RTS move clear of field

WITH three rounds remaining of the Sunraysia Table Tennis home-and-away season top team Regional Taxation Services, with a solid 7-4 win over Choices Flooring Mildura, have now moved four wins clear of the three teams below.

RTS skipper Matt Ljubic struck a purple patch again winning three singles for the sixth round in succession which corresponds with the number of wins his team has recorded over those six rounds.

Ljubic has now defeated Arhuang Lau in the last round and this week he outplayed aggregate leader Wayne Carmichael in a lengthy five setter when the four match points were on the line.

Each game was close with some excellent rallies. At one stage Carmichael took a two games to one lead before Ljubic was able to lift and go on and win 12-10, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9.

With three rounds to play, Ljubic now trails Carmichael by two in the singles aggregate race.

Whilst Ljubic has been in good form, his teammates are also proving consistent with Jamie Kealley winning two singles while Thahn Nguyen won one.

Kealley was so close to winning three singles when he grabbed the first two games from Wayne Carmichael before Carmichael struck back to level at two games all.

Fifteen-year-old Kealley then stunned Carmichael taking a 5-0 lead in the fifth and again the experienced Carmichael fought back and levelled at seven points all, a great comeback, later it was nine points all and in a tense finish Carmichael took the match 10-12, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-9 a top-class contest.

Second placed Mallee Bearings after remaining undefeated after the first six weeks of competition, lost again this round at the hands of fourth placed Cookes Pools & Spas, the score 7-4. In a big reversal of form the Bearings team have now won one match in the past six.

Cooke’s skipper Jackson Tung won three singles for the second time in three rounds. Included in his wins was an impressive straight sets win over opposing number one Arhuang Lau who has now slipped to third on the singles aggregate. Lau was also defeated by Paul Kealley for the second time this season.

An unusual twist here was that Kealley only won the one match this round going down in straight sets to opposing number two Mark Dorman and then Tom Morrison with some excellent hitting outpointed Kealley in four sets.

Tung complemented his three singles victories by taking part in both doubles’ victories. For Mallee Bearings their best performer was Mark Dorman who won two singles, his only loss was a lengthy five setter against the inform Tung.

Fourth placed Weightmans Packaging proved too steady defeating Tankard Dental 7-4 despite Tankard’s Kate Carmichael winning three singles which included an impressive fight back against Shannon Bowen who took a two games to love lead early and appeared in winning form.

Carmichael was able to claim the third and then as Bowen had done earlier, she maintained the ascendancy in the fourth and fifth winning 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6, an entertaining match from both players.

The loss of both doubles hurt Tankards as early they had a chance to go to a 3-1 lead, however a 9-11 loss in the fifth set of the first doubles took the steam out of their positive start. From this point Wightman’s took control with Shannon Bowen, Reece Kurrle winning two singles each while teammate Lee Leeson accounted for opposing number three Ed Hung in straight sets. Leeson also teamed with Bowen to win the second doubles.

With three rounds to play three teams sit level on points from second to fourth. The fight to grab the all-important double chance is on in earnest.

Sunraysia Table Tennis 2025 Winter Pennant results Round 13:

PENNANT ONE: Regional Taxation Services 7 (Matt Ljubic 3, Jamie Kealley 2, Thanh Nguyen 1) d Choices Flooring Mildura 4 (Wayne Carmichael 2, Liam Wood 1); Cookes Pools & Spas 7 (Jackson Tung 3, Paul Kealley, Russell Walder 1) d Mallee Bearings 4 (Mark Dorman 2, Arhuang (Wong) Lau, Tom Morrison 1); Weightmans Packaging 7 (Shannon Bowen, Reece Kurrle 2, Lee Leeson 1) d Tankard Dental 4 (Kate Carmichael 3, Rohan Reimers 1)

PENNANT TWO: Choices Flooring Mildura 6 (Ashley Morrison, Terry Martin 2) d Cookes Pools & Spas 5 (Duy Truong 3, Quentin Clark, Michael Tan 1); Mallee Meats 7 (Jason Gifkins, Harry Gujral, James Jarvis 2) d Pinnacle Packers 4 (Marcus Cimino 3)

PENNANT THREE: – Regional Taxation Services 6 (Sabrina Fitzpatrick, Sam Campbell, Hayden Wilson 2) d Sammy’s Slammers 5 (Ryan Hensgen 3); Weightmans Packaging 6 (Nhat Dat, Steve Parker 2, Leo Parker 1) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 5 (Deegan Kerslake, Brenden Johnson 2)

PENNANT FOUR: Mallee Meats 8 (Curtis Crabtree 3, Nathan Beard 2, Conner Burnett 1) d Dunkley Scales 3 (Maria Starikov 2, Jenny Leach 1); Weightmans Packaging 8 (Glenn Leeson, Gary Leach, Wendy Simpson 2) d Tankard Dental 3 (Leanne Wilson 3)

LADDERS ROUND 13

PENNANT 1

Regional Taxation Services 44

Mallee Bearings 28

Weightmans Packaging 28

Cookes Pools & Spas 28

Tankard Dental 16

Choices Flooring Mildura 12

PENNANT 2

Mallee Meats 32

Choices Flooring Mildura 28

Weightmans Packaging 24

Cookes Pools & Spas 12

Pinnacle Packers 08

PENNANT 3

Weightmans Packaging 44

Exposed Signage/Apparel 36

Regional Taxation Services 20

Sammy’s Slammers 04

PENNANT 4

Tankard Dental 44

Weightmans Packaging 36

Mallee Meats 16

Dunkley Scales 08

For further information on Table Tennis contact Gavin Carmichael 0408 237 907.