Restricted Cup Champions Crowned
By Matt Stevens
The TBA Junior Restricted Cup final got Cup Finals Day at the 2026 National Junior Championships underway this morning at Suncity Tenpin on the Sunshine Coast, and it delivered two champions who each made their move when it mattered most.
Sixteen boys and sixteen girls returned to the lanes for eight games of handicap bowling – and when the dust settled, Lexi Nish and Toby Havis had written their names into the Restricted Cup roll of honour.
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TBA Junior Restricted Cup
The Restricted Cup is the handicap jewel in the NJC crown – a competition designed to put bowlers from across the average spectrum on equal footing and reward composure and consistency over the course of eight games. Open to bowlers averaging Boys 169 and under and Girls 159 and under, this morning’s final drew some genuinely compelling stories from across the qualifier field.
Girls – Lexi Nish Claims the Title
Lexi Nish is your 2026 TBA Junior Girls Restricted Cup champion. The Northern Queenslander bowler from Atherton entered the final ranked seventh from qualifying, but she saved her best for the biggest stage – posting 1,132 in scratch pinfall across eight games, which translated to a winning combined total of 1,828 with handicap applied.
Lexi is the first Queenslander female since 2003’s Elle Cocks won the TBA Junior Restricted Cup.
Peyton Butler – who came in as the second qualifier – put up a strong fight against her Northern Queensland teammate and finished runner-up with 1,794, while Jennifer Starkey took third place with 1,789.
| Place | Bowler | Scratch | Total (inc Handicap) |
| 🥇 1st | Lexi Nish (NQ) | 1,132 | 1,828 |
| 🥈 2nd | Peyton Butler (NQ) | 1,202 | 1,794 |
| 🥉 3rd | Jennifer Starkey (NQ) | 1,173 | 1,789 |
Boys – Toby Havis Wins Boys Title
In the Boys division, Queenslander Toby Havis from Logan City Tenpin produced one of the day’s most eye-catching results. The seventh ranked qualifier entered the final with one of the bigger handicap allowances in the field – and he made every pin count, rolling 981 in scratch across eight games for a combined total of 1,909 that nobody could match. His winning margin over runner-up from South Australia, Brodie Reid, was 147 pins.
Reid, who finished second with 1,762, bowled solidly throughout. Xavier Walker – the top qualifier coming in and the highest scratch scorer of the final field with 1,342 – finished third overall with 1,742.
Defending Boys champion Wyatt Grimshaw, who squeezed into the final as the 16th and last qualifier, finished fifth with 1,720 – a creditable showing for a bowler defending his crown from the bottom seed.
Toby Havis is the first Queenslander to win the TBA Junior Restricted Cup since 2008 when Brayden Schuler won his title.
| Place | Bowler | Scratch | Total (inc Handicap) |
| 🥇 1st | Toby Havis (QLD) | 981 | 1,909 |
| 🥈 2nd | Brodie Reid (SA) | 1,042 | 1,762 |
| 🥉 3rd | Xavier Walker (QLD) | 1,342 | 1,742 |
Past Champions – TBA Junior Restricted Cup
The Restricted Cup has been shaping junior careers since 1995. Several of its past champions have since gone on to represent Australia at senior level, a testament to what this title can mean for a young bowler’s trajectory.
| Year | Boys | Girls |
| 1995 | Duncan Millan (Qld) | Shanyn McInnes (ACT) |
| 1996 | Phillip Ramsay (NSW) | Tammy Foat (Qld) |
| 1998 | Jeremy Game (Qld) | Anjanette Crookes (Qld) |
| 1999 | Wayne Perry (Qld) | Mindy Flewellen (Qld) |
| 2000 | Jamie McInnes (Qld) | Jessica Starkey (Qld) |
| 2001 | Callan Newman (Tas) | Krystal Bishop (NSW) |
| 2002 | Brent Henderson (NSW) | Amy Vogt (NSW) |
| 2003 | Alex Booth (Tas) | Elle Cocks (Qld) |
| 2008 | Bradyen Schuler (Qld) | Kaitlyn Dallow (SA) |
| 2009 | Joshua Pelzer (NSW) | Louisa Patel (NSW) |
| 2010 | Shaun Vidler (NSW) | Amy Toonen (NSW) |
| 2011 | Lachlan Stephenson (SA) | Rachel Pearce (NSW) |
| 2012 | Sam Flannery (NSW) | Tyarn Clark (NSW) |
| 2013 | Cameron Maher (NT) | Ashlyn Mohr (WA) |
| 2014 | Ronin Shima (NT) | Kirsten Hollobone (NT) |
| 2015 | Blake Walsh (NSW) | Chelsea Blunden (WA) |
| 2016 | Dhane Osborne (Vic) | Amy Hodgetts (SA) |
| 2017 | Kori Aquilina | Lily Nelson (SA) |
| 2018 | Liam George (Tas) | Lilah Jones (WA) |
| 2019 | Noah McMaster (VIC) | Emma Musolino (SA) |
| 2025 | Wyatt Grimshaw (VIC) | Harmony Herewini (NZ) |
| 2026 | Toby Havis (QLD) | Lexi Nish (QLD) |
The victory for Toby and Lexi is the first time in 26 years that two Queenslanders have taken out both the female and male titles when Jamie McInnes and Jessica Starkey both won.
The TBA Junior Classic Cup final is also underway this afternoon -stay across all the action from the 2026 National Junior Championships at tenpin.org.au/njc
