He has long been regarded as one of the premier cricketers in the region and now Michael Rixon has been recognised as one of the best in country NSW.
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The North Tamworth allrounder has been named in the NSW Country side to play in the Toyota Australian Country Championships in Toowoomba in January.
He is one of six new caps in a side which also features South Tamworth and Central North skipper Tom Groth.
The veteran wicketkeeper-batsmen, who last year broke Simon Moore's record for the most games played for the Bush Blues, has been selected for a remarkable 12th straight campaign.
Rixon was understandably "very excited" to learn of his selection, an opens baggy blue something the former Country colts representative has long-coveted.
"For the last eight or nine years, pretty well since I first played at the opens carnival I've been aspiring to get there," he said.
"I'm really stoked to have finally made it."
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The side was finalised following the completion of the NSW Country Championships on the weekend.
Rixon's selection follows a strong performance for Central North at the northern pool carnival earlier this month.
"I was happy with how I went on the first two days, it was pretty tough days of batting on those wickets," he said.
Batting at first drop, he fought hard and top-scored with 46 on the first day and made 32 the second.
The 28-year old also proved a valuable asset with the ball picking up wickets in all three games.
"I bowled probably more at this carnival than ever have before," he said.
He also "came on a lot earlier", the conditions suiting the slower bowlers.
Something he has done "for the last 10 years at Norths" and a little bit for Tamworth in previous years, it was some advice from Groth that precipitated his growing prominence as a bowler.
He told him a few years to have a look at bowling around the wicket, and he has stuck with that.
The championships will be held from January 2-12, which will mean Rixon has to forgo watching Elton John perform at the Hunter Valley. But he isn't complaining.
About his only complaint is his failure so far to post a big score for Norths.
He has put himself in a position to do so a couple of times.
"It (season) has been a little bit disappointing," he said.
"I've got a couple of starts between 30 and 50 which should have been a bit more."
The fact that Norths are travelling so well - they are five from five - has lessened that disappointment a bit.
It is their best start for years.
