Round 5 Results: Illawarra and Brisbane still on top

Brisbane and Illawarra remain the only undefeated teams after 5 rounds of the 2011 ARTTSL Championship.

Perth finally got their first win of 2011, crushing North Queensland 11-0, as Jimmy Spring finally started to find some form off the bench.

In another lopsided result, Sydney beat Singaore 11-0 in Sydney in front of a capacity crowd that included former NSW Premier Kristina Kh'neally.

The only team yet to manage a win now is Adelaide.

2010 runners-up Gold Coast (minus Tweed Heads) continue their climb back up the ladder after their third successive win, following losing their first two matches of the season.

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 5 Results
Gold Coast 12 d Darwin 10 at Darwin
Perth 11 d North Queensland 0 at Perth
Sydney 11 d Singapore 0 at Sydney
Greater Blacktown 11 d Geelong 5 at Geelong
Illawarra 13 d South New Zealand 11 at Christchurch
Newcastle 11 d Ipswich 3 at Ipswich
Canberra 11 d Adelaide 3 at Adelaide
North Melbourne 11 d Melbourne 8 at North Melbourne
Brisbane 11 d Sunshine Coast 2 at Maroochydore
Tasmania 11 d North New Zealand 7 at Launceston

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 5 Fixtures

Can Illawarra and/or Brisbane continue their great start to the season and make it 5 from 5?

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 5 Fixtures:
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 4 Results: Brisbane, Illawarra Undefeated

Brisband and Illawarra remain the only sides undefeated after the first four rounds of the 2011 ARTTSL Premiership.

Brisbane comfortably accounted for Darwin 11-6 in Brisbane, while Illawarra narrowly beat a hard-fighting Ipswich in extra time, 13-11 in Wollongong.

Premiers and last week's leaders Newcastle were upset at home by Sydney 11-9.

Rumours are intensifying that Jimmy Spring's return to Rebound Table Tennis is under threat after Perth fell to its fourth straight loss, this time 12-10 to North New Zealand in Wellington.

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 4 Results
North New Zealand 12 d Perth 10 at Wellington
Sydney 11 d Newcastle 9 at Newcastle
Brisbane 11 d Darwin 6 at Brisbane
Melbourne 11 d Adelaide 6 at Melbourne
Gold Coast 11 d North Melbourne 7 at Gold Coast
North Queensland 11 d Geelong 9 at Cairnes
South New Zealand 11 d Greater Blacktown 7 at Blacktown
Canberra 12 d Tasmania 10 at Canberra
Illawarra 13 d Ipswich 11 at Wollongong
Singapore 11 d Sunshine Coast 7 at Singapore

ARTTSL Round 4 Fixtures

Round 4 of the 2011 ARTTSL Premiership kicks off this weekend with North New Zealand hosting Perth in Wellington. Rebound Table Tennis Legend Jimmy Spring will again play off the bench as he tries to regain match form and Perth hope to finally get their first win for 2011. Ian McGovern remains Perth captain. North New Zealand are also yet to win a match this year.

Rumours have swirled this week that Perth may not be satisfied with Spring's early difficulties in regaining form, but the club say it has no plans to replace Spring in the first-grade squad this early in the season. They say they expect it will take him several matches to start hitting his old stride.

Reigning Premiers and current table leaders Newcastle host Sydney.

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 4
North New Zealand vs Perth (at Wellington)
Newcastle vs Sydney (at Newcastle)
Brisbane vs Darwin (at Brisbane)
Melbourne vs Adelaide (at Melbourne)
GoldCoast 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)

ARTTSL 2011 Premiership Table after Round 3 of 19

Newcastle On Top, Hotdog Maniac Ejected in Sydney

Newcastle lead the ARTTSL 2011 Championship after a third decisive victory, this time over the fancied Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore 11-3. The 2010 Premiers now have a +20 points difference after only 3 matches, an average win of 6.67 points per match.

