BELMONT captain Marcus Hainsworth admits Wests have dominated his team in recent years but says there will no better chance to square the ledger than in the Newcastle District Cricket Association's first-grade final, which starts today at Harker Oval.
Neither minor premiers Wests nor second-placed Belmont have played in almost three weeks, after rain washed out their semi-finals and then forced the decider to be postponed last weekend.
The two teams last met in December, when Wests posted an imposing 8-381 and then rolled Belmont for 80.
"They absolutely flogged us last time," Hainsworth said.
"In saying that, the conditions probably weren't the same, because there'd been a bit of rain before we batted.
"The pitch was still OK but I wouldn't say it was a fair contest.
"Looking at the big scheme of things, I wouldn't say they've got the wood over us, but the last couple of years it seems they've beaten us every time we've played them ... they're a good team, but so are we, and anything can happen in a final."
Hainsworth acknowledged it wasn't an ideal build-up for a decider, given that the preparation of both teams has been disrupted.
"We got in the nets on Tuesday, but the practice wickets were too wet yesterday and too wet today, so we'll have a bit of fielding training or a game of soccer instead," he said.
"We're probably a bit light-on but we've worked hard all season, so we're not completely underdone. We haven't forgotten how to bat and bowl. It's certainly not something we're worried about, anyway. We're just excited to be playing."
Wests skipper James King was confident his team would show their true colours after some late-season wobbles.
Undefeated for the first two-thirds of their campaign, Wests had the minor premiership wrapped up well before the regular season had finished, but then surprisingly lost their final two games, against Merewether and Newcastle City.
"I think we had the mentality that the season was done and we probably weren't working as hard as we could," King said. "So we were pretty disappointed with that and since then everyone has been really pushing hard at training. We've had some really good sessions and hopefully that shows on the field this week."
Having already won the Tom Locker Cup one-day competition, Wests are aiming to emulate their 2017-18 title double.
"The boys are itching to get out there," King said.
"It's what we've worked for all year. It's great to win a minor premiership, but all the boys want to win the last game of the year."
King and Hainsworth both endorsed last week's decision to defer the final, rather than risk playing on an under-prepared pitch and heavy outfield.
"It's looking good," King said of Harker Oval.
"It's still a bit soft underfoot, but it's a lot better than last week and we'll definitely get a game in."
