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Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant results round 9: –
PENNANT ONE: –
– Max Miller Carpets 6 (Rick McMeekin 3, Shane Carmichael, Sony Sefer 1) d Fishers IGA 5 (Gavin Carmichael, Darren Robinson 2)
– Pinnacle Packers 5 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Peter Midgley 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Dorman, Ali Taheri 2)
– Bishop Builders 6 (Shannon Bowen, Jackson Tung 2, Arthur Paar 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Mark Ljubic, Andrew Cannard 1)
PENNANT TWO: –
– Pinnacle Packers 7 (Matt Ljubic 3, Seval Fuat 2) d Spanline 4 (Arnold Jago 2, Geoff Wright, Matt Carmichael 1)
– Tankard Dental 7 (Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Nicholas Dorman 3, Peter Fitzpatrick 1) d Fishers IGA 4 (Matthew Burns, Andrew Jones 1)
PENNANT THREE: –
– Fishers IGA 8 (Cole Keegan, Sam Hensgen 3) d Dunkley Scales 3 (Jessica Dorman, Leonie Dunkley, Shirley Whitecross 1)
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Karly Leach 3, Mick Bacon 2) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 2, Michael Hensgen, Peter Edwards 1)
– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Peter Kelly 3, Peter Mikhaeil 2, Ben Hosking 1) d Bishop Builders 3 (Claire Ljubic, Graham Southwell, Sosefa Fevaleaki 1)
Fishers IGA Senior player of the round:Matt Ljubic
Support staff Julia Edwards seen here busily working on her pending grandchilds baby blanket.
PENNANT ONE:
For the second round in succession all Sunraysia Table Tennis pennant one matches were decided by the barest margin with all a possibility of going either way in what has been an even season to date after nine rounds.
– Bishop Builders 6 (Shannon Bowen, Jackson Tung 2, Arthur Paar 1) d Weightmans Packaging 5 (Mark Ljubic, Andrew Cannard 1)
Bishop Builders moved from the bottom of the ladder with a 6-5 victory over Weightmans Packaging on the grandstand court. There was plenty of action in this match, early on Builders number two Jackson Tung almost defeated Andrew Cannard in what was a tremendous five setter. Tung was thrashed in the first two games but took the next two before going down 10-12 in the fifth. 
Tung’s next match was against Weightmans number one Mark Ljubic and in a fantastic display Tung took the match against the “five set king’’ 11-6 3-11 11-6 6-11 11-7 which in the end was crucial to his teams success as later Ljubic downed Tung’s skipper Shannon Bowen in yet another five set stoush.
Unfortunately for Weightmans their number three Ross Humphreys was injured in the second doubles causing a forfeit and he could not take his place in his final singles handing two rubbers to Bishop Builders, however it was the success of Tung over Ljubic which enabled Bishop Builders to grab the points leaving them level on wins with fourth spot on the ladder.
– Pinnacle Packers 5 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Peter Midgley 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Dorman, Ali Taheri 2)
Ladder leader Pinnacle Packers and Mallee Bearings lined up on centre court in a condensed match of two versus two as both were missing a player each due to injury. John Gray failed a fitness test and is still struggling with a calf. Graeme O’Neill was a late withdrawal after minor surgery.
The one and only doubles was highly crucial in this battle of first and fourth and early on Mallee Bearings pair Mark Dorman and Ali Taheri held sway winning the first two games 11-8 11-8. 
Opponents Wayne Carmichael and Peter Midgley then hit their straps to take the next three games 11-7 11-5 11-6 which was instrumental in getting Pinnacle Packers the four points and retaining first position on the ladder. Wayne Carmichael retained the joint lead in the singles aggregate with another three singles victories, while for Mallee Bearings both Mark Dorman and Ali Taheri won two.
– Max Miller Carpets 6 (Rick McMeekin 3, Shane Carmichael, Sony Sefer 1) d Fishers IGA 5 (Gavin Carmichael, Darren Robinson 2)
The remaining match on the stage court pitted second, Max Miller Carpets against third placed Fishers IGA and the feature here was that for the third week in succession Carpeters three Sony Sefer stepped up to the table with the scores standing at five rubbers all. He had been unsuccessful on the previous two occasions and when these two met last time he had accounted for opponent Ash Morrison 11-9 in the fifth when the scores were again standing at five rubbers all. 
On this occasion Sefer showed a little more authority in his shot selection and he would win in straight sets over the hardworking Morrison.
