Northern NSW Crowned 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge Champions
By Matt Stevens
Northern New South Wales has completed a remarkable clean sweep of the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge, capturing the Male, Female, and Overall Challenge titles following an outstanding two days of competition at Coolangatta Tweed Tenpin.
The final day featured the Singles and Baker Teams events, along with the crowning of the All-Events Champions and All-Star Teams, as competitors battled for the remaining medals and valuable challenge points. While several teams celebrated individual success throughout the day, Northern NSW’s remarkable depth across every discipline proved the difference, finishing atop all three Challenge standings.
From Blayde Christensen’s perfect 300 game in the Men’s Singles to a standout performance from Bella Westlake, the final day delivered a fitting conclusion to another memorable National Teams Challenge.
Male Singles
North Queensland’s Blayde Christensen produced one of the defining moments of the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge, firing a perfect 300 game in the opening game before leading the Men’s Singles event from start to finish to claim the gold medal.
Christensen wasted no time stamping his authority on the competition, becoming the first athlete of this year’s championships to achieve perfection. His flawless opening game was backed up with a score of 245 to establish an early 545 two-game series, giving him a 36-pin advantage after two games.
Despite strong challenges from Northern NSW’s Blake Walsh and Victoria 1’s Nicholas Rajkovic, Christensen never surrendered top spot. His consistency remained outstanding throughout the six-game block, adding games of 237, 245, 209, and 199 to finish with a challenge-winning 1,435 at an exception 239.2 average.
Walsh mounted the biggest challenge of the afternoon, reducing the deficit to just 74 pins after five games before ultimately securing the silver medal with 1,361 (226.8 average). South Queensland’s William Mison completed another impressive day to collect bronze with 1,357, edging Nicholas Rajkovic by just nine pins in one of the closest podium battles of the challenge.
Christensen’s perfect game was the headline, but the standard throughout the field was exceptional, with the top nine bowlers all averaging above 210 and top 12 above 200 across the six-game event.
| Place | Bowler | Total |
| 🥇 | Blayde Christensen North Queensland | 1,435 |
| 🥈 | Blake Walsh Northern NSW | 1,361 |
| 🥉 | William Mison South Queensland | 1,357 |
Female Singles
North Queensland’s Bella Westlake produced a dominant display to claim the Female Singles title, leading from start to finish in one of the most consistent performances of the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge.
Westlake opened up with games of 239 and 228 to establish an early lead after two games. She continued to set the pace throughout the six-game block, extending her advantage at every checkpoint before closing with 248 to finish on a superb 1,409 at an outstanding 234.8 average.
Fresh from her success and debut at the recent IBF World Youth Championships Bella helped the North Queensland team to claim both gold medals on offer in the singles event setting up an exciting finish in the challenge standings.
Her Australian teammate Samantha Clifton again featured prominently, holding second place from Game 2 onwards to secure the silver medal with 1,231. Clifton averaged 205.2 across the six-games to continue an exceptional challenge.
The battle for bronze remained alive throughout the afternoon before Westlake’s North Queensland teammate Sophie Jones held on to third with 1,197, narrowly finishing ahead of Emily Starkey (1,181) and Brianna Walsh (1,152). The result capped an outstanding team performance from North Queensland, placing three bowlers inside the top four and four athletes inside the top nine.
Westlake’s victory was built on remarkable consistency, with every game above 212, underlining one of the finest individual performances of the challenge.
| Place | Bowler | Total |
| 🥇 | Bella Westlake North Queensland | 1,409 |
| 🥈 | Samantha Clifton Northern NSW | 1,231 |
| 🥉 | Sophie Jones North Queensland | 1,197 |
All-Events
The All-Events were finalised after the singles event with Baker teams performances not counting towards All-Events standings.
Male Division
Consistency across the opening two days of competition was rewarded with the crowning of the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge Male All-Events Champion, with Blake Walsh (Northern NSW) claiming the title after a remarkable challenge.
Walsh finished with an outstanding 3,453 pinfall across 15 games, averaging 230.2 to comfortable secure the All-Events crown. His campaign included gold medals in the Male Doubles and Traditional Teams, before adding a silver medal in Singles to complete one of the standout performances of the tournament.
