Queensland Tenpin Bowlers Celebrate 60 Years of Sporting Success
By Lynne Clay
Recognising the Past, Applauding the Present and Saluting the Future
The exciting announcement that the South Queensland U18 Girls team has been named as finalists for the Queensland Sport Awards 2021 Queensland Junior Sport Team of the Year highlights the tenacity and outstanding achievements of the State’s tenpin bowling athletes in a challenging, yet momentous year.
Competing at the 2021 Australian National Championships (ANC) in Tasmania in August, four young women – Tamika Pettigrew, Katelyn Melton, Tahlia Corbett and Jessica Canfield blitzed their way to glory in the prestigious TBA President’s Shield tournament in which teams bowled three events over separate days in Singles, Doubles and 4-person Teams.
Individual performances throughout the three events awarded points at the end of each of the three divisions – male, female and combined – with South Queensland clean-sweeping the tallies in all three categories to claim its first triple Shield victory since 2012, and eleventh overall.
Stellar performances by their team-mates in this pinnacle tournament for Junior bowlers saw North Queensland finish runners-up overall, shining a spotlight on the depth of talent that is emerging from the sunshine State.
The Queensland Sport Awards are coordinated by Q-Sport, the State government recognised and supported industry peak body for the sport sector in Queensland, to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of Queenslanders each year. This year’s 26th annual Queensland Sport Awards Presentation will take place on 25 November at a gala event at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“There were some really stunning performances by Queensland bowlers in Tasmania at this year’s ANC, including an absolute gold-rush of medals in Singles, Doubles, Teams and Masters events,” TBAQ CEO Gail Torrens commented proudly today.
“This nomination is a fitting finale to the celebration of our Diamond anniversary of the sport’s debut in Queensland, when tenpin bowling was launched in Brisbane with the opening of Exhibition Bowl in August 1961,” she continued.
“Bowlers from Queensland dominated podium appearances in many age groups at the 2021 ANC carnival in Hobart this year indicating the effectiveness of the education and training of talented bowlers in Queensland. “Their success also reflects the tremendous efforts and support of our officials and volunteers who are the backbone of our athletes’ achievements. “It certainly augurs well for the development and further success of Queensland bowlers on the national and international stage as Queensland gears up to hosting the Olympics in 2032,” she added.
