Games of 218, 240 and 242 have earned the Kirwan resident the Doubles combination top spot so far in the Men's D Grade Doubles at the 42nd Australian Tenpin Bowling National Championships. 50 year-old Croatto will be presented with a Tenpin Bowling Australia “700 series” Plaque for this outstanding performance.

The Nationals are staged by the sport’s governing body, Tenpin Bowling Australia, in association with volunteers from the North Queensland region, and this year The City of Thuringowa will play a leading role in supporting the three-week event now underway.

Organisers are delighted with the response to this year’s Nationals, being held in North Queensland for the first time in more than 15 years. “To date, the Tournament team has received more than 2,000 entries from 546 participants .... it's certainly eclipsed our expectations” said TBA Chairperson, Peter Coburn today.

The Nationals are open to bowlers aged 18 years and over from every State and Territory of Australia, as well as New Zealand and the three-week carnival of bowling action continues for another fortnight.

Tomorrow, joint host centre, Currajong Super Bowl will stage an exciting new event at this year’s Nationals - the 2003 City of Townsville Intercentre Cup. Eight teams of three bowlers will battle it out in head to head matches to determine the winners of the magnificent Trophy, medallions and plaques that have been provided by the City of Townsville. The City of Townsville is also hosting a Welcome reception for the local and visiting Senior bowlers participating in this event, and spectators can join in the fun from 9am tomorrow morning at Currajong Super Bowl in Garbutt.

“The National Championships is a unique competition enabling bowlers of all levels to compete in our sport” said TBA CEO, Alex Popov who will be in Townsville for tomorrow’s event. Coverage of the Nationals and full results can be downloaded from TBA’s official website -www.tenpin.org.au.