Tenpin Bowling Australia Limited
National Elite Ranking System
OBJECTIVE
To create a fair National Rankings System involving Australia’s major tournaments and elite players, adult and youth, male and female, which is endorsed by the National Sporting Organisation – Tenpin Bowling Australia Limited.
CURRENT CRITERIA USED IN SELECTING TOURNAMENTS
a) Must be a TBA Accredited tournament.
b) TBA Lane Conditioning Policy implemented.
c) Substantial Prize Money – Open Tournaments must have a minimum of $2,000 first prize with a bottom finalists. (i.e. 16th if the cut is 16) receiving a 6-4 ratio return on entry fee. (i.e. $300 if entry fee is $200).
d) Tournaments must traditionally have a large contingent of Interstate participants.
Every effort is made to encourage a mix of tournaments spread across the Nation so bowlers have at least one tournament to attend in their home State or Territory.
HOW IT WORKS
A simple system based on a fixed points table (as attached), covering only the listed major national events. The system will be continuous, in that all points gained in one January to December year will be progressively replaced with the following year’s points. This rolling 12 months of data is used to support the ranking of any player. This promotes consistency and avoids the situation whereby last year’s Number One ranked player drops to 45th because of a single bad result in the first event.
The fixed points table awards more points for winning an event and much fewer points for finishing down in the field, mirroring the ranking system used in golf and tennis. Winners and high placed finishers are well rewarded, so a player finishing 20th place five times throughout the year receives equal points to the player who wins a major tournament once.
Winning major tournaments in this country is not so easy, so bowlers will get points that are commensurate with that achievement. Players are not rewarded with points for just “turning up”, they must also play well. All tournaments have the same ranking points. This simple system is fairer and easier for bowlers to calculate.
In the Mens/Open division, points available to be won will be reduced by twenty percent (20%) if there are less than 85 entries.
In the Vic 150, only open qualifying scores are ranked.
Men, Women, Youth girls and Youth boys will have their own separate ranking divisions. Youth must be under 23 years of age on January 1st in the year of the competition. Men will win points in the Men’s division only. Women or Youth bowlers participating in “open” events will have points won added to their total in their own Division only, subject to the following paragraph.
In addition to their own division points, Ladies will have their two best results any time throughout the year from the Open events go towards their own rankings in their division, Female Youth will have their four best results any time throughout the year from Open and Ladies events go towards their own rankings in their division and Male Youth will have their four best results from the Open and Men’s events go towards their own rankings in their own division.
A bowler from a particular division will only be able to win that division.
If a tournament has a double elimination final, groups of bowlers will be eliminated at the same time. Ranking points will be allocated based on the current average in that tournament of the bowlers in the group that are eliminated.
If two players have equal score in a tournament, both will be awarded the points for that place and no points will be awarded for the next place score, eg if two bowlers tie for 9th place, both get 9th place points and no 10th place points will be awarded. The next highest will be given 11th place points.
If multiple entries are allowed, only a bowler’s highest position will attract points. If a bowler finishes 20th and 25th, 20th position points will be awarded. The bowler who finished 26th will be awarded the 25th position points and all bowlers down the list will move up one place.
If a bowler withdraws from a cut, his place will be taken by the next available bowler who missed the cut. For example, if a bowler makes the final 16 to go into 15 games of head to head play then withdraws, his place will be taken by the bowler who finished in 17th position. The withdrawing bowler takes 17th position for ranking points.
WHAT’S ON OFFER
The top ten Adult Male, Adult Female, Youth Male and Youth Female will all receive an automatic place in their respective National Selection Squad, subject to those bowlers submitting an application for their respective squad.
The Male, Female, Youth Boy and Youth Girl will each receive $500.00 including a winners Plaque.
Additional prizes are still being negotiated by TBA and are subject to gaining sponsorship.
AS ALWAYS, CONDITIONS APPLY
All bowlers will need to be affiliated with Tenpin Bowling Australia.
Fifty percent (50%) of the value of Ranking points will be deducted if the Centre where the Tournament is held do not comply with the Tenpin Bowling Australia Lane Conditioning Policy. Spot checks will be carried out by TBA representatives.
No Ranking points will be awarded if the Tournament has not been accredited with Tenpin Bowling Australia.
SUMMARY
The National Elite Ranking System has been established to clearly answer the question of “who is best in the land?” It will also give a simple gauge to bowlers, administrators, sponsors and the media just how certain bowlers are doing on the national major tournament scene. It also provides all bowlers a set path for making a National Training Squad and ultimately a National Team. All bowlers should remember that the rolling 12 months of rankings will be a major criteria in the selection of the Adult and Youth National teams in 2001/2002.
