PRELIMINARY final action of the Renmark Table Tennis Association saw Net Ninjas defeat Whack-a-Ball, and book a spot against Backhand Bandits in the 2025 RTTA Grand Final.
Net Ninjas won 14-10 in a close score, separated by only two wins.
Net Ninjas showed great endurance, fighting out to the last point, and winning four of the doubles rubbers that went to five games. 
In the singles there were many great rubbers, with Whack-a-Balls’ Byron Livingston-Bornholm and Michael Rose, fighting out a five-gamer against Rod Stoeckel. 
The match of the night was between Alex Lau, of Net Ninjas, and Sonia Adamczyk, of Whack-a-Ball.
Adamczyk narrowly won the first 11-9, and backed it up with another close one in the second game, 13-11.
Lau fought back to easily win the third 11-6 and then in a marathon fourth game 19-17. 
The fifth game went back and forth, but Lau proved too strong on the night, winning the final game 12-10, and securing the rubber for Net Ninjas. 
Next Wednesday the Grand Final will be played against the two top teams from the home-and-away fixture in Backhand Bandits and Net Ninjas. 
While Backhand Bandits have won their last twelve matches, grand finals bring a different pressure, while Net Ninjas will look to their bottom four to continue their form from the preliminary final. 
With Coden Smith, Simon Adamczyk, and Alex Lau currently playing some of their best table tennis of the season, they will look to challenge Jemima Livingston-Bornholm, Barry Schier, and Scott Bornholm, and turn around Backhand Bandits’ dominance from previous matches. 
In the top the matchup between experienced warriors, Barry Williams and Nigel Stoeckel, of Net Ninjas, and Steve Watson and Dennis Robinson, of Backhand Bandits, will provide high-level rubbers to watch. 
It is hard to see Backhand Bandits losing after its dominance in the latter part of this season, but given the finals atmosphere the game will be closer than recent encounters.
- SUPPLIED
Results
Net Ninjas 14 (52) d Whack-a-Ball 10 (42)
Doubles
B. Williams/N. Stoeckel d R. Coppin/P. Haenen; R. Stoeckel/B. Heuzenroeder lost to B. Livingston-Bornholm/M. Rose; B. Williams/R. Stoeckel lost to R. Coppin/B. Livingston-Bornholm; N. Stoeckel/B. Heuzenroeder d P. Haenen/M. Rose; A. Lau/S. Dixon d So. Adamczyk/C. Gaskin; Si. Adamczyk/C. Smith d N. Perry/D. Erceg; A. Lau/Si. Adamczyk lost to So. Adamczyk/N. Perry; C. Smith/S. Dixon lost to D. Erceg/C. Gaskin.
Singles
B. Williams lost to R. Coppin; N. Stoeckel lost to R. Coppin; B. Williams d P. Haenen; N. Stoeckel d P. Haenen; R. Stoeckel lost to B. Livingston-Bornholm; B. Heuzenroeder lost to B. Livingston-Bornholm; R. Stoeckel lost to M. Rose; B. Heuzenroeder d M. Rose; A. Lau d So. Adamczyk; S. Dixon lost to So. Adamczyk; A. Lau d C. Gaskin; S. Dixon lost to C. Gaskin; Si. Adamczyk d N. Perry; C. Smith d N. Perry; Si. Adamczyk d D. Erceg; C. Smith d D. Erceg.