PROLIFIC Kiewa wicket-taker Ryan de Vries says the challenge of testing himself at a higher level was behind his decision to join East Albury.
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After taking 181 wickets in the past five seasons with the district club, de Vries will open the bowling with Crow skipper Cameron White at Alexandra Park.
“I’m really looking forward to trying to step up,” de Vries said.
“I wanted to challenge myself and East Albury seems like a good fit.
“They have good coaches and it just felt like the right decision.”
The 22-year-old has been terrorising Cricket Albury-Wodonga district batsmen for the past five years with his most successful season being 2015-16 when he captured 66 wickets.
He believes the biggest difference could be clubs’ batting depth.
“There are good players in the district competition, but I’d say provincial clubs go deeper with their batting.” he said.
De Vries made the VCCL Team of the Year last year after being selected from statistically the best-performed players across the league’s eight country regions.
White and de Vries are set to form one of the premier opening bowling attacks in CAW as East Albury fight to improve on last season’s semi-final loss.
Coach Dylan Weeding said the Crows had been trying to lure de Vries across the Border for the past two seasons.
“It will be good having another quick bowler to help ‘Whitey’ (Cameron White) out,” Weeding said.
“He’s had to do a lot of work at East over the past few years.
“Ryan’s done really well in the district competition and he will be good for us with the new ball.
“He will fit in well.”
East Albury has enjoyed an impressive off-season with promising Jersey middle-order batsman Dom Blampied headlining the arrivals.
He will bat in the middle-order and bowl leg-spin.
Former Crow batsman Will McIntosh has also returned after a stint with Melbourne University and looks set to bolster a batting line-up which struggled for consistency in 2016-17.
Meanwhile, former North Albury and Yarrawonga all-rounder Daniel Athanitis will captain-coach Corowa in its debut season in the district competition.
Athanitis, who had last season off, will inject some much-needed experience into the young line-up.
“It will be good,” he said.
“I’ll be spending some time down at Corowa and it will be different playing in the district competition for the first time.
“I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect in the first year.”