2025 John Sullivan Senior Australian Open Recap

The 19th running of the John Sullivan Senior Australian Open took place at Wyncity Keon Park on the weekend in Victoria, bringing together many of Australia’s top senior bowlers for a thrilling weekend of competition.

As the second nationally ranked event of 2025 for both the TBA50 (Seniors) and TBA65 (Grand Seniors) seasons, this tournament carried significant weight for early-season rankings. Three divisions were contested – Men’s 50s, Ladies 50s, and Men’s 60s. Over two days of high-level play, competitors showcased consistency, resilience, and the ability to deliver under pressure in a format that left no room for error.

All players bowled 16 games across two days (8 games on Saturday and 8 on Sunday). Total pinfall was the sole determinant of the final standings in each division, rewarding sustained performance over all games. This format created plenty of suspense as leaders fought to maintain their pace and challengers tried to close the gap, setting the stage for dramatic shifts in position on the second day.

LADIES 50’S DIVISION – SENIOR

In the Ladies 50s division, a duel quickly developed at the top between two Victorian bowlers.

Dena Buxton, the two-time defending champion, rolled a steady 1,680 pin total on Saturday (210.0 average)​ to claim the overnight lead. Hot on her heels was fellow Victorian, Lee Booth with 1,679 pins – just one pin behind after 8 games.

Buxton and Booth seesawed for the lead throughout Day 1, distancing themselves from the rest of the field. The next closest competitor, Western Australian Samantha Matthews, was nearly 90 pins back in third at 1,591. While Jenny Notman sat in fourth with 1,575. The slim margin between the top two foreshadowed an exciting finish to come, as every shot would matter in their battle for the title.

The Buxton-Booth showdown lived up to its billing on Sunday.

Dena Buxton continued her excellent pace to post a winning total of 3,281 (205.1 avg), clinching the Ladies 50s crown for the third straight year. It was far from a comfortable victory, however, as Lee Booth stayed virtually neck-and neck, finishing with 3,273 pins (204.6 avg) – just 8 pins shy of Buxton.

The title hung in the balance until the final frames of the 16^th game. Ultimately, Buxton’s clutch bowling under pressure helped her fend off Booth’s challenge in one of the tournament’s closes ever finishes.

Meanwhile, Jenny Notman mounted a terrific Day 2 comeback to secure the final podium spot in her best performance since competing in the division. Starting the day in fourth, Notman rolled a big second-day series ​with six of her eight games providing 200+ scores which included the first five games  to help leap into third place with 3,241 pins. The performance surpassing Samantha Matthews, who slipped from third to fourth despite a valiant effort that featured a 249 to kick off proceedings on the final day.

An All-Victorian podium – Buxton, Booth, and Notman, helped the state sweep the podium positions in both the male and female divisions at this year’s event.

TBA Hall of Famer Jeanette Baker remains the benchmark in the Women’s division with a record seven titles, including a dominant stretch of six wins in eight years from 2007 to 2014 – a true legend of the event.

Now, Dena Buxton has joined elite company, becoming only the second woman to win the title three or more times (2023–2025). It’s a perfect start to the year for the reigning senior female rankings winner, with two wins from two events in 2025. With back-to-back maximum points secured, the Victorian star will be the one to chase as the season rolls on.

Note: Dena Buxton was unavailable for the final presentations. Image used is from the 2023 event.

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MEN’S 50’S DIVISION – SENIOR

2023 John Sullivan Senior Australian Open Champion Adam Hayes burst out of the gates to lead the Men’s 50s field after the first block.

Hayes tallied 1,871 pins over his first 8 games (233.9 average)​, buoyed by a high game of 279 in the early going. This stellar start provided a 44-pin cushion over second-placed Troy Gaylard (1,827). Western Australian Dan Borey sat in third with 1,821, just 50 pins off the lead, closely followed by Alan Notman in fourth with 1,795. With the top four separated by only 76 pins, the stage was set for a tight battle on Day 2.

Hayes returned to the lanes and maintained his momentum on Sunday, displaying consistency to finish with a winning total of 3,599 pins over 16 games (224.9 average). Never relinquishing the top spot, ultimately securing the title by a 45-pin margin.

Fellow Victorian Troy Gaylard stayed hot on his heels throughout, closing with 3,554 pins (222.1 average) to comfortable secure second place.

The real tussle was for the final podium position.

Alan Notman launched a Day 2 surge to rise from fourth into third. Notman accumulated 3,510 (219.4 avg), overtaking Borey with a strong final block. Dan Borey’s slower Day 2 dropped him to eighth.

The men’s 50’s podium sporting a navy-blue sweep – Hayes, Gaylard, and Notman – was an all-Victorian affair, exemplifying the host state’s strength in depth. Other stand outs included Andrew Lloyd and Ashley Riley who improved their standings on Sunday with big games of their own, and Shayne Melton catapulted into the top five after finishing in 20^th place on the first day.

This is Adam Hayes’ second John Sullivan Senior Australian Open title, having first claimed the crown in 2023. With this win, Adam becomes just the fifth male bowler to secure multiple titles at the event, joining an elite group that includes Andrew Lloyd (3), Bill Johnson (3), Brenton Davy (2), and Mick Talevski (2).

