TBA50 National Teams Challenge – Day 3 Recap
By Matt Stevens
The 2025 TBA50 National Teams Challenge wrapped up today at the TBA National High Performance Centre on the Sunshine Coast, with teams hitting the lanes for the final discipline – the Teams of Four event.
With medals, All-Events honours, and overall titles all on the line, the last six games delivered a dramatic and unpredictable day of the tournament.
Female Division – Teams of Four
The Female Teams event delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the challenge, with four teams trading blows throughout all six games before North Queensland once again rose to the top when it mattered most.
At the halfway mark, New Zealand was the team to beat, jumping out to a narrow lead after three games with strong, steady scoring across the board. Victoria was just 21 pins behind, while North Queensland sat a single pin further back in third, creating a tightly-packed contest that promised a thrilling finish. The Northern Territory, only a handful of pins adrift, kept the pressure on in fourth.
Game four sparked the first major shift. North Queensland made their move, powered by a brilliant 216 from Shirly Wrathmall and a strong 194 from Suz Wenzel, lifting them into the lead on 2,818. New Zealand slipped slightly but held second, while Northern Territory climbed into third thanks to yet another 200+ contribution from the in-form Kellie Hart. Victoria, however, suffered their lowest game of the event and briefly fell away from the podium race.
The momentum swung again in game five as Victoria exploded back to life, delivering a superb 758 to rocket back into first place with one game to go. New Zealand held second just five pins behind, while North Queensland dropped to third after their own dip in scoring. The Northern Territory also slipped after their toughest game of the day but remained within reach of a medal.
As they had done throughout the Challenge, North Queensland produced when the pressure was the highest. In the final game, they unleashed the biggest score of the entire division – an outstanding 792, featuring three bowlers breaking 200 – to surge past Victoria and secure the gold medal on 4,270. Victoria closed strongly with 761 but finished 15 pins short on 4,255 to claim silver. The Northern Territory delivered a fantastic final game of 765, highlighted by a superb 232 from Kellie Hart, to secure a well-earned bronze medal and hold off New Zealand.
Male Division – Teams of Four
The Men’s Teams event was every bit as explosive as expected, with massive scoring swings and a dramatic surge from NSW/ACT that sealed a clean sweep of Singles, Doubles and Teams.
After three games, NSW/ACT held the early advantage on 2,281, led by Paul Korte’s back-to-back 216’s. South Queensland were only 12 pins behind and looked sharp through Justin Edwards, while New Zealand sat close in third in what was shaping up as the tightest event of the week.
The story of game four belonged to Tasmania, who produced the performance of their tournament. Three of their bowlers fired 200+ scores – 213, 236, 220 – powering them to an incredible 848, the highest single-game total of any team across the challenge to that point. In one surge, they jumped from seventh to first, edging ahead of NSW/ACT by just two pins, while Victoria also climbed back into contention.
Game five delivered the biggest twist yet. After being knocked off their perch, NSW/ACT responded with an extraordinary 883, highlighted by another 278 game by Troy Byrne and Jamie Carroll’s 240, with Korte and Smidt backing up strongly. New Zealand answered immediately, producing a phenomenal 888- the highest men’s game of the event – thanks to three scores over 220. Tasmania couldn’t quite match the pace and slipped to third but remained well clear of Victoria in fourth.
In the final game, NSW/ACT showed the composure of champions. A composed 816, with 200s from Carroll and Smidt, was enough to secure the gold medal and complete a perfect sweep of all male events. New Zealand slowed slightly but comfortably held on to silver, while Tasmania claimed a well-deserved bronze after their earlier heroics.
All-Events Final Results
The race for the All-Events titles – recognising the most consistent performers across Singles, Doubles, and Teams – came right down to the wire, with two outstanding champions emerging after three days of exceptional bowling.
Female Division
In the Female Division, Northern Territory’s Kellie Hart capped off a brilliant week by claiming the All-Events title with a total of 3,442 pins and averaging a division high 191.2. Hart had been steadily building momentum all tournament, but it was her sensational form in the Teams event – including a clutch 232 in the final game – that elevated her to the top of the leaderboard when it mattered most.
