0
0
Sunraysia Table Tennis Summer Pennant results round 8: –
PENNANT ONE:
– Pinnacle Packers 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Peter Midgley 2, Kevin Johns 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Mark Dorman 2, David Leng 1)
– Fishers IGA 7 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Jackson Tung 2, Sony Sefer 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Graeme O’Neill 1);
PENNANT TWO:
– Tankard Dental 6 (Ashley Morrison 3, Karina Sullivan, Colin Moore 1) d Spanline 5 (Arthur Paar, Matt Ljubic 2)
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Ross Humphreys, Bernadette Fitzpatrick 2, Arnold Jago 1) d Fishers IGA 5 (Matt Ljubic, Nicholas Dorman 2)
PENNANT THREE: –
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 3, Sam Hensgen 2, Karly Leach 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Jeremy Corrin, Garry Hughes, Leonie Dunkley 1)
– Max Miller Carpets 8 (George Papanicolaou 3, Brian Hosking 2, Ryan Hensgen 1) d Sunny Daily 3 (Matt Johns 2, Mick Bacon 1)
PENNANT FOUR:-
– Sunny Daily 6 (Travis Winton, Steve Winton 2, Claire Ljubic 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Cole Keegan 3, Michael Hensgen 1)
– Bishop Builders 7 (Josh Carmichael 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Andrew Lewis 2, Ellie Midgley, Peter Edwards 1)
Wayne Carmichael putting his opponents into a trance.
– Pinnacle Packers 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Peter Midgley 2, Kevin Johns 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Mark Dorman 2, David Leng 1)
After shaking off bottom team Weightmans Packaging, Pinnacle Packers have moved to the top of the ladder after eight rounds of the Sunraysia Table Tennis summer pennant. The Packers won 7-4 after trailing two rubbers to four earlier in the match with Weightmans looking like they could manufacture their first victory of the season however it wasn’t to be as the Packers won the last five matches of the contest.
Weightmans were off to a great start with David Leng, back after a lengthy break from the game, accounting for fellow veteran Kevin Johns 12-10 12-10 14-12 in a titanic struggle. Leng then partnered skipper Mark Dorman in the first doubles to defeat a tough pairing of Wayne Carmichael and Kevin Johns in a great five setter 11-8 5-11 11-8 6-11 11-8.
Wayne Carmichael for the victors again recorded three singles wins and as usual he and fellow leftie, Weightmans skipper Mark Dorman, fought out an entertaining match this time a four setter. Dorman took the first easily with Carmichael then steadying to take the next three. Peter Midgley for the Packers also had a good night winning two singles and partnering Carmichael to win the second doubles 11-5 6-11 9-11 11-9 11-7 against Dorman and Jackson Murphy.
With two rounds to play Pinnacle Packers have a real chance to hold on to the top position as this week they play second placed Mallee Bearings.
– Fishers IGA 7 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Jackson Tung 2, Sony Sefer 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Graeme O’Neill 1)
Mallee Bearings suffered their second defeat in as many rounds this time at the expense of Fishers IGA and as a consequence have lost top position on the ladder for the first time. Fishers are playing more consistent table tennis and this 7-4 victory was their second win in succession and third for the season guaranteeing them a place in the final four with finals not far away.
The very first game of the night was important for both teams and it was Fishers number three, Sony Sefer continuing his good form of the previous round, who accounted for Mallee Bearings number three Daniel Jansen in four sets to get Fishers off to a good start. Mallee Bearings Mark Ljubic and Graeme O’Neill, filling in for the absent Darren Robinson, levelled the match at two rubber all after the first doubles when they took the points in a close five setter against Gavin Carmichael and Jackson Tung 7-11 11-7 14-12 8-11 11-9. After this loss Fishers won five of the next six matches to go to a 7-3 lead before Graeme O’Neill held off a determined Sony Sefer in a five set tussle in the last match of the night.
For Fishers Gavin Carmichael won three singles including a close five set win against unlucky number three Daniel Jansen who played a tremendous match and actually held a match point late in the fifth. Later against Jackson Tung, Jansen again went down by the narrowest margin, this time, 9-11 in the fifth.
Tung won a second singles when he accounted for Graeme O’Neill in three close games.
Max Miller Carpets had the bye this round and next round they play Fishers IGA in a battle for third position on the ladder.
