NICK Foster doesn't mind playing close to home and this weekend he won't have to leave Lynn Oval.
The Stockton, Newcastle and NSW Country captain has club commitments on Saturday followed by representative duties on Sunday, both scheduled for the same venue.
Round six is part of the weekly Newcastle District Cricket Association first-grade grade competition with Stockton hosting Merewether in the opening two-dayer of the 2021-22 campaign.
However, Foster feels like it has been a while between drinks in terms of higher-level fixtures at the peninsula ground and there's plenty on the line with the Newcastle Blasters and Lake Mac Attack squaring off for a spot in the T20 Regional Bash finals at the SCG.
"I do enjoy playing close to home," Foster said.
"It's been a long time since we've had some rep cricket at Lynn. I reckon about 2006 we played one of the old Newcastle-Illawarra two-day matches there, but that was the last one."
From a representative perspective Newcastle and Lake Mac arrive having won both preliminary round matches, each defeating the Hunter Thoroughbreds and Central Coast Rush at Tuggerah last Sunday.
Foster leads the Blasters, who have Australian under-19 squad member Aidan Cahill and form all-rounder Angus McTaggart replacing Brad Aldous and Jacob Page.
Stockton teammate Adrian Chad skippers opponents the Attack, who also feature Seagulls pair Jeff Goninan and Brendon Charlton.
And while the quartet are all somewhat familiar with Lynn Oval, only the victors will progress to the top-four series in the new year.
"Regardless of who actually wins I think it's good for cricket in Newcastle to have one of the teams there," Foster said.
"In an ideal world you probably have both and you split it up and we can both be there, but it doesn't really matter. It probably just again shows the depth that we've got across the squad."
Newcastle (2017-18) and Lake Mac (2019-20) have both won the NSW Country title previously.
Club wise Foster said Stockton, who won three of their four completed one-day games, are missing Jared Humphreys but welcome back both Keith Moody and Andrew Nicolai.
"We're not quite at full strength but we're not far off," Foster said.
Sixth-placed Merewether (20 points), two shy of the Seagulls (22) in a four-way shard of second spot, welcome back experienced trio Simon Moore, Tim O'Neill and Dave Celep.
Elsewhere on day one and defending premiers Wests host Belmont in a grand final replay at Harker Oval, City are at home to Hamwicks at Learmonth Park, Tom Locker Cup finalists Charlestown travel to Wallsend, Waratah-Mayfield visit Toronto while Cardiff-Boolaroo are away to University.
