Record Numbers and Top Talent Shine at Rockhampton Open

Bumper entries at last weekend’s Rockhampton Open Table Tennis tournament brought an abundance of the state’s leading players across all competition categories to the city’s home of the sport at Leichhardt Park on Campbell Street. Local organisers could not recall stronger numbers at the annual tournament in recent years, although several editions in the 1980s may have come close.

More players from southern clubs attended than usual, thanks to this year's event serving as a northern qualifier for players seeking consideration for state selection.

There was an excellent line-up across the Chauvel Industrial Services Open and ratings events, and the matches certainly did not disappoint, with a few notable upsets along the way.

The prestigious men’s open singles event featured a bevy of talent and delivered some thrilling battles for the appreciative audience. Brisbane’s Star Club was well-represented at the pointy end, with head coach Yudong Shi claiming victory in a hard-hitting grand final against one of his students, Lucas Green, over five intense games in a best-of-seven contest.

In a semi-final boilover, Lucas Green upset his older brother Hayden, the top seed, in a classic seven-set battle, while on the other side of the draw, Shi outclassed local hope Matthew Steffen in an entertaining clash, with Steffen—returning to competition after a break—managing to steal a set.

Earlier, the quarter-finals produced quality play: Hayden Green overcame local Dane Coughlan, Lucas Green edged out Moreton Bay’s Dandy Chen (who had earlier knocked out local Rayden Smith), Shi overpowered Brisbane’s Lachlan Keating, and Steffen proved too strong for improving Rocky junior Cooper Bulow.

The women’s open singles event, although a smaller draw, still produced great contests. Star Club’s Tiffany Lam confirmed her favouritism, defeating Rockhampton’s second seed, Kelsey Pettett, 4-1 in the final. In the semi-finals, Lam downed Brisbane’s Clare Owen, while Pettett was too strong for clubmate Monica Deeth.

The open men’s doubles final was a thriller, with the Green brothers narrowly defeating locals Matt Pettett and Rayden Smith, 13-11 in the deciding fifth game. In the women's doubles, Brisbane’s Sinead Keating and Tiffany Lam overcame Rocky’s Kelsey Pettett and Bundaberg’s Lorraine Fourro in the final.

The mixed doubles event also delivered high-quality matches, with Hayden Green teaming up with Rocky’s Ann-Louise Stewart to beat Matt and Kelsey Pettett 11-9 in the fourth and final set.

The Bolsover Radiology age events attracted a huge entry, from very young juniors to seasoned veterans. It was particularly heartening to see young local juniors from the coaching program mixing it with more experienced visiting players. Competitions were staged all the way up to the over-75 division.

In the veterans’ categories, Gold Coast’s Tommy Samuelsson won the over-70 singles over Rockhampton’s Gerard Watts, clinching the deciding fifth game 11-9. Rocky’s Pam Clarke claimed the over-65 women’s singles title, defeating Brisbane’s Judy Engstrom. In the talent-packed over-60 men’s draw, Rockhampton’s James O’Sullivan emerged victorious over Moreton Bay’s Peng Yu after a tough campaign. O’Sullivan then teamed with wife Linda to win the over-60 doubles in a five-set comeback victory over Samuelsson and Clarke after dropping the first two games.

Another standout husband-and-wife duo were Bundaberg’s John and Lorraine Fourro, who regularly compete in local events. They combined to win the over-40 and over-50 doubles titles, with John also securing the over-50 men’s singles crown.