At The Table

Steve Mathieson Adds Flavour To Players’ Lounge With Restyled Jim Beam Bottle

The players’ lounge at the Mackay Table Tennis Centre has become an even better spot to unwind after some spirited rallies on the court.

Thanks to morning fixtures organiser Steve Mathieson, the lounge now boasts a uniquely restyled bottle of Jim Beam—a creative touch that’s already turning heads.

Steve dedicated two hours to transforming the bottle into a decorative feature for the lounge, where players cool off with refreshments and swap stories – some of them mostly true – especially after evening matches.

There’s some speculation that part of Steve’s creative process may have involved helping to empty the bottle. Now sealed and proudly displayed, it’s sure to spark conversation for years to come.

Results

Branko Vucurovic attacks the ball as Tony Bowman goes back to defend in Tuesday morning Mackay table tennis fixtures on Tuesday. Tony won the battle -17, 7, 3, -9, 6.

Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday morning fixtures, May 20, 2025.

Division 1:

Panther Prowlers (Doug Dungavell, John McGee, Kevin Abbott) d Cosmic Sorcerers (Delma Knight, Pam Joyce, Coral Morgan) 9-3. John/Kevin d Pam/Coral 7, 8, -6, -5, 9.

Phoenix Fire (Donna Abbott, Steve Mathieson, Noreen Fredericksen) d Ant Warriors (Geoff Denman, Judy Zahn) 8-4. Steve d Judy -10, 4, -8, 3, 6.

Star Lords (George Camilleri, Branko Vucurovic, Bryan Marshall) d Star Lords (Tony Bowman, Peter Goodson, Veronica Shepherd) 7-5. Tony d Branko -17, 7, 3, -9, 6.

Division 2:

Eclipse Spin (Helen Ware, Darryl Ross, Virginia Clayton) d Astro Aces (Iris Grasso, John Hamelink, Chris Collins) 9-3. Chris d Darryl -5, -11, 8, 8, 9.

Nova Smashers (Marie Taylor, Louise Gould, Frank Caruna) d Orion Orbiters (Ross DeBoer, Thelma Caruana, Robyn Bushell) 8-4.

Division 3:

Spider Smashers (Gerry Synnott, David Muir, Glenda Dutton) drew Captin Spins (Josie Davis, Sharon Muller, Myles Dutton) 6-all. Myles d Glenda -3, 8, -9, 8, 6.

Bat Serves (Madge Saunders, Ron Johl) drew Iron Rallies (Sally Muir, Allison Day, Laurie Bradshaw) 6-all. Ron d Sally -11, 3, 9, -11, 13.

Graham won the clash of the Grahams in Tuesday night Mackay Table Tennis fixtures, Graham Brake beating Graham Drury -9, -7, 8, 5, 8.

Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixture results May 20, 2025:

Division 1:

Tech Titans (Ivan Perkins, Neil Brown, Geoff Denman) d Nano Nets (Vimal Chilukuri, Vince Boeske, YiLin Jiang) 7-4. Vimal d Neil -10, 6, -6, 3, 9.

Pixel Paddles (Goncalo Serra, Robbie Richards, Trent Day) d Data Dashers (Niro Premachandra, Josh Brown, Barry Patterson) 7-4. Barry d Trent 6, 4, -9, -7, 9.

Pixel Players (Jacob Whelan, Donna Abbott, Graham Drury) d Byte Bouncers (Anne Sheridan, Graham Brake, Ian McKay) 6-5. Graham B d Graham D -9, -7, 8, 5, 8.

Code Crackers (Emma Widdup, Lee Brake) d App Attackers (Steven Whiting, Graeme Walker) 6-5. Steven d Lee -8, -6, 5, 6.

Division 2:

Circuit Cyclers (Janice Kent, Ross, David Symons) d Turbo Techs (Val Austin, Steve Mathieson, Logan Brown) 9-2. David d Logan 5, -8, 8, -9, 7.

Robo Rallies (Will VanDeKaa, Daniel, Tiffany Camilleri) d Cloud Chasers (Rod Hamelink, Syed Aminul Hossian, Samuel Whelan) 7-4. Syed d Will 7, -11, 12, 9.

Quantum Quicks (Mark Sleeman, Rymer Tabulo, Mark B) d Stream Strikers (Melanie Theodore, Delma Knight, George Camilleri) 6-5. Rymer d Delma -5, -10, 10, 6, 7.

Giga Gamers (Peter Goodson, Liz Burton) d Mega Movers (Craig VanDeKaa, Mark Stam) 3-2. Craig d Liz -4, 9, 10, -8, 6.

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Contributed by Charlie Payne

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Steve Mathieson has added character to the Mackay Table Tennis Centre’s players’ lounge with a cleverly restyled—and possibly self-emptied—Jim Beam bottle that’s now a talking point among players

Tony Branko. Photo credit: Charlie Payne

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