Invermay bowler Rebecca Van Asch has made history by taking out the Australian Indoor Championships in New South Wales.
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In defeating Canadian Kelly McKerihen in a topsy-turvy title match, the 29-year-old became the first Tasmanian winner in the championship’s history.
After clinching the first set, Van Asch made a promising start to the second before McKerihen staged an impressive comeback to force a tie-break.
But Van Asch held her nerve to secure a 9-4, 5-7, 4-2 victory – one she described as an emotional affair.
“That was a really tough game and I was really happy with the way I started,” the three-time world champion told Bowls Australia.
“Things were going really well, but things got really tight there at the end so it was really nice to come away with a win after going down to the last end of the tie-break.”
Van Asch said she was proud to have collected the state’s first win at the tournament after 15 years of the women’s competition and 30 years of the men’s.
“To finally get the victory for Tasmania is fantastic.
“A lot of people know that I'm a very patriotic Tasmanian so it’s fantastic to have this title for Tassie.”
Van Asch, who was part of an Australian team that won gold and silver medals at the Gold Coast Multi-Nations tournament earlier this year, will now have direct entry into next year’s competition, which will again be held at Tweed Heads Bowls Club in August.
In the men’s competition, New South Wales’ David Ferguson upset fellow statesman and three-time winner Jeremy Henry with a 6-11, 8-6, 4-2 win.