Australia’s Impressive Run at the 17th Asian Seniors Bowling Championship
By Matt Stevens
The 17th Asian Seniors Bowling Championship in Singapore has come to a close, and Australia has plenty to celebrate. Across multiple divisions and events, Australian bowlers delivered strong performances, bringing home an impressive haul of nine medals and demonstrating their skill on the international stage. Here’s a breakdown of how Australia fared in each division.
Women’s Senior Division
The Women’s Senior Division saw some of Australia’s finest bowlers claim podium finishes, with the standout being Samantha Matthews. After an incredible campaign, Samantha secured gold in the Women’s Senior Masters event, storming through the final block to finish with 3,506 pins and earning the top spot. This capped off a fantastic championship for Samantha, who had been in medal contention from the start.
Sue Cassell also had a fantastic run, just missing the podium in the Masters event. Sue finished in 4th place with 3,369 pins after a strong showing in both blocks of play. Karen Newman placed 11th with 3,046 pins, and Christine Clark finished in 16th place with 1,440 pins.
In the Team of Four event, the Australian Women’s Senior team, comprising Lee Booth, Samantha Matthews, Christine Clark, and Sue Cassell, claimed the silver medal with a brilliant performance. Their consistent play across the event was a testament to their teamwork and skill.
Women’s Grand Senior Division
The Women’s Grand Senior Division was headlined by the phenomenal performances of Julie Harrison and Heather Robertson, who together collected a total of six medals.
Julie Harrison was a standout across multiple events, securing four medals throughout the championship. Julie started her campaign with a gold medal in the Women’s Grand Senior Singles and followed up with bronze in the doubles alongside Robyn Flynn. She also earned another bronze in the Team of Four event alongside Heather Robertson, Maxine Forrest, and Robyn Flynn, and capped it off with silver in the All-Events category.
Not to be outdone, Heather Robertson claimed silver in the Women’s Grand Senior Masters after leading through much of the competition. Heather finished the Masters with a total of 3,363 pins, adding to her bronze medal in the Team of Four event. Her outstanding performance, coupled with Julie’s, ensured Australia remained a force in this division.
Robyn Flynn also had a strong tournament, finishing 7th in the Masters with 3,212 pins and claiming two bronze medals—one in the Team of Four event and one in the doubles alongside Julie Harrison. Maxine Forrest finished in 11th place in the Masters and was a key contributor to the bronze-winning Team of Four.
Women Combined
The women of Australia performed incredibly throughout the championship, collecting a staggering eight of Australia’s nine medals—2 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze—on their way to finishing third in the Women’s combined medal tally. Australia finished behind Japan (2 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze) in second place, while Korea claimed the Women’s Combined title with 6 gold and 5 bronze medals.
Men’s Senior Division
Australia’s Men’s Senior bowlers put up a strong fight, with multiple players making it deep into the Masters. Dan Borey performed best in the Masters event, finishing in 7th place with 3,537 pins after winning five of his last eight matches. Jason Newman, fresh off his bronze medal win in the doubles event, finished 12th with 3,395 pins. Amin Dreik followed closely in 14th place with 3,319 pins, and Barry Dodds rounded out the group in 15th with 3,304 pins.
The Men’s Senior team also captured a bronze medal in the doubles, thanks to the excellent partnership between Jamie Carroll and Jason Newman, who bowled brilliantly throughout the event.
Men’s Grand Senior Division
In the Men’s Grand Senior Division, David Farquharson was Australia’s top performer, finishing 9th in the Masters with 3,388 pins. Jim Bakirtzidis also finished well, coming in 12th with 3,259 pins.
The Team of Four event saw consistent performances across the board, but unfortunately, the Aussies just missed out on the medals in this division.
Men Combined
The men of Australia finished 5th on the Men’s Combined medal tally, claiming one bronze medal in the Senior Doubles event. Japan dominated the men’s tally, winning 3 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze. Host nation Singapore took second with 3 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze, and Korea rounded out the podium in third place with 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze.
Overall Medal Tally
The 17th Asian Seniors Bowling Championship was an outstanding campaign for Australia. With medals across multiple events and divisions, the bowlers showcased their skill, determination, and teamwork on the international stage.
Australia finished fourth in the overall combined standings, a terrific result that saw the team capture 9 medals—2 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze—across both the men’s and women’s divisions.
As mentioned in the preview for the event, this is a different type of event to the standard ones organised by the International Bowling Federation and the Asian Bowling Federations. The Asian Seniors Bowling Council focuses on wide participation by welcoming all skill bowlers to the event making it a brilliant opportunity to experience what it’s like to represent your country to those that may not have had the opportunity previously through strict High-Performance selections.
Fun and memories that will last forever are the goal and judging from the amazing photos fed by the Singapore Bowling Federation throughout the event, Australia scored A+ in this category as well.
Congratulations to all our bowlers and thank you for making us all proud!
Thank you!!
A big thank you to Brenda Kirkwood, and Bob Whybrow for their extensive work in helping organise this trip. To all the supporters that made the trip to keep our team striving for glory – thank you! To the Singapore Bowling Federation, not only for the amazing photos captured and shared, but for your hospitality shown to our team on the trip – you guys are superb! To team member Jamie Carroll for keeping us informed back home and sending images through to share – Thank you mate! To the Asian Seniors Bowling Council for inviting and allowing us to compete – thank you! To the bowlers – thank you for representing the country with pride and class, and finally anyone else who supported through reading hub updates or engagement with social posts – thank you so much for your support for these athletes!
