Pocket Preview: Australian Open
By Tenpin Bowling Australia
The Australian Open (AO) will run for the 46th time this weekend at Zone Bowling Frankston in Victoria as the second open division event for 2022 gets underway.
In one of the more gruelling formats on the calendar, a total of 33 games will be bowled by athletes who progress through all the stages. All bowlers will bowl 16 games in qualifying before the top 24 will complete six games in stage 1 of the finals before eleven match play games are conducted for the top 12.
Three-time event winner and defending champion David Porto will have his hands full with a blockbuster bowler line-up set to attend. Fresh from returning home from the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) season, Sam Cooley and Callum Borck will compete this weekend at an event Sam has won three previous times.
We wish all bowlers the best of luck and high scoring over the Easter weekend.
- What? Nationally Ranked Event – Open Division – A22/0053
- Where? Zone Bowling Frankston, Victoria
- When? 15-17 April 2022
- Facebook – here
- Entry Form – here
Click here to view the scores and results as they are entered by the tournament organisers
This is the 46th running of the Australian Open
David Porto is the defending champion after winning in 2021. David became the third bowler to win the event three times alongside Cara Honeychurch and Sam Cooley.
| 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) |
| Australian Open Multiple Winners |
| 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 |
Flashback – 2017 Champion Jarrod Langford with finalists
Qualifying Format
All bowlers will bowl 16 games of qualifying in their respective squad (8 games Friday, 8 games Saturday)
Lane change will occur after each 2-game block
Australian Open Finals
At the completion of qualifying, the Top 24 bowlers will advance to Stage 1 finals
Stage 1 Finals
(Pinfall Carries) The top 24 bowlers from qualifying will complete 3 x 2-game blocks Lane change will occur after each 2-game block At the completion of the 6 games, the Top 12 bowlers will advance to Matchplay Finals
Matchplay Finals
(Pinfall Carries) Lanes will be re-oiled before match play commences. The Top 12 bowlers will bowl 11 games of matchplay (2 bowlers to a pair) Lane change will occur after each 1-game matchplay block Bowlers will be awarded 20 bonus pins for a win, 10 for a draw, and zero for a loss.
The bowler with the highest total pinfall (including bonus pins) after completion of matchplay finals will be crowned the “Australian Open Champion 2022“
As of 13th April 2022
This is the second open division event for 2022 following the running of the Kegel QLD Open.
All rankings are automatically updated on the current points webpage for eligible participants once the rankings administrator processes the results following the conclusion of a ranked event.
Bowlers wishing to be ranked must be current silver registered members. Rankings points will only be recorded for bowlers competing in a ranked event if they were current financial silver registered members before bowling their first ball in that ranked event. Please note that a silver registration consists of a league/junior membership + Silver Upgrade.
The current top ten rankings for the Open Division are (click more to view the full rankings list):
Don’t forget to have your proof of COVID vaccination on you at all times in case required upon entry to the venue.
There are many ways to show your vaccination status, but the easiest way is by getting your COVID-19 Digital Certificate and linking it to your Service Victoria app.
When you check-in to a venue using the Service Victoria App, this will automatically verify your vaccination status if you have linked your COVID-19 Digital Certificate.
Visit how to get your COVID-19 Digital Certificate and link it to the Service Victoria App. You can only do this once you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Other eligible proof of COVID-19 vaccination:
- COVID-19 digital certificate saved to a smartphone wallet
- printed copy of COVID-19 digital certificate
- printed copy of immunisation history statement ;
- eligible proof of vaccination exemption.
Individuals under the age of 18 years are not required to show proof of their vaccination to enter a venue.
