2025 IBF World Championships – Team Australia: Morning Brief Day 8
By Matt Stevens
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2025 IBF World Championships – Top Bowl, Kowloon, Hong Kong – Day 8
Day 8 starts with heart rates still settling after one of the most dramatic finishes we’ve ever seen at a World Championships. In a night session that had everything – pressure, resilience, and pure clutch execution – Australia has officially advanced to the Men’s Trios medal rounds.
And they did it the hard way.
After seven tense Baker-format games in Round 2, Australia, Finland, and Denmark finished lock in a three-way tie on 15 points for the final two semi-final positions. What followed was a sudden-death, one-game playoff between the three nations – a single game to decide which two teams would survive.
Under immense pressure, the Aussie trio of Julian Dinham, Luke Doyle and Blake Walsh delivered when it mattered most, holding their nerve in a high-stakes shootout to claim one of the coveted spots in the medal round. It was Australian bowling at its absolute finest – composed, fearless, and unshakeable when the moment demanded it.
Australia is now through to the semi-finals, joining the best nations in the world in the fight for gold later this week.
What a night. What a team. We’re into the medal rounds!
What Happened – Men’s Trios Qualification (7 Games)
Australia fielded two trios across the two squads of Men’s Trios qualification, with the goal of breaking into the Top 16 combined standings and advancing to the Round 2 matchplay group stage that would occur at the conclusion of the second squad.
Round 1 – Squad 1 – Julian Dinham, Luke Doyle, & Blake Walsh – 7th Overall (QUALIFIED)
Coming off strong form in both Singles and Doubles, Julian, Luke and Blake entered their third Championship event with confidence and delivered another highly competitive block.
The trio came out firing, opening with 241 and 224 to sit inside the top two after two games. A dip in Game 3 (179) dropped them in the standings, but they regrouped with 192 before hitting their stride again in Games 5 and 6, posting 260 and 244 in a powerful late surge. They closed with a steady 196 to finish on 1,536, averaging 219.43.
Their score places them 4th in the squad, just 20 pins behind the USA combination of Patrick Hanrahan, Andrew Anderson and Ryan Barnes, with Denmark in 2nd and Korea topping the squad with a huge 1,647 (235.9 avg).
It was a composed, world-class performance and enough to place them well inside the Top 16 and into Round 2 that would unfold later that night.
| 241 |
| 224 |
| 179 |
| 192 |
| 260 |
| 244 |
| 196 |
| Total – 1,536 |
| Average – 219.43 |
| Squad Place – 4th |
| Pins behind the Squad leader – 111 |
Round 1 – Squad 2 – Jesse Ellis, Jackson Buckingham & Jordan Dinham – 47th OVERALL
Australia’s second trio – Jesse, Jackson and Jordan – entered Squad 2 looking to build on what they watched their teammates produce in the morning, but the block proved challenging from the outset.
A tough start in Game 1 (146) put them immediately on the back foot, falling 112 pins behind the leading French trio. To their credit, the boys dug in and responded well with a strong 209 in Game 2, settling into better rhythm as they began climbing up the standings.
Games 3 and 4 reflected the up-and-down nature of their block – 165 followed by a solid 213, lifting them to 25th. Their best moment came in Game 5 with a sharp 235, their highest score of the day, pushing them further into the pack with positive momentum.
They closed out the block with 187 and 188 in the final two games to finish on 1,343, averaging 191.86. It was a determined effort to stabilise after the opening game, but the early gap proved too large to overcome in such a tight qualifying field.
| 146 |
| 209 |
| 165 |
| 213 |
| 235 |
| 187 |
| 188 |
| Total – 1,343 |
| Average – 191.86 |
| Squad Place – 25th |
| Pins behind the Squad leader – 284 |
Round 2 – Julian Dinham, Luke Doyle & Blake Walsh – Group B
Placed in a stacked Group B, Australia’s trio of Julian Dinham, Luke Doyle and Blake Walsh faced one of the toughest Round 2 draws of the event. Seven Baker-format matches, one point table, and only the top two teams advancing to the medal rounds.
The Aussies opened the block with two tough results – a 213-239 loss to the Czech Republic and a 204-254 defeat to Denmark – immediately putting them on the back foot. Lesser teams may have folded. Australia did the opposite.
What followed was one of the most resilient stretches of the entire Championship.
Locked in, composed, and refusing to be rattled, Australia launched a stunning five-match winning streak to drag themselves back into contention.
- 258-248 vs Malaysia
- 238-223 vs Canada
- 232-223 vs Singapore
- 219-182 vs Finland
- 207-191 vs Korea
Game after game, they built momentum. Frame after frame, they grew in confidence. Suddenly, after seven matches, Australia had stormed to five wins from their last five, finishing with 15 points, an outstanding 224.43 average, and a belief that anything was possible.
But their work wasn’t done yet.
