The BTBA Tour Matchplay 2026, Stop 2 on the BTBA Championship Tour 2026, took place on 18 / 19 April at GOBowling Dunstable.
The event was hosted by both the BTBA Championship Tour and the Hertfordshire Tenpin Bowling Association, and comprised six games in qualifying from which 32 bowlers would move on to the Matchplay Finals.
Athletes qualified for the finals in the following Groups:
Group 1 – Top 4 Scratch scores – scores not including handicap
Group 2 – Top 4 Youth/Young Adults (under 22 as at 31/12/2026) – scores including handicap
Group 3 – Top 4 Women – scores including handicap
Group 4 – Top 4 Seniors (over 50 as at 31/12/2026) – scores including handicap
Group 5 – Top 16 bowlers (who are not already in Groups 1-4) – scores including handicap
The Double Elimination Matchplay Finals saw single game matches (with handicaps) and defeated bowlers moving to an ‘elimination bracket’. The eventual leader in the ‘winners bracket’ then played the eventual leader in the ‘elimination bracket’ to determine the winner.
Congratulations to Gavin Greaves (Elimination Bracket leader) who defeated Jack Sanders (Winners Bracket leader) over two games 523 – 453.
TOURNAMENT REPORT
Greaves Crowned Matchplay Champion After Epic Battle
Gavin Greaves claimed the 2026 BTBA Tour Matchplay title in a thrilling Grand Final replay, triumphing over Jack Sanders after battling back in the Elimination Bracket. Greaves, who qualified for the 32 person Matchplay Finals by just 7 pins and lost the Winners Final 265-279, fought back to secure the decisive 257-222 victory.
It was a tournament that proved to be very competitive, with 63 of the UK’s bowlers competing across five distinct qualifying categories followed by head-to-head single game matchups. The draw structure — featuring separate groups for scratch players, youth, ladies, and seniors — ensured every demographic was represented in the last eight of the Winners’ bracket, and the lane pattern (Mercury 4940) proved to be a fair challenge for everyone, with some high scores along the way.
Robinson Rules Qualifying
Ben Robinson established himself as the man to beat during the qualifying rounds, amassing an outstanding 1,417 scratch pins across six games for an average of 236 and claiming the maximum 120 BTBA Tour ranking points, setting him on a collision course with the sport’s elite at the knockout stages.
Chris Oates proved himself a worthy runner-up in the scratch rankings with 1,406 pins and a 234 average. Jack Sanders was third with 1,332 and Rob Thurlby completed the top four for the overall scratch group with 1,288 pins, while the matchplay results would prove that scratch qualifying dominance did not necessarily translate to knockout success.
Katrina Keyek headed the youth contingent with a 1,300 handicap total in Group 2, with Ruby Collins, Ben Cropper and Ben Stevens also qualifying from the Under 22 group.
Sara Tooze delivered an impressive performance in the Ladies category, posting 1,231 scratch pins that combined with her 29-pin handicap to produce a combined total of 1,405—enough to claim the top ladies seed. Anna Yang, Karen Parslow and Kimberley Oakley completed the ladies group.
In the Seniors, Dan Bonfield led the over-50s with 1,334 pins with handicap followed by Mike Smyth, Alan Meades and local bowler, Jamie O’Dwyer.
The final group of qualifiers were the next 16 bowlers with handicap, which included more Seniors and Ladies, and several of the top Scratch bowlers in the country – Gavin Greaves, Pete Stevenson, Matt Chamberlain and Jamie Bottomley.
Sanders Reaches Final Unbeaten
The Winners Bracket semifinals produced compelling action, with Jack Sanders sweeping aside Youth England bowler, Ben Cropper 233-218 to set up a championship clash with Gavin Greaves. In the other semifinal, Greaves edged Senior bowler, Martin Clements 251-234 in a tightly contested encounter that set the stage for the Winners Final.
The decider on the Winners Bracket proved to be a high-scoring thriller. Sanders unleashed an impressive 279, enough to overcome Greaves’ 265 and claim the first Grand Final berth.
Despite the defeat, Greaves turned his attention to the Elimination Bracket with renewed purpose, knowing he still had a pathway to the Grand Final.
The Elimination Odyssey
The Elimination Bracket offered one last, longer pathway to the Grand Final for those who had stumbled but only lost one match.
In the quarter-finals, Matt Chamberlain defeated Rob Thurlby 217-194, and Jamie O’Dwyer edged Karen Parslow 237-191.
The crucial moments came in the Elimination semifinals. Jamie O’Dwyer beating Ben Cropper (253-197) and Matt Chamberlain winning against Martin Clements (216-182) meant they emerged from their respective semifinals to contest the 3rd/4th place playoff.
In that match, O’Dwyer eased to a win (216-169). But it would be Greaves who claimed the spoils, defeating O’Dwyer 246-212 in the Elimination Final to secure his ticket to the Grand Final.
Grand Final Drama
The Grand Final pitted two very different journeys against one another. Sanders arrived unbeaten, having never lost a match. Greaves came with the hunger of a man who continued to find some form as the matchplay went on. The first Grand Final saw Greaves post a commanding 266 to Sanders’ 231—a reversal of fortunes that marked Sanders’ first loss of the tournament. Because Sanders had entered the final unbeaten, the double-elimination format forced a replay to decide the champion.
With the title hanging in the balance, Greaves started with an open frame, but then rolled in the strikes. A dominating 257 proved too much for Sanders’ 222, and with that, the 2026 BTBA Tour Matchplay win belonged to Gavin Greaves.
Note: The next event in the BTBA Championship Tour 2026 is the Bedfordshire Mixed Trios at GOBowling Dunstable, on 16 / 17 May 2026.
RESULTS
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| Qualifying Results | Matchplay Qualification Groups | Scratch Pot Games |
| Full Bracket Results | Winners Bracket | Elimination Bracket |
