CITY are the new kids on the grand final block, in more ways than one.
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Not only reaching Newcastle District Cricket Association's main decider for the first time in over four decades, but with eight players in this weekend's XI aged 23 or under.
City captain Callan Fowler is the oldest of that young brigade, which includes six teenagers. Three of them are still at high school.
Harrison Allomes, 18 and a first-year physiology student at the University of Sydney, joined the club out of Maitland juniors around six summers ago.
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Allomes opens the batting with Harry Scowen, who was recently part of the NSW All Schools carnival alongside Harry Campbell and Jonah Roser. Alex Sylow is 19.
Freddie Freeman, 18, and Elijah Smith, 20, come into City's side to tackle Charlestown at No.1 Sportsground on Saturday and Sunday.
The duo replace Danial Ibrahim, who this week left to join English county Sussex for pre-season commitments, and Lachlan Rail, who drops back to second grade.
Former skipper Mitch Nesbitt, 27, English paceman Toby Fynn, 30, and new addition Nick Walker, 32, are the more experienced campaigners.
"We're such a young team," Allomes told the Newcastle Herald.
"I've played heaps of junior and rep cricket with Al [Sylow], more recently done some academy stuff with Jonah [Roser] and Harry [Campbell], and some Country NSW stuff with Harry Scowen.
"It's good we're all at that same age, we have trust in each other. We're all really confident and really looking to take the game on.
"We're all in the same boat and it's not just one young kid coming into a group of first graders who have been playing so many years together."
Allomes has averaged 34.91 by scoring 384 runs this season, which featured a man-of-the-match 76 in City's Tom Locker Cup 50-over title in November.
He acknowledged "strong foundations" and "building confidence" to "compete at this level", having debuted two seasons ago aged 16.
Minor premiers Charlestown, on Thursday, officially announced an unchanged team from last weekend's semi-final victory.