The quest for a coveted place in Team Bermuda officially begins this week as the island’s elite bowlers take to the lanes for the 2026 National Championship and Selection Trials.
In a grueling test of endurance and technical skill, each participant will bowl a total of 30 games across five distinct and challenging lane patterns. The bowler sitting at the top of the standings after the final frame will not only be crowned the 2026 National Champion but will also secure their place at the heart of Bermuda’s international summer campaign.
The stakes for this year's trials extend far beyond domestic silverware. The top performers will earn the honor of representing Bermuda at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, scheduled for July 24th to August 8th.
Furthermore, the trials will determine the qualification for two major autumn fixtures:
IBF World Cup: Four spots are up for grabs for the prestigious tournament in Munich, Germany, this October.
Pan American Champion of Champions: Two bowlers will secure a trip to Costa Rica to compete against the region's best from October 25th-29th.
In addition to international selection, the top three finishers will walk away with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, alongside significant monetary awards.
Team Manager Steven Riley anticipates a high level of competition but warns that the scores will reflect the difficulty of the professional oil patterns being utilized. "The competition will be high," Riley noted, "but we expect the scores to reflect the challenging lane patterns that will be used to test the versatility of our bowlers.".
The marathon event is split into five rounds to ensure a true test of consistency:
Rounds 1 & 2: Saturday, January 17th and Sunday, January 18th (6 games each).
Rounds 3 & 4: January 31st and February 1st.
The Final Round: Sunday, February 8th.
As the first balls are thrown this Saturday, all eyes will be on whether the established veterans can hold off a surging crop of younger talent in one of the most significant weeks on the Bermuda bowling calendar.
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