Skye Lovett is hoping third time's the charm for Waratah-Mayfield.
The 36-year-old will captain Waratah in their third straight Newcastle District Cricket Association (NDCA) women's league final on Wednesday.
They were beaten by Newcastle City in the past two title deciders, something Lovett admits is "a bit of a sore point", and will chase a breakthrough victory against Wests Rosellas at Harker Oval.
Both sides are unbeaten in the midweek T20 competition, which has exploded to nine teams this summer after starting with four two years ago.
Lovett has relished a return to cricket after watching from the stands last year following a knee injury then surgery.
"I hated watching and being on the sideline last year, so it's good to be back into it," the all-rounder said.
Consistency has been key for Waratah, who were barely troubled on their way to the final.
The Rosellas have likewise produced dominant form.
"We've been very consistent throughout the season and we've had a lot of players who have been outstanding, like Emma-Jayne Howe, Kate Handley, Paige Mathewson and Tayla Braithwaite," Lovett said.
"It's going to be a tough battle in the final, which is what you want to see."
Lovett grew up playing cricket in a men's competition in Narromine, where there was limited opportunity for females to pursue the sport locally.
She has embraced being back in the sport since the Newcastle women's T20 league was introduced.
"I was in and around the NSW representative teams until I was around 16 or 17 and then stopped playing for a little while," Lovett said.
"In my early 30s, I started playing back in Sydney. Now, I just play socially, which is a good way to end things off.
"There are other social competitions in Newcastle that are less serious and this is just a little bit of a step up, which is good for those who do have the cricketing background or it's a good pathway for those who are transitioning to play a lot more serious cricket."
Lovett, Mathewson and Handley are also in the Newcastle Blasters team which topped the northern pool of the NSW Country Regional Bash on the Central Coast this month.
Their Blasters teammate Maddy McGuigan is captain of the Rosellas and eyeing her third consecutive NDCA women's crown after playing for City in the past two.
The 18-year-old has welcomed the continued development of female cricket in Newcastle.
McGuigan, who plays alongside her mother Simone for Wests, took up cricket at 13 as part of the first all-girls team to play in the Newcastle Junior Cricket Association. Now, there are all-girls junior competitions.
"I'm really excited to see more girls get involved in cricket and it's good that all the younger girls can see the pathways through to the Newcastle team," McGuigan said.
"This is the first time a Wests team has been in a final, which is exciting. We've been pretty consistent. Our bowling and batting has been pretty good and we've worked well as a team.
"They're a pretty good side and they're going to be hard to beat. It should be a good game."
The final starts at 5pm.
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