Worsnop becomes youngest ever Indoors winner

by admin on August 21, 2014

St Johns Park’s 17 year-old Jamie-Lee Worsnop has etched her name into the record books after claiming a maiden Australian Indoor Championships crown this afternoon, becoming the youngest ever winner of the event in either gender. The $30,000 event boasts a rich history, dating back to 1988 in the men’s field and 2003 in the women, but it was an up-and-coming rising star who prevailed over an international veteran in the final decider to secure a unique slice of history and the $6,000 winner’s cheque that accompanies the national title. Worsnop took a couple ends to adjust to the conditions of the Tweed Heads televised show rink, dropping a shot on the first two ends to former Scottish International Kay Moran, before posting scores on the next five consecutive ends to blast away to an 8-2 lead. Worsnop, who paved her way through the event with victories over Christine Keep, NSW junior teammate and rising star Ellen Ryan, 2005 Australian Indoor Champion Maria Rigby, who was also a finalist last year, and Tweed Head’s Australian Jackaroos squad member Kristy Thatcher in the semi-final, mitigated the damage on the penultimate and final end to secure a 8-5 first set. The pint sized international heavyweight and the straight-faced promising young-gun traded blows over the second set, with just a one shot margin in Worsnop’s favour after the penultimate end. Having claimed the first set, Worsnop could afford to give up one shot, but no more, on the last end to tie the set and clinch a one-and-a-half set victory, but found herself down 2 shots with just final bullet to be fired. Taking it in her stride, she delivered a clutch drive that ricocheted off the shot bowl and knocked out Moran’s second shot to secure her first senior national title with a tied second set, 8-all. “Kay played amazing,” Worsnop said after prevailing. “It was such a close game the whole way through. I crept away in the first set, but the second set she stuck in there and played awesome. “It was a tricky run through the event, I had a few great battles. “Every player here is amazing so I was stoked to even get this far. “To make it up here through the qualifying was a great achievement in itself, but it’s something special to win in at 17. “I still can’t believe it, I’m ecstatic.” Worsnop will now get her first taste of senior international representation courtesy of her victory, with the winner of the men’s and women’s finals provided the nation’s only two entries into the coveted World Cup, to be held at Warilla in NSW next year. The men’s final decider between Club Helensvale’s Australian Jackaroos vice-captain Brett Wilkie against former English international and 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medallist David Holt. Caption: Jamie-Lee Worsnop has made history against Kay Moran today.