson Tung in four sets in what was an excellent display from the pennant two player.
For Bishop Builders, despite his loss to Robinson, Shannon Bowen tried desperately to get his team over the line participating in two doubles victories as well as two singles wins including a hard fought five set victory over Gavin Carmichael 11-7 9-11 6-11 11-8 11-8.
PENNANT TWO:
A close call for the ladder leaders in one match – and an easy win to Pinnacle Packers in the other.
Tankard Dental 6 (Nicholas Dorman 2, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Peter Fitzpatrick 1)d Spanline 5 (Geoff Wright, George Papanicolaou 2, Arnold Jago 1)
Spanline oh-so-nearly took the win in this Round 13 clash of teams at either end of the ladder. Tankard Dental, looking to protect their perfect record for the year, twelve wins from twelve rounds, were on the back foot all night, with the match decided in the final rubber.
The player responsible for this turn of events was Spanline number two George Papanicolaou. This is George’s first full season in senior pennant, and whilst his ability is undoubted, he has not yet shown that ability over the course of a full match.
Papanicolaou met Tankard Dental captain Nicholas Dorman in the first rubber of the night, and straight away Dorman was in trouble. Papanicolaou swept to a two sets to love lead with pin-point accurate forehands and backhands, and few mistakes. Dorman was struggling, making mistakes and was generally outplayed. It appeared that the contest might be all over in three sets, but Dorman regrouped, changed his style of play and grafted back to two sets all. Papanicolaou again had the upper hand in the fifth, and it was telling that the final point of the match was an error by Nicholas, which really summed up his play to that point.
In the second round of singles Papanicolaou met Bernadette Fitzpatrick. He always had the upper hand, and although he lost the first set, there was a feeling of inevitability about the result, he dominated the remaining three, taking them 6,7 and 8, and George was victorious again.
In between times, Spanline had led 2-0, Tankards then through Bernadette Fitzpatrick out-wizarding Arnold Jago, and Dorman and Peter Fitzpatrick in their defeat of Geoff Wright and Papanicolaou levelling at 2-2.
Tankard Dental led briefly with a win by Dorman over Wright, but Spanline took the next two singles, and Tankard’s, now needing to square at 4 all to keep any hopes of a win alive, the pressure was on Dorman and Bernadette Fitzpatrick in the second doubles, where they met Jago and Wright. They responded admirably – after losing the first 6-11, they then took the next three in a controlled display 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.
In the last round of singles Bernadette lost to Geoff Wright, and the signs were not good. Even if Dorman defeated Jago, what of the in-form Papanicolaou against Peter Fitzpatrick ? Dorman did defeat Jago to again level the scores, and in a strange twist, Tankard Dental number three Peter Fitzpatrick defeated Papanicolaou in four sets, to deliver what had seemed only a short while before, a most unlikely victory.
Pinnacle Packers 5 (Matt Ljubic, Seval Fuat 2) d Fishers IGA 0)
Pinnacle Packers were untroubled in this shortened game. Unfortunately, two players were missing: Brian Hosking for the Packers, and David Balshaw for Fishers IGA, so it was all over in five rubbers.
Matt Ljubic wasted no time in his singles matches – both were over in three sets. His opponents Andrew Jones and Lachlan Kelly could only extract 13 and 17 points respectively from Ljubic.
Similarly, Seval Fuat took both his singles, and three and five sets.
And combined in the doubles, Ljubic and Fuat scored their fifth win for the night in a three set victory.
PENNANT THREE:
The race is on for fourth spot on the ladder in Pennant Three. Bishop Builders have trailed Pinnacle Packers all season, but in the last two weeks they have recorded two wins, whilst the Packers have recorded two losses. This sees the Builders jump the Packers and go to fourth, and in so doing are now a game clear of them. With two rounds to go, these two teams will be playing each match like a Grand Final, striving for that fourth spot, and a chance of finals action.
