WYC Daily Update: Julian Dinham ready for Men’s Singles semi-final
By Matt Stevens
Australia enters a major medal-round at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships in Kuching, with Julian Dinham set to contest the Men’s Singles semi-final.
From here, every event is at the semi-final or final stage as the Championships build towards Finals Day on Monday.
Team Australia has two remaining medal opportunities: Dinham’s Men’s Singles campaign and the Australian men’s Team event, with Julian Dinham, Blake Walsh, Nicholas Rajkovic and Jackson Buckingham set to bowl for gold on Monday.
Dinham produced an outstanding Singles campaign to reach the final four, qualifying 13th before topping his Matchplay group with six wins from seven games at an average of 239.6.
He will now take on New Zealand’s Ben Pettit for a place in the Men’s Singles gold medal match.
What happened yesterday
Mixed Team Qualifying – Squad 1
Australia – Squad 1 – Blake Walsh, Julian Dinham, Samantha Clifton, Brianna Walsh
The first Australian team to hit the lanes produced a strong qualifying performance to finish eighth overall.
The team built steadily across the 10-game Baker-format block, with early scores of 199, 286 and 198 keeping Australia well placed before lifting late in the session.
A 244 in Game 5 provided a major boost, while the squad finished in outstanding fashion with 206 followed by a tournament-high 276 in the final game.
Australia Squad 1 completed qualifying with a total of 2,044 at an average of 204.4, securing eighth place in the squad and faced a nervy wait to know if they would progress.
| 199 | 166 | 186 | 198 | 244 |
| 206 | 192 | 189 | 188 | 276 |
| TOTAL | 2,044 |
| AVG. | 204.4 |
| SQUAD POS. | 8th place |
| COMB POS. | 12th |
Mixed Teams Qualifying – Squad 2
Australia Squad 2 – Jackson Buckingham, Nicholas Rajkovic, Emily Hart, Bella Westlake
Australia Squad 2 – Jackson Buckingham, Nicholas Rjakovic, Emily Hart and Bella Westlake produced a resilient qualifying performance to secure the final place in the Mixed Team Matchplay field.
The squad opened strongly with 227 and 196 but slipped below the cutline around the middle of the block. A huge 252 in Game 7 highlighted the group’s ‘never-say-die’ character and lifted them back into contention, followed by further strong scores of 218, 220 and 198.
The late surge proved crucial, with Australia Squad 2 finishing eighth in its qualifying squad. Australia Squad 2 completed qualifying with a total of 2,005 at an average of 200.5, earning the final place in Mixed Team Matchplay. The other good news was that Australia Squad 1 also made the Matchplay. Both Australian teams finishing inside the Top 16 cutline to participate in Matchplay.
| 227 | 196 | 145 | 172 | 186 |
| 191 | 252 | 218 | 220 | 198 |
| TOTAL | 2,005 |
| AVG. | 200.5 |
| SQUAD POS. | 8th |
| COMB POS. | 16th |
Mixed Team Matchplay
AUSTRALIA SQUAD 1
Both Australian squads progressed to Mixed Team Matchplay and competed in Group A, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals.
Australia Squad 1 – Blake Walsh, Julian Dinham, Samantha Clifton and Brianna Walsh made an excellent start, winning its opening four matches against Korea, Australia Squad 2, Japan and Sweden 2.
The team sat in a strong position after four consecutive victories, but losses to Sweden 1, Germany and USA 2 in the final three matches saw Squad 1 finish just outside the semi-final positions in third place. Australia Squad 1 completed Matchplay with a 4-3 record, collecting 12 points at an average of 190.3.
AUSTRALIA 1
| Game 1 | Australia 1 defeated Korea 208-205 |
| Game 2 | Australia 1 defeated Australia 2 : 198-165 |
| Game 3 | Australia 1 defeated Japan: 223-164 |
| Game 4 | Australia 1 defeated Sweden 2: 210-202 |
| Game 5 | Australia 1 lost to Sweden 1 – 179-204 |
| Game 6 | Australia 1 lost to Germany – 225-165 |
| Game 7 | Australia 1 lost to USA 2 – 149-212 |
| Record | 4 wins 3 losses |
| Points | 12 points |
| Group Position | 3rd in Group A |
| Average | 190.3 |
AUSTRALIA SQUAD 2
Australia Squad 2 – Jackson Buckingham, Nicholas Rajkovic, Emily Hart and Bella Westlake also showed plenty of fight throughout the block. The team opened with a narrow 182-180 victory over Germany, before later securing strong wins over USA 2 and Japan.
Squad 2 finished with a 3-4 record collecting 9 points to place sixth in Group A at an average of 181.4.
While neither team progressed to the semi-finals, both Australian squads competed strongly throughout Matchplay, with Squad 1 narrowly missing a place in the final four.
| Game 1 | Australia 2 defeated Germany 182-180 |
| Game 2 | Australia 2 lost to Australia 1 165-198 |
| Game 3 | Australia 2 defeated USA 2 – 190-177 |
| Game 4 | Australia 2 lost to Sweden 1 – 181-205 |
| Game 5 | Australia lost to Sweden 2 – 188-221 |
| Game 6 | Australia lost to Korea 2 – 179-259 |
| Game 7 | Australia defeated Japan 2- 185-158 |
| Record | 3 wins 4 losses |
| Points | 9 points |
| Group Position | 6th in Group A |
| Average | 181.4 |
Today’s schedule in AEST
Australia returns to the lanes for the Singles semi-finals, with Julian Dinham competing for a place in the Men’s Singles gold medal match against New Zealand’s Ben Pettit. The matchup has been scheduled as Semi-Final Number 1.
The Men’s Singles semi-final is contested over a best-of-three-games series. The winner will progress to the gold medal match on Monday, while the losing athlete will receive a bronze medal.
Following Julian’s semi-final, the team will take the first opportunity they have had to take in the sights and sounds of Malaysia. Enjoy the day team and we will post some happy snaps in tomorrow’s Daily Update.
12:00-13:00 AEST
Men Singles Semi Final 1
Julian Dinham (AUS) vs Ben Pettit (NZ)
What’s Next?
Monday is Finals Day at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships, with all remaining gold medal matches to be decided.
Australia’s men will contest the Men’s Team gold medal match against the Czech Republic, while Julian Dinham could also return for the Men’s Singles final should he progress through Sunday’s semi-final.
Follow Team Australia
Follow Team Australia throughout the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships via the World Youth Championships Hub for daily updates, Australian results, schedules and key event information.
All live streaming will be on the IBF YouTube page which you can find the links in our Team Australia Hub.
AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!
