Meanwhile, some of the Port’s best bowlers will be heading to other towns and cities to play in state and zone finals.

Lemon Tree Passage Women’s Bowling Club is off to its first state final in nine years after its grade three team defeated Maitland City at the regional final last week.

The team of eight ladies played a “very hard, very close” game at Soldiers Point Bowling Club, which they won by two shots.

“We are all on a high,” team member Anne Cheetham said. “The state playoffs will be harder. We have to play more games but I think we’ve proved ourselves getting this far.”

The team will travel to Bateau Bay on the Central Coast to play in the state pennant final between August 14-18.

The grade six men’s team from Nelson Bay Bowling Club, which won the Newcastle pennant flag in May, will head to Tamworth for their state pennant final, to be held August 4-6.

Additionally, Raymond Terrace Bowling Club and Soldiers Point Bowling Club will send men’s teams to the NSW State Pennant Finals in Sydney on the same weekend.

Raymond Terrace and Soldiers Point each have grade one teams in the finals. Terry Antram, the bowls director at Soldiers Point Bowling Club and one of the players, said the team had a great season.

Soldiers Point went through their conference undefeated, and took out the Newcastle minor premiership. While they won their conference, Raymond Terrace’s grade one team stopped them from claiming the flag. However, both teams earned themselves entry into the state finals.

At the state final, Soldiers Point will face Ashfield, Engadine and the strong club of Taren Point while Raymond Terrace will play Halekulani, Dapto Citizens and Mt Lewis in their section.

Soldiers Point will also send its grade seven men’s team to the state final in Sydney on the same weekend. The team, the first from Soldiers Point to win a grade seven Newcastle Zone flag, will face teams from Illawarra, Central Coast and Sydney South West.

Meanwhile, Soldiers Point and Fingal Bay Sports Club will host some 300 bowlers at their clubs between August 4-6. The grade five state final will be split between the two clubs. The semi-final will be played at Soldiers Point on the Sunday.

In another coup for Soldiers Point, the club will host the ladies City versus Country tournament between July 22-23.

“This is a selection test series for the three NSW ladies teams,” Antram said.

More than 50 of the state’s best female bowlers, those not already on NSW teams, will be trialling at Soldiers Point for the under-25, open and over 60 teams. This is the first year Soldiers Point has hosted the series.