In October 1963, I attended a meeting in the office of Tenpin Ltd. With Mr Doug Stewart, President of the Australian Bowling Proprietors Association. Also present at the time was Mr George Davis, the Proprietors Federal Secretary and Mr Keith Barnes. The manager of the 52 lane Rushcutter Bowl who at that time was also a famous rugby league international footballer.

The purpose of the meeting was to decide on the playing format and name for an annual interstate team competition for men. At an earlier date the A.T.B.C. had accepted a generous offer of the proprietors to underwrite the 1963 costs associate with the event.

It was hoped that eventually this tournament would develop to such an extent that it would mean the same to tenpin bowling as the Sheffield Shield does to cricket and in that way attract the favourable attention of the print and electronic media.

An additional objective was to provide visible evidence that the tenpin game was here to stay and that the game’s critics, who seem to be burdened with a “mini” golf mentality, in relation to the sport, would display a more neutral realistic approach in any future review of the tenpin game which may be undertaken by them.

As a result of that meeting the very first “Rachuig” was held at the Hawthorn Bowl, Melbourne in December 1963.

In that history making event each of the six teams had a line-up of five men who represented Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and West Australia. The A.T.B.C. bowlers did not gain separate “Rachuig State Status” until December 1965, and when bowling centres were opened in Alice Springs and Darwin in 1978, teams from the Northern Territory were very welcomed competitors.

I very much doubt whether there are many people close to the tenpin game today who had the pleasure of meeting and working with Walter Rachuig of Houston, Texas during 1961/62 when he travelled to all of the cities where bowling centres had been established by A.M.F. or Brunswick.

With his home base in Sydney during that period his itinerary included visits to Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Wollongong, Melbourne and Broken Hill.

At these stops he formed the first A.T.B.C. city associations and then physically measured the lanes in each of the then existing establishments for A.T.B.C. certifications in the near future.

He was a very determined man in a quiet and gentle way, but above all he was a wonderful diplomat. This combination of personal qualities enabled him to overcome all obstacles, and there were many of them, so that a meeting of delegates representing the newly established city associations could be held in Sydney to form the A.T.B.C.

The formation meeting took place at the Adams Hotel and was brought to a successful conclusion on February 11 1962.

Therefore, it was only natural that when the opportunity presented itself in 1963 to give long lasting recognition to Walter Rachuig for his pioneering work, the interstate team’s tournament was named in his honour.

The inscription of the trophy provides additional testimony of the high regard in which he was held by those who knew him or worked with him. Right up to the time of his death in 1968 his interest in the A.T.B.C. never diminished in any way. He was always more than ready to provide guidance or solutions to the many problems which always arose in those very early days of the A.T.B.C.

It is interesting to note that the scoring of points won and lost has not changed in any way since the very first tournament. The method which allows one point for team “head to head” matches and one point for every 50 pins knocked down by a team (Peterson points) regardless of the outcome of a match, was in common use in 1963.

However, in order to provide an additional incentive for bowlers to score an extra point for their team it was decided, at the meeting in the office of Tenpin Ltd. In 1963, to have at stake a total of five extra points for the individual head to head matches which are played in conjunction with the team versus team match. The individual scores of bowlers in corresponding positions in each of the opposing line-ups are compared and the player who outscores his opponent wins one of those five points for his team.

While this is a common method of deciding league games today, it was quite unique in 1963 and when introduced for the first “Rachuig” it found immediate nation wide acceptance.

A few minor problems occurred between some teams when the questions arose as to which one of any two teams matched against each other should be the first to list their line-up on the score sheet and telescore unit. This was quite easily overcome and the rule adopted then still applies today.

The only problem of any real magnitude in the history of the Rachuig was the matter of financing the costs which each state team had to meet in order to be represented at the tournament.

The problem was so great that very few of the states, if indeed any at all, had raised enough money to meet the expenses of getting their team to Adelaide to play in December 1964.

This was the only occasion in the 30 year history of the “Rachuig” that the tournament was postponed.

Fortunately, enough money was raised by city and state associations, committees and team members to make it possible for the postponed matches of 1964 to be played in February 1965 at the Cross Road Bowl, Adelaide. In December of the same year the 3rd “Rachuig” was held in Sydney at the 34 lane Chatswood Bowl.

I can only recall two occasions when any of the original rules, which stated that participation was limited to non professional only. As most of the top players in each state were bowling in professional leagues or tournaments that particular rule was quickly abandoned.

The other one had a slightly longer life. It required all of the challenging teams to travel to the home state of the previous year’s winning team. That is why the 1964 tournament was held in Adelaide and if the rule had not been amended three successive Rachuig's would had been bowled in Sydney.

