Over 1,000 bowlers, officials and supporters have been visiting the twin cities of Thuringowa/Townsville since mid-October and the survey conducted by Championships organiser, Tenpin Bowling Australia, during the Championships confirms the significant impact this annual event has made in the North Queensland region.

Tenpin bowling is an increasingly popular individual sport and a great team activity that has a universal appeal – it is non-discriminatory by stature and can be played competitively, unaffected by weather conditions, by men and women of all ages.

This combination, and the camaraderie for which the sport is renowned, was celebrated last night at the official Awards Presentation function for the Championships, held at the Mercure Inn. MC for the evening, TBA CEO, Alex Popov, welcomed Thuringowa Deputy Mayor, Cr. Deanne Bell to present the major awards before a capacity crowd.

Winners of the Championships’ premier Teams event – the Walter Rachuig Trophy – were awarded commemorative medallions, and the highly sought after Trish Datson Memorial Shield was presented to the victorious New South Wales team following its spectacular win in both the Men’s and Women’s divisions of the tournament. The winning Men’s and Women’s New South Wales were also presented with the magnificent divisional trophies by Cr. Bell.

The TBA Chairman’s Award was presented by Peter Coburn to Andrew McArthur from Alice Springs, who finished with top average honours in the Walter Rachuig Trophy event, with a stunning 225.39 average. The TBA Directors chose ACT’s Veronica McGregor as their winner, based on her outstanding 31.2 improvement over her 173 entering average during the Walter Rachuig tournament. This award was presented by Ms. June Voukolos on behalf of her fellow Board members.

A special tribute and floral presentation was made to Ms. Voukolos by TBA’s new Chairman, Peter Coburn in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the sport over the past two decades. Ms. Voukolos has recently stepped down from the Chair but remains on the TBA Board and will continue to supervise and coordinate the High Performance program for the sport.

Sportspersons Awards (following nomination by their fellow athletes) were presented to Sam Parrella from the Adelaide suburb of Rostrevor and Ballina’s Emma Rutten.

The five top-scoring Men and Women in the Walter Rachuig Trophy event – the “All Stars” – were acknowledged with resounding applause. They are Andrew McArthur from the NorthernTerritory, Phillip Ramsay from South Queensland, Michael Little from New South Wales, Zane Que from South Queensland and Robert Townsend from the ACT. The Women’s division of the “All Stars” team is Sue Cassell from New South Wales, Kate Wilton from South Queensland, Ann-Maree Putney from New South Wales, Leigh Harris from North Queensland and Amanda Bradley from New South Wales.

Full scores and photographs from every event staged during the 2003 Nationals events can be viewed on TBA’s official website -www.tenpin.org.au.