Western Border Netball Halfway point of season

Table tennis winter competition heats up

Mount Gambier Table Tennis Club’s Winter season approached the halfway point last week, the fourth round producing some decisive results.

Travis Sweet, returning to play for his regular A Grade team Three Stooges for their battle against Free Ballers, faced off against fellow heavyweight Leigh Barry for the second week in a row.

After Sweet had comfortably accounted for Barry a week ago, the Free Ballers star was out for revenge.

The intensity could not have been higher in the first game as both players came out with a point to prove, running each other ragged in a show of ferocious and skilful stroke play.

With the contest in the balance, a rush of adrenaline saw Barry push a forehand long over the end of the table, handing Sweet the first game. Barry hit back in the second, breaking his opponent late in the game and squaring the ledger.

After both players took a timeout to rehydrate and regain their composure, the third game went the way of the Stooges, Sweet closing it out 11-7 to once again gain the ascendancy. Refusing to surrender, Barry gritted his teeth and drew on all his determination in the fourth stanza, lifting a gear midway through the game to storm to a statement 11-5 win and setting up a mouthwatering deciding fifth game.

Both players went toe-to-toe early, pulling out all the stops in a showcase of speed and power perfectly blended with deft touch and precise placement. At eight points apiece, Sweet saw an opportunity when Barry poked the ball down the line, the Stooges number 1 smashing across an open table as Barry could only look on in despair.

With the pressure mounting, Barry sprayed his next shot wide, leaving Sweet needing only one more point for victory. His serve sharply spun and skidded off the table, jamming Barry and causing him to pull the ball down into the base of the net, Sweet claiming bragging rights over his rival once again.

The win inspired his Stooges team to a convincing 8-3 overall victory. The second A Grade match saw a compromised 2-on-2 contest between Ben Newman’s Top 3 and Chandler Jantosh’s Wanderers.

Sadly for Jantosh’s outfit, it proved to be no contest at all. Newman and Top 3 teammate Felix Owusu both won both of their singles rubbers and teamed up to defeat Jantosh and Sanith Ghetia in the doubles, resulting in a 5-0 whitewash.

Nathan Schubert kept his singles sheet clean on the night, leading his McHallebert team to victory over Mark Bachmann’s I’ll Be Bach in their B1 encounter. Schubert and Johnny McBain started strongly, both winning their opening singles before Dale Bachmann pulled one back for his side.

Arguably the highlight of the match was an epic 5-gamer between McBain and Dale Bachmann, McBain prevailing 13 points to 11 in the decider. Ultimately McHallebert had answers, eventually winning the night by 7 rubbers to 4.

The other B1 match was also played in 2-on-2 format as Cameron Beal’s We Was ‘Ere took on Gary Hocking’s Late For Dinner. Eion McIluff played a lone hand for Late For Dinner, his clean singles sheet not enough to carry Late For Dinner over the line. An even team performance from We Was ‘Ere gave them a 3-2 win.

Joel Schafer’s Falcons went neck and neck with Aravind Bablu’s Campers for most of their B2 match, teams locked at 4-all before a late surge of wins to Schafer, his son Jarrah Schafer, and Deakin Lofthouse sealed a 7-4 win that belied the closeness of the encounter.

Remarkably, the junior Schafer was stepping in as a substitute to play in B-Grade for the first time and he certainly did not look out of his depth at all, winning two of his three singles rubbers. Lofthouse appeared to have his tussle with McGregor under control, holding a 2-game lead before McGregor staged an almighty comeback, to take it to a decider.

Nothing separated the two warriors in the fifth, just when one appeared to gain an edge the other would claw their way back. Lofthouse’s normally lethal forehand whip was countered with regularity by McGregor’s deceptive side-spinning lobs.

After a mesmerising rally at the death, Lofthouse smashed one that even McGregor couldn’t do much about, claiming a memorable 13-11 victory.

There were heroes on both sides as Will Parker’s Willies locked horns with Kylie Boston and The Richards in their B2 match. Parker kept his sheet clean while Boston starred for her team, the ultimate result coming down to a showdown between the two.

Boston drew first blood, claiming the first game comfortably and then consolidating a tight struggle for the second. Parker refused to concede however, drawing on all his strength and determination to pull back with victory in the third.

Boston appeared to tire in the fourth, allowing Parker to seize control and send the contest to a deciding game. Using his momentum, Parker ran his wilting but determined opponent from side to side, eventually posting a memorable come-from-behind win which also saw the Willies prevail by 6 rubbers to 5.

Matt Scott’s clean sheet wasn’t enough to save Mixed Up from their second consecutive C Grade defeat, this time at the hands of Mark Devaney’s Spin Kraft. Devaney and his doubles partner Heather McGregor staged a remarkable comeback from two games down to defeat Scott and Toshi Owen.

In other highlights, Spin Kraft’s John Malicdem fought back from 2-1 down to defeat Mixed Up’s Keith Pryor in five.

The last C Grade match of the night was another close battle, Tracey Rawlings’ Beware Be Nice looking for a win against Anneleise Holtz’s Bellissimo. Pier Varraso starred with a clean sheet for Bellissimo, but two wins each for Lorraine Halleday and Ezekiel Coutts propelled Beware Be Nice to a slender 6-5 win.

Coutts had to fight back from 2-1 down to snatch victory from Holtz in their sizzling singles confrontation.

3-rubber winners:

• A Grade: Travis Sweet (Three Stooges); Ben Newman, Felix Owusu (Top 3).

• B1 Grade: Eion McIluff (Late For Dinner); Nathan Schubert (McHallebert)

• B2 Grade: Joel Schafer (Falcons); Will Parker (Willies)

• C Grade: Pier Varraso (Bellissimo); Matthew Scott (Mixed Up)