Teenage Sensation Julian Dinham Captures 2025 Australian Tenpin Bowling Open Crown
By Matt Stevens
Julian Dinham, the 16-year-old rising star from iPlay Tenpin City in New South Wales, claimed his first career open division title, dominating the 2025 Australian Tenpin Bowling Open at Zone Bowling Frankston across a marathon Easter weekend.
After finishing runner-up in 2024, Dinham left nothing to chance this year, showcasing consistency and brilliance from the opening game through to the final 31st game completed, securing a landmark victory.
Dinham wasted no time setting the tone, averaging a blistering 237.6 across eight games to build a commanding 225-pin lead on day one. He ended the opening stage with a remarkable total of 1,901, highlighted by scores of 279 and 280.
Julian’s older brother, Justin Dinham, kept pace as the nearest challenger with 1,676 pins, while veteran and former two-time champion Adam Hayes positioned himself in third place on 1,635.
Day two saw Julian not only maintain but increase his dominant form. With another impressive eight-game performance, Dinham reached a staggering 3,624 pinfall after 16 games, averaging 226.5 overall.
Defending champion and local favourite Bernie Grueso Jnr surged dramatically from ninth place to second, raising his game by 102 pins to total 3,218. Kyle Richardson, also from Zone Bowling Frankston, climbed from 11th to third place with a strong showing, finishing on 3,201.
The competition intensified with the top 20 bowlers battling through an additional six games to determine the final 10 bowlers for matchplay finals. Dinham was merciless, putting on a clinic with scores well above a 200 average, finishing this stage +245 pins over average to amass an enormous 612-pin lead with 5,069 pins.
Bernie Grueso Jnr held strong in second (4,457), closely followed by Justin Dinham in third (4,415), Adam Hayes in fourth, and Kyle Richardson rounding out the top five.
Young South Australian Liam Cochrane impressed, claiming sixth place (4,361), ahead of Shellharbour’s Stephen Cowland (4,321), Cooper Hillyer (4,303), Australian Para World Championships coach Jason Walsh (4,292), and Nicholas Rajkovic securing the 10th and final position (4,269).
In the final nine-game matchplay round, Julian Dinham maintained composure and form, winning six matches to conclude the marathon event with a remarkable 7,180-pin total over 31 games, averaging 227.7 pins per game.
Bernie Grueso Jnr pushed hard in his title defence, delivering the stage’s strongest matchplay performance, winning eight matches and tying one, to earn an event-high 170 bonus pins. He closed the gap slightly to finish runner-up with 6,708 pins, just 472 behind Dinham.
Nicholas Rajkovic produced a standout performance from his 10th-place entry, winning seven matches (including a tie against Grueso) to secure the final podium position.
Dinham’s phenomenal performance this year marks considerable progress from his runner-up finish in 2024, where he totaled 6,957 pins. The impressive jump to 7,180 highlights the rapid growth in his skill and competitive resilience.
Finishing 2024 as Australia’s top-ranked junior, eighth in youth, and fifteenth in the open division, Dinham’s victory in the AO—paired with his strong showing at the recent Wyncity Open—signals a breakout season ahead for the talented teen.
The 2025 Australian Tenpin Bowling Open was a showcase of incredible talent, fierce competition, and the undeniable rise of one of Australia’s brightest bowling prospects.
Future Frames
It was announced that next year’s 2026 Australian Tenpin Bowling Open and Vic 150 would run at Wyncity Keon Park.
The TBA Open Division’s next event is the Kegel Queensland Open which will be hosted by Caboolture Bowl from the 9-11 May 2025. Limited spots remain, secure your spot today!
