Rockhampton Players Ready for Local Finals and National Stage

With the open grade season at Leichhardt Park Table Tennis Centre moving towards its climax, last week’s fixtures produced a series of huge contests as teams pushed for crucial points before the semi-finals.

Unlike many competitions today that are decided purely on points, this season’s schedule, shaped by the timing of the annual closed championships, has allowed for a full round of matches, followed by semi-finals and a grand final. The deciding match for the premiership will be played next Tuesday.

The semi-final line-up has now been confirmed. Minor premiers Rayden Smith, Erica Nolan, Chris Leitner and Jeffrey Jordan will meet the fourth-placed combination of Judd Carr, Leo Lai, Pam Clarke and Oliver Wright, while the second-placed side of Matthew Pettett, Monica Deeth, Linda O’Sullivan and Julien Wright will take on Dane Coughlan, Glen McDonald, Cooper Bulow and Patricia Green, who finished third. Each squad consists of four players, divided into two sections that compete in the traditional two-player fixture format, with results combined. While the leading four sides chase premiership honours, the remaining teams will continue playing to determine final positions on the ladder.

The final round of the regular season provided plenty of drama and high-quality play. Warun Wilkinson narrowly overcame improving junior Cooper Bulow in a five-set epic, edging through 13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 9-11, 17-15. Bulow had earlier outlasted the defensive challenge of Joe Clifton in another long battle and also impressed when stepping up a section to push Glen McDonald to five games, falling by just two points in the decider. Jeffrey Jordan produced what was arguably his best win of the season with a hard-fought victory over the ever-consistent Linda O’Sullivan, taking the match 11-8 in the fifth after four tight games. He very nearly repeated the feat against Julien Wright, bowing out 11-9, 6-11, 10-12, 11-4, 9-11 in a contest that featured a wealth of extended rallies.

Away from the local fixture, three Rockhampton representatives are preparing for the Australian Veteran Championships, which begin on Saturday 18 October at the South Pine Sports Centre in Moreton Bay. In what is the largest veteran tournament in the country, Kelsey Pettett will make her debut in the Over-30 division, while Pam Clarke will contest the Over-70 category. Both players have been named in Queensland’s top representative teams for their age groups. Warun Wilkinson has also earned selection in a President’s Team in the highly competitive Over-50 section.