Buckingham Rallies at Home, Zaccaria Dominates Again at Queensland Junior Cup

On a weekend that had everything — pressure, precision, and breakthrough performances — it was Brooke Buckingham and William Zaccaria who stood tallest at the 2025 Queensland Junior Cup, delivering clutch efforts to claim one of junior bowling’s biggest national titles.

Brooke Buckingham Delivers in Front of a Hometown Crowd

Logan City Tenpin couldn’t have scripted it better. In front of a home crowd, 16-year-old Brooke Buckingham pulled off the comeback of the tournament.

Down by over 100 pins after the first stage, local bowler Brooke Buckingham saved her best for when it mattered most — launching a late charge in the finals to win her first nationally ranked event in front of friends, family, and a packed hometown crowd.

After qualifying fifth behind front-runner Jessica Chi, Buckingham lit up the lanes in matchplay with late scores of 256 and 242, plus the bonus pin system kicked in for further damage. Her total of 4,268 was enough to edge Jessica Chi by just nine pins in a thriller that went down to the final frame.

The victory writes a special chapter for the Buckingham family, with Brooke joining her older brother Jackson on the QJC winners list (2020 Champion) — making them the first sibling duo to both win the event.

Jessica Chi from New South Wales, who led most of the weekend, finished runner-up with a stellar 4,259. Queensland’s Emily Hinspeter rounded out the podium in third with 4,223, powered by four wins in matchplay.

Winners Journey – Brooke Buckingham (QLD)

Qualification

212	189	171	190	160	245
165	208	154	175	157	182

• Sat in 5^th position after qualifying squads ended with a total of 2,208
• 184 avg
• 102 pins behind leader Jessica Chi on 2,310

Top 12

225

177

170

194

247

• Five game performance shot Brooke up to 2^nd position with a total of 3,221 (pinfall carries from qualification)
• Sat 18 pins behind leader Jessica Chi on 3,239

Top 6

160

176

256

153

242

• Won two games from five in matchplay finals
• Received 60 bonus pins to go with her pin total of 4,208 = total of 4,268
• 191.3 avg
• Ahead of Jessica Chi by 9 pins who finished in second place.

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Zaccaria Keeps Rolling, Goes Back-to-Back in 2025

When it comes to big moments, William Zaccaria just keeps showing up.

The Victorian star added another chapter to his breakout year, backing up his Australian Junior Masters crown with a statement win at the QJC — giving him two titles from two starts in 2025.

After trailing top qualifier Julian Dinham by 37 pins early, Zaccaria turned up the heat in the top-12 round with games of 244, 213, and 205 to take the lead into matchplay. From there, he was untouchable — posting four wins, including a 258 finale, and racking up 4,645 total pins to seal a dominant victory.

Like the Australian Junior Masters victory, William Zaccaria becomes the second Victorian male to win the Queensland Junior Cup following Seth Grey’s feat in 2023.

Dinham, who continues to impress after winning the Australian Tenpin Bowling Open, settled for second at 4,569. Ballina’s Jake Sayer locked in his first national podium with a third-place finish of 4,339.

Winners Journey – William Zaccaria (VIC)

200	232	231	213	196	193
210	223	171	216	248	185

• Sat in 2^nd position after qualifying squads ended with a total of 2,481
• 206.8 avg
• 37 pins behind leader Julian Dinham on 2,518

Top 12

179

244

189

213

205

• Five game performance moved William up to the leading position with a total of 3,511 (pinfall carries from qualification)
• Sat ahead of Julian Dinham by 43 pins who was on 3,468

Top 6

196

197

178

185

258

• Won four games from five in matchplay finals
• Received 120 bonus pins to go with his pin total of 4,525 = total of 4,645
• 205.7 avg
• Ahead of Julian Dinham by 76 pins who finished in second place.

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Around the Lanes: Side Titles & Awards

• In the Under 21 Queensland Youth Cup, Nicholas Rajkovic (VIC) and Samantha Clifton (NSW) captured titles in the two-game finals.
• John Hoole edged out Xavier Walker by a single pin (399–398) to win the Restricted Division, while Cloie Alchin stormed to victory in the girls’ side.
• Fletcher Family Trophy Winner – Zane Pirlo
• BPD Rising Star Awards – Summah Bennett and Caleb Williamson (These two lucky winners will receive a Attention Star S2 bowling ball from BPD Australia – a big thank you to BPD!)

Final Leaderboards

Please note the Top 12 totals – the Top 6 participated in Matchplay finals

Top 12 – Girls

1. Brooke Buckingham – 4,268
2. Jessica Chi – 4,259
3. Emily Hinspeter – 4,223
4. Shanae Key – 4,130
5. Sophie Jones – 4,110
6. Katy Melton – 3,896
7. Emily Starkey – 3,024
8. Aleisha McGarry – 3,008
9. Bella Westlake – 3,002
10. Summah Bennett – 2,982
11. Abby George – 2,973
12. Brianna Walsh – 2,929

Top 12 – Boys

1. William Zaccaria – 4,645
2. Julian Dinham – 4,569
3. Jake Sayer – 4,339
4. Joshua Buttigieg – 4,269
5. Kohan Davis – 4,250
6. Flynn Slade – 4,178
7. Calin Povey – 3,246
8. Lachlan Howse – 3,241
9. Chase Edwards – 3,226
10. Hayden Miller – 3,145
11. Zayne Pirlo – 3,108
12. Tyler Clarkson – 3,064

Future Frames

With the Queensland Junior Cup wrapped, attention now turns to the next stop on the national junior circuit — and momentum is everything.

William Zaccaria has quickly established himself as the top male junior bowler in the country after two events and two wins – can he keep the streak going? The female division has seen two different winners, creating the opportunity for moves from challengers, can Brook back it up on the road? Who will rise next from the chasing pack?

The next junior ranked event is the Louise Eady Melbourne Junior Cup which is scheduled to occur from September 6 at Wyncity Keon Park in Victoria. Entries are expected to be opened shortly.

Junior National Rankings have now been published and updated on the website following the provisional window following the first event of the season, the TBA Australian Junior Masters. You can check out the rankings here and participants will receive provisional updated rankings following the QJC sometime this week.

This weekend belonged to two rising stars. Brooke Buckingham and William Zaccaria who didn’t just win – they arrived! Tenpin Bowling Australia congratulates both on their fantastic achievements over the weekend and thank Logan Tenpin City and all participants in making the 2025 QJC another incredible instalment in the eleven-year history of the event.