Amy & Kerryl capture 2022 Vic 150 title
By Tenpin Bowling Australia
Amy Shoesmith and Kerryl Galletly have claimed the 2022 Vic 150 national title in a thrilling finish at Zone Bowling Frankston in the 37th running of the famous event.
After the postponement of the Darwin Tenpin Cup earlier in the year, the Vic 150 became the season opener for the Women’s division in 2022. Run in conjunction with the Australian Open (AO); the Vic 150 is arguably the most unique event on the ranked event calendar.
This year’s winners would involve a combination of a previous National Training Squad (NTS) and Australian representative and someone who has recently returned to the sport after giving it away as a junior.
These ingredients to success prove the Vic 150 is one of a kind.
Like the AO, participants completed 16 games of qualifying over two days. It’s at this point that the two events separate into two different trajectories. Unlike the AO, the VIC 150 has two divisions, scratch and graded.
After qualifying, the top 12 from each of these divisions are paired together and advance to the matchplay finals as double partners.
Following her maiden Vic 150 title in 2021, NTS member Rebekah Martin picked up where she left off as she attempted to defend her title at her home venue.
In 2021, Martin’s performance saw her scrape into match play as the 12th seed. This year, Rebekah Martin was outstanding from the word go on her way to being the top qualifier averaging 220 over her first 16 games.
In an eerily similar turn of events to last year, Amy Shoesmith sat 270 pins behind the leader in 11th place, scraping into the cut to earn a position in the matchplay finals. In her first appearance at a Vic 150 event, Shoesmith was excited to be bowling and to see friends after the disruptions COVID-19 restrictions have provided.
“I was totally happy with how I went,” explained Shoesmith following the victory.
“I have been doing a lot of training lately, and it just felt good out there.
“I enjoyed the event itself just to see people I haven’t seen for two years topped it off, ” added Shoesmith.
The talented bowler from the Australian Capital Territory would be paired with the number three seed on the graded ladder – Queenslander Kerryl Galletly.
After bowling as a junior, the now 39-year-old has returned to bowling in the last three years at Logan City Tenpin in Queensland. Entering with a 167 average, the Queenslander earned the third seed after averaging 185 in the qualifying stage, providing an impressive four games of 200+ in her 16 games.
“I had no idea who anyone was except for a handful of players and my fellow Logan bowlers,” explains Kerryl of pairing up with Amy.
“I think Amy and I clicked straight away with this being our first appearance at the Vic 150.
“Amy was so supportive and encouraging on the lanes, and I was pleased I got paired with her,” added Kerryl.
In a close battle with lots of movement throughout the matchplay stage, the winning pair would sit in eighth place after the first seven games with five to go. Shoesmith would score the highest game of the tournament in game three with a 279 game.
With one game left to go, the pair would sit in second place, 43 pins behind the pairing of Chloe Jones and Louise Hill, who had led for most of the stage. Not that the eventual champions had any idea this was the case.
“Look, if I’m totally honest, Kerryl and I were both newbies to this layout and agreed just to have some fun,” said Shoesmith with a laugh. “Turns out we both had no idea of the scores, and personally, I struggle to watch the scores and calculate, so I just like to go out and bowl for me, and that’s what I did.”
The pair would save one of their best for last, bowling a 449 (477) and claiming bonus points for the sixth time in the stage to leapfrog Jones and Hill to claim the title.
“Honestly, so incredible! Such an unreal feeling,” explained Shoesmith of the win.
“I had no idea where we were sitting throughout the whole day as I didn’t look at scores. Bowlers congratulated us, and I couldn’t believe it until I saw the results,” said Kerryl.
In second place was the pairing of Rebecca Whiting and Tara Nankervis, who claimed the most wins in the matchplay section winning an impressive 8 from 11. Chloe Jones and Louise Hill rounded out the podium, finishing third.
Queenslander Chloe Jones performed the strongest of all the scratch bowlers averaging 218.6 for the event posting 5,903. Victorian pair Bec Whiting and Kaitlyn Commane round out the top three.
The next women’s division event for 2022 is the QLD Ladies Classic on the 14-15 May at Caboolture Bowl.
Final Results
Highest Score
279 – Amy Shoesmith (ACT)
Top 12
- Amy Shoesmith & Kerryl Galletly
- Bec Whiting & Tara Nankervis
- Chloe Jones & Louise Hill
- Kaitlyn Commane & Shirlene Trickey
- Bek Martin & Jo White
- Sarah Phillips & Jamie Dewit
- Bree Macpherson & Brooklyn Brooks
- Jaimie-Lee Spiller & Kylie Ryan
- Jaime Maglieri & Renee Gaitanis
- Rebekah Commane & Tiffani Murphy
- Amanda Delange and Emma Scott
- Jenny Notman & Natarsha O’leary
