The Foster brothers grew up in Stockton playing backyard cricket.
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Down a concrete driveway with a taped-up tennis ball. Plenty of kids from around the neighbourhood joined in. There were more wickets than long innings.
Since those childhood days Daniel and Nick have only combined forces on the same field about 20 or 30 times.
Sporadically over the last decade and a half, but all in the Newcastle district first grade competition and all for Stockton and Northern Districts.
“They don’t come round like that very often,” Daniel, 31 of Fullerton Cove, said.
Daniel, answering an SOS call from older family member and Seagulls captain Nick, recorded career-best figures of 7-31 in what was just his second game this season.
Bowling his left-arm seamers from the southern end of Newcastle’s main cricket venue, Daniel struck first ball after coming on to replace injured opener Brodie Cox in the fourth over.
Before he knew it, Daniel had the first six victims and the Sabres were struggling at 6-58 after winning the toss and electing to bat.
“My first ball was a loosener and [City batsman] Jack Downing chipped it to Westy [fiedler Ben West]. I didn’t know where it was going,” Daniel said.
“It was just one of those days I think. It was swinging a bit and the wicket was a bit soft and everything came off. The catches stuck as well.”
For a while there Daniel and Nick were bowling in tandem. The former NSW Country off-spinner ended up with 3-17.
It was a special moment for equal last Stockton, especially in the context of a difficult summer so far.
“We’ve done it a bit tough for a little while so it was nice,” Nick, 35 of Stockton, said.
“It was probably our best 90 overs of cricket.”
Approaching day two of the round 10 fixture, with City dismissed for 86 inside 33 overs and Stockton set to resume at 8-204, the Seagulls hold an unaccustomed but commanding 118-run lead.
“We haven't been in this position for a long time, but we’ll try to make the most of it,” Nick said.
Meanwhile, in Wednesday’s T20 Summer Bash double header both games went down to the wire.
The Magpies (Charlestown) beat defending champions the Sea Dragons (University) in a super over after scores were tied at 8-131 apeice at Passmore Oval while a half-century to Jonty Durrheim wasn’t enough for the Waratahs (Waratah-Mayfield), who fell two runs short of the Lions’ (Merewether) 6-137 at No.1 Sportsground.
