ARTTSL Teams Release Round 1 Player Lists

Jimmy Spring is not listed, having not signed a contract in time to take part in Round 1. Spring has until Wednesday to secure a deal to commence play in Round 2.

The big surprise is Perth's star rookie of last year, and national representative, Ian McGovern, being promoted to the captaincy. Most had expected the experienced Brandon Moore to inherit the captaincy after the retirment of former captain Mike Spitler.

Adelaide
Server: Levi Fitzpatrick (c)
Receiver: Ryan Caulcrick
General Play: Jehuu Jackson
Bench: Fred McIntyre
Coach: Corey Easley

Brisbane
Server: Marcus Evans
Receiver: Lee Hubbard (c)
General Play: Paul Johnson
Bench: Steve Jones
Coach: Donald Nelson

Canberra
Server: David Parrish
Receiver: Roscoe Roosevelt (c)
General Play: Naaman Caussin
Bench: Mike Martin
Coach: David Nelson

Darwin
Server: Shawn Bell
Receiver: Demetrius Brown (c)
General Play: Colin Hangartner
Bench: Geoff Howard
Coach: Cordaro Levitre

Geelong
Server: Andy Pears (c)
Receiver: Erik Rinehart
General Play: Chad Urbik
Bench: Kraig Wang
Coach: Ed Watkins

Gold Coast
Server: Jason Wood (c)
Receiver: Eric Wrotto
General Play: Mansfield Carrington
Bench: Alex Edwards
Coach: Dwan Heard

Greater Blacktown
Server: Kellen Johnson
Receiver: Spencer Troup (c)
General Play: Torell Williams
Bench: Kyle Batten
Coach: Danny Coleman

Illawarra
Server: Antonio Davis
Receiver: Andra Kelsay
General Play: Chris Kirlew (c)
Bench: Jammie Maybin
Coach: Aaron Merriman

Ipswich
Server: Shawne Moats
Receiver: Arthur Torbor (c)
General Play: Reggie Byrd
Bench: Jairus Corner
Coach: Reggie Corto

Melbourne
Server: Jon McGee
Receiver: Terrence McKelvin
General Play: Leodis Scott (c)
Bench: Bryan Wilson
Coach: George Lindell

Newcastle
Server: Rian Moorman (c)
Receiver: Brian Ayodele
General Play: Akin Ellison
Bench: Keith Florence
Coach: Drayton McCargo

North Melbourne
Server: John Posluszny (c)
Receiver: Paul Whitner
General Play: Donte Youboty
Bench: Ashton Brohm
Coach: Brian Chandler

North New Zealand
Server: Scott Ganther
Receiver: Quinton Huggins
General Play: Felton Sanborn (c)
Bench: Solomono Vave
Coach: Jonathan Brandstater

North Queensland
Server: Tom Henne
Receiver: Chad Polite
General Play: Lousaka Bess (c)
Bench: Garrison Stupar
Coach: Patrick Foster

Perth
Server: Brooks Hartline
Receiver: Ian McGovern (c)
General Play: Brandon Moore
Bench: Marlon Pruitt
Coach: Julius Wallace

Singapore
Server: Roberto Epps
Receiver: Dedrick Fasano
General Play: Anthony Mastrud (c)
Bench: Jeron Shuler
Coach: Mickey Barbre

South New Zealand
Server: Allen Berger (c)
Receiver: Joe Carey
General Play: Vernon Feinga
Bench: Ray Incognito
Coach: Richie Jerry

Sunshine Coast
Server: John Kopa (c)
Receiver: Matt Long
General Play: Jake Marten
Bench: James Baker
Coach: Chris Baker

Sydney
Server: Ryan Langford
Receiver: Kendall Merling (c)
General Play: Phillip Odrick
Bench: Jared Rose
Coach: Rob Starks

Tasmania
Server: Randy Soliai
Receiver: Paul Alama-Francis (c)
General Play: Ikaika Crowder
Bench: Channing Dansby
Coach: Karlos Dobbins

Sides Prepare for Round 1

ARTTSL sides are completing final training and preparations before Round 1 of the ARTTSL Premiership this weekend, which kicks off with the Gold Coast hosting Canberra.

