Eastlake product Nick Winter had to wait five seasons for his Sheffield Shield debut, so he was always going to make it one to remember.
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Winter enjoyed a dream start when he claimed 3-42 for South Australia against Victoria on day two at Adelaide Oval.
It was somewhat fitting that Winter made his first class debut alongside debut centurion Harry Nielsen, the son of former Australian coach Tim Nielsen.
It was during an Eastlake cricket club presentation night that Tim Nielsen called to offer the promising young quick a rookie contract with the Redbacks for the 2013-14 season.
Injury and inconsistency threatened to derail Winter's career when he lost his state deal last year, but he fought his way back into the Redbacks squad on a full-time contract.
Winter became the 32nd player to play first class cricket after representing the ACT, and the fifth Eastlake player to do so, following Jamie Haynes, Darren McNees, Alex Ross and Aaron Ayre.
Winter scored an unbeaten 10* as South Australia posted 379, and then claimed the first three wickets to remove Peter Handscomb (0), Travis Dean (42) and Marcus Harris (66) on day two to leave the visitors at 5-248.
While Winter became Canberra's latest first class revelation interstate, umpire Terry Keel was busy breaking new ground in the capital.
Keel broke the ACT umpiring record for most first grade matches last weekend when he officiated his 242nd game in Queanbeyan's win over Tuggeranong.
The record was previously held by Geoff Bennett, who passed away in 2013, and what makes Keel's achievement even more remarkable is he has a further 163 Sydney first grade matches to his name.
He umpired his first ACT first grade game in the 1991-92 season and has since shuffled from the stumps to square leg in Prime Minister's XI clashes, women's one-day internationals, men's domestic one-day games and a handful of domestic Twenty20 matches.
He has watched over the likes of Steve Waugh at the Sydney Cricket Ground and a young Brendon McCullum, but it's Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar that stands out as the highlight.
"I was in awe of the guy and he rocked up to a grade game, at Hurstville I think it was, and he rocked up with his entourage like a movie star," Keel said.
"He's just got people carrying his gear, a beautiful blonde girlfriend. He's just arrived in this cavalcade of cars with his support people and then proceeded to play.
"He bowled from my end, he was hooping the ball around, it was really conducive conditions for him to bowl in and he was causing batsmen all sorts of trouble.
"I remember him being larger than life, and as he finished bowling one delivery he was walking back to his mark, and he walked back past me and I remember him saying 'imagine if India was playing Pakistan today, many fireworks', and then he kept walking.
"He was quite a character, it was a bit surreal."
CRICKET ACT DOUGLAS CUP
Saturday: Round 13 - ANU v Weston Creek Molonglo at ANU North Oval, Western District-UC v Tuggeranong at Jamison Oval, North Canberra-Gungahlin v Queanbeyan at Harrison Oval, Ginninderra v Eastlake at Kippax Oval. Play starts at 11am.
