Locals Show Good Form as Inter-City Clash Looms

The call has gone out for the city’s more competitive players to make themselves available for the annual inter-city clash with the Bundaberg Table Tennis Association that is being staged at Rocky’s home of the sport on Leichhardt Park on Saturday evening 08 November. 

These two clubs have been visiting one-another on an alternative annual home and away basis for in excess of fifty years and a third shield is now being played for as from last year’s fixture which was won by the Rum City players on their home-courts. This new trophy that sets out to depict the premier outfit of the two contenders each year follows from the well-named Eric Cree Shield, dubbed by many as ‘The Cree’, that was played for in excess of twenty-five years and it replaced the original trophy of a quarter of a century the Trevor White Shield.  

With this year’s contest being staged at Rocky it is hoped that the home-side’s leading players can be available to take on the might of the visitors, a club that has been improving in overall standard in recent times. 

The new trophy that was introduced last year has been named the Bulls versus Bears Shield and our locals will be striving to have the spoils hanging on a wall at the Rocky club-house for the next twelve months rather than at their counterparts where it has been for the past twelve. Locals have until 06 November to indicate their availability for selection.

Only one week after this inter-city challenge the regional play-offs for the Queensland Schools Championships will be played out in Rocky and indications are that a good roll-up from local schools as well as entries from Gladstone will be in attendance. The winners of each category contest the state finals at Moreton Bay on November 28. The entries for this regional event are being finalised by Table Tennis Queensland this week. 

Whilst three of the city’s keen-age players in Pam Clarke, Warun Wilkinson and Kelsey Pettett are in Brisbane this week participating in the Australian Veteran’s Championships other top-graders will continue to take part in the open grade fixture competition. 

In a season where each player takes part in one singles rubber and two doubles ties, which is somewhat a reverse to the normal fixture, there were plenty of close finishes in doubles ties in the latest round. 

Highlights included the narrow win staged by Joel Coughlan and Oliver Wright over James O’Sullivan and Jeff Jordan 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 15-13 and the skinny victory by Geoff Geddes and super-sub Dave Milverton over Warun Wilkinson and another sub in Peter Carr 11-9 in the deciding fifth set after the victors lead two-nil early. 

Wilkinson got some revenge when he ousted Geddes over four hard-hitting sets in the singles round. Chris Leitner came from two sets in arrears to run down the very solid game of Monica Deeth when he won the next three games. Glen McDonald and Ann-Louise Stewart engaged in plenty of long rallies before McDonald took control to win three sets to one.