Newcastle Win Grand Final, Gold Coast-Tweed in Tatters

Newcastle are the 2010 ARTTSL Premiers, defeating Gold Coast-Tweed in the Grand Final in Newcastle.

The win caps off a metioric rise for Newcastle, having won Second Division in their first season last year, progressing to First Division and again winning on their first attempt.

By contrast, the Gold Coast-Tweed syndicate is in tatters, with the Tweed Heads Rebound Table Tennis Federation sensationally withdrawing from the joint venture with Gold Coast United hours after the match. No further meaning has been given to the withdrawal but there is strong speculation Tweed Heads may be considering entering its own team in Hyperball this year, a move that would likely result in legal action from ARTTSL as the club was contractually bound to only play in ARTTSL this year.

No formal announcement has been made, however a popular theory among analysts is that the fall-out in the joint venture began as early as the Quarter Final loss to Newcastle, with Tweed Heads management dissatisfied with tactics and team selections, after a number of their former junior players were left out of the squad.

It has been suggested that Hyperball have remained quiet in recent week, awaiting the completion of the ARTTSL season, after which they will announce their championship roster which would include a team based in Tweed Heads, and possibly covering a significant portion of the NSW North Coast. This may gain them more support in NSW where many people refused to follow a team which, despite playing half their games in Tweed Heads, were formally a Queensland team based on the Gold Coast.

Some have further suggested Tweed Heads were having an each-way bet, waiting to see if the joint venture team won the Grand Final before deciding whether to remain with the ARTTSL venture or defect to Hyperball. However these sensational claims have not been substantiated and all of the above is speculation at this stage.

Back to the match itself, it was a freezing winter night in Newcastle which many Newcastle fans believed would prove difficult for the northern visitors. However it was Newcastle who started unsteadily with some weak serving and at time bizarre serving options, however the scoreline remained close to half time, with Gold Coast-Tweed leading 6-4 at the break.

In the second half Gold Coast-Tweed turned up the power, seemingly deciding the match was there to be taken, and at first this seemed to be putting pressure on Newcastle, however Newcastle steadied and managed to lead 8-7 as they took their last service set.

A crucial turning point occurred when resident dog Ralph got hold of the ball. It was retrieved but was covered in slobber, and, as per garage table tennis rules, which fully apply in ARTTSL, dog slobber is part of the game. The resultant change in trajectory may have been the final undoing of Gold Coast-Tweed, who finally slipped to an 11-8 loss, handing the 2010 Premiership to Newcastle.

So ends the 2010 ARTTSL Season. The Second Division season is scheduled to be played later this year, if there are sufficient Second-Division teams for it to take place. All eyes now turn to the sleeping giant of Hyperball and if and when any teams will defect.

One thing is for certain, the war for control of Rebound Table Tennis in the Australasian region has only just begun.

Asked for his thoughts on the looming war, ARTTSL President Bernard Elksteine replied, "Hey, we're in Newcastle. Don't hey have a Sizzler here?.... Great let's go!"

Confident words indeed from the President, but many think he will be choking on his $20 rump when Hyperball announce their full intentions for 2010.

GRAND FINAL RESULT:
Newcastle 11 d Gold Coast-Tweed 8 (at Newcastle)

Round 9 - Gold-Coast Tweed in Front, Ultimate Showdown For Round 10

Gold Coast-Tweed has edged in front of Newcastle for the second time this season, drawing level on points and leading on for and against.

The stage is set for the ultimate top-of-the-table showdown in round 10, the penultimate round of the regular season, with Gold Coast-Tweed hosting Newcastle. Both sides will be keen for the win to put themselves in the box seat of the minor premiership, and hence a home final in week 2 and a chance to secure the home Grand Final.

The two sides are poised to claim the lucrative top 2 finals positions, with only South New Zealand 2 points behind have any chance of knocking them off, although South New Zealand's for and against is very low so they would need to win both their remaining matches and hope for one of the top two to lose both of theirs.

