By RICHARD MORGAN and PHOEBE MORGAN

On a warm spring night last Monday, 15 September, 26 players descended on the Oxley Hall where after a short time, table tennis bats were heating up with constant games played on all four tables.

New faces and seasoned attendees enjoyed the friendly social event.

Neil Spurgeon teamed up with Adrian Brunken to take on Gary Coad and Debbie Brunken.

With bats fully charged it was full on from start to finish.

The lucky shots and many impossible points made sure the game went down to the wire.

Smiles all round suggested one team won.

Clive Brooker and Kate Cole along with early starters Jason Mullins and Cheryl Cole had a no-holds-barred approach.

With Clive’s serves being dished up and Kate winning returns Jason and Cheryl had plenty of opportunities to get a win.

No scores were recorded, but huge smiles suggested a great game was had by all.

Granddad Neil Brock teamed up with ‘I’m Back’ Theo Poulus against Brock’s granddaughter, Harper Nethercote and Graham Stephens.

The ‘young pair’ put the pressure on early, but the ‘older’ young ones proved after all their games had too much experience and scraped home: just.

Hot off the press, Phoebe Morgan, teamed up with Manni Poulos to take on umpire dad Richard Morgan and Neil Brock.

After a number of long exchanges, Phoebe and Manni had the early lead.

Neil’s return off the wall and back on the table was judged as ‘no good’ by an independent jury.

A fast comeback was almost on the cards, but Phoebe and Manni scraped home by two points.

At one point, a table of the youngest players was formed with Jacob Hardiman and Harper Nethercote versus Hugh Spring and Ryan Van Der Poel.

The gentlemen for once going at a reasonably slow pace to accommodate the hall’s newest player, but in the end, all used their youthly agility to dodge, weave and catch projectiles flying to all corners of the table.

Janet ‘I’m Here to Win’ Heath teamed up with Cheryl Coad to take on ‘The Don’ Heath and Richard Morgan.

With the boys all smug, thinking it was going to be a ‘walk in the hall’, six points ahead; Janet and Cheryl were not giving up.

True to form they snuck home, winning by two points and left Don and Richard thinking; ‘what just happened?’

Teams swapped tables all evening, with Will Bonwick and Steve Van Der Poel taking on David Harris and Bruce Fletcher, with a high-stakes shootout seemingly at every point.

To keep fleet of feet, Martin Butcher and June Uebergang took on team Van Der Poel at the central table, with Steve and Ryan victorious, by a measly three points.

Adults and secondary school students of all ages and abilities are welcome to join the group which meets at the Oxley hall at 7pm every Monday night: BYO bat, $2 and a plate of savoury or sweet snacks to share.