Third edition of Junior BPL Challenge preview
The country’s up and coming stars are set to hit the green at Moama Bowling Club for the third edition of the Junior BPL Challenge.
Coinciding with BPL23, the Junior BPL Challenge will see eleven of the twelve Bowls Premier League franchises field teams, with Bowls ACT sending the Capital Phoenix in place of the Perth Suns.
The competition will feature a plethora of State Based Jackaroo Academy players, who will be stars of the future.
Last year’s champions in the Melbourne Pulse will once again field a strong lineup, seeing Marlie Malcolm return with new teammates in Australian Under-18 Championships Boys Fours champions Charlie Boswood and Harry Coleman.
Their crosstown rivals in the Melbourne eXtreme will look to add a second title to their collection with their team of Jack Baldwin, Mikayla Mattei, Logan Mattei and Tom Baldwin.
The Adelaide Pioneers has formed a formidable lineup consisting of 2025 Australian Open and Australian Under-18 Championships Girls Singles champion Anda Panchawat, and South Australian stars Charlie Hicks and Kobe Jarman.
Ashton and Lilly Vardy will return for the Tweed Ospreys alongside Bryson McAlpine.
The Gold Coast Hawks will go into the Junior BPL Challenge with a relatively unchanged lineup that features Levi Rice, son of former Jackaroo and current Hawk Nathan Rice, Skye Peters and Xavier Parkinson.
The Geelong Jets are firing up their engines with a talented squad consisting of Victorian Under-18 representatives Jacob Cartwright and Addy Ryan, as well as 2025 Australian Open Fours winner Ollie Morrison.
Coming from across the Bass Strait, the Tasmania Tridents lineup features 2025 Australian Under-18 Championships Boys Triples champions Fletcher Felmingham and Lachlan Thurley alongside Miley Sutton.
The Capital Phoenix are going into the competition strong with a lineup that features ACT Under-18 representatives Sam McGuigan and Logan Waters, as well as Arianni Winter.
The Sydney rivalry is sure to carry over into the Junior BPL Challenge with both the Sydney Lions and Sydney Saints sporting some big names.
The Lions will see New South Wales Under-18 gold medallists Zoe Davies and Tahlia Kennedy join forces with Jack Barclay.
The Saints see rising stars Noah Jedrzejczyk, Zach Moran and Sophie Payne don their uniform.
The Moreton Bay Pirates has assembled a fearsome crew to contend for the title with Ben Hagan and Jacob Hoger joining QLD State Based Jackaroo Academy player Logan Hughes in the team.
Finally, the hometown team of the Moama Steamers will look to add the Junior BPL Challenge title to their current BPL title with some new faces including Jacob Brighton, Gracie Retallick and Mackenzie Parsons.
VIEW THE SCHEDULE HERE
The Junior BPL Challenge will be played at the Moama Bowling Club from February 19-20, 2026.
