60th Anniversary Sees Record Teams Entry
By Strike 3 Bowling
The largest Rachuig and Shield Tournaments ever held to mark historic occasion in Hobart
After nearly 60 years of life, the `Nationals’, now known as the ANC, has seen many highlights on its journey, riding the peaks and troughs of the sport, including the debilitating impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in recent years.
Rising up like a phoenix and embracing a long overdue change of direction to increase opportunities for elite players to take part, new teams were invited to apply for a franchise to compete in this year’s Walter Rachuig and Presidents Shield Tournaments. The resulting response has been staggering, ensuring that all four sections of the two most prestigious team events in the country will be harder to win than ever before.
More teams, more regions represented, more players and much more competition will see these long-standing tournaments be played like never before.
A total of 55 teams have entered across the four competitions or 40% more teams than have ever taken part in previous years. The men’s Rachuig leads the way with 18 teams followed by the female Rachuig with 17. Male Shield sees 11 teams and female Shield has 9.
Teams are coming from all over the country and New Zealand with only Northern Territory not represented. A full list of teams will be shown in the updated ANC Guide to the Event released in the days ahead, which will also show an updated schedule based on the actual teams entered.
Strike 3 Managing Director, Ashlee Perry said “We are excited that so many players and administrators around the country and New Zealand have welcomed and embraced the expansion plans. We continue to implement the many well-researched ideas from the Suiko Report, designed to re-instate tenpin bowling on the sporting landscape and ultimately get our sport to the Olympics in 2032. It is vital that the ANC becomes an event of choice for elite players and having this many teams will also greatly increase the level of competition in the Masters and Junior Masters”.
TBA CEO, Rohan O’Neill commented “It’s outstanding for the sport that there has been so much interest in the ANC 2022. Tenpin bowling is certainly on the move and building momentum. This year promises to be an exciting year, with the expansion of the ANC a highlight in amongst a busy international schedule for the elite athletes across the country. I can’t wait to see these teams in action later this year!”
ANC Tournament Director, Morty Douglass summed it up in saying “We are on the cusp of something not seen for a very long time in our sport. A pilgrimage for the best players in the country to a single centre where the best will play the best, head-to-head, in a cutthroat winner takes all environment at a tournament that the brave will seek to conquer and make their own. I am very proud to be heading up the tournament team in not only the 60th Anniversary of this great event, but the largest teams-based tournaments ever held in Australia”.