Sefer had provided good back up to skipper Rick McMeekin who won three sets including a five set victory over opposing one Gavin Carmichael. 
This victory enabled Max Miller Carpets to open up a three game break over their opponents in the race for the double chance.
PENNANT TWO:
Ladder leaders Tankard Dental continued on their winning way again this week, and Pinnacle Packers accounted for Spanline.
– Tankard Dental 7 (Bernadette Fitzpatrick, Nicholas Dorman 3, Peter Fitzpatrick 1) d Fishers IGA 4 (Matthew Burns, Andrew Jones 1)
With captain Nicholas Dorman once again taking three wins, Tankard Dental took their ninth win from nine games in this clash with Fishers IGA. Dorman’s three wins were matched by his number two, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, who has hit form in the last month. Fitzpatrick won one game per week for the first five rounds, but since then has lost only two.
Fishers were without their number three, “Dangerous” David Balshaw, and he was replaced by Matt Burns, a former regular Pennant Two player.
Dorman had to fight for all his wins. His first up match against the out-of-practice Burns was no walkover, and demonstrated the talent which Burns has. Dorman took the first 11-6, he had to work harder in the second when Burns started to find his range to win 11-9, Burns hit a purple patch in the third winning 13-11, but then ran out of match fitness, and Dorman took the match in four 11-6. He took a much more measured approach to his clash with opposing captain Andrew Jones. Dorman played a very steady four sets to win 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10. But his hardest rubber was the last, against Lachlan Kelly.
With the match already in the bag, and playing for a seventh rubber, Dorman found he could not hit the table with his usually reliable forehand and backhand drives. Kelly took the first 11-6 after playing steadily, and allowing Dorman to make the mistakes; Dorman steadied to take the next two 11-9, 11-9, but Kelly was not done yet, taking the fourth 12-10. The fifth set was close, but Dorman was able to eke out a win 11-8.
Bernadette Fitzpatrick sent her three opponents packing in four sets. Her first against Lachlan Kelly was reasonably straight forward 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4. Her second against Burns extended her, but she won that 13-11, 6-11, 11-5, 17-15. And after dropping the first set to Jones 7-11, she beat Andrew at his own game, i.e. always returning, to wear him down 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 in the last three.
Tankard’s seven rubber came from Peter Fitzpatrick in a close five set match with Lachlan Kelly 17-15, 10-12, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6.
Tankard’s did well in the singles competition, but they could not get home in either of the doubles. Dorman and Bernadette led their doubles against Jones and Burns two sets to love 12-10, 11-7, but could not go on with it. Burns in particular started to come alive in this contest, and he ably finished off many points which his captain Andrew “Patience” Jones had helped to set up. The Tankard duo lost control of the match, and the Fishers pair took the last three sets 8, 6 and 8. The second doubles was a very tight affair, and the experience of Jones was the difference. 
Dorman and Peter Fitzpatrick took the first set 11-8, but from then on Jones made his opposition work hard for every point they won, and eventually accumulated enough points for Fishers to take the next three sets 13-11, 12-10, 12-10.
The other two rubbers for Fishers came from Jones and Burns who each easily accounted for Peter Fitzpatrick in three sets. Burns, in particular was impressive, conceding only 10 points in the match.
Final scores: 7 rubbers to 4, and 24 games to 21.
– Pinnacle Packers 7 (Matt Ljubic 3, Seval Fuat 2) d Spanline 4 (Arnold Jago 2, Geoff Wright, Matt Carmichael 1)
Matt Ljubic was the player who dominated this match, winning three singles and partnering his team-mates to wins in both doubles to steer his team to a 7 rubbers to 4 victory.
Consider this: Ljubic and Spanline’s captain Arnold Jago were only 2 games apart on the aggregate ladder going into this match (20 to 18). So that tells you that Arnold is a pretty handy player, and with that many wins, would be some sort of a match for Ljubic. Not so.
Ljubic put the cleaners through Jago, 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 in the very first game of the match to put Spanline on notice that winning on this occasion was going to be very difficult.
Well, it was not only difficult, but not possible on this occasion. After taking both the opening singles rubbers, the Packers led throughout, and had the match won after the ninth rubber.
Geoff Wright scored a few more points than his captain, when he met Ljubic, but still went down in three sets 8, 4 and 8. And it was a similar story with Matt Carmichael, who again filled in for George Papanicolaou. He lost to Matt 5, 4 and 7.
Seval Fuat took two singles: against Carmichael in three 8,6 and 11, and in the final round of singles he could not shake the ever improving Geoff Wright, and needed five sets to get the win 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6.