Last year's Premiers Newcastle will be on the road to play new side North Melbourne, while further south, 2009 Premiers Melbourne will take on their arch rivals Brisbane.

At this stage Jimmy Spring has not announced a contract, so it seems safe to assume if he joins the competition it will not be for this round.

ARTTSL 2011 Premiership - Round 1:

Gold Coast vs Canberra (at Gold Coast)

Ipswich vs North New Zealand (at Ipswich)

North Melbourne vs Newcastle (at North Melbourne)

Adelaide vs Singapore (at Adelaide)

South New Zealand vs Tasmania (at Christchurch)

Sunshine Coast vs Greater Blacktown (at Maroochydore)

Sydney vs North Queensland (at Sydney)

Darwin vs Illawarra (at Darwin)

Geelong vs Perth (at Geelong)

Melbourne vs Brisbane (at Melbourne)

Spring: "I'm here to play"

Jimmy Spring, the Godfather of Rebound Table Tennis, who was dramatically arrested at Melbourne Airport after "returning from the dead" (Morocco), has been released from custody and declared his intention to play in the 2011 ARTTSL Premiership.

Police were unable to justify any of the charges they were considering in regard to his alleged links to organised crime.

In an impromptu media conference, the 73-year-old stunningly declared, "I'm here to play".

"I've hired a manager. I'm fit, I've got my reflexes... I've been practicing for six months. I'm coming back. I was the best, I'll be the best again. I'll take them all on. I'm the spring that's been missing from the step of Rebound Table Tennis. You wait and watch". This brought a loud cheer from a small band of followers who had gathered behind the media scrum.

As to whether Spring can live up to his hopes depends firstly on finding a team willing to sign him, and then on being able to handle the stresses of modern Rebound Table Tennis.

Asked to explain his reported "death" in 1995, or any knowledge he may have on the true status of the "late" Bernard Elksteine, Spring flatly refused to comment.

The 2011 ARTTSL Premiership commences this weekend.

Pre-Season Premiership Odds Released

In the wake of confirmation of the 20-Team Line-Up, bookmakers have released betting odds for each ARTTSL to win the 2011 Premiership....

Tuffy Releases Ambitious 199-Match ARTTSL 2011 Draw

ARTTSL President Wilkington Tuffy has released the 2011 ARTTSL Draw, less than 24 hours after announcing there will be 20 teams competing.

The competition will consist of 19 rounds in which all teams will play each other once, followed by a four-week Finals Series using the McIntyre Final Eight System. Hence the entire competition will take 23 weeks, with 199 matches to be played, culminating in the Grand Final in early October.

Round 1
Gold Coast vs Canberra (at Gold Coast)
Ipswich vs North New Zealand (at Ipswich)
North Melbourne vs Newcastle (at North Melbourne)
Adelaide vs Singapore (at Adelaide)
South New Zealand vs Tasmania (at Christchurch)
Sunshine Coast vs Greater Blacktown (at Maroochydore)
Sydney vs North Queensland (at Sydney)
Darwin vs Illawarra (at Darwin)
Geelong vs Perth (at Geelong)
Melbourne vs Brisbane (at Melbourne)

Round 2
Gold Coast vs Melbourne (at Gold Coast)
Illawarra vs Sunshine Coast (at Wollongong)
Singapore vs North Melbourne (at Singapore)
North Queensland vs Ipswich (at Townsville)
Tasmania vs Geelong (at Hobart)
Canberra vs Perth (at Canberra)
Newcastle vs Darwin (at Newcastle)
North New Zealand vs South New Zealand (at Auckland)
Greater Blacktown vs Sydney (at Blacktown)
Brisbane vs Adelaide (at Brisbane)

