WYC Daily Update: Westlake and Walsh advance to Doubles Matchplay
By Matt Stevens
Australia’s Women’s Doubles campaign reached an exciting milestone in Kuching on Tuesday, with Bella Westlake and Brianna Walsh securing their place in the Matchplay stage of the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships.
The pair finished eighth overall after a strong qualifying performance, highlighted by a 268 game and an impressive 203.1 average across the 10-game Baker-format block. Westlake and Walsh will return to the lanes today for the Women’s Doubles Matchplay as Team Australia continues its campaign in Kuching.
What happened yesterday
Women’s Doubles Qualification Squad 1 – Bella Westlake & Brianna Walsh
Bella Westlake and Brianna Walsh made an excellent start to the Women’s Doubles event, moving into sixth place after opening games of 191 and 200.
The pair continued to build momentum through the middle of the qualifying block. Scores of 175, 268 and 194 lifted them into second place after five games. The 268 game – not only the highest individual game of the squad, but both squads combined, showcasing the potential of the pair.
Further strong games of 203, 232, and 236 kept the Australians in second position after eight games, before a difficult finish of 171 and 161 saw them slip back to sixth in the squad standings.
Despite the late challenge, Westlake and Walsh finished with an impressive 2,031 total and 203.1 average to secure eighth place overall. The result was enough to progress the Australian pair into the Women’s Doubles Matchplay stage, which gets underway today from 3:00PM AEST.
Westlake & Walsh have been drawn in Group A for Matchplay, where they will contest seven head-to-head matches against the other qualifying pairs in their group.
From this point, it is all about wins and points rather than carrying pinfall, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The top two pairs in each group will progress to the Women’s Doubles semi-finals on Sunday, 5 July.
Not bad for two junior bowlers aged 17 and 18 from Australia! Way to go girls!
| 191 | 200 | 175 | 268 | 194 |
| 203 | 232 | 236 | 171 | 161 |
| TOTAL | 2,031 |
| AVG. | 203.1 |
| SQUAD POS. | 6th |
| OVERALL POS. | 8th |
Women’s Doubles Qualification Squad 2 – Emily Hart & Samantha Clifton
Celebrating her 20th birthday in Kuching, Emily Hart joined Samantha Clifton for Australia’s second Women’s Doubles qualifying squad.
The pair opened with games of 218 and 172 to sit 10th after two games. Scores of 197 and 160 across the next pair moved them to 14th in the squad, although they remained within reach of the combined Top 16 cutline.
Hart and Clifton continued to battle through the second half of qualifying, recording three games above 200 across the 10-game Baker-format block. However, the pair were unable to make the ground needed to challenge for a Matchplay berth.
They finished 14th in Squad 2 and 25th overall with a total of 1,844 and an average of 184.4, bringing their Women’s Doubles campaign to a close.
| 218 | 172 | 197 | 160 | 210 |
| 159 | 179 | 214 | 172 | 163 |
| TOTAL | 1,844 |
| AVG. | 184.4 |
| SQUAD POS. | 14th |
| OVERALL POS. | 25th |
Following the squad, Team Australia came together to celebrate Emily’s 20th birthday, complete with cake and a birthday sash — a lovely reminder of the close-knit spirit within the Australian team in Kuching.
Men’s Doubles Qualification Squad 1 – Nicholas Rajkovic and Jackson Buckingham
Nicholas Rajkovic and Jackson Buckingham opened Australia’s Men’s Doubles campaign in the first qualifying squad on Tuesday.
The pair recorded four 200-plus games across the 10-game Baker-format block, including strong efforts of 225, 235 and 226, to finish with a 1,993 total and 199.3 average.
Rajkovic and Buckingham finished 19th in the squad, with their final overall position to be confirmed following Wednesday’s second qualifying squad.
With their Doubles campaign now complete, the pair will turn their focus towards the remaining Team and Mixed Team events as Team Australia looks to finish the Championships strongly.
| 225 | 182 | 158 | 204 | 192 |
| 235 | 193 | 199 | 226 | 179 |
| TOTAL | 1,993 |
| AVG. | 199.3 |
| SQUAD POS. | 19th |
| OVERALL POS. | TBC |
Today’s schedule in AEST
Men’s Doubles qualifying concludes this morning with the second squad, before the event moves into the Matchplay stage. Women’s Doubles Matchplay will be contested first, followed by the Men’s Doubles Matchplay.
11:00 – 14:00 AEST
Men’s Doubles Qualifying Squad 2
Julian Dinham & Blake Walsh
Lane Schedule: 9, 5, 32, 29, 26, 25, 21, 19, 14, 11
15:00-17:00 AEST
Women’s Doubles Matchplay
Bella Westlake & Brianna Walsh
Lane Schedule: Group A 14, 16, 12, 18, 13, 15, 11
18:00-20:00 AEST
Men’s Doubles Matchplay
Julian Dinham and Blake Walsh
Lane Schedule (CHANGED FROM ORIGINAL): 12, 13, 18, 16, 11, 15, 17
What’s Next?
Following Wednesday’s Matchplay rounds, the Singles and Doubles events will pause until Sunday 5 July, when the semi-finals take place. The Singles and Doubles medal matches are then scheduled for Monday, 6 July.
Tomorrow, Team Australia turns its attention to the next event on the program – Team competition.
Follow Team Australia
Follow Team Australia throughout the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships via the World Youth Championships Hub for daily updates, Australian results, schedules and key event information.
All live streaming will be on the IBF YouTube page which you can find the links in our Team Australia Hub.
AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!
