Michael Goeke has travelled all over Australia to play indoor cricket tournaments, but this year he is staying put, with the national championships being held in Sydney.
Goeke is playing for the NSW over-40s team at this year's tournament, which is being held at Silverwater all this week.
Goeke, who is 40 and a bit (exact age not for publication), lives in Kellyville and plays at the Hills Indoor Sports Centre at Seven Hills.
He is also a keen outdoor player and has been a bit of a journeyman throughout his career.
He started out in Sydney Grade Cricket Northern District and has since played for North Sydney, Mosman, Blacktown and now plays second grade for Hawkesbury.
As with most indoor cricketers, Goeke is a jack of all trades and can bat, bowl and field.
"There's nowhere to hide in indoor cricket; you've really got to be able to do all three," he said.
"But if I had to pick, I'd say I'm a batsman.
"I open the batting so I have the fun job of facing up to the new ball."
The national championships includes teams from every state and territory, except for Tasmania, plus a team from New Zealand.
Recently, the NSW over-40s have struggled a bit, but Goeke is expecting better things this year.
"We're looking OK, short of injuries, I think we'll see a big improvement from last year.
"Queensland are always the team to beat and they're the team I enjoy beating the most.
"Unfortunately, we haven't done that for a while, but they'll definitely be up there and the New Zealand team, being an international side will be strong as well."
While he would usually prefer travelling to another state for the tournament, Goeke is looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd for a change.
It is the first time the championships have been in Sydney for nine years and Goeke is hoping a big home crowd will cheer them on.
