The two sides will do battle at No.1 Oval, with Macquarie selectors opting for a balance of experience and youth.

Western Zone skipper Mitch Bower will lead a Macquarie that features young guns Marty Jeffrey, Henry Railz and Tom Nelson, as well as the returning Chris Russo.

“Those guys have all played a bit of rep cricket before but never for Macquarie Valley,” Bower said.

“It’s a good opportunity for the real young blokes like Henry and Tommy to get a taste of senior rep cricket, and Marty has been around the set-up for a while already.

"Chris Russo has been away from Dubbo but playing at a good level, so he will bring something as well.

“You look at Tom Nelson last year and the improvement he showed for CYMS in first grade, making big scores, it’s good to give kids like that an opportunity.”

Joining the youngsters in the squad will be the likes of established stars such as Bower, Jordan Moran, Will Lindsay and Ben Taylor.

Bower believes his side will need to be at their best to defeat Lachlan, which comprises of players mainly from Parkes and Cowra.

“They have Tim and Nick Berry, as well as Anthony Heraghty and Jacob McNaught, so they are a very good side,” he said.

“It’s still really early in the season so there might be a bit of rust, but it is a really good chance to play some strong cricket straight up.

“We have a lot of versatility in our squad. We bat really deep and we have every base covered with our bowling.

“We will have to be at our best to beat them. The fact that so many good cricketers are putting their hand up to play rep is a sign that we’re hopefully going to have another strong season.”

MACQUARIE: Mitch Bower (c), Jordan Moran, Chris Russo, Marty Jeffrey, William Lindsay, Ben Taylor, Mat Skinner, Chris Morton, Henry Railz, Greg Buckley, Thomas Nelson, James O'Brien, Steve Skinner.

LACHLAN: Nick Berry (c), Tim Berry, Josh Carmody, Greg Garlick, Jacob Harvey, Anthony Heraghty, Jacob McNaught, Jonte Powderly, Blake Smith, Myles Smith, Brendan Traves, Peter Yelland