With the state tournament season well underway the next major assignment for the more
serious local table tennis players is the annual Rockhampton Open Table Tennis
Championships that are being staged at the Leichhardt Park playing centre on Campbell
Street over the weekend of Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April, only two weekends away.
The Chauvel Industrial Services open events should attract some high-quality players to
participate in the men’s and women’s open singles and doubles as well as the mixed
doubles and entries will close at the club on Tuesday night 16 April when locals return to
the courts for the second season of competition for the year.
The Bolsover Radiology ratings events that are spread across four divisions based on
individual players performances at tournaments should produce many fine clashes
between participants of similar standard in each section. With the ratings events doubles
draws are also available for participants so an abundance of matches full good rallies
along with plenty of fun will be on-show.
Two youngsters who will be looking towards the Rocky Open will be Nolan Hao and
Cooper Bulow who both recently returned home following their participation in the
Queensland Junior Championships at Brisbane last week. Hao, who was in a team with
Bundaberg’s Kane Chantarat in the under-19 division, won the bronze medal in the
under-19 team section. This result would have been quite special for this pair who have
developed a solid friendship since participating at under-11 level.
Bulow, who attends school at Gladstone, was experiencing his initial Q-Juniors after
deciding to participate in the sport at this level quite late compared to some kids who are
as young as eight competing at the event each year. Entering the state championships in
the under-17 age-group Bulow’s only competition experience had come from the annual
state school’s championships apart from playing the sport at school and attending the
Rocky club for matches and coaching when he can so his story this year is as unusual as
it is interesting.
Reports received from one of the city’s leading players Matthew Pettett, who attended the
Q-Juniors in his roles as a state selector and state high performance and development
coordinator, reported that Bulow took to the Q-Juniors ‘like a duck to water’, played
really well and achieved some very encouraging results against tough opponents with
much greater experience. Pettett, along with a few other locals including Pam Clarke who
heads the coaching program locally, believe that Bulow’s game will benefit from the
experience he gained at this state competition and are all looking forward to seeing him in
action at the Rocky Open carnival.
Apart from top-grade fixtures hitting off next Tuesday after the school holidays players
can continue to hone their skills at the social session from 7.30pm on Mondays, the
practice sessions between 9.00am and 11.30 on Wednesdays and between 2.30pm and
4.30pm on Saturdays and the popular top-table mini-competition on Thursdays from
7.00pm. Youngsters can continue to pick up the basics of the game at the club’s junior
coaching classes from 4.30pm on Thursdays.