Winners Journey
Day 1- Qualifying 8 Games
| 279 | 202 | 212 | 194 |
| 246 | 234 | 280 | 254 |
- 1,901 over 8 games
- 237.6 avg
- 1st place by 225 pins ahead of his brother Justin Dinham in second place
Day 2 – Qualifying 8 Games
| 267 | 186 | 227 | 193 |
| 202 | 189 | 266 | 193 |
- 1,723 over 8 games
- = 3,624 over 16 games
- 226.5 avg
- 1st place by 406 pins ahead of Bernie Grueso Jnr in second place
Day 3 – Stage 3
| 264 | 213 | 246 |
| 231 | 278 | 213 |
- 1,445 over 6 games
- = 5,069 over 22 games
- 230.4 avg
- 1st place by 612 pins ahead of Bernie Grueso Jnr in second place
Matchplay Finals
| 235 | 227 (+20) | 205 (+20) |
| 236 (+20) | 246 (+20) | 176 |
| 193 | 194 | 279 (+20) |
- 1,991 over 9 games
- = 7,060 over 31 games
- + 120 bonus pins
- =7,180 total
- 227.7 avg
Top 10
- Julian Dinham – 7,180
- Bernie Grueso Jnr – 6,708
- Nicholas Rajkovic – 6,320
- Justin Dinham – 6,304
- Liam Cochrane – 6,143
- Stephen Cowland – 6,097
- Kyle Richardson – 6,088
- Jason Walsh – 6,036
- Adam Hayes – 6,008
- Cooper Hillyer – 5,856
HIGH GAME
Julian Dinham – 280
AUSTRALIAN TENPIN BOWLING OPEN
CHAMPIONS
| Year | Winner |
| 1972 | Ken Sheehan (Qld) |
| 1973 | Steve Mackie (NSW) |
| 1974 | Joe Velo (NSW) |
| 1975 | Joe Velo (NSW) |
| 1976 | Vic Bubniw (Vic) |
| 1977 | Eric Thompson (Vic) |
| 1978 | Not Contested |
| 1979 | Not Contested |
| 1980 | Not Contested |
| 1981 | Not Contested |
| 1982 | Ken Watson (NSW) |
| 1983 | John Sullivan (Vic) |
| 1984 | Steve Lovell (NSW) |
| 1985 | Len Hogg (Vic) |
| 1986 | Steve Lovell (NSW) |
| 1987 | Len Hogg (Vic) |
| 1988 | John Sullivan (Vic) |
| 1989 | Sam Romeo (NSW) |
| 1990 | Brenton Davy (SA) |
| 1991 | Mark Ramsay (Qld) |
| 1992 | Terry Wenban (NSW) |
| 1993 | Ian Bradford (Vic) |
| 1994 | Sam Romeo (NSW) |
| 1995 | Paulo Valdez (Philippines) |
| 1996 | Carl Bottomley (Qld) |
| 1997 | Frank Ryan (Vic) |
| 1998 | Anthony Flynn (Vic) |
| 1999 | Carl Bottomley (Qld) |
| 2000 | Matthew Riley (Tas) |
| 2001 | Cara Honeychurch (Vic) |
| 2002 | Cara Honeychurch (Vic) |
| 2003 | Cara Honeychurch (Vic) |
| 2004 | Brandon Qualischefski (Qld) |
| 2005 | Michael Little (NSW) |
| 2006 | David Porto (Vic) |
| 2007 | George Frilingos (Qld) |
| 2008 | Matt Riley (NSW) |
| 2009 | Dominic Barrett (England) |
| 2010 | Paul Trotter (Vic) |
| 2011 | Jason Belmonte (NSW) |
| 2012 | Ben Coupland (NSW) |
| 2013 | David Porto (Vic) |
| 2014 | Glen Loader (NSW) |
| 2015 | Michael Little (NSW) |
| 2016 | Sam Cooley (NSW) |
| 2017 | Jarrod Langford (QLD) |
| 2018 | Sam Cooley (NSW) |
| 2019 | Sam Cooley (NSW) |
| 2020 | Not Contested |
| 2021 | David Porto (VIC) |
| 2022 | Adam Hayes (VIC) |
| 2023 | Adam Hayes (VIC) |
| 2024 | Bernie Grueso Jnr (VIC) |
| 2025 | Julian Dinham (NSW) |
AUSTRALIAN TENPIN BOWLING OPEN
MULTIPLE TIME CHAMPIONS
| Joe Velo (NSW) | 1974 & 1975 |
| John Sullivan (VIC) | 1983 & 1988 |
| Steve Lovell (NSW) | 1984 & 1986 |
| Len Hogg (VIC) | 1985 & 1987 |
| Sam Romeo (NSW) | 1989 & 1994 |
| Carl Bottomley (QLD) | 1996 & 1999 |
| Matt Riley (NSW) | 2000 & 2008 |
| David Porto (VIC) | 2006,2013 and 2021 |
| Cara Honeychurch (VIC) | 2001, 2002 & 2003 |
| Sam Cooley (NSW) | 2016, 2018, 2019 |
| Michael Little (NSW) | 2005, 2015 |
| Adam Hayes (VIC) | 2022, 2023 |
