New Champions Crowned at the Queensland Junior Cup

The Queensland Junior Cup, a pivotal event on the junior tenpin bowling circuit, concluded today at Logan City Tenpin with standout performances that saw new champions Julian Dinham and Bella Westlake crowned for their first national ranked event titles.

Taking advantage of the school holiday period, the event ran for three days and showcased several events at the popular Logan City Tenpin Bowl and finished Monday afternoon. The nationally ranked event, the Queensland Junior Cup (QJC), always one of the more popular events on the calendar would welcome a large field to Queensland for the third nationally ranked event of the 2024 TBA Junior ranked event season.

The QJC demanded excellence and endurance from its participants. Around 75 bowlers in the under-18 division competed in 8 available squads of six games over the weekend, aiming to post their best 12-game total scores to qualify for the finals on the last day. This format, known for its intensity, required the top bowlers to complete 22 games over three days setting up a gruelling battle for top spots.

In the girls’ division, Bella Westlake claimed her first national title with a total of 4,043, including a bonus of 120 pins from her four of five Matchplay final victories. The victory marks a significant milestone in Bella’s young career that continues to trend upwards.

Julian Dinham emerged victorious in the boys’ division, dominating the competition with a final score of 4,763, including 120 bonus pins from the Matchplay finals. His performance throughout the event was nothing short of spectacular, cementing his reputation as a rising star in the sport and following in the footsteps of older brother’s Justin and Jordan.

A big thank you to the Logan City Council who was the major sponsor of the event and contributed greatly to the success of the event. A huge congratulations to the South Queensland Junior Tenpin Committee (SQJC) for running yet another outstanding event and a big thank you to Logan City Tenpin for hosting a great event for the young stars of Australia. Also, a big shoutout to BPD Bowling Australia and Revolution Bowling Supplies for providing prizes for the special awards at the event.

FEMALE DIVISION

Local talent Brooke Buckingham topped the girls’ qualifying rounds with a total of 2,229, closely followed by Brianna Walsh. Both bowlers demonstrated impressive consistency, with Buckingham achieving a high score of 255 in game 10 entering the final day as the top seed.

In Stage 1 of the finals, the top 12 bowlers added another five games to their totals. The competition was fierce, with several shifts in the leaderboard. Aleisha McGarry from Shellharbour Bowl in NSW made a notable leap from ninth place to the top of the girls’ division with consistent performances, including a high of 226.

The Matchplay finals saw the top six bowlers competing head-to-head, with bonus pins awarded for wins. Bella Westlake won four out of five matches, finishing with a total of 4,043, and claimed her first national title.

Following a whirlwind few months, Bella, based at Zone Bowling Richlands in Queensland only just returned home as one of several bowlers backing up at the event after bowling for Australia at the Asian Junior Championships in Malaysia. Before making her debut for Australia, the Queenslander has had an outstanding year on the lanes that saw her enter the event as the 4^th ranked bowler in the female junior division.

Her impressive achievements this year include runners-up at the Tenpin Bowling Australia National Junior Masters, and another top ten finish at the Sydney Junior Cup (9^th). The in-form performances and experience helping prepare her to make her debut in Australian colours in Malaysia, after being a proud member of Team TenpinResults over the last few years. The development and rise have appeared quick in 2024 but is a result of many years of dedication to her skill and perseverance.

The victory sets up an exciting grand finale for the female division in the fourth and final ranked event of 2024 with several bowlers all in striking distance to walk away as the top female junior bowler.

One of those bowlers is Jasmine Walker. The Tasmanian who also returned home from Malaysia after bowling for Australia, sat in 2^nd place behind Emily Hart before the event started and finished 44 pins behind this year’s QJC champion (3,999 total) to do no harm in helping her stay in calculations for the top spot with one event to go. Shellharbour Tenpin Bowler Aleisha McGarry rounded out the podium in third place finishing on a total of 3,981.

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FEMALE CHAMPION JOURNEY

Qualifying

5^th highest qualifier – 2,174 total, 181.2 avg, -52 off top qualifier.

211

169

186

165

180

183

176

188

168

209

172

167

Stage 2 – Top 12

Jumped to 2^nd spot – 3,055 total (pinfall carried throughout)

211

177

161

157

175

Stage 3- Matchplay Finals

137

199

201

159

172

Total Pinfall	3,923
Matchplay	4/5 wins – 120 bonus pins
Tournament Total	4,043
High Game	211

MALE DIVISION

Only 11 days ago, Julian was proudly standing on the podium with the Australian flag draped around him as a member of the bronze medal winning boys’ team event at the Asian Junior Championships in Malaysia.