Round 3
Melbourne vs Canberra (at Melbourne)
Adelaide vs Gold Coast (at Adelaide)
Perth vs Tasmania (at Perth)
Darwin vs Singapore (at Darwin)
North Melbourne vs Brisbane (at North Melbourne)
Geelong vs North New Zealand (at Geelong)
Ipswich vs Greater Blacktown (at Ipswich)
Sunshine Coast vs Newcastle (at Maroochydore)
Sydney vs Illawarra (at Sydney)
South New Zealand vs North Queensland (at Christchurch)

Round 4
North New Zealand vs Perth (at Wellington)
Newcastle vs Sydney (at Newcastle)
Brisbane vs Darwin (at Brisbane)
Melbourne vs Adelaide (at Melbourne)
Gold Coast vs North Melbourne (at Gold Coast)
North Queensland vs Geelong (at Cairnes)
Greater Blacktown vs South New Zealand (at Blacktown)
Canberra vs Tasmania (at Canberra)
Illawarra vs Ipswich (at Wollongong)
Singapore vs Sunshine Coast (at Singapore)

Round 5
Darwin vs Gold Coast (at Darwin)
Perth vs North Queensland (at Perth)
Sydney vs Singapore (at Sydney)
Geelong vs Greater Blacktown (at Geelong)
South New Zealand vs Illawarra (at Christchurch)
Ipswich vs Newcastle (at Ipswich)
Adelaide vs Canberra (at Adelaide)
North Melbourne vs Melbourne (at North Melbourne)
Sunshine Coast vs Brisbane (at Maroochydore)
Tasmania vs North New Zealand (at Launceston)

Round 6
Melbourne vs Darwin (at Melbourne)
Brisbane vs Sydney (at Brisbane)
Illawarra vs Geelong (at Wollongong)
Adelaide vs North Melbourne (at Adelaide)
Singapore vs Ipswich (at Singapore)
Greater Blacktown vs Perth (at Blacktown)
Canberra vs North New Zealand (at Canberra)
North Queensland vs Tasmania (at Townsville)
Gold Coast vs Sunshine Coast (at Gold Coast)
Newcastle vs South New Zealand (at Newcastle)

Round 7
Darwin vs Adelaide (at Darwin)
Ipswich vs Brisbane (at Ipswich)
South New Zealand vs Singapore (at Christchurch)
Perth vs Illawarra (at Perth)
North New Zealand vs North Queensland (at Auckland)
Sydney vs Gold Coast (at Sydney)
North Melbourne vs Canberra (at North Melbourne)
Tasmania vs Greater Blacktown (at Hobart)
Sunshine Coast vs Melbourne (at Maroochydore)
Geelong vs Newcastle (at Geelong)

Round 8
Gold Coast vs Ipswich (at Gold Coast)
Melbourne vs Sydney (at Melbourne)
Singapore vs Geelong (at Singapore)
North Melbourne vs Darwin (at North Melbourne)
Greater Blacktown vs North New Zealand (at Blacktown)
Canberra vs North Queensland (at Canberra)
Illawarra vs Tasmania (at Wollongong)
Adelaide vs Sunshine Coast (at Adelaide)
Newcastle vs Perth (at Newcastle)
Brisbane vs South New Zealand (at Brisbane)

Round 9
Darwin vs Canberra (at Darwin)
Tasmania vs Newcastle (at Launceston)
Geelong vs Brisbane (at Geelong)
Perth vs Singapore (at Perth)
Ipswich vs Melbourne (at Ipswich)
North Queensland vs Greater Blacktown (at Cairnes)
South New Zealand vs Gold Coast (at Christchurch)
Sunshine Coast vs North Melbourne (at Maroochydore)
Sydney vs Adelaide (at Sydney)
North New Zealand vs Illawarra (at Wellington)

