The twin cities of Thuringowa and Townsville will soon be buzzing with bowling action and the spirit of friendly competition when almost a thousand tenpin bowlers, officials and supporters from around Australia arrive from mid-October onwards to participate in the annual national Championships of this popular sport.

The Nationals are staged by the sport’s governing body, Tenpin Bowling Australia (TBA), 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.

As a prelude, an evening of not-too-serious competition will be held tomorrow with teams representing Townsville media and the major supporters of the event – the Cities of Thuringowa and Townsville, the Mercure Inn, and Townsville Enterprise. Teams of five have been invited to compete for some memorable awards in the TWIN CITIES TERRIFIC TENPIN TOURNAMENT, as an introduction to the activity – and fun - that the Nationals will bring.

The 42nd annual National Championships will include adult bowlers aged 18 years and over from every State and Territory of Australia and, for the first time, Teams from North Queensland and New Zealand will line up in one of the highlight events of the Nationals – the Rachuig Trophy Interstate Teams tournament.

Kirwan Tenpin and Squash and Currajong Super Bowl will host this year’s National Championships and TBA’s Tournament team is already working hard organising sufficient squads to cater for the large number of entries expected. Bowling in Teams, Doubles and Singles events begins on Saturday, 18 October.

“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 function. “We’re especially keen to encourage local participation from the North Queensland region to this year’s event” he added.

The official Entry Form will be available at Bowling Centres around Australia this week and can also be downloaded from TBA’s official website…www.tenpin.org.au.