Birthday bash at Oxley table tennis

ALTHOUGH school holidays and other commitments prevented 10 of the previous week’s players from showing up to the Oxley social table tennis competition last Monday night, the hall was alive with the sound of ping pong balls being belted around by the 18 ‘goers’ who gave the tables a thrashing right throughout the night. As Olympic Games team selectors were definitely on hand, they had plenty of opportunity to make their decision as to who would represent the country in Tokyo. Arriving right on the stroke of 7pm, the young, fast-improving livewire Phoebe Bosley and the equally-keen-as-mustard Erica Pike put their best feet forward from the first point of their match against the revved up Kyle Retallack and the ‘high-flying and ready to go’ Lucy Uebergang. Each pair pulled out all the tricks of the trade on their concerted efforts to win, but it was the younger Bosley and Pike who had the last laugh. It was obvious Margot Ingwersen had been reading between the lines, and summarising her weekly opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, when she paired up with the ‘bloke with a mischievous smile and tricky serve’ Martin Butcher to take on ‘Will he or won’t he’ Bonwick and the young and very talented Zac Mullins. It was ‘power with glory’ mixed with sneaky cuts and slices, creating a scene of intensity from go to whoa, with Bonwick and Mullins junior finally taking the honours. A powerhouse match between ‘early to rise’ Chris Kalkulka and his sleeveless, smiling partner Manni Poulos, and the boy from the bush Don Gibb and ‘birthday boy’ Jason Mullins, gave spectators a lesson in all the skills of the game, as they individually and collectively poured on the power in the longest and toughest match for the night. Wide smiles and strong handshakes made it difficult for onlookers to know who won, but it sure was good to watch. In the ‘family feud’ match of the night, Adam Bosley and his daughter Phoebe teamed up to play the ‘coconut sisters’ Lucy Uebergang and Maria Matavesi, and it was game on right throughout. Maria, playing just her second match, showed plenty of improvement and nous. In a really enjoyable encounter, the scores see-sawed from the beginning, with the ‘coconuts’ milking a few lucky points, but it was the consistency of the Bosleys that resulted in them pulling the strings to finish on top. The lively, intrepid traveller Cheryl Coad and her ‘slow to move’ partner June Uebergang faced up to Cheryl’s other half Gary and the man with ‘fire in his belly’ Neil Brock. So many good shots, so many near misses, so many ‘coulda beens’, mixed with plenty of ‘power packs’ from both ends of the table saw the lead ebb and flow from start to finish. But the long and short of the tussle saw Coad and Brock cross the line in a photo finish. Following the non-stop action, everyone enjoyed ‘wetting their whistle’ with a cuppa or two, and the opportunity to surprise Jason Mullins with a scrumptious birthday cake and other homemade delights in celebration of his ‘significant’ birthday during the week.

Birthday bash at Oxley table tennis

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