Peter Kirsten and Newlands are synonymous in the annals of Western Province cricket.
The brilliant top-order batsman played for 17 seasons at the ground and remembers well crowds of 10 000 and more watching three-day games there.
Kirsten's career came full circle when he was appointed coach of the WP A side this week and, although he does not have the solution for bringing the crowds back to first-class cricket, he plans to continue the WP style of playing a positive, exciting game.
His first matches in charge - last season's coaches Eric Simons and Vincent Barnes have left to coach the Proteas and SA A sides - will probably be played away from the world-famous international venue, though.
WP CEO Arthur Turner will be having talks with the Bellville Club next week, but it is likely that B team matches and WP's two home Supersport games will be played at the northern suburbs venue.
WP's first home game in the four-day competition takes place in the first week of October, so the move makes sense in terms of avoiding possible rainy weather and to protect the Newlands wicket ahead of next year's World Cup.
Kirsten, who coached Northerns in the A section a few seasons back, has had success with the WP B team in the past two summers, winning three out of a possible four trophies with them.
"Eric and Vincent have laid a good foundation, and I'm looking forward to being back in the mainstream," he said.
Kirsten will also be renewing the close relationship he's had with the family of current WP captain HD Ackerman.
The new coach played provincial cricket with HD's father Hylton and also encountered the young Ackerman when he first came into the WP side and he (Kirsten) was playing for Border.
"HD's record speaks for itself; he's close to my WP (runs) record," said Kirsten.
His knowledge of WP's second string will come into play this season, with the Cape supplying its usual complement of players to the Proteas line-up and possibly a few more to the SA A side, which has several games lined up.
If there was one thing the excited new coach would like to have available it would be a fast bowler in the mould of his long-time teammate Garth le Roux, to bolster the WP pace department.
"Bowlers like Garth don't fall off trees, but if you don't have (true) fast bowlers, you have to have guys to swing it, and we've got Charl Willoughby and Alan Dawson," said Kirsten.
The coach predicts good things for young bowlers like Rory Kleinveldt and left-arm swing merchant William Hantam, with the hope that they will come into the senior side eventually as Quentin Friend did last season.
Kirsten takes over officially on August 1 and is focused on maintaining a happy, hopefully winning side.
"We have to try to continue reaching finals (last season the WP senior side lost in the one-day final and just missed making the four-day final).
"With the B side we've had some good victories against Namibia and Zimbabwe B, and I hope to continue the trend of being successful."
WP's proposed pre-season programme, involving three-day and one-day matches against Namibia and
KwaZulu-Natal in Namibia, has had to be changed because of KZN's withdrawal.
Kirsten is exploring other options.
WP's first-class programme for a season shortened by the World Cup sees them play five four-day games on successive weekends.
WP Supersport programme:
September 20-23: v Free State (Bloemfontein)
September 27-30: v Griqualand West (Kimberley)
October 4-7: v Boland (Cape Town)
October 11-14: v KZN (Durban)
October 18-21: v Border (Cape Town)
(Final, if applicable: November 1-5)