2026 TBA21 National Masters Preview
By Matt Stevens
Australia’s leading youth bowlers return to Coolangatta Tweed Tenpin this weekend for the 24th edition of the TBA21 National Masters.
The nationally ranked event will bring the 2026 TBA National Youth Championships to a close across Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, following two days of competition in the TBA21 National Teams Challenge.
With defending champion Emily Hart returning in the female division, the national rankings leaders in the field and several members of Australia’s medal-winning World Youth Championships set to compete, the stage is set for a high-quality battle for two of Australian youth bowling’s most prestigious individual titles.
The national event enters the stage fresh from an outstanding campaign at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships in Kuching, where the team secured Men’s Team gold, Men’s Singles Silver and Women’s Team bronze. Six members of that Australian squad appear on the current Masters squad list, including Hart, Blake Walsh, Nicholas Rajkovic, Brianna Walsh, Bella Westlake and Samantha Clifton.
Event Snapshot
- Event: 2026 TBA21 National Masters
- Dates: 18-19 July 2026
- Venue: Coolangatta Tweed Tenpin, 55 Wharf St, Tweed Heads, NSW
- Division: Youth
- Status: TBA Nationally Ranked Event – A26/0124
- Edition: 24th
- 2025 Champions: Emily Hart (SA) and Jackson Buckingham (QLD)
Why this event matters
First contested in 2003, the TBA21 National Masters has developed an honour roll featuring many of Australia’s most accomplished bowlers.
Jason Belmonte and Toni Woodcock claimed the inaugural titles, while later champions have included Sam Cooley, Jarrod Langford, Blake Walsh, Samantha Clifton, Rebekah Commane, Chloe Jones and Rebecca Whiting – with many more names showcased on the past winners list.
This year’s event is the third stop on the 2026 Youth Division nationally ranked calendar, following the Wyncity Youth Cup and the inaugural Queensland Youth Cup.
Samantha Clifton and Seth Gray opened the season by winning the Wyncity Youth Cup, before Brianna Walsh and Zayne Pirlo captured the Queensland Youth Cup titles at this same venue in May.
With the rankings battle already tightly contested, the Masters presents an important opportunity for athletes to secure valuable points heading into the second half of the season.
Key Storylines to Watch
World Championship Medalists return home
The Masters arrive less than two weeks after Australia completed one of its strongest World Youth Championships campaigns.
Blake Walsh, and Nicholas Rajkovic return after helping Australia win Men’s Team gold, while Brianna Walsh, Emily Hart, Samantha Clifton and Bella Westlake were members of the bronze-medal-winning Women’s Team.
Their return provides a major storyline for the weekend, particularly after competing against the world’s best youth bowlers under significant pressure in Malaysia.
It didn’t take too long to make an impact with all five bowlers who competed in the challenge, earning the express pass to Stage 2 of the TBA21 National Masters from their performances.
Clifton leads the female rankings battle
Samantha Clifton enters the event leading the 2026 Youth Female rankings with 181 points.
Brooke Buckingham sits second on 166, followed closely by Queensland Youth Cup champion Brianna Walsh on 155 and Bella Westlake on 149. Emily Starkey rounds out the top five with 111 points.
Clifton began the season by winning the Wyncity Youth Cup and has since added further international experience through the World Youth Championships. She is seeking her second TBA21 National Masters crown after winning the event in 2024.
Brianna Walsh arrives with strong momentum after winning the inaugural Queensland Youth Cup at this exact venue and helping Australia claim World Youth bronze in Malaysia. Her teammate Bella Westlake is in red-hot-form winning the female singles event in the Challenge after an amazing performance that saw her finish with a stellar 234.8 average.
Defending champion Emily Hart currently sits outside the leading group after missing the opening two ranked events due to the College scholarship she is on in the United States of America, but her 2025 victory and recent international campaign make her an obvious contender.
A wide-open male field
The current Male Youth rankings are led by Julian Dinham on 185 points, followed by Queensland Youth Cup champion Zayne Pirlo on 162 and Justin Dinham on 161.
Neither Julian nor Justin Dinham appears on the current squad list, opening an opportunity for the chasing pack to make significant group.
William Zaccaria sits fifth with 145, and Wyncity Youth Cup champion Seth Gray follows on 126.
Connor Raines, Liam Cochrane and Nicholas Rajkovic are also positioned within striking distance and are confirmed in the field.
The field contains no shortage of challengers with Blake Walsh set to roll in his first ranked event of the year and will be one to watch as the event unfolds. Don’t count out anyone – including Blayde Christensen who bowled the Championships first perfect 300 game on his way to gold in the male singles event at the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge.
The Challenge Connection
The TBA21 National Masters is directly connected to the TBA21 National Teams Challenge contested across the preceding two days.
The four highest All-Events averages in both the male and female divisions will be named to the Challenge All-Star teams and receive automatic qualification into Stage 2 of the Masters.
Those eight athletes will not be required to compete in Saturday’s qualifying stage but will join the top 12 male and female qualifiers in Sunday’s Group Matchplay.
