Uncategorized
Blayne Fletcher on all things bowling and TPL
Originally born in South Africa, Queensland’s Blayne Fletcher holds a stellar record of tenpin bowling titles, most recently winning the 2022 QLD World Cup of Champions.
Fletcher found a passion for bowling at the age of 4 when his parents would drop him off at a bowling centre at their local shopping complex.
“My parents used to take me bowling almost every time we went to the local shopping complex in South Africa. I guess you could say bowling was my entertainment whilst my parents completed their shopping tasks,” Fletcher reflects.
After moving to Australia, Fletcher was noticed by a staff member at his local bowling centre which led to the start of his bowling career.
“I joined a league at the age of 11 when a staff member from the bowling centre approached my parents and said, ‘Hey! I think your son has some natural talent. He should join a league’.”
Fletcher soon adopted the two-handed bowling technique, made famous by his bowling idol Jason Belmonte.
“The two-handed technique is very similar to the traditional one-handed technique in more ways than people expect, but one of the vital components to being successful as a two-handed bowler is speed,” he said.
“Generally, most beginner two-handed bowlers struggle to bowl at speeds that traditional one-handed bowlers can. With this, and the higher revolutions on the ball, two-handed bowlers find it harder to control the ball. Learning the correct footwork and timing can help increase ball speed.”
Mastering the two-handed technique has clearly paid off for the 25-year-old, who has gone on to win major titles such as the 2015 Australian Junior Masters, 2016 National Youth Cup, 2017 Sharp Champion of Champions and most recently the 2022 QLD World Cup of Champions, priming him for a strong debut at the inaugural Tenpin Premier League event
Fletcher finished third in Pool D at the TPL Wodonga Classic, advancing to the top-16 semifinal where he placed 4th and booked his spot in the Super-8 Final. After defeating Callum Borck with a golden-point bowl-off in the 6 V 7 final, he was defeated by the eventual gold-medallist Jarrod Langfrod in the top-6.
After competing in the first-ever TPL event in Wodonga, Fletcher had nothing but positive and exciting comments.
“The first TPL event in Wodonga was really enjoyable. I found the format added a bit of pressure in the early stages of the competition, but also kept more bowlers in contention until the very last game of each stage,” he said.
“The crowd were awesome in the Super 8 Finals and there were lots of positive vibes in the bowl knowing that Australian bowling was back on TV.
“The team at TPL did an awesome job organising the first event and I really look forward to competing in the next two events at the Sunshine Coast and Keon Park.”
With the next TPL tournament is not far away, with the event heading to the country’s new National High Performance and Community Centre at Suncity Tenpin Bowl on the Sunshine Coast, where Blayne is excited to potentially play against his idol, Belmonte.
“I’ve looked up to Jason for over a decade and in recent years I’ve had the privilege of bowling with him in Rollin’ Thunder 2018.
“I’m really excited knowing I might finally get the chance to bowl against him. It would be a dream come true to verse him in the TV finals.”