TWO excellent matches were the feature of the first week of finals of the Sunraysia Table Tennis Winter Pennant competition.
Mallee Bearings, following a 6-4 win over second-placed Cookes Pools & Spas, advanced to the grand final but needed to avoid a late scare to take the points.
In the first block of three singles matched Cookes took a 2-1 lead, however the Bearings pair of Joel Thomas and Liam Wood have been outstanding this season and took this match in straight sets over Kate Carmichael.
The next set of three singles went the way of Mallee Bearings two to one, including Wood defeating Russell Walder, which gave them the 4-3 lead.
The second doubles match was outstanding and the Cookes pair of Carmichael and Walder raced to a 2-0 lead, however Thomas and Daniel Jansen fought back to level the match.
The fifth was a beauty and at eight points all Walder played an outstanding wide backhand to Thomas’s forehand that proved too good.
Carmichael then served to Jansen for the match and the Cookes pair grabbed the final two points to win 12-10, 11-5, 5-11, 7-11, 11-9. The score was then four rubbers all.
Thomas then accounted for Carmichael to win his 48th match in succession for the season, however Carmichael was not disgraced and there were some excellent long rallies.
Cookes’ Casper McCarthy took an early lead against opposing No.2 Wood and, despite a comeback, the former led 10-8 for two match points in the fourth set, set to take his team to the grand final after a week before they almost dropped out of the four.
Wood, however, took the last four points to win the set and led 10-7 in the fifth before McCarthy took the next three points to level at 10-all.
Wood remained calm to take the match 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 12-10, a brilliant recovery after being under extreme pressure.
Mallee Bearings advanced to the grand final after Joel Thomas won his usual three singles, however it was Wood, with two singles wins, who was the matchwinner.
Cookes were not disgraced and now front up in the preliminary final against Choices Flooring Mildura, who advanced from their knockout semi-final 6-4 win over Tankard Dental.
Despite Choices taking an early 4-2 lead, this match was a close affair with five five-set matches taking place.
The first match of the night was one of these, when Choices fill-in Mark Dorman outlasted Paul Kealley 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, a great tussle between the two lefties.
Another crucial five-set match took place in the first doubles when Dorman teamed up with Wayne Carmichael against Tankard pair Reece Kurrle and Thanh Nguyen, the former pair using their experience to recover from 1-2 to win.
The next block of singles went as expected, with Kurrle overpowering Dorman in four sets, while Nguyen accounted for Ed Hung in another four-setter.
Carmichael defeated Kealley in straight sets and, going into the second doubles, Choices were 4-3 up.
The second doubles was another outstanding contest when Kurrle and Kealley recovered from a 1-2 game deficit to defeat Carmichael and Hung 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7. The score then stood at four rubbers all.
The two skippers then took to the table, with Carmichael up against Kurrle.
The Tankard skipper had just gone down in five sets earlier in the week against Carmichael in the Super 8s tournament and would have been buoyed by this form.
Kurrle was out of the blocks quickly, taking a 2-1 lead before Carmichael dug deep in the fourth to level the match.
Kurrle dominated the fifth early to take a 9-4 lead and was looking unstoppable, however Carmichael made a miraculous comeback, winning the last seven points to take the match 4-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9.
Nguyen took a two games to one lead in the final singles before Dorman fought back and amazingly won 7-11, 11-8, 13-15, 11-8, 11-7 in another excellent recovery.
Sunraysia Table Tennis 2024 Winter Pennant semi-finals
PENNANT 1:
First semi-final – Choices Flooring Mildura 6 (Wayne Carmichael 3, Mark Dorman 2) d Tankard Dental 4 (Reece Kurrle 2, Thanh Nguyen 1).
Second semi-final – Mallee Bearings 6 (Joel Thomas 3. Liam Wood 2) d Cookes Pools & Spas 4 (Kate Carmichael 2, Casper McCarthy 1).
Cookes Pools & Spas v Choices Flooring Mildura in preliminary final
PENNANT 2:
First semi-final – Mallee Meats 6 (Ashley Morrison 2, Rasin Bhuiyan, David Sergi 1) d Weightmans Packaging 2 (Quentin Clark 2).
Second semi-final – Cookes Pools & Spas 6 (Tom Morrison 3, Marcus Cimino 1) d Choices Flooring Mildura 3 (Jason Gifkins 2, Kevin Johns 1).
Choices Flooring Mildura v Mallee Meats in preliminary final.
PENNANT 3:
First semi-final – Regional Taxation Services 6 (Andrew Kremor, Sam Campbell 2, Ted Cleary 1) d Exposed Signage/Apparel 4 (Marita Grace 3).
Second semi-final – Weightmans Packaging 8 (Ryan Peterson 3, Koby Grace 2, Karly Leach 1) d Sammy’s Slammers 3 (James Jarvis, Nhat Dat, Hayden Wilson 1).
Sammy’s Slammers v Regional Taxation Services in the preliminary final.
PENNANT FOUR:
First semi-final – Weightmans Packaging 5 (Curtis Crabtree, Raj Gujral 2) d Tankard Dental 4 (Ildi Healy 3, Conner Burnett 1).
Second semi-final – Dunkley Scales 6 (Tom Gilmour 3, Deegan Kerslake 2) d Mallee Meats 3 (Jenny Leach, Maria Starikov 1).
Mallee Meats v Weightmans Packaging in the preliminary final.
For further information on table tennis, call Gavin Carmichael on 0408 237 907.