PENNANT TWO
Fishers IGA suffered their second defeat in as many weeks, this time at the hands of Pinnacle Packers, and in the second match Tankard Dental won their first match of the season against Arthur Paar’s Spanline.
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Ross Humphreys, Bernadette Fitzpatrick 2, Arnold Jago 1) d Fishers IGA 5 (Matt Ljubic, Nicholas Dorman 2)
Pinnacle Packers were at full strength for this match, captain Ross Humphreys completing the lineup for only the third time this season. With Arnold Jago and Bernadette Fitzpatrick in the wings, they were hopeful of a good result. On the other hand, Fishers IGA were in strife, captain Seval Fuat called in at the start of proceedings to say he could not play as he had dropped a tractor’s slasher on his foot. Iron Lady Denise Henderson had bad attack of asthma, and so wisely ruled herself out. So, who to call on? Why super-sub Nicholas Dorman of course, and on this night, Matt Ljubic did double duties, alternating between this table and his “own” match, the Tankard Dental-Spanline game.
Dorman started the night well for Fishers. He was not intimidated by Arnold Jago’s vicious spin and drives, and after being two sets to love down 8-11, 5-11 when Jago seemed to have the match in his keeping, came back from the dead to take the next three 11-9, 13-11, 11-6.
Bernadette Fitzpatrick immediately squared the ledged completely dominating Matt Ljubic who has been very impressive in his, like Bernadette’s first season of Pennant Two. Bernadette shut him out of every set, winning 11-3, 11-8, 11-5.
Pinnacle Packers also took the next two rubbers, Ross Humphreys dealing with Peter Fitzpatrick in three sets, and in the first of the doubles Humphreys and Jago ran away with the first two sets 11-2, 11-3 before Dorman and Ljubic found a working relationship. Having found that, they took the next two sets 11-9, 11-8, but succumbed in the fifth 11-5.
That made the score three rubbers to one. Ljubic and Jago stayed at the table, and Ljubic, like Dorman was to deny Jago a victory, also in five sets. This was a very even and high-class contest. The first two sets were “warm-up” sets, Ljubic taking the first 11-7, Jago the second 6-11. Matt raced away with the third 11-4 and seemed to have Arnold on the ropes, but not so. Arnold dug in in the fourth set and levelled at 2 sets all, winning 14-12. And in the fifth, Matt got a couple of lucky breaks, and coupled with some fine play, took the rubber 14-12. That made the score three rubbers to two.
The Packers then skipped away again, taking the next two rubbers, Ross Humphreys playing consistently to down Dorman in four and Bernadette Fitzpatrick doing likewise to her father.
The ladder leaders then staged a comeback with two five set wins. Dorman and Peter Fitzpatrick were two sets down against Humphreys and Bernadette Fitzpatrick 9-11, 2-11 before they got going. Then they outplayed their opponents in the next three 11-8, 11-5, 11-6. 
An interesting sidelight here … although Peter Fitz is not doing so well in the singles aggregate, he has thus far been a valuable doubles partner. Of the seven matches his team has played so far, Fitzpatrick has partnered his captain Seval Fuat five times, and has helped to win four of them, and he has partnered Nicholas Dorman twice and they won both. Similarly, his captain Fuat and Denise Henderson have won five times also. These are at this stage the leading pairs of the season.
But I digress. With that doubles win, Fishers were now down 5 rubbers to 4 and Matt Ljubic then played Ross Humphreys. Humphreys wanted to be the one to record the win for his side, and Ljubic was as equally determined that he would not. Sets alternated to 2 all, and Ljubic took the fifth 11-7 to give Fishers a sniff of victory.
Arnold Jago put an end to that however, wiping Peter Fitzpatrick off the court 11-1, 11-6, 11-5.
Nicholas Dorman was not influenced by that result, and played like his life depended on it, holding Bernadette Fitzpatrick out in five sets.
A good win to Pinnacle Packers, then, 6 rubbers to 5 and 28 games to Fishers 19.
And at the head of the aggregate table, Nicholas Dorman has once again assumed the lead, as neither Denise Henderson (ill) nor Robert Chiswell (bye), who were above him, played in this round.
– Tankard Dental 6 (Ashley Morrison 3, Karina Sullivan, Colin Moore 1) d Spanline 5 (Arthur Paar, Matt Ljubic 2)
Tankard Dental climbed off the team’s ladder bottom rung to record their first win of the season against resurgent Spanline.
