Rocky’s Rising Stars Test Themselves Ahead of Action-Packed Weekend

The city’s top junior table tennis talents, Judd Carr and Cooper Bulow, have had a whirlwind lead-up to one of the region’s biggest events on the table tennis calendar — the Rockhampton Open Championships, which hits off this Friday afternoon at the Leichhardt Park Table Tennis Centre on Campbell Street.

Just days ago, the duo wrapped up a challenging campaign at the Queensland Junior Table Tennis Championships, staged at the state-of-the-art South Pine Indoor Sports Centre in Brendale. This prestigious event saw over 30 tables in operation across three basketball courts and drew a massive entry list, particularly from the state's competitive south-east corner.

Carr and Bulow focused primarily on the under-17 team and individual events, while also stepping up to test their skills in the under-19 singles and doubles, gaining valuable experience in the upper junior age group. Both players fought hard to emerge from their round-robin groups in the under-17 singles, making it to the round of sixteen and holding their own against some of the state's top-ranked opponents. While their doubles and team campaigns didn’t yield podium finishes, the event gave them critical exposure to the intensity of high-level junior competition.

They were supported throughout the event by long-time junior coach Pam Clarke and one of Rocky’s leading senior players Matthew Pettett, who has also been training with them weekly in the lead-up.

Now, with that experience under their belts, Carr and Bulow are turning their attention to the Rockhampton Open, a tournament that promises no shortage of excitement. This year's Open is particularly significant — it doubles as one of the northern qualifying events for state team selection. To be eligible for state teams at national titles, players must compete in at least one event north of Bundaberg, with the only other northern qualifiers being Townsville (May-Day long weekend) and Mackay (end of May).

Thanks to this qualification rule, the Rocky Open has seen a surge in entries, especially from players in greater Brisbane, Bundaberg, and Mackay. Players will be vying for glory in both the Chauvel Industrial Services open and ratings events as well as the Bolsover Radiology age events, which span a remarkable fourteen divisions from under-11 through to over-80, for both male and female competitors.

Matches are scheduled to kick off late on Anzac Day and will run through until Sunday afternoon, with entries for registered tournament players officially closing on Monday 21 April.

In addition to open and age events, players will also compete in ratings-based divisions — an excellent way to gain experience against similarly matched opponents and work toward increasing their tournament rankings.

Locally, there’s a buzz around the start of the new open grade season, beginning this week. The Monday Club Night at 7:30pm continues to grow in popularity, with the club now exploring the idea of adding a second weekly competition to keep up with demand.