After missing the first event of the season, Adam collects maximum points at pitstop number two and enters the fray as a threat to watch throughout the year. With the Hammer champion George Frilingos finishing in 12^th place over the weekend, a shuffle of rankings is expected as they are processed and released to participants for review in the provisional window.

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MEN’S 60’S DIVISION – GRAND SENIOR

The Men’s 60s division (Grand Seniors) saw some of the highest scoring of the tournament. Australian bowling legend Andrew Frawley set a blistering pace on Saturday, shooting 1,882 for his first 8 games (a 235.3 average)​ to grab the day-one lead.

Frawley’s block was the single-highest of any competitor across all divisions, highlighted by every game surpassing the 200+ mark as he struck early and often.

Not far behind was Queenslander Graeme Morgan with 1,862 (232.8 average)​, just 20 pins adrift after matching Frawley punch for punch, including rolling back-to-back games of 279 and 275 in his set​. Those two heavyweights opened up a substantial gap on the field; third place after Day 1 was Michael Muir at 1,742 (217.8 average)​, nearly 140 pins off the lead, with Jim Bakirtzidis close behind in fourth (1,736).

The question heading into Day 2 was whether Frawley could maintain his sizzling scoring pace, or if the consistent Morgan (and others) would close the gap over the final eight games.

Sunday brought a shake-up in the Men’s 60s standings. Graeme Morgan delivered a steady performance in the final block to surge into the lead, finishing with 3,607 pins total (225.4 average)​ and claiming the Men’s 60s title – 8 pins more than the seniors division champion, Adam Hayes.

Morgan’s two-day consistency paid off as he overcame the 20-pin deficit and pulled ahead of Frawley by a comfortable margin. The battle for second turned into one of the stories of the day: Michael Muir unleashed one of the best Day 2 series of the tournament (1,841 pins on Sunday) to jump from third to second. Muir tallied 3,583 pins overall (223.9 average)​, coming within just 24 pins of Morgan at the finish and firmly overtaking Frawley.

Andrew Frawley, after his red-hot start, couldn’t quite recapture the same strike rhythm on Day 2 – he added 1,653 pins in the final block for a 3,535 total (220.9 average)​, which saw him settle for third place. Frawley’s exceptional Day 1 remained the highlight of the division, proving that even a big early lead is never safe in a format where every pin counts.

The final podium of Morgan, Muir, and Frawley saw all three bowlers averaged over 220 – an indication of the high scoring level in this division.

This is Graeme’s second 60’s title at the event after winning in 2022. Graeme now enters elite company with becoming the fourth bowler in the history of the event to win multiple titles in the 60’s division joining Stephen Bell (4), Jim Bakirtzidis (3), and Mick Talevski (2).

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FUTURE FRAMES

With two nationally ranked senior events now in the books for 2025, the race for the yearly points titles in both the TBA50 and TBA65 divisions is well and truly heating up. Storylines are beginning to take shape, and the competition is only set to intensify as the season progresses.

Tenpin Bowling Australia congratulates the three champions from the John Sullivan Senior Australian Open – Dena Buxton, Adam Hayes, and Graeme Morgan – on their outstanding performances at Wyncity Keon Park.

A big thank you to the team at Wyncity Keon Park, Tournament Director Sue Raphael and volunteers for coordinating this year’s event.

The next stop on the senior calendar is the SA Seniors Classic, set to take place on 4–5 May 2025 at Bowland Salisbury. Entries for the event have already sold out, highlighting the strong interest and momentum building across the senior season this season.

THE JOHN SULLIVAN
SENIOR AUSTRALIAN OPEN
CHAMPION BOARD

Year	Senior Division	Grand Senior Division
2007	Merv Billing and Jeanette Baker
2008
2009	Bob Whybrow, Jeanette Baker	Stephen Bell, Alain Cossadeaux
2010	Tony Stoppel, Julie Hird	Stephen Bell and Ingrid Coburn
2011	Bill Johnson, Jeanette Baker	Brien Show-yin, Barb Richmond
2012	Brenton Davy, Jeanette Baker	Rob Zikman, Maxine Forrest
2013	Brenton Davy, Jeanette Baker	Mike Kennedy, Barb Richmond
2014	Mick Talevski, Jeanette Baker	Stephen Bell, Christene Webster
2015	Bill Johnson, Heather Robertson	Stephen Bell, Jeanette Baker
2016	Mick Talevski, Lee Booth	Jim Bakirtzidis, Jeanette Baker
2017	Bill Johnson, Julie Harrison	Jim Bakirtzidis, Jeanette Baker
2018	Kevin Webb, Jeanette Baker	Mick Talevski, Lee Booth
2019	Ralph Harford, Christine Clark	Terry Wenban, Sarah Knowland
2020	Andrew Lloyd, Christine Clark	Jim Bakirtzidis and Jeanette Baker
2021	Mike Muir, Sue Cassell	David Farquharson
2022	Andrew Lloyd, Jennifer Burton-Douglas	Graeme Morgan
2023	Adam Hayes, Dena Buxton	Mick Talevski
2024	Andrew Lloyd, Dena Buxton	Michael Holden
2025	Adam Hayes, Dena Buxton	Graeme Morgan