It's a little later than normal, post the October long weekend, but the Newcastle District Cricket Association first grade competition gets underway this Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One-day fixtures kick start proceedings with two-dayers following later, minus a round, and the T20 Summer Bash stays separate.
Who's in and who's out from around the grounds and who will clinch the premiership in 2019-2020?
HAMILTON-WICKHAM
Captain: Matt Webber
Last Premiership: 16-17
Last Season: Minor premiers (lost grand final)
In: Adam Price (returning), Ed Nott (Kent league - England).
Out: Dave Stevenson (not playing).
Bottom Line: Hamwicks either won or were in contention for every bit of silverware last summer. Finished top of the ladder and claimed the Tom Locker Cup title, but lost the two-day and T20 finals. Remain relatively unchanged.
Prediction: First
WESTS
Captain: James King
Last Premiership: 17-18
Last Season: Sixth
In: Shannon Bills, Aaron Bills (Cardiff), Puru Gaur (New Delhi, India).
Out: Peter Lojszczyk (overseas), Cooper Lennox (Wallsend), Alex Moor (not returning from England).
Bottom Line: Wests missed the semis last season, but will be keen to repeat the title from 2017-18. Core group of King, Joseph Price, Aaron Wivell and Brad Aldous are key while Bills brothers add depth.
Prediction: Second
UNIVERSITY
Captain: Matt Gawthrop
Last Premiership: 10-11
Last Season: Fifth
In: Gawthrop (full-time).
Out: Nathan Hudson (Waratah), Adam Winchester (Cardiff), Jeremy Smith (Upper Hunter).
Prediction: Third
MEREWETHER
Captain: Simon Moore
Last Premiership: 15-16
Last Season: Fourth
In: Jack Richards (Gosport Borough - England).
Out: Michael Eccleston, Josh Callinan (not playing).
Bottom Line: The Lions snuck into top four with outright result in last round in 2018-19 and will look to ensure they stay in finals contention once more.
Prediction: Fourth
CHARLESTOWN
Captain: Jed Dickson
Last Premiership: 05-06
Last Season: Third
In: Harry Gadd (Havant - England), Michael Tyrer (Rainham - England), Parth Shah (return).
Out: Daniel Chillingworth, Josh Claridge (Gordon - Sydney), Shashrika Pussegolla (not returning from Sri Lanka), Bayley McGill (not playing).
Bottom Line: Leg-spinner Chillingworth, batsman Claridge and all-rounder Pussegolla are big losses for the reigning T20 champions.
Prediction: Fifth
WALLSEND
Captain: Nathan Price
Last Premiership: 06-07
Last Season: Seventh
In: Cooper Lennox (Wests), Vali Graham (University).
Out: James Beatty (Stockton), Ben Herring (Kurri Weston - Maitland), Kyle Bray (Port Macquarie), Jamie Carroll (not playing).
Prediction: Sixth
BELMONT
Captain: Marcus Hainsworth
Last Premiership: 08-09
Last Season: Ninth
In: Marcus O'Riordan (Kent county - England), Alec Jakeman (Slaithwaite - England).
Out: Toby Gray (Northern Districts - Sydney), Jack Norton (not playing).
Bottom Line: Kent first-class representative all-rounder O'Riordan looks like a handy recruit.
Prediction: Seventh
TORONTO
Captain: Adrian Chad
Last Premiership: 18-19
Last Season: Second (won grand final)
In: Nick Watkins (Cardiff), Andrew Sommerville (Manly - Sydney).
Out: Griffin Lea (Manly - Sydney), Ryan Fenning, Brendan Charlton, Dylan Robertson (Central Coast), Jeremy Ford, Tim Cox, Aaron Gray (not playing).
Bottom Line: Have lost majority of grand final XI from club's maiden first grade premiership in March.
Prediction: Eighth
STOCKTON & NORTHERN DISTRICTS
Captain: Nick Foster
Last Premiership: 04-05
Last Season: Eleventh
In: Jeff Goninan (returning for first half of season), James Beatty (Wallsend), Tyson Beatty (Hawkesbury - Sydney), Lucas Sergeant (Easts - Maitland), Andrew Nicholai (Supporters - Cessnock), Sam Blake, Rehan Ratnasabapathy (Sutton - England).
Out: Benn West (not playing).
Bottom Line: Seagulls bolstered by Goninan cameo and a few other familiar, or new, faces at Lynn Oval.
Prediction: Ninth
WARATAH-MAYFIELD
Captain: Nathan Hudson
Last Premiership: 96-97
Last Season: Twelfth
In: Hudson (University), Ben Crebert (City - Maitland).
Out: Piers Robinson (not returning from England).
Bottom Line: Hudson adds a new element with both bat and ball, but squad lacks depth overall.
Prediction: Tenth
CARDIFF-BOOLAROO
Captain: Matt Willett
Last Premiership: 09-10
Last Season: Eighth
In: Adam Winchester (University), Sudha Gundeti (India), James Conn (Orange), Sean Love (returning).
Out: Nick Watkins (Toronto), Shannon Bills, Aaron Bills (Wests), Varuum Sharma (not returning from India), Richard Green, Lachlan Maher (not playing).
Bottom Line: Lots of changes at Pasterfield Sporting Complex with veteran quick Willett now in charge.
Prediction: Eleventh
NEWCASTLE CITY
Captain: Jonty Major
Last Premiership: 75-76
Last Season: Tenth
In: Nil
Out: Jack Downing (not playing), Ahmed Badat (study).
Bottom Line: The Sabres have a young squad trying to gain experience. Switch from No.1 to Learmonth.
Prediction: Twelfth
LOCAL CRICKET: Steel dismissed from Sydney-based NSW Premier T20 Cup