The top two spots are valuable under the finals system, with both those sides earning the first week off, then playing in week 2 with the winner securing the home Grand Final. The loser then has a second chance, playing the last remaining side from sudden death matches between sides 3 to 6 (over the first 2 weeks) to decide the second Grand Final spot.

The system has had some criticism for the differential in opportunity but many others argue that this is valid as a reward for finishing in the top 2.

In match 1, former top-spot-contenders Canberra continued their slide, going down in a nail-biter in Perth. Initially leading 7-3, the side from the national capital seemed to lose focus and allowed Perth to get back to a 10-8 lead. Canberra then managed to square it up at 10-10. In extra time, Perth had 5 match points and Canberra 2, Perth finally prevailling 17-15 in the second-highest ARTTSL score ever (the highest being 19-17 to Melbourne over Illawarra in round 6 this year).

Newcastle hosted Sydney and were keen to hold onto their number 1 spot. The match was close throughout. One early point was replayed after the officials said they could not tell if a Sydney shot had nicked the table. This angered the Newcastle crowd who were sure it went out. However soon after they were smiling again when Sydney left a ball they thought was going out but it actually hit the table.

In Christchurch, having heard the result of Newcastle's loss, South New Zealand's ever-excitable mascot the Big Peter Jackson was talking up their chances of taking the top spot from Newcastle by the end of the season. "I smell a premiership", Jackson said. However it wasn't to be as the side went down to Singapore. They let 9-6 and looked the better side, but Singapore dug deep and win five straight points to win 11-9. Singapore captain Soon Chai Goh was later over-heard retorting to Jackson's earlier remark "I smell you!"

In Wollongong, Illawarra's finals hopes crashed and burnt in a style not unlike much of their season, as they went down 11-4 against an in-form North New Zealand.

Melbourne's finals hopes also came to an end against Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore, albeit in more of a fighting style in a close match that was neck and neck to the end until Sunshine Coast prevailed 11-9. It was a sad end to the 2009 premiers' campaign and leaves them now to fight against Illawarra to avoid the wooden spoon and possible relegation as part of the bottom 3, which is very likely now, barring all Second-Division sides breaking away to another competition which presumable would mean no relegations, although ARTTSL management are tight-lipped on what this would mean for the relegatees and whether they would look to replace any departing sides.

Finally, having also heard news of Newcastle's loss, Gold Coast-Tweed were less focussed on the situation in the points table and seemed to play the game on the table tennis table in their usual style. They started brilliantly leading 5-0 after winning all of their serves, only for Brisbane to do the same on their serves and draw level 5-5. Gold Coast-Tweed remained remarkably composed and edged ahead to an 11-7 win. Many said this was the turning point for the season, and the bookies seem to agree with Gold Coast-Tweed supassing Newcastle as favourites for the 2011 ARTTSL premiership at odd of $1.80. Newcastle have slipped out to $2.10.

Tensions High Ahead of Top-of-Table Clashes and Local Derbies

Round 8 of the ARTTSL First Division Championship promises to be the best yet, with tensions building and a number of incidents in recent days ahead of the clashes tonight.

Newcastle have had a difficult lead-up to their top-of-the-table clash with Canberra after being locked out of their motel. The team arrived in Fishwick at 11pm after their bus broke down at Goulburn McDonald's and needed emergency service. On arrival they found the motel front office closed for the night and were forced to sleep in their bus on a cold Canberra night. This was despite calls ahead to the motel to say they were running late. Motel management have strenuously denied intentionally leaving the side locked out to help their local team.

On the other side of the Tasman, ahead of the local Derby between North New Zealand and South New Zealand, tensions between the respective mascots the Big Pippie and the Big Peter Jackson (recently revealed to be the real Peter Jackson) boiled over in a Wellington Nightclub.

