GLENN McGrath remembers the first time he arrived to play with Sutherland District Cricket Club.
The young fast bowler came from Narromine in the state's west, towing his caravan, to join Sutherland in the 1989-90 season.
He arrived at the ground, which was then known as Caringbah Oval, for pre-season training.
Little did he know that his impact on the sport would one day lead to the ground being renamed in his honour.
McGrath, now 44, of Cronulla, looks back fondly on those days.
He started out in second grade, where he played seven games, before getting his chance in first-grade. He went on to became an iconic player for NSW and Australia.
"Glenn is certainly our greatest player who went on to play Test cricket from Sutherland," said club historian Tom Iceton.
McGrath's career spanned 124 Tests, taking 563 wickets, averaging 21.64, and taking 835 wickets at first-class level, averaging 20.85.
Sutherland Shire Council renamed Caringbah Oval after McGrath in 2008.
"I am honoured the ground has been named after me," he said. "The club has a special place in my heart".
He said playing in the club's maiden first grade premiership in 1995-96 was memorable, up there with Test and World Cup triumphs.
Iceton said there had been 11 Sutherland players to have played Test cricket for Australia, including those who had played Test cricket at other clubs before joining them and players who began their careers at Sutherland.
McGrath says his wife Sara and children Holly, 12, and James, 14, proudly call the shire ‘‘home’’.
There have been challenges along the way for him away from cricket. His first wife, Jane McGrath, died of breast cancer in 2008.
She co-founded the McGrath Foundation, which raises funding for research and provides nurses for 25,000 families Australia-wide.
The annual Pink Test at SCG in January is a major focal point and fund-raiser for the foundation.
Sutherland will celebrate 50 years during the 2014-15 season.
Celebrations will include a golf day at Woolooware Golf Club on November 14 and a players’ reunion on November 15 at Glenn McGrath Oval.
Sutherland begins the new season with a match at Fairfield Liverpool on Saturday, September 27, at Rosedale Oval, Warwick Farm.
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