DIVISION 3 PREVIEW
This is another one of those team combinations where we have combined players of two distinctly
different levels into one division. The reason for this is that 13 of the players in this division could only play
on Thursday nights and there was quite a large difference in the rankings of the top couple of players and
the bottom players. We were also very restricted in who we could use from the list of players who were
available on either night. We have attempted to make the top 2 lines of players as strong as possible and
have then tried to make the bottom 2 lines of players as evenly matched as we could. Unfortunately this
does mean that there will be a large difference in ranking points for some matches when players from the
top 2 lines play those from the bottom 2 lines. But maybe some players might just surprise us.
We also have 6 juniors playing in this division and that is partly because there are less players on Thursday
nights so they should be able to finish earlier than on Wednesday nights.
THE TEAMS
BEARS: Hong HUANG, Kelly CAMPBELL, Sam KOLAR, John MUNRO – ranking points 2534
This team has the highest number of ranking points in a large part due to Hong HUANG who is clearly the
highest ranked player. He has however not played the last couple of seasons due to a shoulder injury which
is still restricting how he can play. Kelly CAMPBELL has been a multiple winner of our ladies championship
singles but has had a couple of inconsistent seasons which has seen her ranking drop. If she regains the
form that saw her win those singles titles this team is looking very strong. Sam KOLAR in the third position
is a junior who has been playing since a very young age and has been steadily climbing up the rankings. The
team is rounded out by John MUNRO who has a unique game and will worry all his opponents. This is a
very dangerous team if they all play to their ability.
CHEETAHS: Anna TWARTZ, Alvan WHITE, Liam STORKEN, Keith BEENS- ranking points 2476
A very even team lead by Anna TWARTZ who had a great summer season in division 2 and who is going to
be difficult to beat. One of the clubs most enthusiastic volunteers in Alvan WHITE holds down the number
2 position and his close to the table style is always a challenge. Liam STORKEN had a fantastic summer
season and will need to keep his winning form going against tougher opposition. The x factor for this team
could come from Keith BEENS who is the highest ranked number 4 player and is capable of beating many
players in this division.
COBRAS: Damir KOLAR, Steve LAIDLAW, Paul CHAMPION, Daniel WILLOUGHBY – ranking points 2520
This team has the second highest amount of ranking points and all the players have very similar orthodox
styles of play. Will this be an advantage in the doubles? Damir KOLAR will have to keep his attacking game
going if he is to defeat the other number 1 players. Steve LAIDLAW will be handy in the number 2 spot and
will give the number 1’s a hard time. Paul CHAMPION only started playing a few seasons ago and has
steadily worked his way up the rankings. In the number 3 spot he should keep on winning many games but
will he surprise some of the number 1’s? For this team the upside can come from Daniel WILLOUGHBY who
has a ranking only just below a lot of the number 3 players. If he wins some of those games his team
should do well.
DOLPHINS: Mitchell REDHEAD, Jenny POOLE, Rob CUSSANS, Tom GRACE – ranking points 2410
DIVISION 3 PREVIEW (page 2)
It is always an advantage to have a fast improving junior in your team and Mitchell REDHEAD certainly fits
into that category and should have a strong season. In the number 2 spot Jenny POOLE is capable of
beating anybody but has been a touch inconsistent over the last couple of seasons. She will be looking to
reassert herself this season and climb back up the rankings. Rob CUSSANS is one of the higher ranked
number 3 players but as he often tells me, he plays more for the fun of going for a good shot rather than
resorting to negative play just to win a game, which does cause him to sometimes lose games you wouldn’t
expect him to. Tom GRACE has played at this level several times and although he has been competitive he
has struggled to get the wins. Maybe this will be the season he turns those competitive performances into
wins.
PENGUINS: Lynda LAWRIE, Denise TILLER, Daniel LAWRIE, Bart JANSEN – ranking points 2356
This team has the lowest number of ranking points but is a real threat. Lynda LAWRIE and Denise TILLER
are good players although their ranking points suggest they will struggle to beat the number 1 players.
However they both have a healthy ranking point advantage over the number 2 players and should pick up
those games. This team will be looking for Daniel LAWRIE who is only very young but has already played a
couple of seasons to keep improving and hold his own in the number 3 position. I was surprised to see that
Bart JANSEN is actually the lowest ranked player in this division. From the matches I have seen him play he
is not easy to beat so if he can regain his form from just a couple of seasons ago he could be a huge asset
to this team in the number 4 position.
SEALS: Jo STORKEN, Tim BRASLAVSKIY, Ray SKIPPEN, Abe TWARTZ – ranking points 2413
This team are in a similar position to the PENGUINS in that Jo STORKEN and Tim BRASLAVSKIY are good
players but their rankings suggest they will struggle for wins against the number 1’s and they will have to
make sure they beat the number 2’s. They do have the potential to play much better than their rankings
suggest. The upside for this team will come from Ray SKIPPEN who is the highest ranked number 3 player. I
believe he was starting to show some better form at the end of the summer season and he will be keen to
keep that winning form going. At number 4 Abe TWARTZ is another one of our young juniors who has been
playing for quite a few seasons already. He has been playing at around the same level now for awhile and
will be keen to get a few more wins this season.
What to look out for.
With 6 juniors in the division which one of them is going to perform way above their ranking?
The matches against players from the same line are going to be pivotal to the final results.
Doubles could be crucial and with the big mismatch in rankings between 1’s and 3’s the last doubles of the
night are going to be interesting games.
There are several players who have probably performed below their expectations over the last few
seasons. Which one of those will bounce back the best?
Marcel STORKEN