Players and the mascots from both sides arrived at the nightclub at similar times and were reported to be heckling one other for about an hour. Finally the Big Pippie allegedly made a barb about the Big Peter Jackson "not being a real mascot as he didn't wear a costume", to which Jackson allegedly replied, "Then I'll do what they say should be done to mascots in a suit", and tackled the Big Pippie. A number of players from both sides were drawn into the melee.

The match tonight in Wellington is expected to be highly charged with tensions from the fight far from resolved. There are suggestions the mascots may be directed to remain on either side of the table, but whether they follow such an instruction remains to be seen.

Meanwhile tense words were exchanged in a media conference involving the coaches and captains of Gold Coast-Tweed and Sunshine Coast ahead of their local derby match in Tweed Heads. The sides are placed 3rd and 5th respectively on the table and are both keen for the win to consolidate their tilt for the finals. Gold Coast-Tweed captain Scott Mince at one point said "The Sunshine Coast, it's not a real team, it's not a real city is it?", to which Sunshine Coast coach Pedro Spencer replied "Well, at least we're all Queenslanders up there".

All round 8 matches are scheduled to take place tonight. With three rounds remaining after this, it is seen as a crucial round that may be the turning point in the fortunes of many clubs as we head towards the finals.

Round 7 - Lead Pack Emerges With 4 Rounds to Go

The top four sides have asserted themselves as ARTTSL Premiership contenders, all winning in round 7 and forming a clear leading group with four rounds remaining.

Newcastle remains two points clear at the top on 12 points, followed by Canberra, Gold Coast-Tweed and South New Zealand on 10. The Sunshine Coast is chasing close behind on 8 points. The remaining 7 sides follow on 6 and 4 points, suggesting there should be a close scramble for the last few top six spots.

Singapore crushed visitors Melbourne 11-4 in Sigapore in a straight-foward match in which the premiers showed very little for to be happy about.

North New Zealand pushed visitors Gold Coast-Tweed to the end in Auckland in a see-sawing encounter that ended in an 11-4 win to the home side.

Illawarra hosted Canberra and a huge crowd turned up to try to push them to perform better than many recent performances, but again they were beaten comprehensively 11-4.

South New Zealand and Sydney played a close match in Christchurch up to 8-8, before Sydney collapsed to go down 11-8.

Competition leaders Newcastle led visitors Brisbane 4-0 early, only for Brisbane to level at 4-4. Again Brisbane came back from deficits of 7-5 to 7-7 and 9-7 to 9-9. The pattern remained to the end with Newcaslte winning 12-10 in extra time.

Finally Perth hosted the Sunshine coast. The match was close up to 9-9 before Sunshine Coast won the final two points to secure an 11-9 win.

Round 8 promises to be exciting and crucial as some top sides will go head-to-head - In a top-of-the-table clash, leaders Newcastle will play second-placed Canberra in the National Capital. The match is a wrestle for the top spot as Canberra go into the match with better for-and-against than Newcastle, so if they pick up the two points they will move to P1.

Meanwhile third-placed Gold Coast-Tweed will host fifth-placed Sunshine Coast.

Round 8 also sees the New Zealand local derby as North New Zealand host South New Zealand in National Capital Wellington.
Team mascots the Big Pippie and the Big Peter Jackson have both been talking up the match and are rumoured to have developed a dislike for each other which could boil over during the match.


