Nationals Beckon for Rocky Trio

Three of Rockhampton’s competitive Table Tennis players will grace the courts at the

impressive South Pine Sports Centre at Brendale, Moreton Bay to contest the 2025

Australian Veteran’s Championships which hit off this Saturday morning and conclude

the following Saturday afternoon.

Kelsey Pettett will be making her debut at the nation’s largest interstate carnival for the

sport in the Over-30 division whilst nearing the other end of the age-scale Pam Clarke

will be making her first appearance in the Over-70 section after competing quite

successfully in many of the age-events over the past thirty-odd years. They both have

been selected to represent the state in A-teams for their respective age categories while

Warun Wilkinson, who is a somewhat ‘late bloomer’ in the sport, has been selected to

represent the state in a President’s team along with players from Queensland and other

states in the very large Over-50 age-group.

Pettett, who is the current state singles champion in the Over-30 women’s section, will be

trying to create the form she displayed at the annual state veteran’s carnival in July while

the city’s two other representatives will also be trying hard to impress against the

toughest opponents that the other states and territories field during this event that will

feature team matches as well individual singles and doubles competitions across the full

range of age groups.

On the local fixture scene in open grade last week, it wasn’t just a case of the weather

warming up when the players returned to the city’s table tennis courts for the final season

of the year as there was also some hot form on show.

In a fixture with a format that is not rolled out all that often, each three-person per team

participant takes part in two doubles ties followed by a singles rubber and that is against

their opposite number in the pecking order according to recent playing averages.

James O’Sullivan hit off with a bang when he put a very good win on Dane Coughlan

11-9 in the deciding fifth set. The victor has been threatening to produce a result like this

for quite a while and if he can hold this form some of the other number-one players will

need to be on the look out for him.

Geoff Geddes, who has been close to the top of performances in second division over

recent seasons, was pitted against Ann-Louise Stewart who regularly plays in the upper

section in his singles bout. Stewart started off strongly to win the opening two sets to 7

and 9 points respectively. The tricky defensive game of Geddes started to take effect in

the third game which he won to 5 points. Geddes then pretty much got out of jail in the

fourth set to fall over the line 15-13 and in the fifth they virtually went point for point

until Geddes ended up in front 12 points to 10.

In another nail-biter Hilton Kane upset the more fancied Cooper Bulow 11-9 in the

deciding fifth set. At one game apiece Kane prevailed in the next with an incredible

18-16 score-line before young Bulow put himself back in the contest with a narrow 13-11

outcome in the fourth game.