The Rockhampton Table Tennis Association continues to produce state-level talent, with Monica Deeth and Warun Wilkinson the latest to earn selection to represent Queensland. This week, they will travel to Launceston for the annual Australian Veteran Championships, which begin on Saturday. The week-long nationals will be held at the impressive Silverdome Stadium, one of Tasmania's premier venues, which regularly hosts major sporting and community events.
Table Tennis Australia will outfit the stadium with 34 full-sized playing courts—every one of which will be needed to accommodate over 400 competitors. These athletes will compete in team events, as well as individual singles, doubles, and mixed doubles tournaments across nine age divisions for both men and women, ranging from over-30 to over-85. Participation numbers could have been even higher if a few Queensland regulars, including some locals, had been available to attend.
Deeth, a veteran of a couple of Aus-Vets tournaments, has earned a spot on Queensland's over-50 second team, joining a few other regulars from Mackay. Wilkinson, who only started playing seriously a few years ago, will compete in the over-50 men’s section as part of a composite team that includes two New Zealand representatives.
Meanwhile, the final round of fixtures in both divisions of the local top-grade weekly competition will take place this week, before players take a two-week break for the school holidays. This will be followed by the final season of the year.
In the first division, three teams are in the running to top the leaderboard. The title will be decided on a "first past the post" basis, with Rayden Smith and Gerard Watts hoping to outlast the other two teams—Matthew Pettett and Judd Carr, and Joel Coughlan and Nick Green.
In the second division, the pairing of Allan Clarke and Cooper Bulow holds a slim two-point lead over Monica Deeth and Warun Wilkinson. Close behind are the duos of Leo Lai and Joe Clifton, and Geoff Geddes and Linda O’Sullivan, who are tied for third, just one point back. One key result could shift the standings dramatically.
The previous round saw some exceptionally close matches. Erica Nolan narrowly defeated Nick Green 12-10 in the deciding fifth game after trailing 2-1. Chris Leitner edged out junior Cooper Bulow in five tough sets before losing in another five-setter to Allan Clarke. Young Bulow then pulled off an exceptional win over Glen McDonald in a marathon match, 13-11, 16-18, 11-13, 11-5, 12-10. Linda O'Sullivan also triumphed in a close battle, defeating Pam Clarke in five sets before overcoming a one-set deficit to Patricia Green and winning the next three convincingly. In an absolute classic, Allan Clarke prevailed over Geoff Geddes 11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10.