Illawarra have continued their remarkable return to form, beating Sydney 12-10 in a thriller at Leichhardt Oval. The match was marred however by an Illawarra supporter who went berzerk and ran onto the field wielding a hotdog, chasing after ARTTSL President Wilkington Tuffy, who attended the match. Security staff managed to contain the assailant after chasing him around the table several times before finally realising that if one guard went one way and the other the other way they'd cut him off. Tuffy suffered some minor sauce splattering, but later laughed off the incident as the act of a man known to him, identified only as "Paul", who has been letting him know for some time about his frustrations with Tuffy's apparent appetite for revenue through food and merchandise sales. The price of hotdogs had been put up from $12.50 to $14 before the match. The manager of the food outlet, Coreen Saunders, said the price rise had been a direct order from Tuffy himself. Saunders was later fired for her comments.

Rebound Table Tennis Legend Jimmy Spring was again unable to help Perth clinch their first victory of the year, as the side narrowly went down 11-9 to Tasmania at home. Spring made some fundamental errors during his brief stint at the table and was quickly returned to the bench by captain Ian McGovern. The decision, while seemingly justified, appeared to cause some tension between Spring and McGovern.

Previous table leaders Canberra suffered their first loss of the season, going down 11-7 to 2009 Premiers Melbourne.

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 3 Results
Melbourne 11 d Canberra 7 at Melbourne
Gold Coast 11 d Adelaide 4 at Adelaide
Tasmania 11 d Perth 9 at Perth
Darwin 11 d Singapore 9 at Darwin
Brisbane 11 d North Melbourne 6 at North Melbourne
Geelong 12 d North New Zealand 10 at Geelong
Ipswich 11 d Greater Blacktown 8 at Ipswich
Newcastle 11 d Sunshine Coast 3 at Maroochydore
Illawarra 12 d Sydney 10 at Sydney
North Queensland 11 d South New Zealand 9 at Christchurch

ARTTSL 2011 Premiership - Round 3 Fixtures

Rebound Table Tennis Legend Jimmy Spring will make his first home appearance for Perth, again confirmed not to be captain and playing off the bench. He is however expected to see more game time this week as Perth play Tasmania. Both sides are yet to record a win this season.

Other highlights of the week include competition leaders Canberra travelling to Melbourne to play the 2009 Premiers. Adelaide host last year's runners-up Gold Coast, who languish at the bottom of the table aftet two big losses.

Meanwhile Sydney host Illawarra as both sides try to make it three wins from their first three matches in 2011. Illawarra are enjoying a great return to form after finished dead last in the 2010 ARTTSL Premiership.

ARTTSL 2011 Premiership - Round 3 Fixtures:
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)

ARTTSL 2011 Premiership Table after Round 2 of 19

ARTTSL Round 2 Results

Rebound Table Tennis Legend Jimmy Spring played a small role off the bench in Perth's second straight loss of the 2011 season, going down 11-4 to Canberra. The win is Canberra's second after two rounds, with their remarkable +17 points difference launching them to the top of the ARTTSL Premiership table.

In New Zealand, the local derby saw South New Zealand narrowly defeat North New Zealand 11-9 in Auckland. The only injury of the match was South New Zealand mascot The Big Peter Jackson, who injured his groin trying to crash-tackle his arch rival, North New Zealand mascot The Big Pippie, early in the second half. Jackson spent the remainder of the match on a chair but was able to whoop up the large Canterbury contingent in the crowd to get his side home.

In the other local derby of the round, new side Greater Blacktown almost pulled off a miracle when they led the more experienced Sydney 10-9 late in the match, only to go down 12-10 in extra time.

Last year's Grand Finalists the Gold Coast continued their poor start to the season, going down at home 11-5 to Melbourne, leaving them languishing at the bottom of the table.

Meanwhile 2010 Premiers Newcastle continued their great start to the season, crushing Darwin 11-3 in front of a capacity home crowd at Newcastle International Rebound Table Tennis Centre.