His debut campaign in Australian colours saw the youngster also qualify for the prestigious boy’s masters event at the championship and if the first event upon return has showed anything, Julian has returned home full of confidence and ready to continue his trajectory as one of the country’s top junior bowlers.

As the third nationally ranked event began, several of Julian’s Australian teammates also backed up at the QJC showcasing similar confidence.

Blayde Christensen led the boys’ qualifying rounds with a remarkable total of 2,644, which included a perfect 300 game in his second game. The outstanding performances from the North Queenslander saw him narrowly take the lead into the finals over Julian by three pins. The top five qualifiers, all of whom recently competed in the Asian Junior Championships, displayed exceptional performances, with Blayde and Julian averaging over 220 across the first 12 games.

It didn’t take long for Julian Dinham to make his mark as the finals advanced to the top 12 stage.  Bursting out the gates with a 238, the young star from iPlay Tenpin City in New South Wales surged ahead in the boys’ division, securing a significant lead of 186 pins heading into the matchplay phase.

Only just turning 16 years old, Julian managed to maintain his lead with composure winning four of his five matches and finishing with a total of 4,763, securing his first national title of his young career.

Like Bella, Julian also made his debut for Australia in Malaysia and has had an incredible year on the lanes. With his name spread over three divisions for all to see, Julian finished runners up at the Open division’s Australian Tenpin Bowling Open, to see him sit 8^th in the open division, 4^th in the youth rankings and 6^th in the junior rankings before the commencement of the 2024 QJC.

The nearest challenger to Julian this weekend was Victorian Nicholas Rajkovic who was 292 pins off the pace in runners-up position and North Queenslander Kohan Davis adding to his impressive year with third place.

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MALE CHAMPION JOURNEY

Qualifying

Qualifying – 2^nd highest qualifier – 2,641 total, 220.1 avg, -3 off top qualifier

224

159

159

280

244

224

210

193

219

242

252

235

Stage 2 – Top 12

Finishes as top seed for Matchplay – 3,623 total

238

163

222

153

206

Stage 3- Matchplay Finals

211

182

235

203

189

Total Pinfall	4,649
Matchplay	4/5 wins – 120 bonus pins
Tournament Total	4,763
High Game	280

ADDITIONAL EVENT WINNERS

The Queensland Junior Cup also featured several additional events. All bowlers who missed the top 12 cut for the QJC transferred to the Restricted final and the Queensland Youth Cup ran again in conjunction with the junior events. Tenpin Bowling Australia congratulates all winners from these events.

Restricted Division

Male Restricted Final:

Deakin Buckingham defeated Bronz Walsh 448-412.

• 1^st – Deakin Buckingham
• 2^nd – Bronx Walsh
• 3^rd – Ziyah Keil

Female Restricted Final:

Tamsyn Wheatley defeated Lexi Colgan 508-496.

• 1^st – Tamsyn Wheatley
• 2^nd – Lexi Colgan
• 3^rd – Cloie Alchin

Queensland Youth Cup

Charlene Burnet won against Tamika Pettigrew 312-274, and Connor Renton won against Mason Marles 338-333.

Female Division

• 1^st – Charlene Burnet
• 2^nd – Tamika Pettigrew
• 3^rd – Kayla Piffero

Male Division

• 1^st – Connor Renton
• 2^nd – Mason Marles
• 3^rd – Connor Bishop

BPD Rising Star Awards

Thanks to BPD Bowling for donating bowling balls to the winners of the event rising star awards.

Congratulations Rebecca Iman-Soetomo and Cooper Mollet from New Zealand.

Fletcher Family Trophy

A big shoutout to the Fletcher family who sponsors this award each year with a perpetual trophy along with BPD for providing a bowling ball to the winner. Congratulations to Flynn Slade, this year’s winner of the Fletcher Family Trophy.

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FUTURE FRAMES

With three events down and one to go, the junior division season is set for an exciting conclusion. The Louise Eady Melbourne Junior Cup, a new event on the junior calendar, will serve as the grand finale, running from August 31, 2024, at Wyncity Keon Park in Victoria. Congratulations to all participants and winners at the Queensland Junior Cup!