Table tennis back in action for Autumn

Three grades for the current season as plenty of new faces try their hand at the sport

Mount Gambier Table Tennis Club commenced its Autumn Season this week, with many regular players returning and some new faces displaying their skills for the first time. The competition format has been organised into 3 grades this season, each grade comprising 5 teams of 3 players.

The first A-grade matchup saw the returning Chandler Jantosh captaining the Trotters against The Gunners led by Scott Davies. Davies fired the first shot, overcoming Trotters player Felix Owusu in four gruelling games, before Sanith Ghetia backed up with dominant performance against Jantosh, giving the Gunners a strong 2-0 start. Robin Pellen finally kick-started the Trotters’ season, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to outlast Ward Freeman in their seesawing 5-game encounter. A stretch of 3 consecutive victories for the Gunners team through the middle section of the match proved the difference, the Gunners taking the overall victory by 7 rubbers to 4.

The second A-Grade match was a battle of the titans, Leigh Barry’s Toffees taking on Travis Sweet’s Villains. Sweet was made to fight hard against his Toffees opponent in Kevin Patzel in their first singles rubber. The first game went down to the wire, Sweet eventually edging out Patzel 12 points to 10.

Patzel hit back, taking the second to square the ledger before Sweet lifted the tempo, dominating the third and fourth games to close out the rubber, giving his Villains side a 1-0 lead. Barry had no trouble equalizing for the Toffees, clinically disposing of Villains player Mark Bachmann in their hit out, before Sirinat Sweet did likewise against David Harris-Jones to restore the Villains’ lead once again. Barry overcame Sirinat in their encounter later in the night, the result sparking a run of 5 straight victories for the Toffees to snuff out any chance of a Villains’ resistance. The Toffees would go on to post an 8-3 triumph.

B-Grade served up three close matches. A solid clean sheet performance from Justin Hutchesson, well supported by Alex McGregor and Joel Schaefer gave the Seasiders team a slender victory over returning veteran Sarah Thomson’s Potters team by 6 rubbers to 5. The second B-Grade match produced a similar result, this time it was Rayelene Hutchesson playing the hero with a superb individual performance, guiding her Cottages team to a 6-5 win against Cameron Beal’s Hammmers. The last of the B-Grade clashes for the night saw the Garry Hocking’s Spurs take on Allan Withers’ Red Devils. After Hocking’s team had claimed 5 of the first 6 rubbers, Withers and co. made a late charge, winning the next three but just fell short, Spurs posting a 7-5 first up victory.

C-Grade had Tracey Rawlings’ Wolves locking horns with Lenny Van Der Linde’s Rams, while Chris McGregor led the Clarets into battle against Ezekiel Coutts and his Blades team. Rams player Lenny Van Der Linde went undefeated on opening night, but his efforts weren’t enough to match an even team performance from Rawlings and Annelise Holtz; the Wolves holding on for a 4-3 win. Wolves player Rawlings’ tense 5-game battle of attrition with Rams player Heather McGregor provided a highlight of the night, Rawlings claiming the first two games and seeming to be in total control before McGregor miraculously bounced back to claim the next two. Rawlings’ determination came to the fore in the decider, skipping out to an early lead which she would not relinquish, going on to record a comfortable 11-5 win. By contrast, the Clarets dominated from the outset against Blades enroute to a 9-2 victory. McGregor and Nathaniel Harris-Jones posted clean sheets for the victors, while the only positive for the Blades was a maiden victory for newcomer Jarrah Schaefer against Clarets player Angus Billing.

3 Rubber winners

A Grade: Leigh Barry (Toffees), Scott Davies (Gunners).

B Grade: Justin Hutchesson (Seasiders), Rayelene Hutchesson (Cottages)

C Grade: Lenny Van Der Linde (Rams), Chris McGregor, Nathaniel Harris-Jones (Clarets).