Weston teen Jesse Herbert is now a national champion after being a part of the NSW triples side that won the Australian Under-18s Bowls Championships.
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The 17-year-old, who bowls with East Maitland, also came home from the competition with silver in the fours event.
The competition was held at Tuggeranong Valley Lawn Bowls Club in the ACT from September 28 to 30 and showcased the best up-and-coming bowls talent in the country.
This was the first time Herbert had been selected in the NSW side, gaining his position from the 2014 NSW City v Country series.
After selection he was part of the winning NSW side in a NSW v Queensland test match in June, as well as the state team who beat the NSW Combined High Schools side in early September.
Despite coming off magnificent form with the NSW side, Herbert said he couldn’t believe it when he realised his triples team had won the national competition.
Herbert combined with Dylan Skinner (Wiseman Park Wollongong City) and Jordan Taylor (Dapto Citizens) to go through the sectionals undefeated and beat Queensland 14-10 in a high-quality final.
However Queensland gained revenge in the fours to win 15-12 despite a spirited comeback from NSW.
NSW won the last three ends of the match, however Queensland had established too great of a lead in the middle stages to cause an upset.
Skinner and Taylor were also a part of the fours team, along with Isaac Rayner of Wagga Rules.
As Herbert is 17, 2015 will be his last year competing in the under-18s competition, but he now turns his attention to the under-25s competition for next year.
Herbert said the step-up will be a challenge, but he plans to just keep playing as best as he can and see how he goes from there.