This creates an additional reward for athletes who perform consistently across Singles, Doubles and Traditional Teams during the Challenge.
Congratulations to those who were named All-Stars in the Challenge and congratulations with your express pass to Stage 2 of the Masters!
Female Division
| All-Star | Bowler | Total | Average |
| ⭐ | Bella Westlake North Queensland | 3,248 | 216.5 |
| ⭐ | Samantha Clifton Northern NSW | 3,186 | 212.4 |
| ⭐ | Brianna Walsh Northern NSW | 3,026 | 201.7 |
| ⭐ | Emily Starkey North Queensland | 3,001 | 200.1 |
Male Division
| All-Star | Bowler | Total | Average |
| ⭐ | Blake Walsh Northern NSW | 3,453 | 230.2 |
| ⭐ | Nicholas Rajkovic Victoria 1 | 3,339 | 222.6 |
| ⭐ | Blayde Christensen North Queensland | 3,243 | 216.2 |
| ⭐ | William Zaccaria Victoria 1 | 3,234 | 215.6 |
Format
Stage 1 – Qualifying
All bowlers, excluding the Challenge All-Stars, complete eight games in one squad appearance on Saturday.
The top 12 males and top 12 females based on scratch pinfall advance to Stage 2. Pinfall then drops.
Stage 2 – Group Matchplay
The 12 qualifiers in each division are joined by the four Challenge All-Stars, creating two fields of 16.
Each division is separated into two groups of eight, with every bowler contesting seven round-robin matches.
Three points are awarded for a win and one for a tie.
The top two bowlers from each group advance to the Final Four.
Stage 3 – Final Four
The semi-finals are contested over a best-of-three format:
- Group A winner vs Group B runner-up
- Group B winner vs Group A runner-up
The winners advance to the championship match.
Stage 4 – Final
The male and female finals are contested as best-of-three matches.
The first bowler to win two games will be crowned the 2026 TBA21 National Masters champion.
Schedule
Saturday 18 July
Squad 1
- Check-in by 8:00am
- Warm-up at 8:20am
- Eight games of qualifying from 8:30am
Squad 2
- Check-in by 1:20pm
- Warm-up at 1:50pm
- Eight games of qualifying from 2:00pm
Sunday 19 July
- Top 16 check-in by 7:30am
- Group Matchplay warm-up at 7:45am
- Seven games of Group Matchplay from 8:00am
- Final Four warm-up at 1:00pm
- Best-of-three semi-finals from 1:10pm
- Best-of-three finals from 3:00pm
- Presentations immediately following the finals
How to follow the event
The 2026 TBA21 National Masters will be held at Coolangatta Tweed Tenpin, 55 Wharf St, Tweed Heads, NSW.
Live scoring and results will be available through TenpinResults throughout the weekend.
Stream link available in the Championships hub.
Past Champions
| YEAR | MEN | WOMEN |
| 2003 | Jason Belmonte (NSW) | Toni Woodcock (WA) |
| 2004 | Brandon Qualischefski (Qld) | Clair Johnston (SA) |
| 2005 | Michael Zentveld (Qld) | Michelle Halprin (NT) |
| 2006 | Christopher Barratt (WA) | Jayde Flanagan (NT) |
| 2007 | Glen Loader (Vic) | Clair Johnston (SA) |
| 2008 | Christopher Barratt (WA) | Cassie Staudinger (Vic) |
| 2009 | Andrew Tonkin (Vic) | Lexi Nicoll (NSW) |
| 2010 | Kevin McRae (NSW) | Lexi Nicoll (NSW) |
| 2011 | Michael Craig (ACT) | Rebecca Whiting (Vic) |
| 2012 | Sam Cooley (NSW) | Rebecca Whiting (Vic) |
| 2013 | Paul White (Vic) | Nicole Williams (WA) |
| 2014 | Jarrod Langford (Qld) | Sarah Terry (NSW) |
| 2015 | Lachlan Merchant (VIC) | Xin Yi Oh (SING) |
| 2016 | Blayne Fletcher (Qld) | Rebekah Commane (Vic) |
| 2017 | Jarrod Langford (Qld) | Rebekah Commane (Vic) |
| 2018 | Owen Wong Wen Fei (SSS) | Jodie Kos (ACT) |
| 2019 | Jordan Dinham (NSW) | Chloe Jones (QLD) |
| 2020 | Callum Borck (WA) | Chloe Jones (QLD) |
| 2021 | Mitchell Williams (QLD) | Ivy Dickinson (QLD) |
| 2022 | Connor Renton (QLD) | Grace Fahy (VIC) |
| 2023 | Blake Walsh (NSW) | Tamika Pettigrew (QLD) |
| 2024 | Trent McDougall (VIC) | Samantha Clifton (NSW) |
| 2025 | Jackson Buckingham (QLD) | Emily Hart (SA) |
2026 TBA Youth Division Rankings Schedule
- Wyncity Youth Cup – COMPLETED
- QLD Youth Cup – 1-4 May 2026
- TBA21 National Masters – 16-19 July 2026
- Grand National Youth Eliminator – 21-22 November 2026
- Sydney Youth Cup – TBD
