He's already played a huge amount of cricket this season but this week's State Challenge in Dubbo is something Riley Keen is particularly looking forward to.
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The teenager tearaway has taken his game to a new level this season and will be a key figure for the Country Lions during a carnival that is set to bring elite level cricket to the region.
The State Challenge under 14s and under 17s carnivals, as well as the women's under 19s, will be played in Dubbo this week.
Keen is the lone Dubbo representative in the 17s competition and is worthy of his place after impressing at various levels already in 2021/22.
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A Condobolin junior who has made the trip to Dubbo in recent seasons to play with RSL-Colts, Keen's pace has been a real weapon for the defending premiers in the RSL-Whitney Cup this season while the young gun also represented the Orana Outlaws in the Plan B Regional Bash, is playing for Blacktown in the Green Shield under 16s competition in Sydney, and has played a host of junior representative matches.
"It's been great and really fun," Keen said of the season so far.
"There's a good bunch of blokes at Colts and they really help me and push me to make my game better.
"I feel like I've improved so much since I've come to Colts. All the boys help me out but especially the captain, Marty (Jeffrey). He's done heaps of work with me and supported me."
Consistency in his bowling while also developing some variations has been key for Keen for this season.
After impressing in the RSL-Whitney Cup with Colts and catching the eye when bowling to vastly more experienced players during the Plan B Regional Bash, Keen had been in line to make his Western Zone Premier League (WZPL) debut for Dubbo on Sunday.
Hopefully I can perform in it and people can start looking at me
- Riley Keen
Only commitments with Blacktown stopped that happening and Keen's performances in the city have also been noteworthy.
Playing against many of the state's best juniors, Keen has performed well with the ball and taken figures of 2/22 from eight overs and 2/13 from eight overs while he also banged 49 from just 51 balls against St George.
"I've put a lot of work into batting too," Keen said, before speaking about how his bowling has developed.
"Probably using a slower ball and changing my deliveries. I've worked out the faster you bowl the further it can get hit."
This week's State Challenge will bring together the best under 17s players from country and metro areas, with the Lions starting their campaign against the Sydney Sharks on Tuesday.
The Sharks feature Sam Konstas, the current leading run-scorer in the Green Shield and a junior Australian representative.
"This State Challenge, hopefully I can perform in it and people can start looking at me," Keen said.
"I'm really looking forward to it It should be a good cricket with a good level of players who will push you to the limit."
Keen will be joined in the Country Lions side by fellow Western Zone quick Angus Parsons, of Bathurst, while the rest of the squad features players from the ACT, Illawarra, Riverina, Newcastle, Central Coast, and North Coast.
Cooper Giddings will fly the flag for Dubbo in the under 14s State Challenge and he'll be joined in the Lions squad by Parkes young gun Tristan Ross.
In the women's under 19s carnival, Orange's Katie Letcher will be the lone Western-based player involved.
The women's competition also starts on Tuesday while the under 14s action begins on Monday.
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