If there was ever any doubt that Katherine Rednall deserved her place in the World Singles Matchplay final, it was well and truly extinguished within minutes of the teenager stepping onto the blue rink at Potters.

Defending champion Rebecca Field put pressure on the Stowmarket High School pupil straight away, placing a good lead within inches of the jack but Rednall was not over-awed and crept in with a winning third wood before playing an impressive block to take the first end 1-0.

Calm and composed, certainly on the outside, any nerves the 18-year-old had would have frittered away as she gained the early ascendancy and then moved further ahead with a double on the second end.

Field hit back with a single of her own in end three but if she thought that was going to ruffle Rednall, she was wrong, the teenager replying with an aggressive firing shot that won her a single on the fourth.

Rednall’s confidence was growing and despite Field keeping on her toes by levelling in end five, the Stowmarket High School sixth-former simply upped her game a few notches, finishing the next two ends with a spectacular eight points that took the first set away from the Norwich-based champion.

Field was playing well too but Rednall’s accuracy was proving too much for the 24-year-old whose frustrated expression said it all.

Rednall finished the first set with two singles to win 14-4 and struck the first psychological blow in the Hopton spectacle.

Lesser players may have let the pressure get to them but Rednall’s demeanour never changed and she continued to eke out singles in the second.

But, like all good champions, the youngster had a bit of luck too and on one end, having faced the proposition of dropping two, nicked a winner in off Field’s second winning wood.

Someone in the crowd suggested the shot was “jammy”. It was anything but and was the least that Rednall deserved for her efforts up to that point.

After seven ends, Rednall led 9-1 and could smell victory, knowing that if she continued winning singles, the title was hers.

The defending champion wasn’t going to give up without a fight though and she showed her class with winning single woods on the next two ends to close the gap to 6-3.

That was only a brief fright though as Rednall regained her supremacy, even though her championship-winning wood came as something of an anti-climax.

Laying one on already, Rednall delivered another cautious wood that just had the legs to become a winner.

It wasn’t met with a chorus of cheers initially, simply because few people could confirm she had won, but once the marker announced the outcome of the end, Rednall was greeted by a massive hug from a worthy runner-up.

Field had played a good game but it was Rednall’s time to shine.

Katherine the history student had become a history-maker, Suffolk’s very own Katherine the great.

All that was left was for Rednall to lap up the applause and lift the trophy amidst a plethora of flashbulbs. The challenger had toppled the champion with aplomb.