This would have placed a very heavy financial burden on the other state’s teams who often had to travel long distances. In addition none of their local league bowlers who ever have had the opportunity of seeing Australia’s best bowlers in action on the same lanes at the same time.

Another item of interest in relation to the rules concerned the number of players and reserves each state was permitted to have. The present rule (7 per team) was adopted in October 1966, as it was found that the home state would have the advantage of being able to select from an almost unlimited of top players who happened to be in the bowl when the home state officials were deciding the composition of their line-up for the next game of the series.

In 1972, delegates to the A.T.B.C. Annual Convention unanimously voted to increase membership fees by 25 cents and that the money so raised would be distributed to each state based on the distance the visiting teams would have to travel. This is a most significant milestone in the development of the “Rachuig”.

I understand that the A.T.B.C. now subsides each state to a much greater degree which is a policy I whole heartedly support.

There is no doubt in my mind that the “Rachuig” tournament received a tremendous boost when the constitution was amended to enable women’s teams to bowl in a division of their own. The first event in which the women’s team bowled was in 1965, but unfortunately the W.A. team could not make an appearance. However, I have a very happy recollection of meeting a large contingent of women bowlers in 1966 who had travelled by train from Perth to Sydney in order to give strong support to their enthusiastic team.

The tournament in that year was held at the 28 lane Enfield Bowl and it was of great significance for the future of the tenpin game because of their colourful presence on the lanes. In no time at all the popularity of the Rachuig increased tenfold and from 1967 up to the present time there has only been one occasion when there has not been a full line-up of state teams in both divisions of the “Rachuig”. As a matter of fact, in the 30 years the tournament has been held only four occasions has a state team not been able to attend. All of those except one occurred in the early or mid 1960’s.

While the “Rachuig” nowadays is dove-tailed beautifully into the calender of events played at the A.T.B.C. “Nationals”, it has not always been the case – not by any stretch of the imagination.

During October 1963 not very long after the finish of the “Nationals” the decision was made for the first Rachuig to be held in December. This decision left me just six weeks to completely organise, from scratch, every detail of a bowling tournament the type of which had never been attempted before.

For a variety of reasons the period of October, November and December has also been the arrival of the “Rachuig” by 1966 it became very clear to me that the only way to get maximum exposure and develop spectator interest was to fit the “Rachuig” into a suitable time slot of the Nationals.

In addition I felt that it would be much lesser financial burden on the States if they could select their teams from amongst those bowlers who were going to compete in the Nationals anyway.

Incredible as it may seem it took no less than 10 years, as far as I can recall, for that proposed change to be adopted by delegates at the Annual General Meeting of the A.T.B.C. sometime in the mid 1970’s.

Happily the effect of that move far exceeded my expectations and from about 1976 it was found necessary to have grandstands erected in the host bowling centre in order to accommodate the large and very vocal enthusiastic audience who by their strong support gave encouragement to their respective state teams.

A combination of all these factors helped to make the “Rachuig” without any doubt whatsoever, the tenpin bowling spectacular which cannot be found anywhere else in the world expect Australia.

by Jack Walton

It might be hard to pronounce – but the Walter Rachuig Trophy Tournament is a deadly serious business.

For a seven month period during 1961 and 1962 Walter Rachuig (pronounced “Rockway”) was the prime mover behind organizing the Australian Tenpin Bowling Congress, the sport’s inaugural national governing body. An executive and Director of the American Bowling Congress, the Texas-based Rachuig worked closely with local bowling administrators to form an organization that can now boast over 120,000 registered bowlers.

Not surprisingly, when looking for a name to give credibility to the fledgling Interstate Teams event, which was first contested at Melbourne’s Hawthorn Bowl in 1963, the ATBC chose the name of Walter Rachuig.

Sadly, Walter Rachuig was never to witness first hand the unique and exciting three-day bowling contest that proudly bears his name. Rachuig left Australia on 30 June 1962, his task of forming the ATBC completed, and never able to return to Australia, passed away in May 1969.

However, his name, and memory of the debt owed to him by Australian bowlers lives on with the annual Walter Rachuig Interstate Team Trophy Tournament.

It was not until the 1977 running of the event that it was decided to hold the contest as part of the annual Australian Championships. Until that time the Rachuig Trophy was conducted as a separate tournament bowled each year in late November or early December.

Now not only is the Rachuig Trophy the highlight event of the two week bowling festival that is the National Championships, but it is also a “one of a kind” sporting event, the like of which is played nowhere else in the bowling world.

Whether you are a participant, avid team supporter, interested spectator or a curious observer, the Walter Rachuig Trophy Tournament will certainly be one of the most exciting bowling spectacles you will ever witness

(adapted from an article by Steve Jones)