Top teams flex muscles

Table tennis winter season round five action

Round 5 of Mount Gambier Table Tennis Club’s Winter season once again served up some high level play this week, the top teams starting to flex their muscles in all grades.

Sirinat Sweet led her Wobblies team into battle against Ward Freeman’s Top Three in the first of the A Grade matches of the night. After Top Three’s Felix Owusu pushed Sweet all the way in the first game of their opening rubber, the Wobblies player’s class rose to the fore, sweeping her opponent aside enroute to a comfortable win. Will Newlyn then backed up for the Wobblies with an equally impressive win over Freeman.

Sanith Ghetia steadied the ship for Top Three, fighting back from 2-1 dwn to record a hard fought five-game victory over Robin Pellen. A string of four losses late in the match broke Top Three’s spirit, the Wobblies going on to post a decisive 7-4 victory. Sweet and Newlyn were the best performers for the victors, while Owusu also came away with two singles scalps for Top Three. The second A Grade match had a remarkably similar feel to it, Three Stooges star player Travis Sweet kicking things off with victory in a seesawing epic encounter with his Wanderers nemesis Leigh Barry. Little separated the two heavyweights for much of the battle, trading heavy topspin blows and pushing each other all around the playing arena in a showcase of the highest quality table tennis. Sweet claimed the first game, Barry the second.

Sweet then edged ahead once more, claiming the third by a slender 12 points to 10, before Barry levelled again, scripting a highly anticipated deciding fifth. Youth won the day, Sweet pulling ahead after an even start to ultimately run out 11-6 winner. Sweet’s efforts were cancelled out in the very next rubber however, Wanderers player Scott Davies overcoming a sluggish start to claim another thrilling 5-game victory over Three Stooges player Katrina McPhee.

The tit-for-tat trend continued through the early part of the match, neither team able to make a decisive break until finally Sweet inspired his team to reel off 5 of the final 6 rubbers of the night to record a comfortable 7-4 win.

Both B1 matches were also onesided affairs, Davis Harris-Jones keeping his singles sheet clean for the Net Ninjas as they completed a 8-3 rout of Cameron Beal’s We Was ‘Ere, who’s only positive was a solid performance from Youssef Malicdem. Nathan Schubert was the standout for McHallebert as they obliterated Dale Bachmann’s Late for Dinner to the tune of 9-2 in their B1 encounter. McHallebert had 5 wins on the board before Late For Dinner broke their duck through a tense five-game victory to Bachmann over Rob Halleday.

After Bachmann dropped the first game, he fought back bravely to claim the next two, Halleday then levelling in the fourth to set up a classic finish. Halleday, knowing that defeat would spell an early end to the night for his team, refused to let the opportunity slip through his fingers as he stormed to an 11-5 win. His efforts proved ultimately futile however, Late For Dinner claiming only one more win for the night as McHallebert cruised to a spectacular triumph.

Joel Schafer’s Falcons and Allan Withers’ Jams began their B2 bout evenly, Withers and Schafer claiming their respective opening singles rubbers. Jams player Mike Hosszu remarkably prevailed 20-18 in the fourth game of his encounter with Falcons’ Deakin Lofthouse before another intense 5-gamer doubles rubber had the teams locked again at 2 rubbers apiece.

Falcons then claimed 6 of the last 8 rubbers of the night to skip away to a commanding 7-4 victory. The second B2 match was even more lopsided, Kylie Boston dominating as The Richards posted a statement 9-2 victory over Aravind Bablu’s Campers. In a night of few highlights for the Campers, Lenny Van Der Linde recorded a maiden victory over his father Richard Van Der Linde in four entertaining games. The younger took the opening two games before his senior opponent hit back claiming the third. Richard had jokingly quipped that he would retire when he is finally beaten by his son, and it remains to be seen what he will do now that the unthinkable has happened, Lenny closing out the rubber with ease in the fourth game.

Matt Scott’s Mixed Up were looking to return to the winners list this week when they faced off against Pier Varraso’s Belissimo in the first C Grade battle. After an even contest throughout the night, the teams were locked at 5-all as Scott and Verraso entered the arena, the winner would carry their team to victory. The intensely energetic Scott opened with victory in the first game, before Verasso levelled up to dominate the second, and then edged ahead with a tight 13-11 victory in the third. Scott managed to harness his anger and frustration, unleashing unplayable powerful forehand smashes at his opponent to break the contest open in the fourth, and then burying a visibly rattled Varasso in the decider to give Mixed Up the 6-5 win. Doug Megaw’s JAD’s Army kept their undefeated Winter Season streak intact for yet another week, this time dispatching Mark Devaney’s Spin Kraft in the last C Grade match of the night. Megaw, returning from a layoff due to ill health, didn’t miss a beat as he posted a clean sheet, ably supported by team-mates Jarrah Schafer and Angus Billing. Schafer and Devaney played a classic battle, the veteran Devaney eventually taking the deciding fifth game by 14 points to 12 over the rapidly rising star in Schafer.

Spin Kraft’s Heather McGregor brought her “A Game” early on in her encounter with JAD’s Army’s Angus Billing, claiming a thrilling first game by 16 points to 14. McGregor’s trademark backhand smashes are nigh on unplayable when executed well, unfortunately they are all too often susceptible to unforced errors. Billing managed to bounce back and take the second game by another thrilling 15-13 margin and then forging ahead with victory in the third. McGregor regained her mojo in the fourth however as her opponent began to tire, closing it out to force a thrilling deciding fifth game. Billing started the stronger, grinding out an early lead before the customary change of ends. His rhythm appeared to be shaken as McGregor threatened to claw her way back, but Billing was able to regain his focus and composure, eventually closing out game and the rubber to the cheers of team-mates looking on. The victory spurred JAD’s Army on to claim the remaining 3 rubbers of the night for a 7-4 triumph.

3-rubber winners:

• A Grade: Travis Sweet (Three Stooges)

• B1 Grade: David Harris-Jones (Net Ninjas); Nathan Schubert (McHallebert)

• B2 Grade: Joel Schafer (Falcons); Kylie Boston (The Richards)

• C Grade: Matthew Scott (Mixed Up); Doug Megaw (JAD’s Army)