📷 Masanori Udagawa / Photowellington.com
Story courtesy of College Sport Media.

Ben Pettit from Hutt International Boys’ School has made history as the first Tenpin bowler to win the College Sport Wellington supreme award. He attracted nationwide headlines as the youngest winner of the New Zealand Men’s Open Tenpin Bowling Championship at just 13 years old in 2021. That same year, he was nominated for the CSW supreme award but ultimately missed out to Hurricanes rugby player Siale Lauaki.

In 2025, Pettit continued to knock over the opposition, maintaining his number one national ranking and reclaiming the open title he lost in 2024 with a record-breaking 353-pin triumph in Porirua. It was his fourth open title in five years and much more meaningful than yet another trophy.

“My Poppa Charles passed away in July, just a day after my birthday. Everything I do is for him,” Pettit said. “It’s a shame he isn’t around to see me win the College Sport Wellington prize, but I know he’s looking down on me proudly.

“Receiving the CSW award means a massive amount to me. Tenpin bowling is a niche sport, so it’s an amazing feeling to be recognised. This acknowledgement has helped me gain a lot of respect for bowlers who aren’t typically recognised in ceremonies open to many different sports.

“Achievements in bowling are greatly appreciated by other bowlers; it’s a small, supportive community filled with incredibly hard-working and talented people. I hope my CSW award helps bring more recognition to bowling and to others who succeed in the sport.”

The CSW Supreme Award has an illustrious history, with previous winners including world mountain running champion Jonathan Wyatt, Olympic track and field silver medallist Nick Willis, and legendary All Black Jerry Collins. However, Pettit's favourite winner is NBA superstar Steven Adams.

“Obviously, he’s incredibly famous and has made millions of dollars, but I love the way he made it. He didn’t go to college in America, which is a huge reflection of his talent. I don’t know much about basketball, but when I think of the sport, Steven Adams is the first name that comes to mind. He’s such a great Kiwi sportsman.” 

Like the formidable Adams, Pettit soared over the competition at the 2025 Open Nationals held at his home alley, North City Porirua, in October. Pettit reclaimed the title he lost in the last frame in 2024 by a whopping 353 pins. He stormed through a dozen qualifying games with a 118-pin lead. In the masters section to decide the title, Pettit successfully fended off the earnest challenge from Josh Stretton, winning nine out of eleven head-to-head matches.

“It’s definitely my favourite win in a long time. It’s been a hectic year with Poppa passing and a bit of burnout from the season running from February to October, on top of school,” Pettit said. 

“I started the master's section strong with wins of 237, 278, and 258. That, combined with the lead I had after qualifying, put me in a really good position.” 

Like Adams, Pettit is heading to the USA. In August 2026, on scholarship, he will be bowling for Wichita State University, recognised as one of the most successful college programs in the USA, with 24 national titles for both men’s and women’s teams.

Wichita is located in Kansas, famous for its agriculture, particularly wheat and cattle production, as well as for Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz, basketball, references in famous Glen Campbell and White Stripes songs and the darling of them all, Taylor Swift, and her connection to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won three Super Bowls in the last five seasons.

“Can’t say I’m a Swiftie, but Dad is. Every now and then, he’ll put on some Taylor Swift, and we can sing together because we’re both terrible singers. If Taylor’s on, nobody else is in the car,” Pettit laughed.

"I've been to Wichita twice, and what stands out to me are their academics and their success in bowling. The coaching is incredible, with a great dedication to the players. Mark Lewis is an Olympian; he competed in Seoul; the only time bowling was in the Olympics. Rick Steelsmith is an amazing coach and an even better human being. In January, when I was in America, I was rushed to the hospital. Dad texted Rick, who arrived at the hospital just ten minutes later and stayed several hours during his holiday.”

Summary of Major Achievements 

• Winner of four New Zealand Senior titles: 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025. He became the youngest-ever national champion at the age of 13 in 2021.
• Youngest person in New Zealand to bowl a perfect 300 game at the age of 14. Since then, he has completed 19,300 games.
• Youngest to achieve an 800 series in New Zealand, meaning he averaged over 267 across three games - this feat is more challenging than bowling a 300 game. Ben has bowled an 800 three-game series 17 times.
• Winner of the New Zealand U18 boys’ national title four times: 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
• New Zealand U21 men’s national title holder in 2023 and 2024.
• In 2021, he became the first bowler to sweep all national championship titles for U18, U21, and adult men, while also holding the #1 year-end rankings in all three divisions
• Winner of the U18 Australian Masters in 2022.
• Champion of Australia’s largest-ranked adult event, the Kegel Queensland Open.
• Selected to represent the New Zealand men’s team at the World Championships in Australia in 2022 at the age of 15.
• In 2024, Ben won a bronze medal in singles at the U21 World Championships in Korea, marking New Zealand’s first-ever world championship medal after 40 years of attempts.
• In 2025, he finished 10th in the U21 World Cup in Sweden.
• Named Porirua Young Sportsman of the Year in 2022.
• Awarded the Hutt Valley Young Sportsman of the Year (while attending HIBS) in 2022.
• Named Hutt International Boys’ Sportsman of the Year in 2024.
• Received the College Sport Wellington Supreme Sportsman of the Year award in 2025.
• Pettit is the first New Zealand tenpin bowler to be sponsored by an international bowling ball brand; he is an international staff member with Hammer Bowling.  

Article added: Monday 10 November 2025