Sport
26 October, 2026
Juniors bowl over competition
THE Atherton Junior Tenpin bowlers “absolutely cleaned up” at the recent NQ Intercity Shield, winning literally everything on offer.
In a result that “may not have been seen in living memory”, Atherton claimed every one of the seven shields on offer at the 2026 NQ Junior Intercity Shield, which was held at NQ Tenpin Atherton recently.
The small Tablelands centre took the Overall Shield, the Scratch and Handicap Combined shields, and all four divisional titles in front of a home crowd.
Atherton finished the Overall standings well clear on 219 points and 45,141 pinfall, ahead of Townsville on 183, Cairns on 169, Mackay on 136, and Burdekin on 91.
The Girls Scratch shield went down to the wire, with Atherton edging out Burdekin 57.5 points to 56. The Boys Scratch title was just as close, with Atherton holding off Mackay 50 points to 48.
Meanwhile, the Boys Handicap team claimed the shield on 53.5 points ahead of Townsville on 50 and also recorded the division’s highest team series.
The Girls Handicap team was the most dominant of the four, finishing on 58 points, well clear of Cairns on 49.5.
Atherton placed eight bowlers in the All Stars: Hannah Starkey, Emily Starkey, and Tayla Grimshaw (Girls Scratch), Cooper Tunsted (Boys Scratch), Xavier Ross and Maximus Duck-Heard (Boys Handicap), and Jennifer Starkey and Aimee Starkey (Girls Handicap).
Jennifer Starkey was voted Girls Handicap Sportsperson of the Tournament by her fellow players, with teammate Aimee Starkey runner-up. Meanwhile, Wyatt Grimshaw was voted Boys Scratch Sportsperson of the Tournament.
Vice chair of the Atherton club, Josh Tunsted, said the result was “unbelievable”.
“These kids have come to Sunday training week-in and week-out, put in the hard yards and the results have paid off,” he said.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I expect this. Some of the lead up was rough for us, but certain people really put character ahead of scores and came out well on top. These kids are amazing.”
Next year, the Junior Intercity heads to the Burdekin where Atherton will be chasing back-to-back titles.