When the final standings were calculated, Australia, Denmark and Finland were locked together on 15 points – triggering a rare and dramatic three-way playoff to decide which two nations would progress to the semi-finals.
In that high-pressure one game shootout, Denmark struck early and secured their position, leaving Australia and Finland fighting head-to-head for the final spot. The Aussies held their nerve through the middle frames, stayed clean, and capitalised when Finland faltered with costly errors late in the game. A brilliant closing stretch sealed it.
Australia delivered a composed 227, finishing ahead of Finland’s 175 to book their place in the medal rounds.
For a trio aged just 17, 19 and 22, it was a performance defined by grit, maturity beyond their years, and a refusal to go away. After two early losses, they reeled off five straight wins, survived a sudden-death playoff, and now stand among the final four nations in the world – the only question, what medal colour will it be?
| Australia 213 lost to Czech Republic 239 |
| Australia 204 lost to Denmark 254 |
| Australia 258 defeated Malaysia 248 |
| Australia 238 defeated Canada 223 |
| Australia 232 defeated Singapore 223 |
| Australia 219 defeated Finland 182 |
| Australia 207 defeated Korea 191 |
| Total – 1,571 |
| Average – 224.43 |
| Points – 15 points (5 wins, 2 losses) |
One Game Playoff:
- Australia 227
- Denmark 212
- Finland 175
Men’s Next Stop: The Stadium Stage
Australia now advances to the semi-finals against Denmark, and the setting could not be bigger – Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai.
Yes, the semi-finals and finals for both the Trios and Teams events are moving to a stadium, providing a world-class arena fitting for a world-class finish.
Following the dramatic three-way playoff and the confirmation that they were through to the medal rounds, Australia joined the other semi-finalists for a special nighttime practice session inside the stadium.
The setup is still being finalised, but stepping into the venue – two pairs of lanes surrounded by thousands of seats – was a moment the young Aussies won’t forget. After a gruelling day, walking into that space felt like a reward in itself. You could see it on their faces: this was a dream.
Only a short 15-minute practice window was allocated to each team at this stage, but it was more than enough for Australia to get a feel for the arena environment. From there, it was a quick Uber ride to a nearby bowl to complete an urgent ball repair…because on nights like these, absolutely everything matters.
A day with pressure, emotion, resilience, – and a stadium finish at the end of it. What a moment for Australian bowling.
The semi-final trios are scheduled to occur at the Stadium on Thursday, 4 December 2025 – not a bad way to turn 20 for Blake Walsh.
🎳 Day 8 Preview – Women’s Trios Qualification
Today belongs to the women, with both Australian trios taking the lanes across two qualification squads. The goal: break into the Top 16 and return tonight for Round 2 in the evening matchplay group block.
It’s an all-women’s schedule , giving the men an off day to regroup and prepare for their own Round 2 and finals beginning Wednesday. With several of the women finding form late in the Doubles event, today offers a clean slate and a chance to launch a deep push in the Trios discipline.
🗓️Tuesday 2 December 2025 – Day Schedule (AEST)
(The times below are AEST e.g. Brisbane. Hong Kong is 2 hours behind Brisbane)
- 09:30-11:00 – Lane Maintenance
- 11:00-11:10 – Warm Up
- 11:10-13:30 – Women Trios Qualifying Squad 1 (7 Games)
- 13:30-14:30 – Lane Maintenance
- 14:30-14:40 – Warm Up
- 14:40-17:00 – Women Trios Qualifying Squad 2 (7 Games)
- 17:00-18:00 – Lane Maintenance
- 18:00-18:10 – Warm Up
- 18:10-20:30 – Women Trios Round 2 (Round Robin – 7 Games)
🇦🇺 Australian Schedule – Women’s Trios (AEST)
| 11:10-13:30 – Women’s Trios Qualifying Squad 1 |
| Jamie Phelan, Samantha Clifton, Siarn Ottaviano |
| Lanes 17, 14, 30, 29, 27, 22, 18 |
| 14:40-17:00 – Women’s Trios Qualifying Squad 2 |
| Dena Buxton, Bek Martin, Bec Whiting |
| Lanes 24, 27, 11, 12, 14, 19, 23 |
| 18:10-20:30 – Women’s Trios Round 2 (Round Robin – 7 Games) |
| TBD |
| Lanes TBD |
🎳Trios Event – Format Overview
- Max two trios per federation.
- Round 1 – Qualifying – 7 baker games
- Round 2 – Top 16 Matchplay – advance to two groups of 8 teams, seeded based on qualifying and evenly. All bowlers in each group bowl against each other for a total of 7 baker games.
- Semi-Finals – Top 4: Group winners play 1v4, 2v3 (best-of-three). Losers receive bronze.
- Grand Final: Winners meet for gold and silver in a best-of-three.
📲 How to Follow
Stay updated on all schedules, morning briefs, results, stream links via the Team Australia Hub on the TBA website here – Click Here.
💚💛 Let’s Go Aussies!