ROUND 7 RESULTS:
Singapore 11 d Melbourne 4 (at Singapore)
Gold Coast-Tweed 11 d North New Zealand 9 (at Auckland)
Canberra 11 d Illawarra 4 (at Wollongong)
South New Zealand 11 d Sydney 8 (at Queenstown)
Newcastle 12 d Brisbane 10 (at Newcastle)
Sunshine Coast 11 d Perth 9 (at Perth)


ROUND 8 DRAW:
Gold Coast-Tweed v Sunshine Coast (in Tweed Heads)
Canberra v Newcastle (in Canberra)
Sydney v Perth (in Sydney)
Singapore v Illawarra (in Singapore)
North New Zealand v South New Zealand (in Wellington)
Melbourne v Brisbane (in Melbourne)

Round 6 - Exhibition Round Sees Newcastle Back on Top

Gold Coast-Tweed have slipped from first to third on the ARTTSL table after losing to South New Zealand in Suva, Fiji. A disappointingly small local crowd was swelled slightly by a respectable contingent of Kiwi's, whooped up by the Big Peter Jackson, as South New Zealand raced away early to a 5-0 lead, only for Gold Coast-Tweed to race back to 7-7. South New Zeland inched out an 11-8 win from there.

Perth arguably played a home match against North New Zealand with many West Australians hopping on a camel and heading to Madura, Western Australia. The match was close up to 5-5 before Perth edged away, helped to two double-faults by North New Zealand in the final points, to win 11-6. ARTTSL President Bernard Elksteine refused to comment on the proximity of the "exhibition non-home match" to Perth's home city.

An ARTTSL record was set in the bottom-of-the-table clash between Melbourne and Illawarra in the border city of Albury-Wodonga. After Melbourne held an early lead, Illawarra played with desperation hoping to stay off the bottom of the table, pushing the match to 10-10. The sides then traded points to stretch the match to 17-17, with Melbourne finally prevailing 19-17 in an exhausting ARTTSL record total number of points played in a match (36). The result lifts Premiers Melbourne off the bottom of the table and leaves Illawarra there instead, however only on for and against. Illawarra's number one supporter Wendell Sailor told reporters he was not concerned as were only two points behind the team in 5th place. "It's early days yet mate, The Dell is all good with it and they boys will get it together", Sailor said.

The match in Beijing, China was unfortunately a disappointment in front of a modest crowd, with the match initially neck and neck at 5-5 before Canberra raced away with six straight points to win 11-5.

At Port Macquarie on the NSW north coast, Sydney raced away to a 7-2 lead, only for the Sunshine Coast to bring the match back to 8-8. The final point to draw level was astounding in that Sydney caught a ball that had hit the table by reflex, having misjudged that it would be going out. The match then went to extra time with Sunshine Coast barely prevailing 13-11.

Finally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Newcastle secured their return to two points clear at the top of the table, with a gutsy win over Singapore. The match was intense and high-speed, the mood being set by a huge smash in a early point by Singapore. Singapore led 6-2, only for Newcastle to win six points in a row to make the score 8-6. From there they held that gap to win the match 11-9.

ROUND 6 RESULTS:
Perth 11 d North New Zealand 6 (in Mandura, WA)
Melbourne 19 d Illawarra 17 (in Albury-Wodonga, NSW/Vic)
South New Zealand 11 d Gold Coast-Tweed 8 (in Suva, Fiji)
Canberra 11 d Brisbane 5 (in Beijing, China)
Sunshine Coast 13 d Sydney 11 (in Port Macquarie, NSW)
Newcastle 11 d Singapore 9 (in Jakarta, Indonesia)

ROUND 7 DRAW:
Singapore v Melbourne (in Singapore)
North New Zealand v Gold Coast-Tweed (in Auckland)
Illawarra v Canberra (in Wollongong)
South New Zealand v Sydney (in Queenstown)
Newcastle v Brisbane (in Newcastle)
Perth v Sunshine Coast (in Perth)

Round 5 - Gold Coast-Tweed pass Newcastle on Top, Melbourne Lose Again!

Gold-Coast Tweed have knocked Newcastle off the top rung of the ladder, equal on 8 points but surpassing them on for and against.

Home side Newcastle narrowly defeated Sunshine Coast 11-9 in a close match that saw a great deal of interesting and fancy serves and alot of balls ricocheting off the net. Meanwhile Gold Coast-Tweed thrashed Singapore on the Gold Coast 11-4 in a lop-sided match, enough to eclipse Newcastle's for and against balance. Newcastle and Gold Coast-Tweed are the only sides on eight points.

