TABLE TENNIS - Success for Tahnee and Hayden Green at Australian Junior Championships...from Mr Delpratt.

2016 Australian Junior Championships
Bundaberg's Rebecca Tran and Tahnee Green again increased their collection of medals when they combined to win a silver and bronze together at the 2016 Australian National Junior Table Tennis Championships which were held in Alice Springs last week. Together with Wynnum's Tamika Connolly, they placed third in the Under 13 Girls Team event behind the very powerful New South Wales and Victorian teams. In the final round, facing the South Australian team, both Rebecca and Tahnee won two of their three matches, Rebecca completing the 5-4 victory with a straight games result in the final singles. For Rebecca, in her fourth year as a member of the Queensland team, the medals can be added to two Team gold medals won in 2013 and 2014, the latter also going to Tahnee, and the silver and bronze medals they shared in the doubles in 2014 and last year.
In the Under 13 Girls Doubles, Rebecca and Tahnee played well to reach the final for the second time in three years but after winning the opening game were unable to maintain their advantage, eventually going down in four games to former Queensland team mate Dani-Elle Townsend, who now plays for New South Wales, and her Victorian partner, Chermaine Quah.
Rebecca also won her group in the Under 13 Girls Singles but lost in the quarter-final to the eventual runner-up Sue Bin Oh (NSW). Tahnee was unlucky in her group, winning one match but losing the other 12/10 in the fourth game, as a result not qualifying for the knockout stage. In the Under 13 Mixed Doubles, both girls and their partners lost to the eventual finalists.
Bundaberg's other six Queensland team members had varying amounts of success. Hayden Green was the best performed, leading the Under15 Boys to fifth place, losing only three of his eighteen matches in that event. Leyton Ey and Sam Freeman both struggled against some very strong opposition but both had some close losses along with several wins each. In the individual events, Hayden lost in his Under 15 Singles group to the very impressive NSW Under 13 player, Alan Li. However, he qualified for the Under 18 Boys Singles by winning his group in that event before going down in the opening round to another NSW Under 15 player, Alex Lee, who sensationally made the final after defeating three Australian Junior representatives. In the Under 15 Mixed Doubles with Townsville's Lavenia Bradshaw, they were beaten in the second round by the eventual champions. In the same event, Sam Freeman and Rebecca went one round further before losing to the other finalists, while Leyton Ey and Leah Scott lost narrowly in the second round to the number two seeds. Leah was a member of the Under 15 Girls team which were unlucky to just miss a medal, losing 5-4 to the Presidents team that came third behind Victoria and New South Wales. She came third in her Singles group but only after two very close straight games losses, as well as another narrow straight games defeat in the Under 15 Girls Doubles with Tahnee Green to the event's runners-up.
In the Under 18 Team events, Briahna Connolly's Queensland team also came fourth in an incredibly close competition in which more than half of all the matches produced 5-4 results. After almost defeating the fourth seeded player, Chrysela Gracias, in the opening singles of the first round of the teams competition, Briahna went on to win almost half of her matches against many very experienced opponents. While she was unsuccessful in her Singles group which included the third seeded player, she and Lavenia Bradshaw reached the quarter-finals of the Under 18 Girls Doubles where they lost to the eventual champions.
Brett Fourro was a member of the Queensland Under 18 Boys "B" team which came a creditable sixth, twice losing 5-4 to teams which placed just ahead of them. The Queensland "A" team played magnificently to easily win the title. Brett came second in his Singles group but was extremely unlucky not to claim a medal in the Under 18 Boys Doubles. With Townsville's Olav Dahl, he lost 12/10 in the fifth game of the quarter-final to the fourth seeds who went to be runners-up in the event.
Following the tournament, Hayden Green was named sixth in the Under 15 Boys Order of Merit and Rebecca Tran at ninth in the Under 13 Girls.
Mr Delpratt.