Ashley Morrison, playing only his fourth match of the season, recorded three wins, and backed up by Karina Sullivan and Colin Moore, who both contributed one each, and one doubles win was enough to get the four points.
Morrison met a difficult opponent in Matt Ljubic in the first round of singles. 
Ljubic is a match for most players in this grade now, and it was no surprise he took the first set 11-8. Morrison, however, warmed to the occasion taking the next two 11-4, 11-7. Ljubic kept himself in the contest with a win in the fourth, but Morrison was too strong in the fifth, taking it 11-5. He had a much harder match Arthur Paar, this match predictably going to five sets. Morrison took the first two fairly comfortably 11-5, 11-8 before Paar really got going. But it was a close thing. Paar edged Morrison out in the third 11-9, and then took a marathon fourth 17-15 to keep his hopes alive. Neither player let up in the fifth, but it had to end and at 14-12 the rubber fell to Morrison. And the third of his rubbers was against Laurie Plummer. Morrison dropped the first set 8-11, but then dominated the rubber 11-5, 11-4, 11-5. That win sealed the match for his team, at that stage leading 6 rubbers to 3.
Sullivan and Moore helped the cause with one win each – Sullivan against the hapless Plummer in four, and Moore likewise.
The team’s sixth rubber was the second doubles. Morrison and Sullivan having no trouble with Paar and Plummer, downing them in three 9, 6 and 7.
For Spanline, Arthur Paar and Matt Ljubic won two singles each, both defeating Sullivan and Moore. Paar downed Moore in four, but had a much more spirited game against Sullivan, save for the first set, which Karina donated to Arthur. Arthur won their contest 11-0, 11-9, 9-11, 10-12, 11-7. Ljubic, after losing to Morrison in a first-up five setter (and doing double duty in the Fishers-Pinnacle Packers match), played another five sets against Sullivan. The match see-sawed but Matt had enough in reserve to take the last 11-7. And at the end of the night, Ljubic convincingly polished Colin Moore off in four, 11-2, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6. Their other rubber came in the first singles – Paar and Ljubic getting better as the match went on, winning in three sets over Morrison and Moore 13-11, 11-7, 11-2.
Although the match was over after the ninth rubber, Spanline fought on, with the final scoreline Tankard Dental 6 rubbers to 5 and 24 games to Spanline’s 22.
PENNANT THREE
Teams first and second on the ladder met this round, as did teams third and fourth. Ladder leaders Max Miller Carpets asserted their authority over Sunny Daily to go a game clear, whilst in the second match, fourth placed Weightman’s Packaging won their second match on the trot, and for the season.
– Max Miller Carpets 8 (George Papanicolaou 3, Brian Hosking 2, Ryan Hensgen 1) d Sunny Daily 3 (Matt Johns 2, Mick Bacon 1)
Max Miller Carpets had their now familiar line-up of George Papanicolaou, Brian Hosking and Ryan Hensgen. Sunny Daily, however, were weakened without their captain Lachlan Kelly, and he was replaced by Callen Humphreys.
The Carpeters won this match in a canter. 
Mick Bacon played well to get his side off to a good start downing Ryan Hensgen in five sets but things went down-hill from then on. The Carpeters won the next five rubbers before the Dailies chalked up their second, and the match was decided when the next three rubbers also fell to the victors.
Papanicolaou had a field day, winning three singles and helping out in both doubles. His most difficult rubber was his first. Coming up against the fast-improving Matt Johns, he played a patient and skilful game to take the rubber in five sets 13-15, 11-5, 11-13, 11-4, 11-7. His meetings with Mick Bacon and Callen Humphreys were decidedly easier, both of three sets only.
Brian Hosking continued his consistent season, picking up two singles (and at the same time keeping himself at the top of the aggregate table). His wins came against Humphreys and Bacon in four and three sets respectively.
And Ryan Hensgen joined in as well, picking up one singles win against Humphreys.
The Carpeters have now also formed good doubles partnerships. Both Hosking and Ryan Hensgen have played each week of this season and so their consistent partnering with their number one, be it Nicholas Dorman as it was early on, and now Papanicolaou have made this a good all-round combination. And in this match they took both doubles; Papanicolaou and Hosking being superior over Humphreys and Johns 11-8, 11-9, 15-17, 12-10 in a rubber where the Daily pair were just starting to hit their straps at the end of the game, but alas, too late. In the second doubles, the Daily pair again took a set, but they certainly had to work for it. The Carpeters on the other hand, won their sets with much less effort, taking the win 11-9, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6.
