‘The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the crowd kept arriving, until they numbered 22,’ including a contingent of six, who had travelled from Brisbane, for an action-packed night at the Oxley social table tennis competition last Monday night.

Mick Gervasoni and Gary Coad were in ‘top gear’ when they paired up to take on Jason Mullins and Richard Morgan, in what could be described as an 'amateur professional' performance by all.

From the first ping of the ball, it was 'game on', as each player gave their best shot as they bounded and pounded in their relentless power-plus effort, which showcased every shot in the book.

And with nothing left on the table, not even the paint, it came as no surprise that both pairs 'came home with the goods'.

In a replay of the previous week's game, June Uebergang and Debbie Brunken joined forces as they endeavoured to reverse last week's result against Cheryl Coad and David Harris.

With each pair determined to come out on top, everyone ran a 'country mile' to retrieve and return every ball that came their way.

As each pair held the lead intermittently, and thought they had the game 'in the bag', final scores revealed Cheryl and David won the re-match, 21–19.

In a game where none of the players were familiar with their partner's or their opponents' game styles, it was a learning curve for Martin Butcher and Silvana Molnaro, and their 'Brisbane Heat' goer, Audrey Olsson, and Alison Stephens to work out when and where to put the 'hard words' and as much pressure on their opponents as possible.

Martin's long and fast game, Silvana's high and well-placed attacking strokes, were met with conviction by Audrey and Alison in a game that captivated the attention of spectators from the first point.

Following Martin and Silvana's quick getaway to hold a 12–3 lead, Audrey and Alison 'pulled up their socks' to slowly even the score at 15 each - from there the lead 'see-sawed' until one pair finally won the tie-breaker.

Graham Stephens and 'Brissie Boy', Alister Olsson, were in fine form when they challenged 'on-line teacher' Ivano Groom, and the girl with a real sting in her game, Lyla Porter.

With each player as 'cool as a cucumber', in their zealous approach to the job at hand, everyone was in full control of their game plan.

And although their intentions sometimes 'came unstuck', the game remained very competitive right to the last stroke, when Lyla clipped the table edge to give her and Ivano the two-point victory.

'Busy as bees in the honeycomb', Ernie Menichelli and Manni Poulos knew they had the job in front of them when they faced up to young Brisbane friends, Aaron Olsson and Xander Aechtner.

Well acquainted with the game, and the 'tricks of the trade', the 'young bucks' were well-primed up to put the 'old blokes' under the hammer at every opportunity, but the 'old fellas' were quick to show they were no 'pushovers' as they met 'fire with fire' from go to whoa.

Not to be outdone, Aaron pulled a ripper from under his hat to seal the deal, giving him and Xander the unexpected tie-break victory.

With everyone still in 'pro-action' mood and mode, new to the game, and enjoying the 'heat' of the southern state, Laura Kent paired up with Debbie Brunken to challenge David Harris and the sixth member of the Brisbane contingent, Ben Aechtner, in a game for 'all seasons'.

As Debbie and Laura played the 'safety first' style of play, David and Ben threw 'caution to the wind', with everyone making the most of every opportunity that presented itself.

And as the game progressed, each pair learned a lesson or two on how to undermine their opponents in a very even contest from go to whoa.

No final scores were recorded, but David and Ben's big smiles 'said it all'.

With supper and a cuppa (or two) on tap all evening, everyone's physical and mental strengths were returned for the duration of the night's fun and games, while catching up on local and northern state news and weather!

Adults and secondary school students of all ages and abilities are most welcome to join the group which meets at the Oxley Hall each Monday night, beginning at 7pm.

BYO bat, $2 entry and a small plate to share.