National Rankings – June 2024
The 2023/24 National Rankings year has come to a close, with Josh Walker-Davis and Dawn Hayman finishing the period as the country’s number one male and female bowlers respectively.
Walker-Davis finished a commanding 103 points clear of second placed Gary Kelly, collecting 440 ranking points between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 to earn the title as the country’s number one ranked male bowler.
The 23-year-old, playing out of Tasmania as well as now East Maitland in NSW, enjoyed sustained success across an array of events, notably taking out the Club Dubbo Fours for a second time in September.
Walker-Davis took the lead at the top of the men’s standings in October, holding onto the top spot for the remainder of the calendar period.
Joseph Clarke‘s outstanding Australian Open (including pairs champion and fours runner up) rocketed him from 17th at the end of May to third overall, while Jackaroo Corey Wedlock and brothers Kane and Jacob Nelson rounded out the top five.
Dawn Hayman is now a two-time female bowler of the year, adding the 23/24 title to her 20/21 crown.
Holding a 50-point buffer going into the final month of the rankings season, Hayman held on to once again be named bowler of the year.
The St Johns Park star was near untouchable at points during the rankings period, amassing a historic five state titles among her success, and reaching the Australian Open singles semi final, going down to Kelsey Cottrell in a 21-20 classic.
Hayman was also recently named as the second ranked bowler on the planet, in World Bowls’ new international rankings.
Hayman finished 35-points clear of Victoria’s Samantha Atkinson, who finishes the best season of her career as the number two ranked player in the country, and number six in the world.
A maiden Australian Open title (pairs) helped Kristina Krstic to third in the standings, with pairs runner up Jessie Cottell fourth, and Krstic’s title winning partner Ellen Fife fifth.
Note for all ranked players: Please check the spelling of your names and confirm the state you are registered to as to ensure records are kept up to date and accurate. Similar names with possible misspelling can result in players not being allocated the full amount of points. Email rankings@bowls.com.au for any rankings enquiries.
Below are the latest National Player Rankings, as of June 30, 2024.
Top-ranked players by state
| State | Men (name & overall ranking) | Women (name & overall ranking) |
| ACT | Matthew Sargeant (41) | Chloe Morrison (38) |
| NSW | Josh Walker-Davis (1) | Dawn Hayman (1) |
| NT | Trystan Smallacombe (17) | Siobhan Tootell (20) |
| QLD | Jacob & Kane Nelson (5) | Chloe Stewart (7) |
| SA | Nathan Black (28) | Karen Gatto (41) |
| TAS | Bailey Bellchambers (14) | Rae Simpson (22) |
| VIC | Neville Brown (12) | Samantha Atkinson (2) |
| WA | Warren Holt (25) | Kristina Krstic (3) |
| O/S | Gary Kelly (IRE) (2) | Kelly McKerihen (8) |
Overall player rankings
| Ranking | Men (name, state, points & points change) | Women (name, state, points & points change) |
| 1 | Joshua Walker-Davis (NSW) (440 , +8) | Dawn Hayman (NSW) (334, +8) |
| 2 | Gary Kelly (OS IRE) (337, +65) | Samantha Atkinson (VIC) (299, +34) |
| 3 | Joseph Clarke (294, +122) | Kristina Krstic (WA) (270, +52) |
| 4 | Corey Wedlock (NSW) (288, -9) | Jessie Cottell (NSW) (246, +84) |
| 5 | Jacob Nelson (QLD) (340, -53) Kane Nelson (QLD) (287, +11) | Ellen Fife (NSW) (245, +130) |
The National Rankings System operates on a yearly rolling-points system, where all points accrued are retained for a 12-month period and are then discounted. Players can accrue ranking points from all national events, State Championships, State Champion of Champion and selected club events. For any rankings or event registration queries, please contact rankings@bowls.com.au.
