WALLSEND were on a roll in 2019-20. Nathan Price was captain, Jake Montgomery was named player of the year and Gary Geise was taking wickets for fun. Minor premiers and finals bound.
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But, on the eve of semis, all that momentum came to a crashing halt.
COVID struck and following the last round Newcastle District Cricket Association made a midweek decision to cancel the remainder of that season, following advice from the national sporting body for all amateur competitions across Australia to stop immediately.
Three years on and Wallsend have "unfinished" business.
"I guess in a lot of ways the seasons, as a whole, went very similar," Price told the Newcastle Herald ahead of this weekend's grand final between Wallsend and Stockton at No.1 Sportsground.
"We played good cricket all season. We had guys turn up mid-year, which just strengthened our team. Gary [Geise] and Ryan van Kemenade back then and Dan McGovern this time. And as the year went on, we just felt more and more confident we were going to do something.
"So in terms of that year [2019-20] it was a massive let-down. We'd built up such a strong case for finals and to have that chance taken away from us was a massive let-down.
"We still talk about it a little bit, the one we didn't get a chance to have a go at, and it's definitely felt very unfinished over the last couple of years.
"It hasn't been in the immediate conversation with people, but you can definitely tell it's something that we've been really keen to get back and have another go at since that day."
Price, a business owner with two daughters under the age of four, has played in a more full-time capacity in 2022-23 and helped Wallsend rebound from a 10th-place finish last campaign.
The 35-year-old Newcastle and NSW Country representative admits he's "surprised" himself with the bat, scoring 627 runs at an average of 57 despite limited training. Bowling wise he delivered seven overs and took 2-12 in last weekend's semi-final victory against City at Wallsend Oval.
Saturday and Sunday will mark Price's third decider for Wallsend, either side of an extended stint down in Sydney, playing in a 2004-05 loss to upcoming opponents Stockton and a 2006-07 win.
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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.
