![Newcastle cricketer Joseph Price playing for the Bush Blues at the Australian Country Championships in 2017. Picture by Sylvia Liber Newcastle cricketer Joseph Price playing for the Bush Blues at the Australian Country Championships in 2017. Picture by Sylvia Liber](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/gNecaFSpqFSLkittedmeiY/b9350172-346a-4155-8c2d-bcb696939d54.jpg/r0_795_5184_3087_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
PAUL Marjoribanks hopes the Australian Country Championships potentially "plant the seed" for Newcastle to host future national carnivals or even welcome a long-awaited return of first-class fixtures.
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Marjoribanks - Country Cricket NSW chairman, Cricket NSW board member and recently finishing his tenure in charge of the local association - can see next month's tournament helping show that "Newcastle's still here and very keen to be part of the schedule".
Men's and women's competition gets underway on January 3 with more than 150 players from 12 teams taking part in 61 games at 15 venues over eight days.
"Obviously being local and being on those committees, it [the Australian Country Championships] is a great opportunity to showcase Newcastle," Marjoribanks told the Newcastle Herald.
"Particularly the breadth of our grounds and the quality of the facilities we have, obviously No.1 Sportsground being the headline.
"It's [also] an opportunity to show to Cricket Australia, who schedule all the main events around Australia, that Newcastle's still here and very keen to be part of the schedule."
Newcastle last housed the Australian Country Championships in 1992-1993.
On three occasions the city has been home to women's ODI - a Belinda Clarke-led Australia in 2000 and back-to-back World Cup games in 2009.
The most recent men's Sheffield Shield match played at No.1 Sportsground was between NSW and Western Australia in February, 2015.
Canberra, Albury and Coffs Harbour are all part of the men's Big Bash League calendar this summer.
Newcastle boasts 11 representatives across both NSW Country squads.