Round 10
Brisbane vs Perth (at Brisbane)
Melbourne vs South New Zealand (at Melbourne)
Canberra vs Greater Blacktown (at Canberra)
North Melbourne vs Sydney (at North Melbourne)
Newcastle vs North New Zealand (at Newcastle)
Illawarra vs North Queensland (at Wollongong)
Adelaide vs Ipswich (at Adelaide)
Singapore vs Tasmania (at Singapore)
Gold Coast vs Geelong (at Gold Coast)
Darwin vs Sunshine Coast (at Darwin)

Round 11
North Queensland vs Newcastle (at Townsville)
Greater Blacktown vs Illawarra (at Blacktown)
Tasmania vs Brisbane (at Hobart)
South New Zealand vs Adelaide (at Christchurch)
Sydney vs Darwin (at Sydney)
North New Zealand vs Singapore (at Auckland)
Ipswich vs North Melbourne (at Ipswich)
Geelong vs Melbourne (at Geelong)
Perth vs Gold Coast (at Perth)
Sunshine Coast vs Canberra (at Maroochydore)

Round 12
Darwin vs Ipswich (at Darwin)
Melbourne vs Perth (at Melbourne)
Adelaide vs Geelong (at Adelaide)
Newcastle vs Greater Blacktown (at Newcastle)
Brisbane vs North New Zealand (at Brisbane)
Gold Coast vs Tasmania (at Gold Coast)
Canberra vs Illawarra (at Canberra)
Singapore vs North Queensland (at Singapore)
Sunshine Coast vs Sydney (at Maroochydore)
North Melbourne vs South New Zealand (at North Melbourne)

Round 13
North Queensland vs Brisbane (at Cairnes)
South New Zealand vs Darwin (at Christchurch)
North New Zealand vs Gold Coast (at Wellington)
Perth vs Adelaide (at Perth)
Ipswich vs Sunshine Coast (at Ipswich)
Tasmania vs Melbourne (at Launceston)
Geelong vs North Melbourne (at Geelong)
Illawarra vs Newcastle (at Wollongong)
Greater Blacktown vs Singapore (at Blacktown)
Sydney vs Canberra (at Sydney)

Round 14
Gold Coast vs North Queensland (at Gold Coast)
Adelaide vs Tasmania (at Adelaide)
Brisbane vs Greater Blacktown (at Brisbane)
Sunshine Coast vs South New Zealand (at Maroochydore)
North Melbourne vs Perth (at North Melbourne)
Melbourne vs North New Zealand (at Melbourne)
Canberra vs Newcastle (at Canberra)
Singapore vs Illawarra (at Singapore)
Darwin vs Geelong (at Darwin)
Sydney vs Ipswich (at Sydney)

Round 15
Greater Blacktown vs Gold Coast (at Blacktown)
South New Zealand vs Sydney (at Christchurch)
Perth vs Darwin (at Perth)
Tasmania vs North Melbourne (at Hobart)
North Queensland vs Melbourne (at Townsville)
Newcastle vs Singapore (at Newcastle)
North New Zealand vs Adelaide (at Auckland)
Ipswich vs Canberra (at Ipswich)
Geelong vs Sunshine Coast (at Geelong)
Illawarra vs Brisbane (at Wollongong)

Round 16
North Melbourne vs North New Zealand (at North Melbourne)
Sunshine Coast vs Perth (at Maroochydore)
Brisbane vs Newcastle (at Brisbane)
Adelaide vs North Queensland (at Adelaide)
Gold Coast vs Illawarra (at Gold Coast)
Ipswich vs South New Zealand (at Ipswich)
Darwin vs Tasmania (at Darwin)
Sydney vs Geelong (at Sydney)
Melbourne vs Greater Blacktown (at Melbourne)
Canberra vs Singapore (at Canberra)