Only Matt Johns and Mick Bacon could pick up wins for the Sunny Daily team. Johns took two – a very competitive five set victory over Brian Hosking, 11-9, 3-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 and later needing three sets only against Hensgen 11-6, 11-6, 12-10. Bacon took his sole win in the first rubber of the night against Ryan Hensgen as mentioned.
This match was a very one-sided affair, Max Miller Carpets running away with the win, 8 rubbers to 3, and 28 games to 14.
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 3, Sam Hensgen 2, Karly Leach 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Jeremy Corrin, Garry Hughes, Leonie Dunkley 1)
Weightman’s Packaging took their first win of the season last week against ladder leaders Max Miller Carpets, and just show it was no fluke, backed it up with another, this time against third placed Dunkley Scales.
Led by captain Sabrina Fitzpatrick, the match was all over at the end of the seventh rubber. The Packagers shot to a four rubber to love lead before the Scalers scored their first, then after this short breather, finished their opponents off, taking the next two rubbers to decide the contest.
It was a night to remember for Sabrina as she won a perfect three singles matches, and to keep it more nice and neat, all wins were in four sets !! Apart from the first set, her contest with Garry Hughes was fairly even. Hughes is hard to put away, thus keeping himself in the contest, but Sabrina constantly put the pressure on Hughes with her flat speedy returns. Sabrina took this match 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9. The rubber with Leonie Dunkley was similar, although Dunkley’s style is vastly different to Hughes’ !! Nonetheless, another win, this time 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7. And the final rubber was with opposing captain Jeremy Corrin. In a rubber of extremes, Corrin took the first set 12-10 and looked to have the edge, but promptly fell asleep, losing the second 11-1. That was all the invitation Sabrina needed, she held Jeremy at bay in the third 12-10, and took the fifth easily 11-5.
Weightman’s number three Sam Hensgen played well, and was rewarded with two wins, and came oh so close to making it three. In the first round of singles, after dropping the first set 10-12 to Jeremy Corrin, he remained steadier as the game went on, taking the next three sets 11-9, 11-9, 11-7. Next up he met Garry Hughes, who as has been mentioned, is a difficult customer. And so it took Sam five sets to get the result here 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9. And in the last rubber of the night, when the result was well and truly known, Sam almost scored a third win, but was denied by Leonie Dunkley. Dunkley had to work hard for the first two sets, which she took 11-9, 12-10. Hensgen took the next two more easily 11-5, 11-8, but Dunkley regrouped and did not let Hensgen get away in the fifth, which she took 11-8.
Karly Leach chimed in with one win, against Leonie Dunkley in the very first rubber of the night. Her four set victory gave her confidence that it may have been a big night, but she was denied any further victories.
That was six rubbers, and the seventh came in the first doubles. Fitzpatrick and Leach played their opposite numbers in Corrin and Hughes, and without too much trouble won 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8.
The Dunkley Scales trio won one singles each; Corrin over Leach in four, after losing a hard-fought first set 13-15, to come back 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 for the win. Hughes also getting a win over Leach after being two sets down 3-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7. And Leonie Dunkley downed Sam Hensgen as already described, denying Hensgen of a third win.
Their fourth rubber came in the second doubles. A hard fought five set match saw Corrin and Dunkley best Fitzpatrick and Hensgen 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7.
A very entertaining night, with true competition in each and every rubber. There were no three set rubbers, but there were four five setters and the remainder were four sets. Weightman’s Packaging won 7 rubbers to Dunkley Scales 4 and 28 games to 20.
The big mover on the aggregate was Sam Hensgen who after his two game haul, jumped from ninth spot up to sixth.
PENNANT FOUR
The feature of this pennant in this round was that both first and second on the ladder were defeated. Josh Carmichael again won three singles and increased his lead in the singles aggregate race. With the Super 8’s only a couple of weeks away Travis Winton moved into the top eight on the singles aggregate by winning two singles for the fourth time this season.
