As a preview for this weekend BUCS Championships, our press secretary James Larkin (Thumper) has written an article for BUCS citing the favourites for the championships for this weekend. Find below for the full article or here for the article on the BUCS website.
The BUCS Gatorade Nationals MMXIII will be a first for one of longest running sport championships in the country. This weekend The BUCS Tenpin Bowling Championships will take place in Sheffield as part of the UK’s largest annual multi-sport event, an appropriate place for a Championships with an unbroken history stretching back to at least 1968/9 when Manchester were crowned the UAU Tenpin Bowling Champions, which later became the BUSA and now BUCS Championships. Below British Universities Tenpin Bowling Association’s James Larkin highlights some of the ones to watch this weekend.
Men’s Teams
- Loughborough University, they’re defending champions and have been the team to beat for the last three or four years, but are perhaps not quite as strong this year.
- Nottingham Trent University, the club founded back in 2001, then dropped completely out of the university circuit and were presumed to have dis-banded, but they are back with a vengeance this year, winning tournaments and posting some really good scores, and are definitely capable of beating Loughborough… although the change of venue from Nottingham to Sheffield could be a disadvantage.
- Manchester University, home of the defending men’s individual champion, Lewis Brown have to be considered a threat.
Ladies’ Teams
- Leeds Metropolitan University, their bowlers are currently 1st, 5th and 6th on individual averages for the season, if they enter their three best bowlers, it’s difficult to see anyone beating them.
- Warwick University, they’ve got the 2nd and 7th best averaging bowlers on tour in their team.
Individual Men
There is a very strong field and I’d expect all of the following to feature;
- Lewis Brown, Manchester – last year’s Champion.
- Jonathan Spivey, Portsmouth – he’s been unbeatable at every event he’s attended this season, and came 3rd in BUCS Champs last season.
- Tom Chuter, Nottingham Trent – on paper one of the best bowler’s on tour, but it’s always hard to perform well at your first BUCS Champs.
- Aiden Wright, Staffordshire University – one of the best bowler’s on tour for the last few years, and he outscored everybody by quite some way on Saturday at the same alley in Sheffield that the BUCS Champs will be held at this weekend
- Stephen Hibbert, Birmingham – vice-captain of BUCS squad last season, and also bowled well on Saturday
- Chris Lam, Manchester – ranked no.1 on the national U24’s tour, so definitely one to watch
- Matt Fidgett, Loughborough – another bowler on really good form at the moment, currently 3rd in our average table!
- Jonathan Atkins, Nottingham Trent, is a raw talent, he can be a bit up and down, but he also bowled really well at Sheffield on Saturday, and was top scorer at the previous event
Individual Ladies
- Louise Parker, Manchester Met – has dominated female bowling on our tour for the last five years or so, but in the last couple she’s been put under serious pressure and not always come out on top. Still never one to underestimate, and she was top average at Sheffield on Sat
- Rachael McKenzie, Leeds Met – Louise’s main rival, capable of some very high scoring, not always as consistent as Louise, but currently top averaging female on tour
- Anne Windess, Warwick – She’s shown a massive improvement this year, and is currently the second ranked female on tour
- Rachel Hodds, Loughborough – 4th highest average on tour currently, just behind Louise.