Round 17
South New Zealand vs Canberra (at Christchurch)
Perth vs Sydney (at Perth)
Illawarra vs Melbourne (at Wollongong)
Tasmania vs Sunshine Coast (at Launceston)
Greater Blacktown vs Adelaide (at Blacktown)
North New Zealand vs Darwin (at Wellington)
North Queensland vs North Melbourne (at Cairnes)
Geelong vs Ipswich (at Geelong)
Singapore vs Brisbane (at Singapore)
Newcastle vs Gold Coast (at Newcastle)

Round 18
South New Zealand vs Geelong (at Christchurch)
Melbourne vs Newcastle (at Melbourne)
North Melbourne vs Greater Blacktown (at North Melbourne)
Darwin vs North Queensland (at Darwin)
Gold Coast vs Singapore (at Gold Coast)
Adelaide vs Illawarra (at Adelaide)
Ipswich vs Perth (at Ipswich)
Canberra vs Brisbane (at Canberra)
Sunshine Coast vs North New Zealand (at Maroochydore)
Sydney vs Tasmania (at Sydney)

Round 19
Greater Blacktown vs Darwin (at Blacktown)
North New Zealand vs Sydney (at Auckland)
Singapore vs Melbourne (at Singapore)
Brisbane vs Gold Coast (at Brisbane)
Tasmania vs Ipswich (at Hobart)
Perth vs South New Zealand (at Perth)
North Queensland vs Sunshine Coast (at Townsville)
Newcastle vs Adelaide (at Newcastle)
Illawarra vs North Melbourne (at Wollongong)
Geelong vs Canberra (at Geelong)

PRELIMINARY FINALS
1st vs 8th (Game 1)
2nd vs 7th (Game 2)
3rd vs 6th (Game 3)
4th vs 5th (Game 4)
Note: The four winners are ranked "Winner 1" to "Winner 4", the four losers are ranked "Loser 1" to "Loser 4", as per the order they finished on the table after Round 19.

QUARTER FINALS
[Winner 1 and Winner 2 have week off]
Winner 3 vs Loser 1 (Game 5)
Winner 4 vs Loser 2 (Game 6)

SEMI FINALS
Winner 1 vs Winner Game 6 (Game 7)
Winner 2 vs Winner Game 5 (Game 8)

GRAND FINAL
Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8

Note: All Finals matches played at home ground of team that finished highest on the table after Round 19.

Tuffy Announces 20-Team Line-Up, Tweed Left Out

ARTTSL President Wilkington Tuffy has astounded the Rebound Table Tennis world by announcing a single-tier, 20-team competition for 2011.

All eight teams that defected to the failed National HyperBall League in 2010 have been allowed to return, as Tuffy had previously eluded to in proposing a softer stance than his predecessor, the late Bernard Elksteine. However Tweed Heads, the portion of runners-up Gold Coast-Tweed, who dramatically defected to HyperBall after losing the 2010 Grand Final to Newcastle, have been excluded.

Tuffy told a packed press conference that the decision was made as the best means of re-unifying the game. He did not specifically state, but eluded to, the notion that he had avoided the mistakes of Elksteine, who forced teams into second-tier divisions, the apparent catalyst for last year’s defections.

The competition will consist of 19 rounds in which all teams will play each other once, followed by a four-week Finals Series using the McIntyre Final Eight System. Hence the entire competition will take 23 weeks, culminating in the Grand Final in early October.

Tuffy also noted that due to the late start to the season after resolving the defection/return issues, there would be no Pre-Season Trophy this year. However he said it might be possible to put something similar on post-season, but did not make any guarantees. Again he may be trying to avoid making Elksteine's mistakes, after tensions last year began with Second-Division sides being forced to play an extra round to qualify.

Some have compared the scenario to the aftermath of the Super League War which saw 22 teams playing in 1998, followed by significant measures over the following years to contract the number of teams through mergers and exclusions.

