Logan littlies will battle it out on the bowling lanes this weekend at the Queensland Junior Cup.
Children as young as six will be fighting it out for a share of more than $12,000 in prizes.
The competition’s youngest competitor, six-year-old Charlotte Brearly, started bowling at just 18-months-old.
Committee chair of Tenpin Bowling Association of Queensland Junior Jodi Bishop said Charlotte’s learning began with the help of a guide ramp.
“Once she was able to throw a ball independently, she adopted the two-handed delivery technique of her hero, world number one professional bowler Jason Belmonte,” Ms Bishop said.
“At the age of four, Charlotte was enrolled in the sport’s junior training program ‘Bowl Patrol’ and progressed from bowling with lane bumpers 12 months ago to an accomplished and very keen right-handed bowler.
“She loves to bowl and given the chance would be on the lanes every day – with such enthusiasm and a PB of 160 at the age of just six, Charlotte is an emerging star to watch.”
Almost 100 bowlers from across the country are expected to flood the Logan bowling centre for the junior cup between 29 June and 1 July.
A total prize pool worth more than $12,000 is up for grabs, including cash, trophies and a range of prizes.
“We are one of very few ranked events that have equal prize money for both male and female bowlers across all divisions and we’re very proud of this,” Ms Bishop said.
“The tournament has attracted participants from far and wide – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand – and we’ve also had a tremendous response from the local region.
“We already have five out of eight squads completely filled.”
Several families are joining forces to compete this year, including: Crestmead sisters Chloe, Kayla and Talia Piffero, three pairs of brothers – Noah and
Nicholas Rajkovic, Oliver and William Zaccaria and Justin and Julian Dinham, two sets of cousins – Brooke and Deakin Buckingham and Brianna and Bronx Walsh and brother/sister duos Harlem and Tayreese Morris, Alex and Charlotte Mahoney and Beau and Lexi Colgan.
15-year-old New Zealand champion Cooper Mollet is also flying in.
Cooper only began competing in 2020 after watching his father bowl for many years.
Now he lives and breathes the sport, and with a personal best, near-perfect score of 299, he is expected to bring the pressure.
Spectators are welcome to watch the event. Admission is free.
