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BUNDABERG TABLE TENNIS
CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
2019 MARKS THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE BUNDABERG AND DISTRICT TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION INC.
In late 1968 or early 1969, an advertisement was placed in the Bundaberg News-Mail asking for interested persons to attend a meeting at the Western Suburbs Club with the view to forming a Table Tennis club. It was felt that the Western Suburbs was not big enough so enquiries were made to see if they could use the Rowers Club shed. Permission was granted and the club was formed.
Larry Taske was elected as the first President. Before any play could commence, they had to build the tables. Members built 4 or 5 tables and play commenced in 1969.
Not too many years later (1972), the club moved over to the hall in Hanbury Street, North Bundaberg. The Club had six tables and table tennis was becoming a popular sport with 90 players. Fixtures were played two nights a week and there was social play on Friday nights and Sunday mornings.
In 1979 the Club moved from Hanbury Street over to the main pavilion of the old showgrounds. This was our home until 1991, when we moved to our new premises and present home at Kendalls Road.
The Centre was built by Club labour under the direction of builder Col Groszmann. Many many hours of blood sweat and tears went into this building. Most of the steel frames etc. were completed at Hedley Tripp’s place before being transported to the Centre. The Centre was officially opened on 10th August, 1991.
Since moving to our present home many changes have taken place. We still only have 7 tables for competition play but up to 14 tables can be put up to accommodate school and junior competition.
The Centre has been expanded to accommodate new toilets and showers, disability toilet and shower, new canteen, and store room. The old wooden floor has been covered with Taraflex flooring (which we were granted after the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 2018). Air vents have been put in, solar panels installed on the roof, and just recently the roof has been painted with a special paint to make the inside cooler when playing during the summer months. All of these additions have been made possible through grants from Queensland Govt, Gambling Community Benefit Fund, TTQ & TTA thanks to applications written by our current President, Phil Freeman.
The Club has some very talented juniors, a lot of whom have come from the schools programs. These Juniors have been encouraged and coached by our Development Officer Dave Delpratt and many senior players who have given their time so freely. We owe these players many thanks for the time and effort that they have put into the Juniors, some of whom are now State and National ranked players.
To celebrate 50 years, we are holding a BBQ and Presentation night at the Centre, Kendalls Road, Bundaberg on Saturday, 30th November 2019, with the BBQ 5.00 – 6.30p.m. Presentations and a walk down memory lane 6.30 – 8.00pm, followed by Supper and Anniversary Cake.
The Committee cordially invite all foundation, past and present members to attend this special function. If you are able to attend please contact Dave Delpratt on (07) 41552388 or mobile 0418 526 968, or Rhonda Dawson on (07) 41551181 or mobile 0428880529, by email at bundytt@bigpond.com, or via the club’s Facebook page. If you know the whereabouts of past members, please let us know so we can contact them.
Major Sponsor since 2007
2019 ERIC CREE SHIELD INTER-CLUB MATCH
BUNDABERG v ROCKHAMPTON
Bundaberg was again thwarted in their attempt to regain the Eric Cree Shield, the symbol of supremacy between the Bundaberg and Rockhampton Table Tennis Associations, when the two clubs met in Rockhampton on Saturday night. The home Association again proved too strong, retaining the Shield for the third successive year, winning five matches to one, though four matches could have easily gone the other way, so close were many of the individual results in them.
Rockhampton’s number one team, as expected, was far too strong for the Bundaberg trio of Andrew McCurley, Andrew Udal and Kaine Ryan, winning 11-0 with the loss of only one game. The clash of the number two teams went to Rockhampton 6-3, Peter Spratley winning the two singles he played while Braydon Chapman won a five game marathon against the highly experienced James O’Sullivan. Chapman had been unlucky to lose to Queensland Junior representative, Matthew Steffen, in the opening rubber, going down 11/8 in the fifth game, while he and Spratley also lost a very hard-fought doubles in four games. Ashley Parrott, who recently represented Australia at the INAS Global Games in Brisbane, also played well despite losing his three singles, including 12/10 in the fourth game to Steffen and 11/9 in the fifth game to O’Sullivan.
Rockhampton won the third table 9-2 though this included three fifth game results and two others that were very close in the fourth game. Lorraine Fourro won one singles while she and Rebecca Tran also won their doubles. The match on Table Four was a marathon thriller from start to finish that Rockhampton won 7-4. Pieter Poldervaart won twice by the narrowest of margins in the fifth game after losing the first two games, interspersed with the opposite happening in his second match. Rashed Aziz, in his first appearance for Bundaberg, began with an 11/9 fifth game win then later had one of only two straight games results in the entire match. Travis McDermid lost 13/11 in the fifth game after another incredibly close battle.
Bundaberg’s sole success came on the fifth table on which the team of Tayla Scott, Dallas McDermid, Tahia Zia and Matthew Udal combined to defeat an extremely experienced quartet of women. McDermid and Udal gave their team a wonderful start, winning the first two singles, then Scott just lost to Pam Clarke 11/9 in the fifth game after losing the first two games. After losing the first doubles, Bundaberg regained the lead through singles wins to Zia and McDermid before the Rockhampton team took the next three rubbers, including Clarke’s five game victory over Udal. However, Scott and Zia, both Queensland Junior representatives, showed great determination to claim the last two singles to clinch the match 6-5.
Bundaberg’s sixth team was also a little unlucky to lose 7-4 that included several narrow defeats. Kingsley Parrott’s three singles wins kept the scores close throughout, also sharing in a doubles win with Barry McQueen who had just previously gone down 11/8 in the fifth game in his first singles. Later, Peter Marris and Nikki Udal were unable to hold on in their doubles after winning the first two games. They, and McQueen again, also had some close games in their singles without being able to break through.
Rockhampton will travel to Bundaberg to defend the Cree Shield next year which will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first inter-club matches between the two Associations in 1970.
The photos below show the Bundaberg team and the shield presentation to Rockhampton.
JUNIOR COACHING
Junior coaching is well under way. Friday night Junior coaching is from 7.00 – 9.00 p.m.
If you know anyone who wants to come along to Junior coaching on Fridays, please tell them to contact Dave Delpratt on 4155 2388.
2019 MEMBERSHIP FEES
The following Membership Fees are now due and should be paid as soon as possible.
Adults $90.00
Adult Concession (Pensioner/Student) $80.00
Adult Social $40.00
Junior $40.00
2018 AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
| UPCOMING DATES |
30 November Annual Presentations and Club 50th Anniversary Celebration |
2019-20 Committee
POSITION POST HOLDER
Patron Pauline Langford
President Phil Freeman
Vice President Nikki Udal
Secretary Rhonda Dawson
Treasurer Cathy RiversCommittee Members Peter Marris; Rod Stehbens;Michele Brockhurst; Hannah Sunley
Grading Committee Steve Ricketts; Dave Delpratt;Nikki Udal; Rod Stehbens
Development Officer Dave Delpratt
Publicity / Records Dave Delpratt
All members are welcome to attend and speak at our monthly Committee meetings.
Meetings are normally held on the 2nd Monday of the month, starting 7.30 p.m.
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