Pinnacle Packers took both doubles: Ljubic and Fuat took a very entertaining five setter against Jago and Wright 10-12, 11-8, 20-18, 7-11, 11-6, and later in the night Ljubic it was to held sway when he and Brian Hosking, again in five sets, defeated the much more experienced pair of Jago and Carmichael 11-8, 3-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8.
Spanline, then, were left with the crumbs. They could only get four rubbers, three against Brian Hosking, and Arnold Jago also downed Seval Fuat in a fairly even contest 11-8, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8.
The final score of 7 rubbers to 4 and 23 games to 18 is not one that a losing side would be happy with, but the influence of Ljubic on a match, whether it is this team he is playing against, or any other, cannot be underestimated.
PENNANT THREE:
In this round: Fishers IGA defeated bottom side Dunkley Scales to once again be joint leaders with Mallee Bearings; Weightmans Packaging recorded a strong 8 rubbers to 3 win over second to last team, Bishop Builders; and ladder leaders Mallee Bearings got rolled by fourth placed team Pinnacle Packers, in a match dominated by Karly Leach. Taking three rubbers in this match, Leach moves to third on the aggregate ladder with 20 games, and only three games behind the leader, Sabrina Fitzpatrick.
– Fishers IGA 8 (Cole Keegan, Sam Hensgen 3) d Dunkley Scales 3 (Jessica Dorman, Leonie Dunkley, Shirley Whitecross 1)
Fishers duo Cole Keegan and Sam Hensgen were both on fire in this match, both players taking three singles wins to set up a good winning score.
Fishers captain Keegan won all his matches in three sets – against Shirley Whitecross (11-4, 11-4, 11-3) and Leonie Dunkley (11-4, 11-5, 11-7) the scores were a fairly straight-forward, but opposing captain Jessica Dorman was a bit more difficult. Keegan took the first set in a careful 11-8 display, and Dorman knew she was in with a chance in the second when the scores levelled at 10 all. Before this set ended both players had multiple set points, only to either make a mistake or see their opponent play an “all or nothing” shot to level the scores again. Keegan, however, prevailed in the end and took this set 20-18. That was the turning point – Keegan raced away with the fourth 11-3.
Hensgen had to play much harder for his three wins, but in a fine display he took each of his singles matches. He led Jessica Dorman 11-8, 11-9, and almost took this match in three sets, but Dorman did to Hensgen what she could not do to Keegan, and that was to take an extended set. She took the third 18-16 to give herself a chance, but Hensgen was up to task and did not lose concentration. He kept the pressure on in the fourth to close the match 11-8. He had little trouble with Whitecross, winning in three sets, but his biggest battle was against his opposite number, Leonie Dunkley, in the final round of singles. Neither player could string two sets together, and Sam it was who won the first, third and fifth sets to take this rubber.
Completing a good night for this pair, Keegan and Hensgen won their doubles match in a long five setter. They led Dorman and Dunkley two sets to love 11-7, 11-8, only to see that disappear with some solid play by the two ladies. Dorman and Dunkley fought their way back with wins in the third and fourth sets 11-6, 15-13 to level the match. And they took the fight right to the end, losing eventually 13-11 in the fifth. The Fishers pair would probably feel a little lucky at getting off the hook.
Later, Keegan and Helen Frania took the second doubles, also in five sets, against Dorman and Shirley Whitecross. Once again, the Fishers duo were leading two sets to love 11-7, 12-10, before Dorman and Whitecross got going. They levelled the rubber with wins in the third and fourth 11-4, 11-6, but that was the end of their charge. Keegan and Frania ran away with the fifth 11-3 to take the win.
That gave Fishers 8 rubbers for the contest. Dunkley Scales took the remainder, all players defeating Helen Frania.
This win puts Fishers equal with Mallee Bearing at the top of the ladder, but still second on percentage. Keegan’s three game haul reduces the gap to Sabrina Fitzpatrick in the aggregate race back to two games.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3, and 26 games to 16.
– Weightmans Packaging 8 (Peter Kelly 3, Peter Mikhaeil 2, Ben Hosking 1) d Bishop Builders 3 (Claire Ljubic, Graham Southwell, Sosefa Fevaleaki 1)
With Peter Kelly playing more regularly now, Weightmans Packaging are looking a far better side. In this match they comprehensively outplayed their Bishop Builders opponents, and won in a canter.
