Ranked Recap: 2023 Australian Tenpin Bowling Open
By Tenpin Bowling Australia
Adam Hayes has claimed back-to-back titles at the Australian Tenpin Bowling Open (ATBO) after another impressive performance at Zone Bowling Frankston over the weekend.
The Victoria native, who won his first ATBO title last year, successfully defended his crown, becoming the 12th bowler in the event’s 47-year history to win multiple titles.
In an interview following his win, Hayes said, “It feels surreal actually. There are so many great names and prestige in this tournament, and I was just happy to win it last year, but going back-to-back, makes me feel like I belong. Last year was a tough field, but this year was definitely a harder tournament.”
South Australian Matthew Krinis took an early lead on the first day of qualifying with an average of 220.8 over the first eight of sixteen games. Krinis continued his impressive performance on the second day to secure his place as the top qualifier heading into the finals. Fellow South Australian Scott Robertson, who finished seventh at the QLD Kegel Open continued his impressive year, and was close behind, sitting nine pins behind Krinis.
The top 24 bowlers returned on Sunday for a two-stage finals format. The first stage involved an additional six games to the sixteen qualifying ones, with the task of finishing in the top 12 to advance to the matchplay finals.
Rising star Seth Gray came out strong in the first stage of the finals, averaging 237.16 in his six-game block that saw the 17-year-old take the top spot heading into matchplay. James Bowles, who averaged 231.5, moved up from sixth to second place.
“Matchplay is a different game with different pressures, and although I was a fair way back from Seth who had bowled great in the six-game block on Sunday morning, I backed myself to get there,” said Hayes leading into matchplay.
“It doesn’t surprise me seeing some great kids in the field, and I love watching them bowl. I have seen the general progression of older bowlers in their 30s and 40s being replaced by younger 2-handers with lots of power, and there’s a good group of them coming through, but there’s still a little life in this old dog,” added Hayes with a laugh.
In the matchplay finals, the top 12 bowlers went head-to-head with each other, with 20 bonus pins awarded for wins.
Despite a tough start to the tournament, Hayes came back strong to win his first six games, including a tournament-high game of 290, before winning a total of nine out of eleven games and collecting a total of 180 bonus pins on his way to victory.
Hayes finished with a total of 7,289 pins over the marathon 33-game event, claiming both Australian Open titles on offer in two separate divisions in a span of three weeks, proving age is just a number.
“The lanes transitioned a little slower due to 1 per lane, and they broke down super-fast in the 6-game block but this suited me a bit more in the middle stages due to matchplay before they got really fried. Furthermore, determination to beat this tough condition and bowlers were the keys to victory” explained Hayes.
“It’s the Australian Open, it’s the big one which I dreamed about winning for a long time, and completing a back-to-back is sensational,” explained Hayes. “I also got to win in front of family and some amazing friends, which I won’t ever forget.”
Fellow local Frankston bowler Bernie Grueso Jnr. finished in second place, 76 pins behind the champion, while Queensland’s Jesse Ellis took third place. Grueso Jnr. had a slow start on day one, finishing in the 33rd position, before making an impressive comeback on day two to finish in 11th place. Ellis performed strongly throughout the tournament, never dropping below the 7th position at any stage.
Hayes, who recently withdrew from the National Training Squad (NTS) to focus on other aspects of his life, is now considering his future goals. “I am 49 now and won a medal at the World Cup last year, I’d love to step aside and see TBA take a risk on the male squad by having a crack at young bowlers in the squad,” he explained. “I’m lucky to be fit enough and have great support around me to compete and do what I love. I would love to look at PBA50, but for now, I’m just happy to bowl in what I choose to bowl in and enjoy it.”
The next Open Division ranked event is the Melbourne Tenpin Cup.
The third open division ranked event for 2023 will run at Oz Tenpin Chirnside Park in Victoria from 16-18 June 2023. The opening of entries will be communicated shortly.
- Total pinfall: 7,289 (33 games including 180 bonus pins)
- Average: 215.42 (33 games excluding bonus)
- High Game: 290 (5th game in matchplay)
- Tournament Game Scores
- Day 1 –207, 256, 194, 208, 233, 174, 234, 202 – 1,708
- Day 2 – 221, 256, 224, 178, 223, 192, 190, 206 – 1,690
- Finals Stage 1 – 208, 190, 287, 219, 239, 236 – 1,379
- Matchplay – 201 +20, 211 +20, 256 +20, 210 +20, 290 +20, 218 +20, 164, 236 +20, 211 +20, 189, 246 +20
High Game – 290 – Adam Hayes and Nixon Chan
Top performances for each day/stage:
- Day 1 Qualifying – Matthew Krinis –215, 205, 243, 207, 211, 246, 192, 247 – 1,766
- Day 2 Qualifying– Braydn Goodger – 212, 234, 232, 221, 179, 226, 245, 226 – 1,775
- Finals Stage 1 – Bernie Grueso Jnr – 254, 207, 267, 248, 217, 236 – 1,429
- Matchplay – Adam Hayes – 9 wins from 11 matches – 180 bonus pins
Top 10 Australian Tenpin Bowling Open Places
- Adam Hayes – 7,289
- Bernie Grueso Jnr – 7,213
- Jesse Ellis – 7,208
- James Bowles – 7,203
- Seth Gray – 7,201
- Blake Walsh – 7,086
- Matthew Krinis – 6,985
- Kyle Richardson – 6,983
- Scott Richardson – 6,913
- Lindsay Kilpatrick – 6,791
Click here to view the entire results from the event.
TBA continues to work with TenpinResults in getting all 2023 rankings updated. We hope to have this completed ASAP and all published rankings will be available on the national rankings page.
