Strong Showing from Rocky at Bundaberg Table Tennis Championships

Rockhampton’s representatives at the annual Bundaberg Open Table Tennis Championships had their work cut out for them over the weekend, with a large entry list and stiff competition from Mackay down to clubs in the state’s south-east.

All fourteen local players managed to get their names on the final summary sheet—meaning they either won or finished as runners-up in their events—an impressive achievement by any standard.

Matthew and Kelsey Pettett featured prominently in the prestigious open events. Matthew reached the semi-finals of the men’s singles, while Kelsey advanced to the final of the women’s singles after a stunning upset over top-seeded Ha Bui of Bundaberg in a classic semi-final. In the final, she was outclassed by Brisbane's Star club junior Tiffany Lam, who looks to have a bright future in the sport. Matthew, meanwhile, went down in his semi-final to the powerful game of Hayden Green, also from the Star club, who originally took up the sport as a sub-junior in Rockhampton.

Kelsey and Matt combined strongly to win the open mixed doubles, defeating Bundaberg’s Thanh Trann and Ha Bui in a solid performance. Kelsey also partnered with Lorraine Fourro of Bundaberg to claim the women’s doubles title over Rockhampton’s Monica Deeth and Linda O’Sullivan. In the men’s open doubles, Matt and clubmate James O’Sullivan reached the final before falling to Hayden Green and his younger brother Lucas.

Rockhampton players also made a strong showing in the age events, particularly in the veterans’ categories. James and Linda O’Sullivan narrowly missed out on the over-50 doubles title, losing in a tight fifth-set deuce to Bundaberg’s John and Lorraine Fourro. James also fell to John in the men’s over-50 singles final. Warun Wilkinson and Oliver Wright were edged out in the over-40 doubles by Mackay’s Steve Whiting and Andrea Nicholson, while Glen McDonald couldn’t overcome the all-round game of Paul Green (Sunshine Coast) in the final of the over-30 singles.

Monica Deeth’s consistency paid off in the over-50 women’s singles, where she triumphed over teammate Linda O’Sullivan 12–10 in the deciding fifth game. She then edged out Lorraine Fourro 11–9 in the fifth set of the over-60 women’s singles final.

In recent years, tournaments have incorporated events based on the national ratings system, and Bundaberg’s “Rum City” tournament featured competitions across seven divisions. In the top division, Matt Pettett won the singles over Bundaberg’s Brett Fourro and claimed the doubles alongside Kelsey Pettett.

Rocky players also impressed in the lower divisions—some making their debut at an open tournament and others with limited experience. Brothers Oliver and Julien Wright, competing in their first major tournament, faced each other in the final of the second-lowest division, with Julien emerging victorious in four sets. He then teamed up with fellow newcomer Hilton Kane to win the doubles event in the same section.

Michelle Ilott, who took up the sport a few years ago, celebrated her first tournament victory by finishing top of the round-robin group in the sixth division.

Improving junior Cooper Bulow won the singles title in the fifth division, beating Julien Wright in the final—a strong result for Julien, who had an impressive tournament. Bulow and Oliver Wright also took out the doubles title in that division.

Two first-time tournament players—junior Joel Gilbert Thomas and late-starter Paul Fletcher competed in the lowest ratings section and finished first and second respectively in the singles draw, giving both a successful start to their competitive journeys.