Captain Peter Kelly took his three singles matches, and paired with his team mates to take both doubles. Kelly dropped only one set in these three rubbers, in fact the very first set he played. He lost that to Graham Southwell 11-13, but from then on there was no stopping him. He finished off his match with Southwell with sets of 11-6, 11-7, 11-9. He conceded only 13 points to Sosefa Fevaleaki in three sets, 4, 4 and 5. And his domination of the match against his opposing captain was even more complete. Claire Ljubic losing a match that she will want to forget, Kelly taking it 11-0, 11-5, 11-6.
Weightmans number two Peter Mikaeil took two wins – the first against opposing captain Claire Ljubic 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, and later in another four setter he beat his opposite number Graham Southwell. Interestingly, his only singles loss was to Bishop Builders number three, Sosfea Feavleaki.
Ben Hosking added another singles win to his aggregate for the year, when he beat the opposition’s number three, Sosefa Feavleaki in straight sets, 7, 5 and 5.
Both doubles rubbers went the way of the winners – Kelly and Mikhaeil dropped the first set in their match with Ljubic and Southwell 9-11, but then took control of the last three sets to win them 7, 6 and 6. Later, Kelly and Hosking played a much closer match against Ljubic and Fevaleaki. After taking the first 11-7, the Bishop Builders pair levelled with a 12-10 win in the second. Kelly and Hosking edged their opponents in the final two sets, taking them 11-9, 12-10.
That gave Weightmans eight rubbers. And it could have been more. Weightmans losses in the remaining three rubbers, which constituted the score for Bishop Builders were only conceded grudgingly. Fevaleaki downed Mikhaeil in five sets, after being two sets to one down, Bishop’s number one Ljubic took four sets defeat Weightmans number three Ben Hosking 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, and later on Graham Southwell downed Hosking in another five setter 11-5, 4-11, 15-17, 11-2, 11-4 after Hosking faded in the final two sets.
This was a great team effort by the winners, even their losses were not bad. Claire Ljubic’s recent great form seemed to have deserted her in this game, but she is sure to bounce back.
Final scores: 8 rubbers to 3 and an impressive 29 games to 14.
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Karly Leach 3, Mick Bacon 2) d Mallee Bearings 5 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 2, Michael Hensgen, Peter Edwards 1)
Fourth placed Pinnacle Packers upset ladder leaders Mallee Bearings in a match dominated by Karly Leach.
Leach made every post a winner. Playing at number two for the Packers, Karly was in great form, firstly going the obligatory five sets with her adversary of a few years, Sabrina Fitzpatrick. Karly dropped the first set 8-11, but then grafted her way into the lead with wins of 11-9, 14-12 in the next two sets, only for a rejuvenated Fitzpatrick to take the fourth from her 11-5. However, Karly regrouped and easily took the fifth 11-5. She dropped only one set to Peter Edwards 11-13 in her second singles, and had only a little trouble with Michael Hensgen in the rubber which gave her team the victory. She took that 11-5, 12-10, 11-6.
Mick Bacon scored two important wins, he was two sets up against Peter Edwards 11-7, 11-4 with the game seemingly in his keeping, but Edwards stuck to his guns, taking the third and fourth 13-11, 11-8 to force the game to the fifth set. This was probably the rubber which won the night for the Packers – with a 13-11 scoreline in the fifth, the match could have gone either way. Later Bacon dropped the first set in his contest with Hensgen 4-11, but made sure of it after that, winning the next three 11-3, 13-11, 11-7.
That made it five rubbers, and Bacon and Leach made sure they had a chance in the game when they took the first doubles against Fitzpatrick and Hensgen. Bacon and Leach won the first set like there was no-one on the other end of the table 11-0, Fitzpatrick and Hensgen made an effort in the second, but the Packers pair won it 11-8. The Mallee Bearings duo then really got going taking the next two sets 11-7, 11-7 to level and 2 sets all. It was anybody’s match, but Leach and Bacon deservedly won the final set 13-11.
The Mallee Bearings side by comparison, had a quiet night. Aggregate ladder leader Sabrina Fitzpatrick scored two wins, against Quentin Clark in three, and against Mick Bacon in four, she also partnered Peter Kelly to another doubles win, this time against Bacon and Clark, in three.
Both Michael Hensgen and Peter Edwards contributed one singles win – both these players defeated Quentin Clark.
In a close contest, this was a deserved win to the Packers. They scored 6 rubbers to 5, but games were reversed – 21 to the winners, and 22 to the losers.
