Rockhampton Stars Shine in QLD Veterans Team Selections

The annual Queensland Veterans Table Tennis Championships wrapped up last week at the impressive South Pine Sports Centre in Brendale, Moreton Bay. Following the event, Table Tennis Queensland released its state teams and orders of merit.

Kelsey Pettett’s impressive debut in the Over-30 Women’s Singles — where she claimed the gold medal — earned her the top state ranking in that age group. Pettett has been selected in a strong Queensland team set to compete at the Australian Veterans Championships, which will also be hosted at South Pine in October.

Veteran campaigner Pam Clarke was named the second-highest-ranked player in the Over-70 Women’s division and was also appointed captain of the Queensland team for that age group. Long-time Rockhampton representative Gerard Watts, who now represents a Gold Coast club as he transitions to living in the region, claimed a silver medal in the Over-70 Men’s Team event and was ranked ninth overall in his division. He also teamed up with Rockhampton’s evergreen Barry Hare to win bronze in the Men’s Doubles.

Although Watts and fellow competitor James O’Sullivan were unavailable for national selection, Warun Wilkinson contested the Over-50 Men’s category and received a nomination for consideration in a President’s Team, just narrowly missing out on a spot in the A or B teams.

Pettett will be aiming to continue her strong form into the national championships. In addition to her singles title, she also claimed silver in the team event and mixed doubles. Clarke also looks poised for a strong showing in her Over-70 representative debut after securing bronze medals in the team event, singles, and mixed doubles at the Q-Vets.

James O’Sullivan, making his first appearance at a Veterans Carnival, improved as the tournament progressed. He partnered Bundaberg’s John Fourro to earn a bronze medal in the highly competitive Over-60 Men’s Doubles — a great reward in a field packed with top talent.

Meanwhile, local open-grade players have been back in action at Leichhardt Park for the third fixture season of the year. Attention now turns to the annual Closed Championships, which will take place over the next two weeks.

The Men’s Open Singles will kick off the event next Tuesday night, with the Second Division Singles and Open Doubles to be completed the following Tuesday (12 August). The Women’s Open Singles will also be decided next Tuesday, while the Veterans’ events — including singles and doubles — will be played to completion next Wednesday.