No.1 Sportsground will "anchor" the Australian Country Championships next summer with Newcastle to host the national cricket carnival for the first time in three decades.
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The city venue, available again last season following a lay-off for upgrades, will be used in conjunction with other fields across the region when competition gets underway on January 3.
Paul Marjoribanks, chairman of both Country Cricket NSW and Newcastle District Cricket Association, says the men's and women's tournaments in 2023-24 provide the area with a "fantastic opportunity".
"It becomes an anchor for the carnival, showcasing No.1 and hopefully giving as many states as possible a chance to play there," Marjoribanks told the Newcastle Herald.
"We'll look at playing some of the T20 games under lights at No.1 to enhance the quality of the carnival.
"Ground allocations are still to be decided but we'll play across the venues we have. Seeing other state's facilities, Newcastle's up there with anything else on offer."
Newcastle was given the nod to house the event after South Australia's Barossa Valley became unavailable.
Based on the annual roster system used for the participating five states and ACT, NSW Country was next in line.
The Australian Country Championships have visited Dubbo, Lismore, Illawarra and Albury since it was last in Newcastle in 1992-1993, featuring a Bush Blues debut for locals Anthony Stuart and Anthony Daly.
Newcastle players dominated the NSW Country squad in Canberra last season with seven representatives - captain Nick Foster, Josh Bennett, Aaron Bills, Jeff Goninan, Josh McTaggart, Pat Magann and Logan Weston.
Meanwhile, the City club have announced reigning NDCA player of the year Oli Carter will return to Australia next summer in between professional commitments with English county Sussex.
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Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