– Bishop Builders 7 (Josh Carmichael 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Andrew Lewis 2, Ellie Midgley, Peter Edwards 1)
Going into this match Dunkley Scales were at the head of the ladder while Bishop Builders were fourth. Dunkley Scales had suffered only one loss while their opponents had won one match however in a reversal of form Bishop Builders grabbed three of the first four rubbers to take the ascendancy and from this point Dunkley Scales could not recover with the Builders constructing a 7-4 victory to give them their second victory of the season.
Josh Carmichael again won three singles to take a firm hold on the singles aggregate trophy. This was the seventh round in succession that he has managed this feat a great achievement in his first season in senior table tennis.
The first doubles was crucial for the Builders and young Carmichael and skipper Ben Hosking fired in this match defeating the very good combination of Andrew Lewis and Ellie Midgley 11-4 11-7 11-6.
Skipper Hosking later won another match which was vital to this team’s success when he outlasted the talented Ellie Midgley 11-2 11-8 11-13 11-13 11-8. This was a great battle after Hosking had taken the first two games only to have Midgley narrowly take the third and fourth. Hosking over the last three rounds has been impressive and maybe he is lifting as another finals campaign nears.
Can he lead his team to what would be a third successive grand final for him personally??
– Sunny Daily 6 (Travis Winton, Steve Winton 2, Claire Ljubic 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Cole Keegan 3, Michael Hensgen 1)
Just like the other match in this pennant the underdog, Sunny Daily raced to a 3-1 lead and from here the Carpeters were in trouble however to their credit they fought back to lead 5-4 only to have Sunny Daily grab the final two matches and win 6-5 courtesy of father and son, fill in Steve Winton and Travis Winton winning these two matches for Sunny Daily.
The very first game of the night featured Sunny Daily fill in Steve Winton defeating the improving Michael Hensgen in straight sets. Winton senior combined with skipper Claire Ljubic in the first doubles for another important win. They accounted for Cole Keegan and Shirley Whitecross in straight sets to give their team a real chance of victory.
The Carpeters fought back well due to Cole Keegan winning three singles. Michael Hensgen claimed a great scalp when he defeated opposing skipper Claire Ljubic in straight sets, a great win by the Carpeters number three. When Keegan and Hensgen combined in the second doubles to defeat Ljubic and young Winton the match had turned and when Keegan defeated Ljubic in the next singles the Carpeters had fought back to lead 5-4.
Enter the Winton boys: Father Steve then defeated Shirley Whitecross in four sets to level the match at five rubbers all. Son Travis then matched up against Michael Hensgen who was gaining momentum after his singles win over Ljubic.
Travis proved too steady winning 11-8 11-8 11-8 and Sunny Daily were victors 6-5 in a great contest. For the Daily both the Winton boys had contributed well winning two singles each.
Sunraysia Table Tennis Summer Pennant results round 8: –
PENNANT ONE:
– Pinnacle Packers 7 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Peter Midgley 2, Kevin Johns 1) d Weightmans Packaging 4 (Mark Dorman 2, David Leng 1)
– Fishers IGA 7 (Gavin Carmichael 3, Jackson Tung 2, Sony Sefer 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Ljubic 2, Graeme O’Neill 1);
PENNANT TWO:
– Tankard Dental 6 (Ashley Morrison 3, Karina Sullivan, Colin Moore 1) d Spanline 5 (Arthur Paar, Matt Ljubic 2)
– Pinnacle Packers 6 (Ross Humphreys, Bernadette Fitzpatrick 2, Arnold Jago 1) d Fishers IGA 5 (Matt Ljubic, Nicholas Dorman 2)
PENNANT THREE: –
– Weightmans Packaging 7 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick 3, Sam Hensgen 2, Karly Leach 1) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Jeremy Corrin, Garry Hughes, Leonie Dunkley 1)
– Max Miller Carpets 8 (George Papanicolaou 3, Brian Hosking 2, Ryan Hensgen 1) d Sunny Daily 3 (Matt Johns 2, Mick Bacon 1)
PENNANT FOUR:-
– Sunny Daily 6 (Travis Winton, Steve Winton 2, Claire Ljubic 1) d Max Miller Carpets 5 (Cole Keegan 3, Michael Hensgen 1)
– Bishop Builders 7 (Josh Carmichael 3, Ben Hosking 2) d Dunkley Scales 4 (Andrew Lewis 2, Ellie Midgley, Peter Edwards 1)
