![RECOGNITION: Pam Gentle received her award from state member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison at Maitland Croquet Club on Monday. RECOGNITION: Pam Gentle received her award from state member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison at Maitland Croquet Club on Monday.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/H4rQr3kwJCDkT9nukzGYK/67d58a0e-9d41-478a-a0fb-e3099833c319.JPG/r0_350_4256_2487_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A decade of competing in interstate croquet has wrapped up with two NSW Government State Representative Awards for Pam Gentle.
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The Maitland Croquet Club treasurer received the awards for representing NSW in both 2015 and 2016 at the Maitland Park green on Monday.
Mrs Gentle has represented NSW at the World Croquet Federation Australian Golf Croquet Interstate Team Championships for the past 10 years.
Her success in the sport is in her blood, Mrs Gentle’s parents helped form the Maitland Croquet Club about 25 years ago.
But it’s her passion for the sport and everything that comes with it that has kept Mrs Gentle going over the years.
“I love the game, I love the people,” she said.
“It’s a challenge, every game is different.”
But she has decided it was time to retire from the interstate competition.
Her team mates used her announcement as inspiration at the last interstate competition in Perth in September.
Mrs Gentle said that made the championships a bit bittersweet.
“I feel a responsibility and an honour to be in the team,” she said.
“It’s a really nice feeling, but it’s a little bit sad [to be leaving].”
But the veteran player will still pursue the game in other competition.
She hopes to be selected for the Presidents Eights in Melbourne in February.
Mrs Gentle will also continue to play locally, where she has helped coach many other players.
She said it was a nice gesture to have received the state representative award.
State member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison visited the club on Monday morning to present the award to Mrs Gentle.
Ms Aitchison said she was pleased to award Mrs Gentle with the certificates.
“This is a fantastic achievement by Pam and she should be proud of flying the NSW flag in a national competition,” Ms Aitchison said.
“While her success on the croquet court is due to considerable talent, competition at this level also requires a high degree of persistence, patience and practice. Pam certainly exemplifies all of these traits.”