Dunkley Scales 6, (Jessica Dorman, Leonie Dunkley 2) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Peter Kelly 3, Sam Hensgen, Ben Hosking 1)
Weightmans Packaging have looked relatively secure in third spot on the ladder all season, but as a result of this week’s games’, things are looking a little shaky.
Not only did Weightmans lose this match, but Bishop Builders, now fourth, and with their second win in a row, are now only one match behind them.
Dunkley Scales thoroughly deserved this win, if only to make up for the many occasions they have come close and lost !!
Two wins to Jessica Dorman, two wins to Leonie Dunkley and wins in both doubles gave the Scalers the match after the tenth rubber.
Dorman and Dunkley both defeated Sam Hensgen, who was filling in for Peter Mikhaeil, and Ben Hosking. Neither, however, could get the better of opposing captain Peter Kelly, who took all his singles in just three sets.
And the ladies played superior doubles too. Dorman and Dunkley played a fairly tight match against Kelly and Hensgen. The first two sets were shared 11-9. After that the Dunkley Scales pair took control with scores of 11-8, 11-6 in the final two sets. Dorman and Whitecross had a similar game in the second doubles against Kelly and Hosking, taking the first 11-6, losing the second 4-11, then steadying in the final two sets 11-7, 11-6 to take the win. At that stage, a win was on the cards, as the Scalers led 5 rubbers to 3.
And, unlike other occasions, they held on in the last round of singles to take the win. Kelly defeated Dorman to keep his side in with a chance,
but Leonie Dunkley immediately sealed the win with a strong performance against Hensgen 15-13, 11-8, 11-6.
A most deserved win, and a game in which the doubles results were the difference. Final scores 6 rubbers to 5 and 19 games to 17.
Mallee Bearings 6 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Michael Hensgen, Peter Edwards 2) d Fishers IGA 5 (Cole Keegan 3)
This match, between the two top sides, showed the dependence Fishers IGA have on their captain, Cole Keegan. Keegan was untouchable in his singles, winning all three, and easily, in three sets. But that, and both doubles, with Keegan pairing with his team-mates Sam Hensgen and Helen Frania, were the sum total of games for his team in this clash.
The Mallee Bearings team, on the other hand, recorded two singles wins apiece to take six rubbers and the match.
The Fishers side did have chances, two, in fact, to take the match. Fishers only needed one singles win from either Sam Hensgen or Helen Frania. 
Sam Hensgen played in two five set losses in his singles, matches which he had chances to take. He traded sets with Peter Edwards in the second round of singles, but lost the fifth 13-11. And the same thing happened against his brother Michael in the tenth rubber. Again sets alternated, and once again Sam lost in the fifth 13-11.
Mallee Bearings have won two of the three encounters this season, but with the finals coming on, expect to see Sam Hensgen and Helen Frania lift their games.
Final scores 6 rubbers to 5 and 20 games to 21.
Bishop Builders 8 (Tony Malycha 3, Claire Ljubic 3, Jeff Hards 1) d Pinnacle Packers 3 (Karly Leach 2, Mick Bacon 1)
Going into this match, these two sides were equal fourth, both on 20 points, so this match was a bit of a test of strength.
Bishop Builders won handsomely 8 rubbers to 3. Tony Malycha, filling in for the absent Graham Southwell helped himself to 3 wins, and Jeff Hards, doing likewise for Sosefa Fevleaki contributed one. 
Captain Claire Ljubic took two wins, but found opposing number two Karly Leach too good for her in her second round match.
The Builders won both the doubles, Ljubic and Hards in five sets against Mick Bacon and Leach, and the second doubles was a short affair, Ljubic and Malycha downing Bacon and Quentin Clark in three 5, 9 and 3.
After losing to Pinnacle Packers 9 rubbers to 2 in Round 3, Bishop Builders have won the last two stoushes 8 rubbers to 3.
And their win this time was better than the time before – last time it was 25 games to 18, this time 27 games to 12.
As already pointed out, the Builders are really in a fight for fourth spot with Pinnacle Packers, but they also have a sniff of third, should Weightmans Packaging, a game above them on the ladder, have any more losses.