Tuffy would not comment on whether such a process would need to take place in coming years in the aftermath of the Rebound Table Tennis War. However speculation the Rebound Table Tennis War has only begun as been mounting since the mysterious return to Australia of Jimmy Spring, who remains in protective custody in Melbourne.

2011 ARTTSL Entrants
Adelaide
Brisbane
Canberra
Darwin
Geelong
Gold Coast
Greater Blacktown
Illawarra
Ipswich
Melbourne
Newcastle
North Melbourne
North New Zealand
North Queensland
Perth
Singapore
South New Zealand
Sunshine Coast
Sydney
Tasmania

Draw to be released soon.

Jimmy Spring "Alive", Arrested in Melbourne

Police claim to have arrested Rebound Table Tennis legend Jimmy Spring at Melbourne International Airport, after landing on a flight from Morocco.

Seen as the Godfather of Rebound Table Tennis, and mentor to late Rebound Table Tennis supremo Bernard Elksteine, Spring was believed to have died in a road crash in 1999.

"Jimmy Spring" moments before his arrest in Melbourne

A Police spokesman told the media this morning the arrest was made after a number of coincidental tip-offs indicated that Spring was alive, and would attempt to enter the country on an early flight this morning. A suspect was first identified at the checkout gates, but was followed and only arrested after he arrived at a suburban house in Melbourne's east.

Several reporters had received the same tip-off and were able to photograph the alleged Spring just moments before his arrest. He was take to Melbourne Central Police Station for questioning and remanded in custody.

Born in 1937 in Denver, Colorado, Spring immigrated to Australia with his parents at age 6. He grew up in Maroochydore and became a top Table Tennis player, competing for Australia in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. Retiring in 1966, he was the first to formalise Rebound Table Tennis as a competitive form of table tennis in the early 1970's, having previously only been seen as a means of practicing the game for regular, full-table play. Spring believed the Rebound form of the game offered the potential for faster and more exciting competition.

Spring expanded Rebound Table Tennis as an amateur sport across the country, opening a string of Rebound Table Tennis Dojo's, where he trained players and oversaw amateur competition. The sport, however, never reached professional status in Australia under Spring.

Spring came under pressure in the mid-90's as his dojo's were linked to organised crime and drug trafficking, and he was reportedly under constant investigation.

Jimmy Spring in 1975

A key turning point for the sport came in 1995 when Spring met a down-and-out Bernard Elksteine on the streets of Brisbane. He immediately saw Elksteine's leadership skills, business acumen and knowledge and skills for the game as a successful former player, and put Elksteine in charge of his Ipswich Dojo.

After the reported death of Spring in 1999, Elksteine inherited Spring's entire Rebound Table Tennis empire. Seeing the wider potential for Rebound Table Tennis in the Australasian Region, Elksteine was able to use the funds generated from the Spring enterprise to expand his system nationally, and in so doing set up a junior player development program. He also cleaned up the sport's image, removing anyone who had apparent links to former allegations against Spring.

The program led to the game's popularity flourishing and establishment of large Dojos in many major centres across Austalia, New Zealand and later in Singapore in 2006. This led on the the establishment of the Australasian Rebound Table Tennis Super League in 2009.

The reported arrest adds fuel to speculation that Elksteine is also alive and well in Morocco, (having included several reported sightings) biding his time before re-claiming his place as Rebound Table Tennis Supremo in Australasia. It is now widely speculated that this has been part of a larger plan which commenced with Spring faking his death in 1999.

The mysterious, failed National HyperBall League initiative is still rumoured to have had links to Elksteine, and now possibly to Jimmy Spring as well, as the pair allegedly try to wrest back control of the sport "from the grave".

Police indicated today that they wished to speak to Spring about his disappearance and his possible former links to drugs and organised crime. No charges have been laid against the alleged Jimmy Spring at this stage. A medical assessment will be undertaken on the 73-year-old late this afternoon.

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