FORMER Queanbeyan first grade cricket captain Aaron Ayre hopes to one day wear the baggy green after signing a rookie state contract with the Victoria Bushrangers on Monday.
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The selection caps off a big 2013/14 season for the 21-year old, who relocated to Melbourne a year ago to chase his dream of making the big time in cricket.
He played last season for the Essendon Cricket Club along with fellow Victorian and Australian pace bowler Clint McKay, amassing 762 runs during the season including a huge knock of 172 in the final round of competition- his highest score in grade cricket.
"It's something you spend a lot of your life doing and you try and work up to get an opportunity somewhere and I've been lucky enough that that has come up," he said of working towards his contract.
Ayres' statistics speak for themselves as to why the Victorian selectors have shown faith in him.
In 143 grade cricket matches he has scored 5235 runs at an average of 35.61.
In his three seasons captaining Queanbeyan he also represented the ACT Comets in the national Futures League competition.
In the 2011/12 season he lead the Blue Bags to wins in each of the two-day, one-day, twenty overs and NSW SCG Cup competitions- the best season in the clubs history.
Ayre said his batting form for Essendon was what got him his opportunity with Victoria, which was his whole reason in relocating to Melbourne.
"You've got to try and be as consistent as you can and try and put big runs on the board as the season goes on...if you can do that season in, season out, you'll get a look in," he said.
