The Greenfield Park home of the local body will host the Albury Wodonga Table Tennis Open with juniors playing today and seniors up tomorrow.

A Table Tennis Victoria sanctioned event means players are pushing to gain points towards state selection, some among the juniors touted as future Olympians others including Border hopefuls Bethany Smith, pictured, and Andrew Brooke, 21, already state representatives.

Association president Gary Brooker said the club was riding the high of an outstanding performance at the Victorian Country Championships on the long weekend.

“It’s an event that has been going for 62 years with 106 teams competing in 21 divisions,” he said.

“We won four, finished runner-up in three, came home with three leading players and were successful in some indiviudal events — the strongest performance of any club there.

“We want everyone to come down and watch some of the action this weekend.

“We are proud that we are a sport that caters for all, as long as you can hold a bat we have a spot for you whether you are a serious player or social.”

Play starts at 9am. both days.

THE Wodonga Jets will take to Martin Park under lights in their new-look jumpers for the first time today.

The Jets, coached by Matt Deegan with the help of Brian Carroll, are this year playing in a hybrid Wodonga jumper and have their matches hosted by the Bulldogs.

Their annual match at half-time of the Ovens and Murray grand final each year has become a feature of the day.

“The Jets will field a strong side with recruit Jack Maher against the Murray Crays outfit,” club president Richard Bence said. 

“The game will be played under lights after the Wodonga vs Lavington game. 

“Coach Matt Deegan has worked hard with the boys to improve their skill and fitness. 

“The boys are excited about their first game at Martin Park and hope that the community gets behind them on the night.”

LAVINGTON’S “Turkey Tom” Carroll was among a raft of Carlton full forwards celebrating the club’s 150-year milestone last Saturday night.

Among the goalkickers were Warren Ralph, Peter McKenna, Alex Jesaulenko and Carlton bad boy and now Yarrawonga full forward Brendan Fevola.

Carroll, who booted 143 goals in a 55-match career and was given the nickname by Lou Richards, even welcomed Fev back into the fold. 

“I know he’s done so much work behind the scenes for people in the community back home and he’s pretty much turned his life around,” he said.

Carroll’s 54-goal haul in his maiden season of 1961 made him the first Blue since “Soapy” Vallence 30 years before to take out the competition’s goalkicking.

Carlton’s three-time leading goalkicker, who wore No. 22, admitted he often thought about what might have been in the 50 years since coming back to the Border.

“The Coleman Medal is great, he (Coleman) was my hero as a kid and I even got to meet him,” Carroll said. 

“But a premiership would have been better.

“We got beaten in the ’62 grand final and I didn’t think much about it back then but I do now.”

WODONGA golfer Casey Wild has gone back to back in the North East District Golf Championships.

Wild prevailed on a wet and soggy Wangaratta earlier this week winning by nine shots in the 36-hole tournament from fellow club members Catherine Odgers and Judy Langford.

Wild, who in a little over six weeks heads to the US to play and study at Tarleton University in Texas, said it was tough going.

“It was wet and there was little or no run, which made the course play even longer,” she said.

“But it was great to defend my title.

“I’m just playing a lot of golf before heading overseas with the Country Championships in July another title on my radar before heading to Tarleton.”

Wild combined with Odgers, a former US college-based golfer, to win the North East foursomes title.

ALBURY racing must be rueing this prolonged period of wet weather.

The club lost its second meeting of the season this week when Monday’s seven-race card was first postponed and a day later abandoned because of surface water at that troublesome 1000-metre mark.

Albury was also forced to defer a meeting in late May for the same reason and lost its first race meeting of the season last August to wet weather.

The 2014 edition of that August meeting will be Albury’s next program in the new racing year.

One Week understands it costs the club at least $10,000 in revenue when a meeting is lost.

Race club chief executive John Miller has made no secret of the fact there is inadequate drainage and something needs to be done.

THE mill just doesn’t slow down when it comes to the mob from that hopelessly decrepit and under-financed Martin Park.

The latest is the potential for a summer sports leader on the southern side of the ditch to put their hand up for the president’s role.

If he got the gig we’re tipping he would hit it for six.

Don’t think the Wodonga coach was the only one suffering on the Border after THAT World Cup game.

1 THAT World Cup game. THAT goal. THAT Tim Cahill.

2 Sam Groth into the main draw at Wimbledon, beating Simone Bolelli who knocked him out of the French Open. Sweet revenge.

3 Nan Latta’s penalty shoot-out and World Cup winning goal in over 40 Australian side in the Netherlands.

4 FINALLY NSW. Ordinary Origin game when both sides were so afraid of losing that they forgot how to win. Still no BLUES fan is complaining.

5 Corowa-Rutherglen may have pulled off a late season coup with the signing of Brett Zorzi. Scuttlebutt says he should have played 200 AFL games if the cards fell his way.