Victoria 1’s Nicholas Rajkovic finished second on 3,339 (222.6 average), while Men’s Singles champion Blayde Christensen (North Queensland) rounded out the podium with 3,243 at 216.2.
| Place | 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 |
Female Division
North Queensland’s Bella Westlake capped a superb challenge by claiming the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge Female All-Events title, recognising the most consistent performer across Doubles, Traditional Teams and Singles events.
Westlake finished with 3,248 pinfall across 15 games, averaging an outstanding 216.5. After helping North Queensland secure silver in the Female Doubles and Traditional Teams events, she delivered a dominant victory in the Singles to seal the All-Events crown.
Northern NSW’s Samantha Clifton added another medal to her outstanding challenge, finishing second on 3,186 at a 212.4 average. Clifton’s campaign included Female Doubles gold, Traditional Teams gold and Singles silver, underlining her consistency across the entire event.
Completing the podium was teammate Brianna Walsh, who amassed 3,026 at a 201.7 average. Walsh’s bronze medal capped an exceptional challenge alongside Clifton, with the pair playing key roles in Northern NSW’s dominance throughout the Challenge.
| Place | 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 |
All-Stars
The conclusion of the All-Events standings also confirmed the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge All-Star Teams.
Awarded to the four highest-ranked bowlers in each division across the 15-game All-Events standings, All-Star selection recognises the events most consistent performers. In addition to the honour, each All-Star receives automatic qualification into Stage 2 of the TBA21 National Masters.
Congratulations to the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge All-Stars!
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 |
Baker Teams
One final event – Baker Teams! Four-player teams compete across six Baker-format games, with each athlete delivering two frames per game. Every result earns valuable points while determining the National Teams Challenge Baker Team Champions.
Here are the final results from the Baker Team event.
Female
| Team | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 | G6 | TOT |
| NNSW | 215 | 179 | 233 | 204 | 192 | 214 | 1,237 |
| NQ | 214 | 153 | 213 | 182 | 177 | 217 | 1,156 |
| NZ | 191 | 144 | 159 | 149 | 178 | 194 | 1,015 |
| VIC1 | 151 | 161 | 124 | 131 | 161 | 205 | 933 |
| Place | Team | Total Points |
| 🥇 | Northern NSW | 160 |
| 🥈 | North Queensland | 144 |
| 🥉 | New Zealand | 128 |
| 4th | Victoria 1 | 112 |
Male
| Team | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 | G6 | TOT |
| VIC1 | 238 | 186 | 231 | 235 | 209 | 226 | 1,325 |
| NQ | 172 | 188 | 278 | 218 | 226 | 170 | 1,252 |
| NNSW | 184 | 189 | 233 | 225 | 213 | 185 | 1,229 |
| SQ | 179 | 190 | 180 | 254 | 193 | 178 | 1,174 |
| NSW | 170 | 198 | 194 | 159 | 167 | 233 | 1,121 |
| VIC2 | 177 | 225 | 122 | 196 | 174 | 190 | 1,084 |
| NZ | 170 | 204 | 183 | 149 | 165 | 194 | 1,065 |
| Place | Team | Total Points |
| 🥇 | Victoria 1 | 160 |
| 🥈 | North Queensland | 144 |
| 🥉 | Northern NSW | 128 |
| 4th | South Queensland | 112 |
| 5th | New South Wales | 96 |
| 6th | Victoria 2 | 80 |
| 7th | New Zealand | 64 |
Challenge Standings
Northern NSW Completes Challenge Sweep
Northern New South Wales’ outstanding depth across both divisions was rewarded with a clean sweep of the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge, claiming the Male, Female and Overall titles.
In the Overall standings, Northern NSW amassed 1,443 points to finish 181 points clear of North Queensland, while Victoria 1 edged New Zealand for the bronze.
Northern NSW also comfortably secured the Female Division on 760 points, ahead of North Queensland (720) and New Zealand (616). In the Male Division, the Northern NSW boys finished on 683 points, with Victoria 1 (596) and South Queensland (560) completing the podium.
The achievement capped a dominant challenge for Northern NSW, who finished with 26,976 total pinfall and claimed the Male, Female, and Overall Challenge trophies to conclude the 2026 TBA21 National Teams Challenge.
Traditional Teams Photos
Missed in the recap of yesterday and added today.
Male Division
Female Division
What’s Next?
With the Team Challenge complete, attention now turns to the TBA21 National Masters, where the nation’s leading youth bowlers will battle for one of the sport’s most prestigious individual titles.
