Australia Closes a Proud Campaign at the 2025 IBF World Championships

Round 1 – Squad 1 – Julian Dinham, Luke Doyle, & Blake Walsh – 7^th 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 4^th in the squad, just 20 pins behind the USA combination of Patrick Hanrahan, Andrew Anderson and Ryan Barnes, with Denmark in 2^nd 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.

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 25^th. 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.

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?

One Game Playoff:

• Australia 227
• Denmark 212
• Finland 175

Semi-Final Vs Denmark – Denmark wins 2 games to 1

• Game 1 – Australia wins 213-212
• Game 2 – Denmark wins 194-174
• Game 3 – Denmark wins 238-218

Squad 1 – Jamie Phelan, Samantha Clifton, Siarn Ottaviano

Squad 2 – Dena Buxton, Bek Martin, Bec Whiting