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 2 Results
Melbourne 11 d Gold Coast 5 at Gold Coast
Illawarra 12 d Sunshine Coast 10 at Wollongong
Singapore 11 d North Melbourne 2 at Singapore
North Queensland 11 d Ipswich 6 at Townsville
Geelong 11 d Tasmania 9 at Hobart
Canberra 11 d Perth 4 at Canberra
Newcastle 11 d Darwin 3 at Newcastle
South New Zealand 11 d North New Zealand 9 at Auckland
Sydney 12 d Greater Blacktown 10 at Blacktown
Brisbane 11 d Adelaide 9 at Brisbane

ARTTSL Round 2 Fixtures

Rebound Table Tennis Legend Jimmy Spring will travel with his new club Perth to play Canberra in the National Capital this weekend.

Perth have provided no further information except to confirm that Ian McGovern will remain as captain, while Spring will play off the bench this week, replacing round 1 reserve Marlon Pruitt.

Auckland will host the New Zealand local derby between North New Zealand and South New Zealand. No doubt their mascots, the Big Pippie and the Big Peter Jackson, will be at it again on the sideline.

Meanwhile in another local derby, Sydney will travel to Blacktown to take on new western Sydney-based club Greater Blacktown, who went down gallantly to Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore in the first ever match last weekend.

ARTTSL 2011 Premiership - 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)

Late Mail: Jimmy Spring Signs With Perth

No further details are known at this time. More as it comes to hand...

Gold Coast, Newcastle, Perth All Race To Sign Spring

Returning Rebound Table Tennis legend Jimmy Spring has been linked with three clubs: Gold Coast, Newcastle and Perth.

Spring's shock announcement that he plans to return to competitive Rebound Table Tennis seemingly did not fall on deaf ears, with all three clubs (and possibly more) reported to have offered deals.

Gold Coast are believed to be the front-runner, having reportedly offered Spring a contract including pay and endorsements totalling over $1 million. This would make Spring Rebound Table Tennis's first million-dollar player.

The question, of course, is how Spring would perform and if he really would be the silver bullet the struggling but cashed-up Gold Coast club would be hoping for.

A signing with Premiers Newcastle would no doubt further strengthen their credentials as 2011 favourites, while signing with Perth may lead to Captaincy disputes after the young Ian McGovern recently took over the Captaincy. Once source suggested that Perth had been aware of Spring's imminent return for some time and that McGovern was installed only as a caretaker captain while Spring prepared for his stunning return home.

Spring is expected to confirm a contract signing by tomorrow (Wednesday) to meet ARTTSL's registration requirements to be allowed to commence play in Round 2.

Rebound Table Tennis Legend Jimmy Spring

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 1 Results

Canberra have taken the early lead after Round 1 with a crushing 11-1 victory over the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast appeared to be suffering as expected from its separation from the Tweed Heads component, which left the joint venture after losing last year's Grand Final to Newcastle.

New club Ipswich recorded an emphatic victory, overcoming North New Zealand 11-2.

2010 Premiers Newcastle accounted for new club North Melboourne 11-7.

South New Zealand narrowly defeated Tasmania in a 13-11 thriller in Christchurch.

ARTTSL Premiership 2011, Round 1 Results
Canberra 11 d Gold Coast 1 at Gold Coast
Ipswich 11 d North New Zealand 2 at Ipswich
Newcastle 11 d North Melbourne 7 at North Melbourne
Singapore 11 d Adelaide 9 at Adelaide
South New Zealand 13 d Tasmania 11 at Christchurch
Sunshine Coast 11 d Greater Blacktown 6 at Maroochydore
Sydney 11 d North Queensland 7 at Sydney
Illawarra 11 d Darwin 7 at Darwin
Geelong 11 d Perth 8 at Geelong
Brisbane 11 d Melbourne 7 at Melbourne

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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