Meanwhile Premiers Melbourne have gone down a fourth time in a row and now languish at the bottom of the ladder as the only team with only one win. Their home match against North New Zealand was close and fast-paced and ended up 12-10 in favour of the Big Pippie-inspired north Kiwi's.

In other matches, Perth defeated Brisbane in Brisbase 11-7 after racing to an early 7-3 lead. Home side Canberra overcame a sloppy South New Zealand performace 11-6 after leading 8-2 early on. Finally Sydney recorded its second straight win, thrashing a lackluster Illawarra 11-3. The result leaves Illawarra second-last on the table based on for and against, but on points they are equal with sixth-placed Sydney, with six sides equal on four points.

Round 6 will be the ARTTSL exhibition round with matches to be played in six overseas or Australian regional locations: Mandura (WA), Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic), Beijing (China), Suva (Fiji), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Port Macquarie (NSW).

ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Perth 11 d Brisbane 7 (at Brisbane)
Newcastle 12 d Sunshine Coast 10 (at Maroochydore)
North New Zealand 12 d Melbourne 10 (at Melbourne)
Gold Coast-Tweed 11 d Singapore 4 (at Gold Coast)
Canberra 11 d South New Zealand 6 (at Canberra)
Sydney 11 d Illawarra 3 (at Sydney)

ROUND 6 DRAW (exhibition round)
North New Zealand v Perth (at Mandurah, Western Australia)
Melbourne v Illawarra (at Albury-Wodonga, NSW/Victoria)
Gold Coast-Tweed v South New Zealand (at Suva, Fiji)
Canberra v Brisbane (Beijing, China)
Sydney v Sunshine Coast (at Port Macquarie, NSW)
Singapore v Newcastle (Jakarta, Indonesia)

Round 4 - Premiers Melbourne Hit Rock Bottom

2009 ARTTSL Premiers Melbourne have hit rock-bottom after round 4, losing their third straight match and finding themselves on the bottom of the ladder.

The away match against Sydney started off very close, but Melbourne collapsed and went down 11-5. By contrast, the match was Sydney's first win for the season after three straight losses in rounds 1 to 3.

Previously undefeated Newcastle went down 11-9 to South New Zealand in Christchurch, however they still retain the first position on the ladder on for and against, joined by Gold Coast-Tweed and South New Zealand on 6 points.

In other matches, Brisbane held out visitors North New Zealand after leading 8-0 only to face a resurgence, eventually winning 11-7. Perth travelled to Wollongong where they lost their second straight extra-time match, this time to Illawarra 13-11. Gold Coast-Tweed defeated visitors Canberra 11-8.

Finally in the first televised ARTTSL match, Singapore took on Sushine Coast in Maroochydore in a see-sawing match that saw Singapore race to an early 6-0 lead, before Sunshine Coast raced back to a 7-6 lead, the match then running neck and neck to extra time, with Singapore finally squeezing out a 13-11 win.

Watch the match here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASD_9qESuVk

ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Brisbane 11 d North New Zealand 7 (at Brisbane)
South New Zealand 11 d Newcastle 9 (at Christchurch)
Illawarra 13 d Perth 11 (at Wollongong)
Sydney 11 d Melbourne 5 (at Sydney)
Gold Coast-Tweed 11 d Canberra 8 (at Canberra)
Singapore 13 d Sunshine Coast 11 (at Maroochydore)

ROUND 5 DRAW:
Brisbane v Perth (in Brisbane)
Sunshine Coast v Newcastle (in Sunshine Coast)
Melbourne v North New Zealand (in Melbourne)
Gold Coast-Tweed v Singapore (in Gold Coast)
Canberra v South New Zealand (in Canberra)
Sydney v Illawarra (in Sydney)