Table Tennis

First VI Table Tennis

The 2021-2022 AGSV competition saw the return of normality, with a full competition and the focus on claiming an official Premiership. Dedicated to fulfilling the standards set by previous years, the First Table Tennis team trained with not only commitment but also enjoyment, as every individual strived to improve their skills to contribute to the overall encouragement of the team. Benefiting from the guidance of one another, as well as the constructive criticisms of coach Joe Gerada every Tuesday and Thursday morning, ensured that the squad not only maintained but furthered the level of Table Tennis that Camberwell Grammar is known for.

This season was not without hardship and struggle. Training was tested immensely every Saturday morning with the interschool competition stronger than ever. With every win, but more so with every loss, pressure and struggle could oftentimes get the better of our players, leading to errors not out of technicality but personal deprecation. It was remarkable to see the mature mindset of all players in the competition develop throughout, only leading to a higher quality of table tennis.

The season came off to a pleasing start against Yarra Valley Grammar School, with a 15 – 0 victory to Camberwell, setting the tone for the rest of the season to come. However, Round 2 saw a much tighter contest against runners-up PEGS, as they displayed powerful team spirit. In the absence of Justin Kwan and Charles Lewis, all members of the squad stepped up to face challenging opponents, of which the individual matches could not have been closer. Despite an overall 10 – 5 win for Camberwell, this did not reflect the standard of Table Tennis that PEGS had shown. Aiden Tang displayed admirable sportsmanship and maturity during his matches, while efforts from Joshua Hui saw him defeating PEGS’ top-seeded player to ensure a win after a well-fought contest. With newfound motivation, PEGS was determined to claim Premiership against Camberwell in the finals.

The squad members trained with perseverance and determination in the weeks leading up to the finals. The AGSV finals saw the playoff of two teams in their greatest moments of focus. The individual matches were extraordinarily close, with a number of them going to 5 sets, and bringing out the best in our players. Ultimately Camberwell were able to defeat PEGS and claim yet another AGSV Premiership, the 100th for our school.

As the season concludes the squad farewells Year 12 students Charles Lewis, Brendan Tse and myself. To be a part of the school’s dominant record in this sport has been a truly special experience. Our focus is, therefore, turned to the younger players of the squad, who will undoubtedly continue developing the high standards of Table Tennis for themselves and for the School in years to come.

Eugene Goh

Captain

Second Table Tennis

The Second Blue team has had a wonderful season this year and won all their matchups. The top players consist of Lidong Chen, Finnian Mahaffy, Mathieu Ly and Ashton Lu for the season. Most of the games played were easily won by a considerable margin, except for one close match.

Camberwell Grammar’s Second Gold Table Tennis team had an amazing 2021-2022 season. We had our ups and downs but overall had a fun and exciting time. During the season, students demonstrated skills and developed very good teamwork. All players did their best over the whole season, with notable players being Dylan Chi, William Wu and Ximing Zhang. In comparison to other seasons, this was the most successful by far.

With our very convenient sporting facilities this Summer Season, the Camberwell Second Mitre Table Tennis team played well. An excellent effort from the team, and all students played with enthusiasm and consistency. Special mentions go to Jack Yao, Cam Dunne, and Anthony Choi for their outstanding plays.

Ms Emily Wang Teacher in Charge

9/10 Division 1 Table Tennis

It’s hard to want a more successful season than the one we achieved in the 9-10 Division 1 team. This year, we were able to train with the Firsts Table Tennis team. This provided us with great insight into what the best Table Tennis players do to train and gave us great opportunities to prove ourselves to the older, and often younger players, in the Firsts team. Ethan Ong and Andy Zhang, our seed 1 and 2, showed what they were made of by playing outstanding rallies and pushing themselves against some of the toughest foes they had faced so far. Daniel An gained confidence through the season, showing off his formidable skills in the final games. Tommy Auwardt, Theodore Lam, and Jayden Yap all had undefeated seasons showing great promise for the seasons ahead. While the early morning training may have been tough, they were instrumental in the team’s improvements and we all look forward to seeing how we could possibly improve on the perfect season we’ve had.

Tommy Auwardt

9/10 Division 2 Table Tennis

Term 1 2022 saw Table Tennis training and the interschool competition for Year 9/10 Division 2 team return to a relatively normal season. Gold, Blue, and Mitre trained on Tuesday afternoons and competed every Saturday at PEGS. Camberwell continued to field relatively strong and numerous teams of talented players who practiced hard to improve and this season was no exception. Blue (Louie Fei, Michael Huang, Jerry Jin, Wilson Sha, Leo Li, Minh Tran, and Dennis Shaliga) won the most matches throughout the season, Gold (William Lardner, Matthew Lung, Leo Quan, Thomas Nania, Jasper Lim and Lachlan Ramsay) put in continued strong performances, and Mitre (Nathan Chan, Joshua Morgan, Max Helmer, Ethan Lau, Andrew Wang, and George Johnson) improved every week and developed into a solid well-performing unit. Congratulations to all members for an excellent season.

Mr Ian Cathcart Teacher in Charge

Year 7/8 Table Tennis

The 2021-2022 Summer Season was again shortened due to Covid-19 restrictions. Our squad was able to train during Term 4 (2021), then competed in five rounds during Term 1 2022. Our results were very impressive, with our First, Second, Third and Fourth teams undefeated in all their rounds, and our Fifth Team winning two of four rounds.

It was pleasing to see our Second and Third Teams winning all their matches against other First teams they played, and our Fifth team won two matches against some of their higher ranked opponents. Our excellent match results attest to the effectiveness of our training program and the attitude and talent of all players in our squad. Our top five players this season were Lachlan Lee, Jerry Hao, Aaron Zhuang, Joseph Ni, and Lachlan Huang. Most Valuable Player points were awarded after each round; our MVPs this season were Lachlan Lee, Joshua Dunne and Ethan Lin.

I was particularly pleased with the attitude and effort of our new players, including those from Year 7, and I look forward to seeing them continue to develop their skills next season. To the Year 8s moving up to the next level, I wish you every success in 9/10 Table Tennis, or other selected sport. We are fortunate to have a great coach in Joe Gerada and on behalf of all our players I would like to thank him and his coaching staff for their professionalism, guidance, and encouragement this season.

Mr Simon Barry Teacher in Charge