Strong Form on Show as Players Eye Mackay Open

Nick Green continues to impress in the weekly open grade fixture at Leichhardt Park Table Tennis Centre on Campbell Street. His strong form can be traced back to the start of the year, where he made notable strides in the two-a-side competition alongside James O’Sullivan. In his most recent outing, Green firstly defeated Ann-Louise Stewart in straight sets before putting in a strong performance against fellow left-hander Dane Coughlan.

While Coughlan entered the match as the favourite, Green pushed him all the way in a tightly contested battle, eventually going down 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 13-11. Stewart later bounced back with a thrilling five-set win over Leo Lai, edging him out 16-18, 17-15, 12-10, 3-11, 11-8, in what was arguably the match of the night.

Rayden Smith began strongly against James O’Sullivan, taking the first two sets 11-7, 11-7. But O’Sullivan, known for his tenacity, turned the tide with a gritty win at deuce in the third, followed by a convincing fourth set. In the decider, Smith reasserted control to close out the match and maintain his season average.

Erica Nolan showed signs of returning to form with a solid four-set victory over Glen McDonald, recovering well after dropping the opening set. The doubles encounter between O’Sullivan/Nolan and Coughlan/McDonald was a highlight, with the underdogs (O'Sullivan & Nolan) rebounding from two games down to take the final three sets 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 and claim a surprise victory.

There was no shortage of intrigue in second division either. Chris Leitner edged out Linda O’Sullivan in four tight sets but was later outclassed by Pam Clarke, who posted a clinical 3-0 win. O’Sullivan also overcame the tricky defensive style of Patricia Green in a hard-fought four-set match.

Promising junior Cooper Bulow returned to form, defeating top-seed Geoff Geddes in four sets after conceding the opener. He then narrowly overcame Oliver Wright, 14-12 in the fourth, in a match where Wright came close to causing an upset.

Allan Clarke had a strong showing with wins over both Jeff Jordan and Warun Wilkinson. His teammate Julien Wright split results with Jordan and Wilkinson—winning a tight contest over Jordan in a seesawing four set encounter, but falling to Wilkinson despite snatching one set.

Many of these players will be heading north later this month to compete in the annual Mackay Open Championships, a favourite on the local calendar. With several high-calibre players from south-east Queensland expected to attend—especially with state team qualification on the line—it promises to be a valuable test for the Rockhampton contingent across open, ratings, and age events.