Junior Rising Stars steal the Show at Grand National Youth Eliminator
By Matt Stevens
The 2024 Grand National Youth Eliminator (GNYE) at Caboolture Bowl delivered a thrilling finale to Tenpin Bowling Australia’s youth division season. As the fourth and final ranked event of the year, the stakes were high with bowlers vying for crucial points in both youth and junior rankings. But in a field filled with seasoned youth competitors, it was junior bowlers Brianna Walsh and Lachlan Howse who stole the spotlight, with Howse winning his second title for 2024 and Walsh winning her first national title of her short career.
Stage 1: Blunden and Howse Lead the Pack
The event began with a gruelling 10-game qualifying round, narrowing the field to the top 12 bowlers in both the male and female divisions. Western Australia’s Emma Blunden dominated the girls’ qualifiers, posting a massive 2,127 total pinfall and averaging an impressive 212.7. A standout 284 in her second game headlined a stretch of three consecutive 200+ games, giving her a commanding 172-pin lead heading into Stage 2.
On the boys’ side, junior standout Lachlan Howse was unstoppable, finishing as the top qualifier with a total score of 2,269. After a modest start of 186, Howse unleashed a nine-game streak of 200+ scores. Fellow NTS bowlers Luke Doyle (2,258) and Justin Dinham (2,203) trailed closely, ensuring a tight battle for the top spots.
However, not all big names survived the cut. Defending champion Tamika Pettigrew missed out by just two pins, while Nicholas Rajkovic also finished in 13th, ending their campaigns earlier than expected and proving 13th is the unlucky number.
Stage 2: Top Seeds Hold Firm
With pinfall carrying over, Stage 2 saw an additional four games to determine the top eight bowlers advancing to the bracket-style finals. Blunden and Howse maintained their strong form, securing the top seeds in their respective divisions. The competition proved brutal for some big names, with Emily Hart finishing 11th and Julian Dinham bowing out in 9th.
Stage 3: Bracket Battles Heat Up
The final stage adopted Caboolture Bowl’s signature McIntyre system, pitting bowlers in head-to-head elimination matches in the well known ‘footy finals format’ bracket.
Boys Division
With pinfall dropped and it all coming down to head-to-head matchups, the bracket saw top-seed Howse stunned in his opening match, falling to Victorian William Zaccaria 430-399. Howse was forced to fight his way back through the elimination rounds, where he narrowly edged out Jackson Buckingham 204-202 in a nail-biter. Following a recent selection in Australia’s World Cup team, Victorian Seth Gray made an equally impressive run, dispatching Zaccaria in the semifinals with a 279-214 victory. Howse, however, rose to the occasion in the final, defeating Gray 207-188 to claim the title.
Girls Division
Blunden continued her dominance into the semifinals, defeating Tahlia Corbett 172-155. However, the star qualifier couldn’t hold off a fast-finishing Brianna Walsh, who surged in the grand final with a 217-200 win to secure her first national title.
Rising Stars Steal the Show
Lachlan Howse: A Star in the Making
Howse’s 2024 season has been remarkable, highlighted by his TBA Junior Masters win earlier in the year. Adding the GNYE title to his resume solidifies his place as a rising star on the national circuit. With this victory, Howse secures maximum points in the junior rankings ‘best other event’ criteria, propelling him from 5th to contention for the overall crown.
Lachlan’s 2024 season on the ranked event circuit has been superb seeing the Queenslander capture a title at the TBA Junior Masters, 8th at the Junior Sydney Cup, 10th at the Queensland Junior Cup, 10th at the Louise Eady Melbourne Junior Cup and semi-finals finish at the TBA21 National Masters.
Brianna Walsh: Following in Big Brother’s Footsteps
Brianna Walsh’s victory marks a breakthrough moment for the young bowler from Ballina Bowl. The younger sister of Blake Walsh, Brianna’s two-handed style—uncommon among female competitors—has set her apart. Her GNYE triumph caps an impressive year, boosting her junior ranking with a maximum ‘best other event’ submission following the GNYE.
Her first year in the National Training Squad (NTS18) Brianna has proved selectors right after finishing 8th in the TBA Junior Masters, 11th at the Junior Sydney Cup, 6th at the Queensland Junior Cup, 4th at the Louise Eady Melbourne Junior Cup, and her first ever national title at a youth division event, nonetheless.
What’s Next?
As the dust settles on the GNYE, attention now turns to the finalisation of the 2024 youth and junior rankings. With strong performances throughout the year, both Walsh and Howse have positioned themselves as future stars of Australian bowling.
Bowler’s will receive preliminary rankings to review shortly before being published on the website this time next week.
A big thank you to Brian Bates and his team at Caboolture Bowl who put on another stellar event for bowlers this weekend.
For now, Tenpin Bowling Australia congratulates all competitors on an incredible season and celebrates the bright future of the sport.
BRIANNA WALSH
BALLINA TENPIN BOWL, NSW
FEMALE CHAMPION
STAGE 1- QUALIFYING
| 160 | 147 | 177 | 238 | 193 |
| 244 | 176 | 152 | 258 | 194 |
| Stage 1 Qualifying Total | 1,939 |
| Average | 193.9 |
| Qualifying Place | 4th position |
| Highest Score | 258 |
| +200 Games | 3 |
STAGE 2
| 193 | 169 | 197 | 187 |
| Stage 2, Four Game Total | 746 |
| Running Total | 2,685 |
| Finishing Place and Seed for Finals | 4th |
| Highest Score in Stage 2 | 197 |
STAGE 3 – FINALS BRACKET
| Round 1: Loss to Emma Blunden 392-420 (204,206, 188-214) |
| Round 2: Win against Emily Hinspeter 188-175 |
| Round 3: Win against Hannah Clark 218-198 |
| Grand Final: Win against Emma Blunden 217-200 |
| Total Pinfall | 3,700 over 19 games |
| High Score | 258 |
TOP 8
| Brianna Walsh |
| Emma Blunden |
| Hannah Clark |
| Tahlia Corbett |
| Emily Hinspeter |
| Aleisha McGarry |
| Sophie Jones |
| Samantha Clifton |
| Highest Game for Female Division: |
| Emma Blunden – 284 |
LACHLAN HOWSE
LOGAN CITY TENPIN, QLD
MALE CHAMPION
STAGE 1- QUALIFYING
| 186 | 232 | 238 | 241 | 255 |
| 216 | 224 | 226 | 233 | 218 |
| Stage 1 Qualifying Total | 2,269 |
| Average | 226.9 |
| Qualifying Place | 1st – Top Qualifier |
| Highest Score | 255 |
| +200 Games | 9 |
STAGE 2
| 189 | 255 | 234 | 267 |
| Stage 2, Four Game Total | 945 |
| Running Total | 3,214 |
| Finishing Place and Seed for Finals | 1st |
| Highest Score in Stage 2 | 267 |
STAGE 3 – FINALS BRACKET
| Round 1: Loss to William Zaccaria 399-430 (200-185, 199-245) |
| Round 2: Win against Jackson Buckingham 204-202 |
| Round 3: Win against Luke Doyles 242-223 |
| Grand Final: Win against Seth Gray 207-188 |
| Total Pinfall | 4,266 over 19 games |
| High Score | 267 |
TOP 8
| Lachlan Howse |
| Seth Gray |
| Luke Doyle |
| William Zaccaria |
| Jackson Buckingham |
| Justin Dinham |
| Connor Raines |
| Trent McDougall |
| Highest Game for Male Division |
| Trent McDougall 298 |
