The team of Pat Janes, Elaine Hodge, Angela Signal, Deb Johns, Judy Eggert and Denise Archibald won the NSW Club Challenge Pink Division State title at Warilla on December 8-9 after defeating Austral in the final.

It was a rocky road for the Marlins who initially were disappointed when they had just missed out qualifying for the finals, losing out on the last state spot to Maitland City.

Disappointment soon turned to elation when the team was told Woolgoolga Bowling Club had withdrawn from the state finals and, as the next highest ranked team, would take its place in the state finals.

The Bay ladies made the most of the second chance by with strong wins against Redhead, Cabramatta and Oak Flats.

Poised at one match all against Oak Flats it came down to the singles with Hodge trailing her Oak Flats opponent 11-17 in a race to 21.

Unfazed by the tricky, windy conditions Hodged chipped away at the deficit and produced a great win 21-19.

In the final against Austral the result was singles 10-21 and pairs 17-7.

The triples closed out the championship after a much-needed last bowl conversion from Archibald giving them a 19-13 lead going into the last end.

The pairs combination of Johns and Signal laid the team’s foundation, finishing the weekend undefeated with four wins and a +44 margin.

In a further coup for the club, in November president Pat Janes attended Women’s Bowls NSW’s night of champions event in Bankstown and was named the winner of the 2018 Membership/Recruitment Drive of the Year Award.

Janes has been actively encouraging members of the community to head along and try bowls at Nelson Bay on a Saturday morning since 2015.

This was turned into a structured learn to bowl program, which has generated and retained 38 new members for the club.