Tasmania’s Karen Commane was close behind, finishing second on 3,423 (190.2 avg) highlighted by a 245 high game. North Queensland’s Suz Wenzel, the Singles Bronze medalist and Doubles/Teams Gold medalist secured third place with 3,376 (187.6 avg), after another consistent all-round performance.
South Australia’s Lyndell Ballis claim the final All-Star spot in fourth on 3,312, rounding out a strong top four that showcased depth across multiple states.
This year’s All-Events podium reflected a true mix of excellence – NT, TAS, NQ, and SA – each producing standout performances across all three disciplines.
Male Division
The Male All-events title belonged to NSW/ACT’s Troy Byrne, who completed one of the most dominant campaigns in recent memory. Byrne’s total of 3,846 pins (213.7 avg) came off the back of gold in Singles and Doubles, a high game twice of 278, and another powerful gold medal in the teams event, cementing his status as the standout bowler of the challenge.
His teammate Jamie Carroll completed a NSW/ACT one-two finish with 3,804 (211.3 avg), delivering consistency across all three days and playing a pivotal role in the men securing a clean sweep of gold medals.
South Australia’s Ben Muir produced an outstanding challenge to finish third on 3,638 (202.1 avg), while New Zealand’s Terry Mustchin rounded out the All-Stars in fourth with 3,565 (198.1 avg), further highlighting the Kiwi squad’s strong presence throughout the event.
The Male All-Events standings showcased a brilliant spread of talent – and with Byrne and Carroll both finishing above 3,800 pins, the NSW/ACT duo delivered one of the strongest combined performances ever seen at the TBA50 National Teams Challenge.
Final Standings
Male Overall Standings
The Men’s Division delivered consistency, power and some of the highest scoring seen all week – and in the end, NSW/ACT stood tall as the 2025 Male Division Champions. Their clean sweep of all three disciplines – Singles, Doubles, Teams – underpinning their winning tally of 508 points, built on top-notch individual performances and relentless team depth.
New Zealand claimed the runners-up position with 486 points, highlighted by their silver medal in the Teams event and a strong all-events showing led by Terry Mustchin. Their performance capped off a hugely successful week for the Kiwi squad.
Rounding out the podium, North Queensland finished third with 431 points after a consistent campaign across all three days, including a top four finish in the Teams event and strong individual results from their lineup.
Female Overall Standings
A powerhouse week from start to finish earned North Queensland the title of 2025 Female Division Champions, topping the table with an impressive 582 points. Their dominance was built on Gold in the doubles and teams event, whilst also medaling in the singles. From top to bottom, their squad delivered in every discipline.
Victoria secured second place with 510 points, highlighted by their strong push in the Teams event and consistent performances across Singles and Doubles. Their ability to stay in the podium mix all week made them one of the standout teams of the event once again.
Northern Territory claimed a well-deserved third on 438 points, powered by their bronze in the Doubles and Teams events in addition to the brilliant All-Events victory by Kellie Hart. The NT women showed grit and reliability throughout, cementing their place on the podium.
Combined Overall Standings
After three days of competition across five sessions and all three major disciplines, North Queensland emerged as the 2025 TBA50 National Teams Challenge Overall Champions, finishing on a commanding 1,013 points. Their combination of a dominant women’s squad and a consistently performing men’s team proved too strong for the rest of the field, securing the title for 2025.
NSW/ACT finished runners-up on 890 points, powered by their exceptional men’s team, who completed a clean sweep of gold medals and produced two of the tournaments’ All-Stars in Troy Byrne and Jamie Carroll.
In third place, New Zealand rounded out the podium with 875 points, completing an outstanding campaign that featured podium finishes across multiple disciplines and standout performances from both their men’s and women’s lineups.
The 18th edition of the TBA50 National Teams Challenge once again showcased the incredible talent, camaraderie and spirit that defines senior bowling in Australia.
Congratulations to all medal winners, All-Stars in the All-Events, and our division and overall champions. A huge thank you to every bowler, coach, manager and supporter for contributing to another fantastic week at the TBA National High Performance Centre.
A big shoutout to the team at Suncity Tenpin who helped everything go smoothly as always!
We can’t wait to do it all again in 2026!
